Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x reader
Summary: You have five simple truths. But when your relationship and your life are put on the line, you start to question what you believe in anymore.
Warnings: reader is a bau tech analyst, serious angst, aaron is being mean, big argument, mentions of haley's death, references to foyet arc, home invasion, graphic descriptions of violence
Words: 3.5K
Masterlist
a/n: there will be a part 2.
1. Aaron doesn't yell at you.
If all else was unsure, then this was one of the five things you knew for certain. You weren't sure if he yelled at all. Maybe at work with criminals, but never with you.
This was still true.
Right now, he wasn't yelling at you. He was speaking in an even tone, but you knew him well enough to notice the difference. His voice was as cold as his rigid stance, like ice ran through his veins. His arms were crossed, and so, even if you weren't a criminal—even if you knew you were his fiancé—you sure as hell felt like one.
Standing on the other side of the kitchen island, you were in opposition of each other in every sense of the word.
You took a deep breath before speaking. "Aaron—"
He cut you off before the words could even leave your mouth. "We've had this conversation before. I've already told you how I feel about it."
You repressed the urge to take another breath, knowing he was a profiler. Knowing he could profile the discomfort all over you, regardless. But you picked up a few profiling tricks, too.
You could see the way he was staring at you. Like you were an idiot.
Maybe you agreed on that.
Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot—
You took the breath, anyway. "Aaron, I said I'm sorry."
You tried to step closer to him, and he didn't move away. But he didn't usher you into his arms, either.
And despite the fact that Aaron doesn't yell at you, you could tell he really wanted to.
"And I'm saying you shouldn't have to say sorry. We shouldn't be having this conversation because you shouldn't have done it," he scolded.
You took another step closer, rounding the counter like your body was trying to get him to physically understand, to remind him that you were on the same side.
"What was I supposed to do?" Your voice was desparate now, almost like you actually wanted him to answer. "You were working. I had to work. You weren't picking up the phone—"
"That's right," he cut you off again. This time, he stepped closer to you. "I was working. You weren't."
2. You have an equal relationship.
The second truth was what had you tilting your head. You were already flushed from the heat of the argument, but now you could feel yourself getting a little angry.
"What do you mean I wasn't working?" you questioned. "Yes, I was. Garcia said you called everyone in; you said to get there stat."
He was quick. "I meant everyone that was necessary. You aren't."
You could feel the cut immediately, etched deep into your skin. It didn't matter how he said it, frivolous or not—the words were sharp enough to cut you effortlessly.
You aren't necessary.
The words echoed through your head. Words you'd heard before, but never from him. Never from the man who swore to be better than everyone else who ever hurt you.
Yet, no matter how much you'd been hurt in the past, it hurt a thousand times more to come from him.
You waited for him to say something else, waiting for any sign of regret to cross his face.
Nothing did.
There were many times when you wished you had Aaron's poker face, but right now, you didn't have to try. The sadness flooding your body remained internal; the only thing that showed on your face was rage.
Your eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Hotch doubled down, staring you right in the eye. "It means your job is an accessory. Garcia does the same job as you—you aren't needed."
That was a lie so blatant it made you scoff. You were a technical analyst for the BAU, and you'd proven yourself time and time again. Hotch was the one that hired you—he's the one that said he saw something in you.
Apparently not.
"I'm not needed," you echoed, sarcasm lacing your voice. "Right. So when an alert comes out that there is an active hostage situation and a potential terrorist threat, what do you expect me to do? Not come into work?"
"Yes," he deadpanned. "Not when you're picking up my son."
You ran a hand through your hair, stuck in disbelief. "You can't be serious—"
"When you're picking up my son, what I expect is for you to take him home."
You spoke over him, countering, "I brought him to a place where I knew he'd be out of harm's way. You weren't picking up the phone. I did what I thought was best—"
"You brought him to Jessica—"
"I brought him to his aunt—"
For the first time since the conversation started, Aaron raised his voice just enough for it to stop you dead in your tracks. "You don't get to bring him to his aunt. You are not his mother!"
3. You are not Jack's mother.
You knew that. God, you knew that. You were there to see the carnage in the Hotchner household after Haley's death. The blood that splattered the walls. The boy who was too young to spell the word devastation but still felt it in his bones.
You knew you were not Jack's mother. You lived in a house with her pictures on the wall. Jack was a mirror image of her; he was her son, and you knew that. It was one of the truths you held the most conviction in.
It was the truth.
But you still recoiled, almost like Aaron had slapped you. A part of you thought maybe that would've hurt less.
All the fire you had was extinguished. You didn't have a rebuttal for that. What could you say? It didn't matter if you loved Jack like he was your own—that didn't change the fact that he wasn't.
You avoided Aaron's gaze, choosing to stare at the pattern of his tie instead and trying not to succumb to the sting in your eyes. You liked this tie; it was one of your favourites. You were close enough to him to see all its beautiful details.
But, at the same time, you'd never been further away from him.
Aaron still hadn't said anything, and out of fear that the dam would break if the silence continued, you spoke up. "I—" your voice cracked. "I know I'm not Jack's mother, and I'm not trying to be." You paused. "I was just doing what I thought was best."
You left it there, not knowing if the right words to say the right thing even existed. Saying the right thing was always Aaron's thing, not yours.
But whatever words he was going to say were cut off by the shrill pinging of a cellphone. Two cellphones.
Aaron picked up his first, sighing immediately. You didn't have to guess what it said. "We have another case." The heat in his voice was gone; he sounded like himself.
That didn't mean you felt any less burned.
"Okay, um—" you couldn't stop yourself from sniffling even if you tried. "I'll stay here and watch Jack. You go."
Another sigh left him. "Y/N—"
The sound of your name leaving his mouth almost made you cry, but you persisted, "No, you can go, it's fine." You chuckled if not just to make light of it for yourself. "I'm not needed there, anyway."
"Y/N."
"Aaron." You fingally looked up at him, and you saw it. Remorse swirling in his brown eyes. The same eyes that crinkled at the sides when you said you'd marry him. Somehow, that made it worse, knowing that it was the same person who said both of those things. Who built you up from scratch just to bring you right back to the bottom.
You repeated yourself, "Go." The team needs you, you wanted to say. The only reason you didn't say it was because he'd already accused you of trying to be his past wife; you didn't need to prove him right.
You could practically hear the churning of his inner turmoil, torn between staying and leaving. It was pointless; you both knew what his decision would be.
When he reached for his go-bag, it was final. And in some ways, he was leaving more than just the house.
As if he could sense that, he turned around. "We'll finish this discussion when I'm back," he said. That was an anchor: telling you something about the present by talking about the future. When I'm back meant that he'd be back. Discussion meant you had something to talk about, a two-sided activity. We meant you were still one unit; you were still a we.
Maybe that's what he meant by it. If you scoured through his words and read between the lines, maybe you'd find the beginnings of an apology—in his own way, at least. But he wasn't sorry, not for what he said. If anything, he was only sorry that he said it.
You wouldn't profile him and ascribe meaning to words that didn't mean anything. We'll finish this discussion when I'm back meant you'd finish the discussion when he was back.
When you replied, that was what you were replying to. "Okay."
You weren't okay.
This wasn't okay.
Aaron cast one last look at you before he crossed the threshold. You looked away.
And then he was out the door, leaving you in a house that no longer felt like your own.
—
"Y/N, my love, I thought I'd die without you!"
Penelope was on you as soon as you walked into the bat cave, shooting up from her chair and hugging you so tightly that you would've thought you'd been gone for ages. Really, you were only gone for a night.
You told Aaron that you wouldn't be coming in, and you were holding true to that, but you weren't gonna make Garcia work alone if she had to, even if she was perfectly capable of it.
You knew you weren't needed. Hotch was right: this ship could sail just fine without you. But you could help.
You'd just dropped Jack off at school, so now you were here, ready to work until you had to pick him up again.
You forced yourself to laugh at her words, causing her to hit your back. "No, I'm being serious! You're my oxygen—I can't live without you."
At that, you snorted. "Okay, Penelope."
She pulled back, resting her hands on your shoulders. "Seriously, though." She looked deep into your eyes, seeming to be looking for something. "Are... are you okay? I don't even think you've taken a sick day since... since forever."
You smiled at her exaggeration, even if it didn't really reach your eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, P. I just have to leave early to go get Jack, and um... I'm gonna stay off camera today. And off the phones." You shifted your weight. "Not like it matters or anything, but I just don't really want Hotch knowing I'm here. I just want to stay in the background today, if that's okay?"
Her brows raised, but she quickly affirmed, "Yes, that's okay! Totally okay. We'll keep this 100% incognito."
It was in Garcia's nature to ask questions, so you knew she had them, but she didn't voice a single one.
You talked about work, and new bureau technology, and your next girls night, and everything but what you asked of her.
You'd never been more grateful.
—
It'd been two days since the team left, two days of bouncing back and forth between the office and back home with Jack. The son that wasn't really yours. The son that felt like yours, anyway.
If you were doing as good as you thought you were, then nobody knew you were even there. Garcia was telling the rest of them that you were sick. Your phone had been flooded with get well soon messages from everyone except the one person you really wanted one from.
Aaron hadn't spoken to you since he left. You wished it didn't hurt as badly as it did.
"Okay, Jackers! I think it's time we head to bed."
"What?" You held back a laugh at the incredulity in his voice, knowing that—for an 8 year old—this was a very serious matter. He looked at you with traces of shock, somehow looking everything and nothing like his father at the same time. "But it's only ten o'clock!"
"Ah, and yet it is still past your bed time. Mine, too."
Jack frowned—and there it was. There was that bit of Aaron you were looking for. "You say that, but you're just going to stay up after I go to sleep."
You couldn't suppress the smile on your face any longer. "No, Jack. I promise you I'm so tired, I'll be out as soon as my head hits the pillow." You ruffled his hair, your smile becoming a grin as he groaned. "Now go brush your teeth, little man."
Jack got up from the table, his little feet pitter-pattering across the floor as he made his way to the stairs. It didn't sound much like a pitter-patter anymore now that he was getting older, but he would always be the same little boy to you. So, "pitter-patter" it was.
Until suddenly, you heard a different noise.
Not pitter-patter.
The door.
Your eyes darted to Jack as he stopped in his tracks, then they darted to the door. The knob, turning lightly, gold glinting in the light. The sound of your own heart beating was just as loud as the turning. The person got impatient, the knob turning faster now, like someone was trying to pry it open.
Fuck. Fuck.
Your mind ran a mile a minute. That wasn't Hotch. You weren't expecting anyone, and whoever was at the door certainly wasn't asking for an invite in.
They were trying to force their way in.
Somebody was breaking in to the house.
With that realization, you were moving. "Jack." You caught his attention easily, spotting the fear on his face right away. More than fear.
Familiarity.
He went through his before. Oh, your Jack. He'd been through this before, and he would know what to do. You did.
Conversations with Aaron flashed through your head, just-in-case scenarios, if then statements. Emergencies.
You knew what to do, too.
You just never thought you'd have to.
You grabbed onto Jack's shoulder, immediately feeling how his body was trembling. "Jack, I need you to listen to me." The knob got louder. You lowered your voice. "I need you to work the case, okay? Like with your dad. Do you understand me?"
His eyes went wide. "Wait, Y/N. What about you—"
"Jack. Do you understand me?" He went quiet, and then he nodded, making you sigh in relief. "Okay, take my phone. Call 911, but don't make a sound." You handed him the phone, and then you let go of him. "I love you." Your throat closed up. "Now go."
Jack ran up the stairs, and you were up automatically, trusting he'd do as you said.
It was like someone else was in your body, telling you what to do. You opened the pantry, looking where you'd never looked and typing numbers into a keypad you'd never touched.
Why do we need a safe in the kitchen? you had laughed at the time.
In case of an emergency, Aaron had said. You thanked his forward thinking.
The only way you knew that you were still there was by the violent shaking of your hands as the cool metal touched your skin. You'd only ever operated a gun once or twice. Did you even remember how to load it?
The door banged, making you jolt. You had to remember now. Come on, Y/N. Load the fucking gun.
You thrusted the magazine into the well and then pulled back the slide. Another bang. You turned the safety off.
Hold the gun with both hands.
God, Hotch, when will I ever need to do this?
Well, I hope you never have to. But we can never be too safe.
Another bang hit the door, this time more forceful. We can never too safe. Tears flooded your eyes, and you promptly blinked them away.
Then. There was another bang, and this time, the door hit the wall.
You intook a sharp breath, hearing footsteps thump against the floor. You closed your eyes, focusing on the noise. One set of footsteps.
Aaron's voice echoed throughout your head. Are you sure?
You screwed your eyes shut tighter, straining your ears. Yes. One person. Loud. Heavy. Male.
Okay, that's good. What else do you know?
You knew they spent a long time fiddling with the door knob before busting the door open. That could either mean they lacked physical strength or they were trying to taunt you. The second option. You knew this was a low-risk neighbourhood. You knew your car was out front. This wasn't about money. This was personal. Intentional.
You knew this was an FBI agent's house. You knew—
Wait. You strained your ears more, following the footsteps. They weren't heading for your direction. No. No, no, no, no.
Jack was upstairs.
You couldn't let this man go up there.
4. You love Jack Hotchner unconditionally.
Knowing number four makes you act fast with a determination you'd never felt before. The pantry door swung open as you left the enclosed space, instantly raising the gun in the air like it was weightless.
You pointed it at your stairwell where a masked man stood, motionless.
"You better stop right there, you son of a bitch," you threatened, cocking the gun like it was second nature to you.
The man raised his hands into the air slowly. He tilted his head at you as if he was trying to mock you.
And then he smiled.
Before you could even realize what was happening, he was running at you. Your eyes widened, pulling the trigger. You barely got to see if your shot made it before he was tackling you to the ground, knocking the gun out of your hands.
The back of your head hit the ground, making a sickening crack. You gasped for air, and then you were wheezing as the man's hands wrapped around your neck, squeezing tightly.
You looked up into his demented eyes, hearing not the sound of your own voice but Hotch's. Use what you see. Frantically, your eyes flew all over the unsub's body until you saw red staining black, right at his shoulder.
Without thinking about it, you stuck your finger into the wound, hearing him scream. He was stunned enough that he loosened his grip, giving you the chance to kick him off of you.
You scrambled to your feet, searching for the gun and finding it in the middle of the living room floor. You dove for it right as he got back up, getting to you before you could try shooting again.
His hands wrapped around yours, trying to wrestle the gun from your hands. You held on like your life depended on it because it did. Your life depended on it— Jack's life depended on it.
You fired a shot into the ground and then another into the wall as he fought you, knocking a picture frame off the mantle. You couldn't see where the gun was pointing anymore, but then, suddenly, pain radiated throughout your lower abdomen, and you knew it was pointed at you.
You gasped, looking down and seeing blood spreading through the white of your tank top.
You looked back up, seeing the asshole smile at you with his teeth. They were pearly white. So clean for a man so dirty.
You sought to make them red, too.
In a surge of energy, you twisted the gun out of his grasp and didn't think before pointing it at his head and firing.
You watched the bullet penetrate his skull before he fell to the ground. Like a domino, you followed, crumpling against the couch.
The gun slipped out of your hands and they immediately went to your wound, making you hiss in pain. You pressed down on it, feeling blood flow between your fingers like a river.
Keep swimming. Keep your eyes open.
The fatigue hit you like a train. You blinked, trying to keep your eyes open, but they felt so heavy.
Jack. Jack was upstairs. He called the police.
He was okay.
You heard sirens in the distance. The police were coming.
You could sleep now.
And so, as you remembered your fifth truth, your eyes started to flutter closed.
5. You love Aaron Hotchner. And he loves you.
You let yourself fall into a dreamless sleep, hoping that somehow, on some plane of consciousness, he could hear you say I love you one last time.
You loved Aaron Hotchner. You knew that for certain.
Pairing: Jamie Tartt x Y/N where Y/N works at AFC Richmond || I used she/her pronouns, but there is no actual physical description, so the pronouns can be switched with whatever anyone wants or prefers!
Characters: Jamie Tartt; Keeley Jones and Rebecca Welton (Y/N's best friends); Sam Obisanya, Isaac McAdoo, Colin Hughes and Dani Rojas (Jamie's support team); Roy (being his usual grumpy self).
Summary: when Y/N goes into Rebecca's office to have her usual morning chat with her best friends, she doesn't expect it to result in a very messy confession from her crush.
Warnings: bad language, like a lot. slight sexual harassment. Roy being harsh with Jamie. Jamie being all over the place with his feelings. fluff, a lot of pining and crushing. just bad writing, really.
WC: 8355 (it's kinda long, I know... but I didn't know where to stop! sorry!)
A/N: This is my first time writing for JAmie or any Ted Lasso character in general. I hadn't written anything in months, and I guess it shows. but I was so sad that there weren't enough Jamie fics on here that I thought I could just write one of my own. hopefully people like it! I'm in the middle of my exam session, but if you have any requests or suggestions, feel free to write me!
this gif is completely unrelated, i just love phil dunstan
“Come in” Rebecca’s voice was clear and loud as always, even through the closed door. As you walked in, you took in the smell of hot tea permeating the door – definitely something you could always count on.
You greeted both Rebecca and Keeley, before plopping down on the sofa right in front of the big windows looking out onto the field. You looked out for a moment, noticing the team making their way outside to finally begin practice. You had been working at AFC Richmond for almost a year now, all thanks to Miss Keeley fucking Jones, obviously. Ever since you first day there, everyone had immediately started treating you as if you had always been part of the family, especially Rebecca. “If Keeley likes you so much, it must definitely mean something.” That was her excuse when she invited you out for drinks with the two of them on the second day. “Also, there’s only so many women working at AFC Richmond, we have to stick together, don’t we?” And the rest was history, as some author would say. Even the team had liked you since the get-go. Some more than others. There should be a disclaimer here: you had never cared for football, in any of its forms. But Keeley had been so persuading, making the job sound like a party. And she wasn’t lying. Being with the team was more fun than you could have ever imagined. Yes, some of them were self-centred, and some were self-centred pricks, even. But somehow, you had taken a liking to all of them. And now, after an entire year of working there, you knew them so well that she could even make out who was who all the way from Rebecca’s office.
You were so lost in your own thoughts, that when Keeley talked, you almost jumped out of her seat. “Babes, is everything alright?” Her voice was kind as always. “You seem off today.”
“Everything is fine.” You fixed yourself, turning around so to face both of your friends.
You smiled, or rather you forced yourself to make your smile feel as real as possible. But when you met Rebecca’s gaze you froze. She was holding one of those shortbread biscuits that Ted brought her in every morning and that you only had the pleasure to taste once and, well, you completely understood why Rebecca loved them so much. “I call bullshit.”
“What?”
“I said I call bullshit.” The woman put the last remaining bit of biscuit in the small, pink cardboard box, as to save it for later, and then made her way on the couch with you and Keeley. “You have been off for, well, quite a few days now. And I love that you’re an independent woman and everything, but Keeley and I are your friends. Actually, I would like to believe that we are your best friends. We care for you and we would very much appreciate it if you would trust us enough to come to us with your problems and thoughts.”
“Yeah, babes. You know we’re always here for you.” Keeley moved closer to you and leaned against the back of the couch.
You sighed, burying your face in your hands. You had wanted to talk with them for a while now, but you were always too afraid they wouldn’t care about it, or you were too embarrassed about how they might react to it. But this time it was them that asked you to tell them. And they seemed truly interested in knowing what was going on in your mind.
“Chop, chop, out with it.” Rebecca let her heels fall to the ground and set herself comfortably in the corner of the couch. Yeah, well, as comfortable as that extremely fitted pencil skirt gave her permission to.
You bit your lip for a moment, gathering all the courage you had. “It’s stupid, really.” You tried to laugh it off, hoping that they would just let it go.
But they didn’t. “It’s not stupid if it’s making you feel like this.” Keeley said, putting a hand on yours.
“Fine.” You sighed, looking off in front of you. “I think I may have feelings for Jamie.” You blurted out as quickly as you could.
“Our Jamie? Like, Jamie Tartt?” Keeley asked.
“I know it’s stupid. I shouldn’t like him, right? I know you think it’s stupid. I know you think he’s a prick, and you’re not wrong. I know that he’s a prick. Fuck, that makes me hate myself even more. How could I like a prick? Well, he had changed a bit, and now he-s a bit less of a prick. But still, he’s Jamie fucking Tartt, he’s probably one of the hottest footballers out there, in any way possible. He could fucking have whoever he wanted. Hell, he could have a fucking model. I’m sure he had model. He had you, Keels. And I’m just me. I fucking hate that I’m feeling this.” You started rambling on aimlessly, putting out there in only a few seconds all the fears and insecurities you had been holding in for the past who knows how long.
“Hey, love. Just, wait a minute.” Rebecca’s voice broke your train of thoughts, thankfully just in time, or who knows where you could’ve ended. “Let’s just calm down a moment, okay?”
“It’s just-” You sighed. “I hate that I’m feeling these feelings. I don’t want to feel them. Not for him. I don-t want to be his latest conquest that he’s going to move on from and forget as soon as he finds someone more interesting. I don’t want this. But I can’t help it. I… Fuck, I feel like I’m back in middle school. Shit, shit, shit. How old am I? 12? No, I’m not. I’m 25 years old, for fuck’s sake. I should fall for proper man. Not people like him.” Your eyes filled up with tears, which you tried to hide as best as you could, even though you knew that the other two would notice them, nonetheless.
And they did. Rebecca and Keeley shared a quick glance, before sliding even closer to you, both immediately wrapping their arms around your figure. “Listen, babes. You said it yourself. I’ve been with Jamie, and he was in his top prick form back then. Now he’s… he’s changing. I don’t know if it’s the training with Roy or if it’s Ted finally rubbing off on him, but he’s no longer the dickhead I dumped almost two years ago.”
“She’s right. He has changed.” Rebecca agreed with Keeley. “Also, you cannot tell your heart what it should and shouldn’t feel. It will only cause you more pain, and we definitely don’t want that.” The woman had this motherly instinct that you had always loved. She always knew what to say to make you feel better, or at least less shitty about yourself. “And remember, you could never do worse than me. I was married to the king of the shitheads.” She added, which made both you and Keeley laugh.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Keeley got up and ran to the door, only to lock it and run back to the couch. “If it’s alright with Rebecca, we’re going to take the morning off to talk, just the three of us.”
“Sounds perfect to me. I really didn’t have much to do anyway.” Rebecca was a great liar. You knew she probably had so many documents to read through and to sign. But she always made time to help you with your problems. And that’s why you loved her so much. “Is that right with you, love?”
You didn’t even need to say anything. You barely nodded, and next thing you knew, the three of you were sitting on the couch with no shoes on, a warm cup of tea each and a big chunky blanket on your legs. You never really thought they would be this open with you. Yes, they had made it clear ever since the beginning that they liked you and that they cared for you. But you had never thought that you could go to them for something like that and they would do all of that for you. But they did.
“Okay, let’s start with one simple question: are you two talking? Or, I don’t know, did you go on a date?” Keeley’s question was very straightforward and made completely sense. However, the answer wasn’t as easy to give.
“Well, we haven’t really gone on like a proper date. But we did spend quite a lot of time together last week.” You looked at the other two and you could feel them asking for more information with just their eyes. “It didn’t start as the best of situations…”
You didn’t really want to go out that night. It wasn’t really your thing. You usually spent your nights at home, reading a book or watching a movie. Or, if you were lucky, you would go out with Keeley and Rebecca for dinner and drinks, which you loved. What you didn’t love was going out for drinks with people you weren’t as comfortable with. But you had never really learnt how to say no to people, so when your old high school friend – who had moved to America for college and you hadn’t heard from since – messaged you on Instagram, saying that she was back in London for a few days and wanted to go out with you to “catch up”, you couldn’t really bring yourself to decline the offer or make up an excuse. So, you just agreed and made plans to meet up with her in front of a very busy and very fancy place downtown. You hated clubs, especially busy one, but even more you hated going to new places without people you knew. But you knew the girl, in a way. You were really close in high school, so things shouldn’t be too bad, right?
“So, you’re working for a football club! Never thought it would happen!” The girl shouted over the loud music which you were already hating with all your guts. But you just pulled through it.
“Yeah, it’s a good job.” You hated having to raise your voice so much, but it was the least you could do if you wanted to have a conversation with her.
“Do you know any famous footballer?”
“I mean, I know the boys from the team. I suppose they’re famous now. But yeah.”
“Would you introduce me to any of them?”
There it was. You had been talking with her for half an hour and, knowing how she was back in high school, you had been wondering how she hadn’t yet asked you about the guys. A small part of you really wanted to believe that she had changed and that she had stopped sleeping around with guys just because they were hot. But apparently, you were wrong. “Well, it’s complicated. They’re in the middle of the Premier season right now, and most of them are training really hard hoping to be rostered for their national teams. Plus, you’re only going to be in town for a few days, so that wouldn’t really work.”
“I wouldn’t mind moving my flight back for a footballer.” She smirked.
“Maybe next time.” You fake-smiled. “Also, who would want to go out with a football player? Most of them are self-centred assholes who only care about winning.”
“But they are sexy and they have money.”
“But you’re studying law in an ivy league college, you could be the one with money in the relationship.”
“Nah, I don’t really care about that. If a hot guy with money wanted to be with me, I would literally give everything up.” She said, as if that was the most obvious answer. Now you were remembering why you never reached out to her after high school was over.
You spent another half hour listening to her blabbering about something you didn’t really care about. And you could tell that she knew, but didn’t say anything. That was how things had always been between the two of you back in school: she was the popular one, with guys running after her, and her constantly cancelling plans that you two had made to go on a date with a different guy, while you spent your afternoons with the drama club, putting on the next show, to which she was always invited but she never came. It wasn’t all bad. You actually had good times with her. You spent a lot of time over at her house, and you were almost part of her family. But once you were no longer forced to see each other every single day at school, it didn’t take long for you to realise you were completely different. So, you just stopped looking for each other, making plans or going out. That’s why, when the messages stopped coming altogether, it didn’t really hurt you, since you were the first that had started to back out from that friendship. But years had passed and you had really hoped she had grown out of that phase of her life. But you were wrong. People never change, that was what you said to yourself as you were absentmindedly nodding to whatever she was saying now.
“Listen, Y/N, do you mind if I leave you alone here for a moment? There’s a guy over there that has been eyeing me for a while now and, I don’t know, I have this feeling I should go over there.” That was her usual excuse. I have this feeling. As if sexual craving could be described as an actual feeling. But you didn’t care, you actually wouldn’t mind to spend a few minutes by yourself. So, you just told her to go. And she did. Not a single “are you sure you don’t mind” nor an “it will be quick, I promise”. She simply picked all her stuff up and left.
And then you were alone.
You thought about leaving a couple of times, but you thought it would be rude because what would happen if she came back and you weren’t there?
So, you just remained seated there, in the small booth, waiting. And waiting. You looked around, studying the crowd, and hoping that she would just come back, or at least text you to let you know her intentions for the rest of the night. But that message never came. And you waited there, alone.
Until, after almost twenty minutes, a random man approached you. He had to have been at least 15 years older than you. He was dressed all fancy, a black blazer and jeans, a white shirt with the first couple of buttons left open to show a few sparse grey hairs on his chest, as if that was something that all women found sexy; I mean, who did he think he was? Roy Kent? He walked over to your table and leaned on it to get closer to you. “Is this seat taken?”
The first thing that hit you was the almost nauseating amount of perfume and aftershave, closely followed by the stench of cigarette and alcohol as soon as he opened his mouth. “I’m waiting for a friend.” You replied, hoping that would be enough to send him away.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been sitting here alone for quite some time now.” He smiled, and you wanted to throw up. “And I don’t she’s coming back. She and that boy looked very intimate if you know what I mean.”
That comment sent shivers down your spine. How long had he been looking at you? “I’m waiting for another friend of ours.” You said, hoping that he would buy it.
He moved closer to you. “Let me wait with you. I wouldn’t want to leave such a pretty girl out here on her own.”
You hated when people called you a girl. You were a grown woman, for god’s sake! But you hated it even more when that comment came from creepy old men that were nonchalantly flirting with you.
“They should be here any minute now.” You replied quickly. “And I actually prefer to sit alone.”
“Nonsense! Let me keep you company!” He smirked, sliding even closer to you. You were on the verge of tears, feeling this awful sensation in your stomach. You felt like you were going to throw up, and you weren’t sure whether it was because of his terrible taste in perfumes, the horrible stench of smoke, or just his presence in general. You wanted to just get up and get away, but it was as if your legs had forgotten how to move. You tried to insist, telling him that you were going to meet them outside, but he wouldn’t let you go. He started moving his hand, and you knew that, if you didn’t move, he would put it on your thigh. But, with tears pooling at the corners of your eyes, your body completely froze.
“Y/N!” A voice called your name. You turned around to look at the source. Your vision was hazy from the tears, and the strobe lights weren’t exactly helping you in that moment. “I’m sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find a spot to park me car.” He walked over to your table and waited for you to do or say something to sit next to you.
“You’re Jamie fucking Tartt!” The old man exclaimed. “Fuck, man. You’re great! My mates and I don’t really like Richmond, but you’re the best player in the team. You and that Oby- Obe-, you know, the Nigerian guy.”
“Yeah, cheers, man.” Jamie replied, taking a seat next to you. “Now, would you mind leaving us alone?”
“Is she your date?” The man asked, and you could tell that he was confused because why would a star like Jamie Tartt go out with a normal girl like you?
“Do you have a problem?”
“No, no!” The old man finally stood up from the table. “You enjoy her.” He smirked and gave him a wink, before looking at you up and down for the last time and eventually leave.
You finally could feel your body relax again when your attention was caught by Jamie talking. “What a fucking creep.” He shook his head, before finally looking at you. “Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?”
You shook your head. “I think you got here just in time.” You smiled at him, almost feeling guilty for probably having ruined his night.
“Were you here alone?”
“Well, not really. I was here with a friend but she left with a guy.” You stopped, quickly looking around. “But I don’t think she’s coming back.”
“Some kind of friend.” He sighed, still looking at you, as if he were studying you, trying to understand if everything was truly okay, trying to assess the situation. “Do you want to leave?”
“What?”
“I said, do you want to go out, maybe grab a bite?” He raised his voice, thinking that you might have not heard him over the loud music.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay. You can go back to your evening if you want. I’m fine, I swear.”
“I was here on me own.”
“You go to clubs alone?”
“Well, yeah.” He looked at you for a moment. “Listen, really, I don’t have anything to do here. And in any case, I would much rather spend time with you. So, if you want to leave and do something actually funny instead of waiting for some shitty friend to hopefully come back, then count me in.”
------------------------- END OF FLASHBACK -------------------------
“Did you go with him?” Keeley asked, looking at you as if she was watching the latest episode of a soap opera, completely hooked up to the story.
“We spent the entire night together.” You said shyly.
“Doing what?” You had never seen Rebecca so shocked and interested in a story in a while.
“We ate in a chicken shop; we stayed there talking for a while and then we took a walk.”
“How long did you stay out for?”
You could feel both Keeley’s and Rebecca’s eyes on you, demanding an answer, wanting to know more, to know everything. “Well, we took the sunrise as our cue to go home.”
“Babes! You’re telling me that you stayed up all night talking with Jamie?” Keeley squealed, jumping on her knees. “Like, you found topics to talk about for, what, 7? 8 hours?”
“It wasn’t that difficult. I didn’t even have to force it.”
“What did you talk about?” Asked Rebecca. And all of a sudden, the almost 50-year-old and 30-year-old women in front of you turned back into their high school personas and you almost wanted to laugh at how adorably funny that scene was.
“Well, a bit of everything, you know. Our lives, where we grew up, our favourite things, favourite food, favourite movie, favourite city, the books that have impacted us the most, the cities that we dream of visiting one day. Normal stuff.”
Keeley looked at you, in complete shock. “You talked about books. With Jamie. How?”
“He said that he had noticed I like to read and asked me about my favourite book. I told him and then asked him the same thing. And he told me.” You replied, as if that was obvious. But it was only then that you remember that Keeley had been with Jamie in the past and, if she was that shocked, it must have meant that, when they were together, he didn’t read. Possibly at all.
“Babes, remember when I told you he had changed since I had broken up with him, right? Well, that’s an understatement. When we were together, it was fun, but we didn’t really talk about that kind of stuff. He was much more superficial. I don’t think he never really asked me what my favourite food was. And the fact that he was taking an interest in all of those things about you, well, it definitely means something. I wouldn’t take that for granted.” Hearing Keeley, someone you trusted with all of your heart, someone you loved and looked up to, someone that truly knew who you were talking about, saying all of those things, made you feel things. You didn’t know what those things meant, but they were things you hadn’t felt in a long time. And for the first time in days, you were finally accepting the idea of having feelings for Jamie Tartt.
After a few moments of silence, Rebecca asked you “Was that the only time you spent time together?”
“Well, no. I mean, we’ve been talking basically every single day. He sends me a good morning text almost every day, and we talk a lot at night. Sometimes he calls me.”
“Okay, okay. That’s good.” Rebecca said, almost as if she was an investigator gather all the evidence. “But you didn’t answer my question: did you go out another time?”
You immediately felt heat rising to your cheeks. “We didn’t really go out.” You looked at the two women in silence for a moment. “Last night he… ehm… he showed up to my place.”
“What?” They both almost screamed at the same time.
You had just finished putting on your pyjamas after a long warm shower. You still had to decide what you wanted to eat, something you always dreaded because, as much as you loved cooking, you hated preparing food for one. You started making your way down the stairs and to the kitchen when your doorbell rang. You weren’t really expecting anyone, so the sound left you confused. You looked through the peephole before even saying anything, so that if it was someone you didn’t know, you could jut pretend you weren’t at home. But, when you looked through it, you were surprised to see Jamie standing right outside of your door.
You immediately took a look at yourself in the mirror right beside the door, trying to make yourself look at least presentable, before finally opening the door. When Jamie’s entire figure came into view, you noticed the food boxes in his hands. “Jamie?”
“Hi, Y/N! Ehm, I’m sorry to barge in on you like this but… ehm… I thought we could spend some time together, you know?” Was Jamie blushing?
You stood there, a soft smile on your lips, looking at the man in front of you. “Sure.” You giggled, moving to open the door even more, as a way to let him in.
“I’m sorry, I should have texted or called. That was stupid. If you’re busy I can just-”
You cut him off. “Jamie. I’m not busy. You can come in. I just wasn’t expecting visitors, so the house is, well, it’s not tidy.” You take a step forward to take some of the boxes off of him. “What’s with all of this food? Did you rob a supermarket?” You laughed, nodding your head as a sign for him to follow you, before making your way to the kitchen.
“No!” He laughed, and suddenly you felt this weird sensation in your stomach. “I didn’t know what you were craving and so I got everything that you told me you liked.” He said, while putting the boxes on the counter. “I got us a pizza to share, because you said you’re not a huge fan, but that you like to eat it while watching movies. I also got us kebabs because they’re always good, and sushi because why not. Oh, and I also got us those spicy Korean rice thingies that you said you love so much. What’s their name? Tee- To-”
You laughed as he struggled to say the word. “Tteokbokki.”
“Yeah, those.” He smiled, putting his hands on his sides.
“Just a question.” You walked around the kitchen gathering cutlery and plates to eat. “How many people did you think were going to be here? There’s enough food to feed an army.”
He looked at you and then the food, before bursting out laughing. “I told you! I didn’t know what you were craving. And I wanted to do something nice for you, but I overdid it.”
You put the plates on the counter and turned to look at him. “It’s okay, I appreciate it anyways.” You smiled. “But why would you wanted to do this for me? It’s not my birthday or anything.”
“I just… I had a very good time with you the other night.” Was Jamie blushing? Again? “And I was really in the mood to watch a good movie. So, who better than you to watch it with.”
You smiled, trying to hide the blushing coming onto your cheeks as well by turning your attention to the food on the counter. “Did you have a movie in mind?” You asked, while putting the different foods on the plates.
“You said that you really like Dead Poets Society, right? And that you think everyone should watch it at least once in their lifetime, right? So, I thought, since I’ve never seen it, we could, I don’t know, watch it together. If you want to, obviously.” He waited for you to plate the food to pick a couple of plates up and follow you into the living room.
“That actually sounds like a perfect plan, Mr Tartt.” You smiled, while taking a seat on the couch, waiting for him to join you.
------------------------- END OF FLASHBACK -------------------------
“Fucking hell, that’s adorable!” Keeley exclaimed. “He never did that for me! When he showed up uninvited, it was usually because he wanted to have sex.”
“Well, this is good!” Rebecca joined in. “He has changed. He listened to what you told him, he remembered your favourite food and your favourite movie. And before you say something like ‘but that’s not a big dead!’, yes it fucking is. It is a huge deal. Men aren’t always reliable. Rupert never was, at least. I vividly remember telling him my favourite drink at least a dozen times. And every single time he would get me something completely different. At the beginning I was too afraid to say anything, so I just drank it. But then I started to speak up. And still, he didn’t remember.”
“Yeah, okay, but him remembering that I like pizza only when watching movie doesn’t mean he feels anything for me.” You said, throwing your head back.
“I’m sorry, babes, didn’t you say that he told you that he wanted to spend time with you?” Keeley asked. “You said it yourself: he came to your place with all the food you had told him you liked and suggested to watch your favourite movie together because he had had a good time with you and wanted to do that again.”
“He decided to spend time with you rather than going out with other people or spend the night texting some random girl on dating apps.” Added Rebecca. “He chose to be with you.”
“I suppose you’re right.” You sighed. “I still don’t think he has feelings for me, though.”
“Whatever, babes.” Keeley took a sip out of her mug, before refocusing on you. “What happened next? Did you watch the movie?”
“Yes, we did.” You smiled at the memory. “He got emotional at the end. I’m not saying that he cried, but he definitely had glossy eyes by the time of the ‘O Captain, my Captain’ scene.”
“Which means he feels comfortable enough to show his emotions in front of you.” Rebecca noted. “And what happened next? Did he leave or did you spend another night talking?” She smirked, trying to make fun of you in a friendly way, almost mom-like.
“Well, he stayed a while longer.” You looked at the two women. “We talked a little about the movie, he told me what he thought of it, we discussed a little about why I thought it is a very important and still relevant movie, and he agreed with me. At first, I have to be honest, I thought he was just agreeing with me to not make me feel bad. But then he added to my argument and I stood corrected. He had truly understood the point of the movie and of my thoughts. For the first time in, gosh, I don’t even know how long, I felt seen, listened and understood by someone that wasn’t you two or Sam.”
Keeley brought a hand to her chest. “I have conflicted feelings because, by the way you’re talking, I want to tell you to just run out of here and into this man’s arms; but at the same time, every now and then, I remember you’re talking about Jamie, and it feels so weird because he’s so different from what I remember him to be like.” She explained. “Which is good, but kind of unsettling.”
Rebecca nodded along with what Keeley said, before eventually turning once again to face you. “What happened after you talked?”
“We decided to watch Modern Family, you know, to cheer ourselves up after the movie.”
“And?” Asked in unison the two women.
“And nothing.”
“I call bullshit.” Said Rebecca.
“Agreed.” Added Keeley. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“Nothing!”
“That’s not true!” They once again spoke in unison, which was starting to become quite weird.
“Nothing happened. We just… fell asleep.” You almost murmured those last words, almost too scared to say it out loud in front of them.
“I’m sorry, what?” Asked Rebecca, who had obviously heard and just wanted you to say it again out loud.
“We fell asleep!” You shouted. And you were so glad that Rebecca’s office was so high up and far from others. “As we were watching the show, he started leaning into me. At first, he laid his head on my shoulder, and then, somehow, we ended up with his head in my lap and my hands in his hair.” You could feel your cheeks burning up.
The two women shared a quick look, before turning back to you, huge smiles on their faces. “When did he fall asleep?” Asked Keeley.
“I don’t know.” You looked down at your own hands. “I fell asleep as well. I don’t know how or when, but when I woke up, it was like 3 in the morning, and we were lying on the couch. He had his head on my stomach and an arm draped over my waists.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.” You were fidgeting with your bracelet, too embarrassed to look up and meet your friends’ eyes. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want him to go away.” For some reason your eyes started filling up with tears.
“Hey, babes. It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not!” You almost shouted, tears finally falling down your face. “It’s not fucking okay. I hate feeling like this.”
“Love, hey, just… wait a second. Take a deep breath.” Rebecca moved closer and wrapped her arms around you. “Why do you hate it?”
“I don’t know. I’m feeling all these things for someone that doesn’t even like me back.”
“You don’t know that, Y/N.” Keeley moved closer as well, taking your hand in hers and leaning her head against yours. “I mean, you’re the coolest person I know, you’re fucking smart and interesting, and you’re fit as fuck. I think most of the team has at least a tiny crush on you.” She smiled, hoping to cheer you up. But that didn’t work.
“Listen, love.” Rebecca squeezed you, before pulling away slightly. “As that song says, the heart wants what it wants. I know feeling like this is terrible, but there’s only one thing that you can really do, and that’s talking to him.”
“But what if he says that he was just being a good friend? What if I misread every single thing he has done and said to me up until now?”
“And what if you haven’t?” Keeley asked. “Finding you at that club was completely random, pure luck. But he then chose to spend the entire night with you. Just like he chose to send you a good morning text every single day, and he chose to come and spend the evening with you. Also, I’m almost 100% sure that he woke up as well during the night, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to go, just like you didn’t want him to leave.” Keeley brushed a rogue strand of hair out of your face. “I know it’s hard, but you have to act.”
“But I’m scared.”
“Which means that you care.” Rebecca smiled. “You care about him and about your relationship.”
You looked at the two women in silence for a few moments. You wanted to cry, and you wanted to scream. You wanted to run out of there and straight to Jamie. You wanted to hug Keeley and Rebecca ad tell them how much you loved them. But all you could do in that moment was smile and be glad for the wonderful friends you had. “So, I should go and talk to him?”
“Yes.” Keeley smiled.
“And you should do it right now.” Said Rebecca, standing up from the couch. “The team is going back inside, which could be a good moment for you to swoop in and talk with Jamie.” She seamlessly slipped back in her high heels and fixed her blouse. “And if anyone has anything to say about it, they will have to come to me. I’m the owner of this club, after all.” She winked.
The team had just made their way to the changing room, ready to hear Roy giving them “pointers”, or rather making sure they knew every little thing they had done wrong. But Jamie didn’t really care about that. Jamie knew that he had played like shit, but he couldn’t help it. His head was someplace else.
“Oi, Tartt!” Roy’s voice echoed in the room, and everyone’s head turned to look at the man sitting in front of his changing station. “What the fuck were you thinking, uh? You fucked all the assists. The team was constantly looking for you, and you were nowhere to be found!”
Jamie’s eyes remained low on the ground. “’m sorry, coach.” His voice was soft. “I’ll do better next time.”
His teammates couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Somehow, in the span of 24 hours, Jamie had lost all of his confidence. They looked at him and almost couldn’t recognise him. And the worst past was that no one really knew what to do with him, how to talk to him, how to cheer him up. Because that’s the thing with teams: you’re a family, you’re all extremely close, but you’re still a bunch of men that don’t know how to handle emotions and how to talk about their feelings. So, they just bottle everything up and hope that, sooner or later, it will just go away.
But right now, looking at Jamie, Sam felt compelled by something to just stand up and walk over to him, to say something. “Is everything all right?”
Sam’s voice startled Jamie, who was so deep in his thoughts he had almost forgotten he was at the clubhouse. “Uh?” Jamie looked up and was met by Sam’s concerned look. “No, yeah, everything is fine.”
“It don’t look like it, bruv.” Isaac joined in the conversation.
Sam took a seat next to Jamie. “You don’t have to talk to us about whatever is on your mind. We’re not going to force you. Just know that we’re here for you.”
“Sì, muchacho. We’re a familia.” Dani and Colin walked over as well, almost forming a barrier between him and the rest of the room, creating a safe space for him.
No one said anything for a few moments, most of them unsure of how to act, of what to say to him. They wanted to ask him, to help him, but they had no idea how. So, they all remained quiet, until Jamie broke the silence. “I feel so stupid.” Jamie’s voice was low. “I… I feel like a middle schooler.”
“What do you mean?” Colin asked.
Sam immediately turned to look at Jamie. “Did something happen with your dad?” And Jamie could feel the worry in Sam’s voice.
“No, no, I haven’t talked with me dad since Wembley.” He shook his head, rubbing his face. “No, I… You’re going to laugh…” He looked up, but all he saw was seriously interested faces, the faces of friends that were genuinely concerned for him. “I have a crush…” He almost whispered, but it was still loud enough for them to hear. They all shared a quick look amongst themselves, before turning to look again at the man sitting before them. “I feel so stupid because, usually, I have all this confidence with women, right? I’m so sure about me self that I don’t worry about the possibility of a rejection. It doesn’t affect me, usually…”
Sam nodded along with everything that Jamie said, as if he could relate to every little detail. “But with this woman in particular, you’re scared.”
Isaac asked the question that everyone wanted to ask. “Who is this woman?”
Jamie looked up from the ground, meeting everyone’s eyes. He could tell that his friends wanted to help him, but something was stopping him, almost too afraid to admit he had feelings for her, too scared that they would laugh in his face and say that she deserved better than him.
“Muchacho, you’re a beautiful man, and every woman would be lucky to be with you.” Dani always had this way of talking that could give confidence even to the shiest and most introverted person in the world.
“No, you don’t understand. This woman is different from the others.” He sighed. “She’s not a top model or an aspiring actress that wants to be with me because I’m famous. She’s… she’s different.” Jamie started fidgeting with the ends of his shoelaces. “And I’m different. I’m not the same person I was two years ago, I know that. And I think that’s why I’m so scared. Like, what if she doesn’t like me? What if she still thinks I’m a prick? Uh?”
“Listen, boyo. You said it yourself; you have changed. And if this woman doesn’t like your new you, then too bad for her.” Colin took a seat next to Jamie, opposite to Sam. “But if you truly like her, you should tell her. Don’t let your fear get in the way of your happiness, okay?”
“Yeah, like Selena Gomez said in her song, the heart wants what it wants.” Smiled Dani.
Jamie looked at those people around him, and for a moment he felt all the guilt for how he had treated them two years before rise to the top. Did they forget everything he had done to them? Did they forget how bad he had made them feel? He had treated them so poorly, and yet, now they were there, next to him, showing care and interest in how he was feeling. “Thank you, boys.” He smiled softly.
“You know we’re here.” Sam smiled, giving him a small push with the shoulder. “We’re family.”
“Yeah, bruv.” Isaac added. “But are you going to tell us who this woman is or not?”
However, their conversation was cut short by the door to the changing room opening, and Y/N walking in, looking around, clearly searching for someone. And that was when the boys realised Jamie didn’t need to tell them anything, because as soon as he saw her, he stood up. He fixed his hair and immediately took a step forward. None of them said anything. They just remained quiet and watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes.
“Jamie.” You smile once you finally met his eyes.
“Y/N” He replied, softly, taking another step towards her.
“Do you… do you think we could talk for a moment? Alone?” She said quietly, but the silence in the room made it extremely complicated for her not to be heard by everyone.
Jamie nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
You smiled, turning around to exit the changing room. Jamie took a deep breath, turning quickly to look at the four guys standing a few steps away from him. He nodded to them, and they nodded to him in return, as a way to say ‘you got this’ or ‘go get her’. So, he took one more deep breath, and followed her outside.
Once he stepped into the corridor, he noticed Keeley and Rebecca standing in the middle of it, looking at the two of them. Keeley smiled, which gave Jamie a boost of confidence, Whereas Rebecca was looking at him in such an intimidating way that immediately sent shivers running down his spine. He knew they were there for you, and he knew how much they cared for you, so it wasn’t difficult for him to understand what Rebecca’s gaze meant: ‘break her heart and I’ll break you’.
He greeted the two women with a quick nod, before realising you were still walking down the corridor. “Wait up, Y/N!” He said, jogging after you. “Where are we going?”
“Boot room. It’s the quietest place in here.” You looked at him, noticing his expression, as if he wanted to say something. “I already asked Will to leave us alone in there.” You replied, quickly grabbing him by his hand and pulling him through the doorway.
“You always think about everything.” He chuckled, getting into the room. He never really understood when or how that room had become like a sort of therapy room for the team, where most of them went when they needed to get something off of their chest or just be alone, but couldn’t leave the clubhouse. That place stank like hell. But he was glad nonetheless for the privacy. “You had your supporters with you as well, uh?” He smiled.
“Yeah.” You laughed under your breath. “They are actually the ones that forced me to come and talk to you.”
“Should I be scared, then?”
“No! No.” You shake your head. “I don’t think so.” You started pacing around the room, trying to give order to all the things you had in your head at the moment.
“Is everything alright?” Jamie looked at you, slightly worried.
You looked at him, taking a deep breath. “Yes.” You nodded. “Just give me a moment because I haven’t really thought about what I want to say to you. Or rather, how I want to say it to you.”
Jamie nodded, taking a step towards you and catching your hand before you stepped away again. “Do you mind if I go first, then?”
You looked at him, surprise painted all over your face. You didn’t know what to say, so you simply nodded, waiting for him to talk.
“Okay, so, first of all, I wanted to tell you that last night was… well, I really enjoyed spending time with you, and I really wish we could do it more often.” He smiled, squeezing your hand as a way to catch your attention. “And then to the difficult part... Okay. The boys told me to just be me self. But it’s difficult, you know? Because, like, I am always me self, but when I’m with you, I’m different from how I am with the others. Not in the sense that I’m not truly me self, but in the sense that, when I’m with you, I’m me self even more than usual.” He stopped, looking down. “Sorry, I didn’t really have anything prepared either.” He chuckles.
You couldn’t help but smile. “Go on, you’re doing great.” You said, trying to look at him in the eyes.
“What I’m trying to say is that when I’m with you, I feel like I’m truly me self. Like I’m the most authentic version of me. And I like it. I want to be like that always. But I feel like I can only be like that when I’m with you.” He looks at you. “I lied before. I don’t want to be with you more often.” You stopped and looked at him completely confused. “I want to be with you as much as I can. I want to be with you every fucking day.” You giggled, feeling the blood rushing up your neck and to your cheeks. “I want to make lunch for you. Well, no, okay. I want to learn how to make lunch for you. I want to take you out to dinner. And I also want to order in and watch a movie on a couch like we did last night. I want you to play with me hair because, fuck, that’s the most relaxing shit ever.” You bit your bottom lip, trying to contain all the happiness that you were feeling in that moment. “I want to go out with our friends and be able to show you off. I want to hold your hand as we walk down the street.”
“Jamie…”
“Wait a second.” He interrupted you, pulling you even closer. “I want you to wear my jersey at matches. And to cheer for me. And I want to kiss you whenever we win a match. In front of everyone. I want to go out and celebrate with the team, and while we’re there, I want to hold you close while we talk with them, and then be able to just walk home together and celebrate just the two of us. And I don’t mean have sex. I mean, that would be fun, but I meant like having a party just the two of us. Drinking, and dancing and laughing. Or we don’t have to go home, and we can just walk around town all night, like we did that time.” He became all serious all of a sudden. “I want to be able to protect you from creepy old men. Actually, no. That wouldn’t be necessary because you would never need to go out by yourself ever again.”
“Jamie, I…”
“Wait, I’m not done.” He interrupted you once more. “I want to be able to sleep over at your place and you over at mine. I want us to buy toothbrushes to leave at the other’s house. I want to wake up next to you like we did today, but I want that every single day. I want to have me clothes at your place and your clothes at mine. I want to drive Roy mad by telling him last minute that I’m sleeping over at your place, so he has to come all the way there. And after I’m done training with him, I want to stop at a cafe as I get back home and I want to buy your favourite latte, so that you can wake up to the smell of warm coffee every day.”
“Jamie!” You shouted, trying to stop him from talking.
“What?”
“Just-” Your hands found their way to the back of his head, as your eyes remained fixed on his. “Just kiss me, will you?” You laughed, before pulling him down towards you.
When your lips finally crashed against one another, you could feel the tension you had been holding in your stomach finally releasing. You pushed yourself on your tiptoes, as Jamie’s hands slowly and softly found their resting place on the small of your back, helping you up, and pulling you closer to his chest. Your hands played with his hair, and in that moment, you were sure he could feel your heart beating like crazy in your chest.
“So…” He whisper while pulling slightly away, only to press his forehead against yours. “Did you want to say something?”
You kept your eyes closed, too afraid to open them and realise that it was only just a dream. “I think you said everything.” You chuckled, trying to get some air back in your lungs.
“Well, if you wanted to say something…”
“Jamie.”
“What?”
“I love you.”
A/N: sorry, this was so long! so, if you read it all the way through, then thank you! please, feel free to leave me any kind of feedback and don't forget to send me suggestions or requests if you have them! thank you again! ily <3
Poe Dameron x GN!Reader • Rating: 18+ pals Masterlist• ao3• want to be tagged? | request info • Kinktober 2024 Masterlist • Day 6: Sex Work
Summary: Poe gets captured on a mission and you're the closest to his last location.
A/N: Thank you so much @thexsanctuaryx for betaing!
This prompt was super difficult and I have kind of just done something that vaguely relates to it.
Warnings: resistance!reader, bad guy here is VERY gross, imprisonment, slavery, implied future sex slave, kissing, sex pollen, please let me know if I have missed a warning!
Word Count: 2131
When you’d been told that Poe had run into trouble during a supply run on Tel’Ra you’d expected jail, the first order, him hiding up somewhere with a blaster wound.
You had not been expecting… this.
You’d been the closest to the planet and had found the traders quickly when you landed. Only to find out that there had been a miscommunication somewhere. They had thought Poe was the payment, not the negotiator.
Fucking hell.
You’d spend the better part of the last thirteen manic hours tracking him down, going from trader to trader until you got here, a meeting with the quadrant Tsar.
He was a large Terlion, powerful in his golden armour. He’d greeted you in his native tongue, and you knew enough about the culture of Tel’Ra to reply in basic. If you even said one word in the Tsar’s language then that was all he would speak, and everything would get very messy.
“This… humanoid,” the Tsar formed the word slowly, “He is yours?”
You nod and he pauses.
“I paid good coin for him.”
“So you admit he’s here?” You keep your tone even and calm.
The Tsar smiles and gestures to one of his guards, speaking in Krazel. You understand enough of the language to understand that they’re bringing Poe here.
Relief floods your veins, that was something at least.
“The traders had no right to sell him to you.” You repeat.
“But a trade was made, wasn’t it? You received goods for him?” The Tsar smiles.
“The trade was for Keseun. Not him.” You swallow, the guards in the room make your skin crawl, there were too many. Even if they had been troopers there was no way you could get out of an altercation alive, besides Terlions were large, physically powerful. One alone could snap you in half with two fingers.
You keep your chin held high, they respected confidence, straightforwardness. They wouldn’t attack unless you made a faux pas.
The resistance needed them to stay outwardly neutral to the rebellion. The planet was no fan of the first order, but would trade with anyone that showed respect.
You couldn’t blow this.
“Keseun.” The Tsar repeats, stroking his chin.
“I would offer you the same, for this inconvenience.”
He nods slightly, thinking when the door opens and Poe is pushed into the room.
You try your very best to hide the shock on your face.
You’d assumed that he had been sold as a labourer, or a servant. Not as… not as a…
Your gaze hinges on his scantily clad form, soft thin fabrics and lace and dripped in gold jewellery.
Your mouth dries as heat runs along your skin. That’s when you notice his expression, the relief plasters all over his face as he sees you.
You shake your head ever so slightly, trying to clear your not so pure thoughts, and chastising yourself.
“This is the humanoid?” The Tsar asks, beckoning with his hand. The guard pushes Poe forward to him.
He stumbles slightly, and you see the gold chains are not just for decoration.
“Yes.” You nod.
Now that he’s closer you can see the thin gold bar across his lips, the chain connecting around the back of his head, keeping his mouth closed.
The Tsar touches Poe’s cheek, grabbing hold of the back of his neck when he struggles and flinches away. He chuckles. “He is a spirited one.” He pulls Poe closer, forcing him into his lap and you stand, anger blazing through your veins.
The guards around you tense, but you keep your hands open and away from your weapons.
The Tsar laughs again, waving his hand and the guards relax.
Poe looks at you imploringly, at first you think he is begging for your help. But then you realise he is pleading for you to leave, for you to not get hurt for the sake of him.
“He has quickly become my favourite.” The Tsar grumbles, holding Poe to him, “I will enjoy taking-”
“He is mine.” You snarl, taking a step forward. Oh, this was risky, far too risky, but you don’t know how else to play this.
The Tsar raises an eyebrow, amused “Yours?”
“Mine.” You swallow, you might as well go the whole distance now. “My mate. Mine.”
Poe gives you a confused look as the Tsar freezes, his fingers digging into Poe’s side. This was a faux in Terlion culture, this had implications for the Tsar.
“Your mate.” He repeats and you nod.
“My mate.”
“You did not say this before, why?” There’s anger in his voice.
“I did not want to cause embarrassment over a mistake, however, you touching him and flaunting,” you shake your head, injecting as much rage into your voice as you can to cover the panic. “I cannot stand for it.”
The Tsar’s grip loosens on Poe, but there is fury burning in his gaze. “Humanoids… lie.”
“I am not lying about this-”
“I have no way of knowing if you are other than your word. Which is worth little.”
You clench your jaw to stop it shaking.
“If he is… yours. Then he would pass the test of Seva. He would resist the touch of anyone but you.”
You swallow. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. You’d heard of Seva, a plant extract that caused extreme arousal that was banned in half of the galaxy and highly regulated in the other. It had been used in the past to prove the loyalty of royalty’s romantic partners. If someone took it and were truly devoted to their spouse then they would only accept the affections of that person while under the influence. But if they weren’t… well, anyone’s touch would do.
You and Poe weren’t together. This was going to end very, very badly.
“I am insulted that-” You try to argue, but the Tsar cuts you off.
“The test will be taken, and if he goes to you then you may take him from here without payment,” he pauses, “as I will deal with the traders myself, however if he doesn’t crave only your touch, I will keep him and wear your skin as a trophy and nail your tongue to the wall as a warning to other humanoid liars.”
Somehow you keep his gaze. “Very well.”
You were going to be sick. There had to be something, some way out of this. You rack your mind, searching for anything, anything.
A servant brings an ornate pot to the Tsar, bowing as they take off the lid and use a golden spoon to measure a serving of the fine seeds.
The Tsar undoes one of the chains at the back of Poe’s head, finally allowing him to open his mouth. He looks at you, about to say your name.
“It’s alright.” Your voice is soft, even. Somehow sure of itself even if nothing else about you is.
He keeps his shining eyes fixed on you as he opens his mouth and swallows the seeds when offered.
The servant steps back, retreating and the Tsar smiles.
“It will only take a few moments, Seva is strong on humanoids.” He muses, “If he is not yours as you say, I will claim him now to relieve him of its effects.”
Poe shivers, blinking hard. Heat starts to run along his skin, first like a gentle breeze, a caress that is not unwanted.
The Tsar strokes his back amused as Poe shakes his head, trying to clear his quickly clouding vision.
The touch is… nice. Soothing almost. Poe leans back into it, sighing. He needed to do something, there was something he was trying to remember… but his thoughts just wouldn’t hold. Would slip out of his grasp the second he tries to focus.
A weight settles in his stomach, his muscles clenching. He wanted…
The Tsar laughs as Poe sighs, pushing back as he runs the tips of his fingers along his skin. Triumph in his eyes. He takes Poe’s chin and turns him towards himself.
Poe goes with the touch, lightheaded and… he freezes, pain spikes into his chest. There’s a pause, a look of horror on his face before he practically throws himself off the Tsar, and scrambles back. He shakes his head rapidly, his eyes wild and glazed.
The Tsar frowned, about to speak.
“Poe!” You rush forward, panic gripping your chest. “Are you a-”
The second he sees you, relief rushes into his mind, presses solidly into his bones. He grabs hold of you, his skin hot and sweaty, “Baby, baby, baby,” he slurs, practically sobbing as you help him to his feet. Which is easier said than done.
He presses his body against you, whining the second there is a fraction of space.
“Poe, it’s okay,” You soothe, trying to keep him upright.
He buries his face into your neck, shivering and breathing hard. “It hurts.” He whimpers and you hold him tighter.
The Tsar drops to his knees, “A great insult has been cast to you by myself.” The guards all fall to their knees as well.
“I-” Your own gasp cuts you off as Poe kisses your neck, lightly sucking on your skin as he grinds his very obvious erection against your leg.
“I will sort this disservice with the traders, please, I offer any future trades to go directly through me and my house to ensure its standards.”
“Thank you,” you manage to get out, as you grip Poe’s wrists to stop him from undressing you then and there. “There is no ill will, please let me leave you with Keseun as a sign of my appreciation.”
The Tsar nods deeply, “I will accept, and will repay you for your generosity in the future.”
Poe wriggles one hand free, pushing his fingers under your shirt.
“I, thank you,” you bow your head, “I need to be getting back to my ship and-”
Poe kisses your cheek, nipping lightly at your jaw as he tries to press his lips to yours.
“Please,” The Tsar gestures to the side, “Let me show you our hospitality, at least while the effects are still strong in your mate.”
You want to refuse, you want to get the hell out of there. But there’s no way you can get Poe to your ship like this.
You nod and are quickly guided to a lavishly decorated room. You barely get the chance to thank the servant before Poe’s tongue is in your mouth.
It’s dizzying, desperate the way he moves against you, how his hands slide and tug at your clothing. He pushes you back, up against the door.
“Poe– Poe,” You manage to pull yourself away, to resist getting caught up in his warmth. You have no idea how this worked out, maybe Poe had gotten himself together for long enough to throw himself away from the Tsar and to you?
“You okay?” You hold his cheeks, stroking his feverish skin.
“Need you,” he moans, his eyes soft and dilated.
“I’m so sorry.” You mutter. God, you had to find something, do something, knock him out for a few hours until his body worked this out of its system.
“Why? Why? You saved me.” He bites his lip, rubbing his hips against yours.
“Hey, hey, let’s see if we can-”
“I love you, you know that?”
You freeze, your mind blanking out for a second.
“Ever since Heiran. Ever since then, I knew it, I love you.”
“Poe, you’re not thinking straight, the, the S-”
“I should have kissed you on Heiran,” he closes his eyes, pressing his face into your hands and sighing. His skin is burning, desperate for the relief of your touch. “I should have kissed you after, I was scared. Scared you’d reject me…” His eyes are shining when they open, “But you can, you can say no. I won’t…”
He lets out the sweetest sob when you lightly kiss him, moaning into your mouth as you wrap your arms around him and pull him close.
“I should have kissed you on Heiran,” you whisper, “I wanted to.”
He groans, rocking lightly against your legs to take the edge off the deep ache in his stomach. “I…” He bites his lip, it hurts. The weight is so much, too much. All consuming now that he knows you want him to.
“Here, it’s okay,” you turn him around so that his back is flush with your chest. “I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.” You kiss his temple, his skin feverish and sweaty as you slide your hand under the fabric around his waist.
He moans, grabbing hold of you desperately as your fingers touch his velvety length.
“It’s okay.” You soothe as you start to stroke him in earnest. “You’re safe with me.”
Summary: Dean is kissed just to be kissed. (Based on a tiktok I saw)
(this is pretty bad)
Word Count: 367
Dean sat stiffly in his man cave, some terrible old movie playing in the background. His close friend/situationship sat beside him, head on his shoulder eyes lulling. Dean wiggled his arm around their shoulder.
“You look pretty…” The comment took Dean by surprise. He was not one to be described as pretty.
“You should get some sleep, think you are seeing things,” Dean said, movie his free arm to grab the remote. Turning off the TV, he heard a whine.
“No, don’t want to!” (Y/N) whined, “If I go to sleep you will leave, don’t want you to leave.”
Dean paused, “What if we go lie down in my bed and I’ll stay next to you the entire time?”
A silent nod answered him. He stood up and helped (Y/N) get up and to the bedroom. The pair flopped down on his small bed. Dean took up most of the bed and (Y/N) lay on top of him. They let their hands trace patterns onto Dean’s chest, and their nose nestle against his jaw.
Dean's hand moved to play with their hair. A gentle smile played on his lips as he watched their eyes droop. They start trying to move up towards him. A look of surprise takes place of his smile.
“What are you doing?” Dean asked, tilting his head away from them to get a better look at their face.
“Wanna kiss…” Their words were slurred due to sleepiness.
“You are tired, you need to sleep.” Dean said pulling their head down toward his chest.
“Just one?” This confused Dean more than anything said before. He lay still staring at them, eyebrows furrowed and lips slightly parted, unsure what to say.
(Y/N) took this opportunity to plant a kiss on his lips, barely long enough for him to kiss back. They pulled back quickly after, moving back to lay on his chest. Their nose finding its to his jaw. Dean spoke again, “That was it? You don’t want more?”
A small nod replied. His lips moved into a smile on their own. He couldn’t comprehend what had happened, however, he knew one thing:
Request: "Could we get a bruno smut if that's ok? Like were bruno is having a bad day and to cheer him up the reader cuddles him and gives him a bj"
Italics means Spanish
Posted to wattpad first
Word count: 865
WARNING: poorly written smut, Oral (M. recieving) , praising, cum and nothing else I don't think.
3rd person POV + Set post movie
Being Bruno's lover wasn't always easy, as he had a hard time sharing his emotions. But one you know him well enough his cues and quirks are prominent. All of today, Bruno had been walking around messing with the edge of his poncho. He had been having lots of visions today, due to the increased number of prophecies he had been doing. One must have gotten under his skin...
Luckily it was the end of the day and Bruno was going to his new room, which contained fewer stairs. He flopped down on his arm chair and asked his rat friends to play a love story. All he wanted to do was sleep and have a better tomorrow. However, his heart was begging to see the love of his life instead. His lover always knew how to make him feel better.
"darling! Are you in here?" Bruno called standing up from his chair to look around to see they had been sat on the bed watching his every move.
"My love, come cuddle with me! I want to hear about your day." (Y/N) said simply, opening their arms to him. He rushes over laying his head on their chest, and snuggling into their warmth.
"I just keep having visions and it's starting to give me a headache, I have no idea how to distract my mind from trying to see the future... But I just want it to stop, it's too much." Bruno spilled almost crying in the process.
"I am so sorry? How can I help you?" (Y/N) asked, hugging his body closer and kissing his head.
"Can I hold you?" He almost begged, as if him clinging to you would stop his mind from tearing into the future.
They switched positions, (Y/N) was sat on his lap snuggled into him. At first this position was fine, however soon (Y/N) grew uncomfortable due to his hip bones digging into their bottom. They began shifting and wiggling, causing Bruno to become excited.
"Please..." Bruno let out, it was a mix of a whimper and a beg.
"What?" His outburst leaving them surprised until they felt it.
"I need you, please my love!"
"I will take care of you..." (Y/N) kissed him, then began to trail kisses down his neck. Hands trailing down his chest and stomach, finding the bottom of his poncho and beginning to pull it off. He wasn't necessarily built, however he was lean. His stomach was flat and his muscles were defined, as were his ribs.
"Love please, just touch me... I can't handle teasing." Bruno whined out, begging to feel some sort of stimulation. The only stimulation he could find was from grinding up against them.
"It's okay baby boy, you are so good for me." (Y/N) mumbles, lips pressed against his stomach. Hands removing his pants, it was no means sexy, however it was desperate and needy.
Once his pants were off, his underwear were all but ripped off. Bruno's erection popped up, he was 7 inches long with a slight curse. He was thick and veiny, with a pink tint on his pre-cum soaked tip. (Y/N) ran their finger down his V-line, running their finger down the length of his cock collecting some pre-cum and licking it up. Bruno nearly sobbed at the sight, thrusting up slightly.
"Shhh, my good boy." (Y/N) licked up his shaft before sucking on his tip. They had to press his hips back into the mattress as they were bucking so much. "Say what you need pretty boy."
"I need your mouth, need to be all the way in, please!" The sound was pitiful, and broken by pants and moans. His hands were gripping the sheets to stop from clinging onto (Y/N)'s hair. Meanwhile his face was flushed and he was obviously embarrassed by the needy state he was in.
(Y/N) soon took all of him in their mouth, hollowing their cheeks and bobbing their head slightly. Their hand moving up to pull and massaging his balls. Bruno let go of the sheets and tangled his fingers with their hair. He was soon directing their head, wanting nothing more than to pull them until their nose was against his stomach and his cum was dripping down their throat.
After the repeated bobbing had become too much for Bruno to handle it. It was his chance to hold down their head. So with his hands tangled in their hair, their nose touched his stomach. They gagged slightly as he touched the back of their throat.
"Love, I am-" He paused with a guttural moan, " gonna cum, down your throat!"
With that his cock twitched and his balls tightened. (Y/N)'s head didn't stop bobbing until the first squirt of cum. They pulled off his cock and stuck their tongue out to collect it all. Every drop.
Summary: Roy isn't good with emotions or words... (Enemies to lovers- ish?)
Words: 2080
TW: Swearing, injury, enemies to lovers- idk- bad writing?
The Y/N Character isn't gendered, or referred to using gendered terms.
Your POV
Working for the Richmonds was the last thing I ever planned to do. I had go through years of education in hopes of becoming a doctor, only to play nurse with a bunch of football players. The job wouldn't be so bad, if the players actually listened, and if the team didn't a two testosterone driven morons. Jaime Tartt and Roy Kent. Mainly Roy Kent.
I could work with the rest of the team, however Roy and Jaime just wouldn't listen. Roy was one of the oldest on the team, so I pay extra attention to make sure he doesn't break himself. However, he is dead set on running himself ragged. After a rough game, he was sitting in a recycling bin of ice when I walked into the locker room.
"How long have you been sitting in this?" I asked, concerned he might exceed the 20 minutes he was meant to spend in there.
"Fuck off, I'll get out when I am ready." He replies, rather rudely.
"I am just trying to do my job, so can you please answer my question?" I let out a sign, wanting nothing more than to go home.
"25 minutes, now fuck off." Roy grunted.
"You were supposed to get out 5 minutes ago!" I exclaim, frustrated by his inability to listen to simple directions.
"I'll get out now. Just stop bitching at me!" He snapped getting out of the recycling bin and wrapping himself in a towel.
Before I had a chance to yell at him, my attention was caught by the yelling of my name. I search the room to see that it is Dani waving me over to where he was sat. Without so much as a goodbye, I walk away from Roy to Dani.
"Dani, what is bothering you? How can I help you?" I spoke as a kneeled next to him taking in how he looked.
"It is not really a big issue, my calf just keeps tightening up and it's a little annoying." Dani pointed at where it felt tight.
"Would it be okay if I rub it out, then I will send you stretches to help stop it from tightening." I asked as he pushed his leg forward allowing more access to the muscle. He nodded.
I start by rubbing my hands down his calf, pressing gently. Rubbing back up, pin pointing the muscle which was tight. Starting to breakup the lactic acid with my hands. "So it's your Soleus, which makes pointing your toes a little difficult."
I move to grab my stretching charts, pointing out a few to him. He copies the stretch before we move to the next stretch. After going through a few, I offer an extra stretch. Dani and I sit on the floor, side-by-side. Sitting up straight, we start by pointing our toes, then moving our feet flat, then rolling our ankles back into a point.
Interactions like this make my job a little easier, until I realize Roy is glaring at me from across the room. He must hate me for a reason, but there is no logical reason for him to hold such a resentment. I only started working for Richmond about a month ago, and have done nothing to make me hated, to the best of my knowledge at least.
"Okay, I think that you are all set. If that calf keeps bothering you, come talk to me again." I said smiling at Dani as he helps me up from the ground.
"Sí, I will! Thank you!" Dani almost tackled me in a hug, it was super warm and felt safe.
"No problem, I am just doing my job. I have to go now though..." I said releasing Dani.
"You have the hands of an Angel!" Dani yelled as he went to talk with his teammates. Walking out, I shake my head and smile. However, my smile did not last long as Roy bumps my shoulder as walking by.
Every time I came into work, I was met with Roy's harsh gaze. It was hard to work under, especially when it intensified while working with his teammates. Everyday, I try to make Roy not hate me, but the glaring and grunting continues.
All I can think is "Why does he hate me so much?"
Today was the last straw, Roy bumped my shoulder walking in the hall, not hard enough to hurt me, but hard enough for me to drop the paper work I was carrying. After the collision, he muttered "fuck yourself" and didn't even offer to help me pick it all up.
As I clean up the documents, tears sting the corners of my eyes. My hands shook as I attempted to hold back my tears. With papers finally collected, I made my way to the couches office.
When I finally reached the safety of the office, I closed all blinds before turning to Ted, Nathan, Beard and Higgins. My eyes were glossy and red, as I still held back my tears.
"(Y/N), What are you doing here?" Ted asks, looking at your state, "Not that we don't enjoy your company."
"I-" I cut myself off with a sniffle, "I just needed somewhere to hide, I don't wish to be seen like this..."
"What happened? What has got your feathers so ruffled?" Ted asks, standing up to walk closer to me.
"I'm having a really bad day, I could handle Roy's glare, but he knocked the paperwork out of my hands. He even told me to fuck myself!" I say as a tear drop falls down my cheek.
Ted pulls me into a hug, comforting me. He was trying to say something, but the door slammed open. Roy walked in, with his captain armband.
I quickly step back and wipe away my tears, as Ted asked, "What can I do for you?"
"Thought it be best for you to have this, so you can give it to the new captain." Roy Said, slowing as he sees me.
"Nope, you are gonna have to find your replacement." Ted says, pushing it back to him.
I zone out, trying to keep myself together. Roy leaves soon after the exchange, however his eyes remain on me.
"Wow, I could cut that tension with a knife." Ted says in his usual giddy tone.
"I don't know if you are about to kill each other and bang..." Beard comments.
"Can I sit in here to do this paperwork? At least until the game?" I ask and everyone nods. So there I sat.
Faster than I wished, the game came around. I sat on the sideline as usual near the first aid kit. The cold nipping at my nose, my light jumper did little to fight the cold. It was merely warm-ups for the teams and I was already shaking from the cold.
By the time the game started, my teeth chattered slightly, my fingers were pink and nose was also pink. Roy was taking off his sweatshirt and sweatpants nearby when he caught sight of me. The next thing I know, I was hit in the face by a sweatshirt embroidered with a number 6 and the last name 'Kent'.
I was shocked as I wrapped my body in it. A new warmth surrounded me. The smell of the pitch and the musk of Roy covered me.
The game continued, Richmond was down one goal. To get into the next round of games, they just had to score. (I don't really understand how all that works, I'm just here to fix the players up after.)
Roy has the ball and is running with it, he shoots. He is knocked down, but the ball makes it! He just tied the game. He isn't getting up.
I stand up and move to go check him. But Sam helps him up and he puts his hand up as to tell me to not come help him. He hands the captain armband to his replacement and limps off the field. After the cameras cut away from the exit, I run after him.
When I walk in, I find Roy on the ground, crumbling and crying. I slowly walk towards him, I sit near him and ask, "Are you okay?"
"Fuck off" His voice breaks, "I don't need your pity."
"I don't pity you! Honestly I hate you, but it is my job to make sure you are okay." I say, he quieted down.
"I'm not okay, this is my last game. I messed up my knee and now I can never play again." Tears start falling again, and I wrap him up in my arms. He slowly pulled me closer.
We sat wrapped in each other, after a little while Roy stopped crying. But neither of us moved, it was like the hate we shared broke.
"I never hated you." He said.
"What?" I replied.
"I never hated you," He grunts pulling away to look at me, "I mean who could?"
"Then why did you act like you did?" I was more confused than ever.
"I have never been good at expressing myself, so instead of properly addressing how i felt it was easier to just be rude..." Roy said, his cheeks flushed.
"Are you saying you fancy me?" The idea was insane, but I asked none the less. I had to know, I mean he wasn't unattractive by any means...
"Yes, that is what I am saying. I guess I finally grew the balls to say it." Roy grunted.
"Really? You aren't messing with me right now?" I asked leaning into him more, looking up at him through my lashes.
"Dammit." Roy gave up on words, grabbing the back of my neck and crashing his lips against mine. The kiss was rough and passionate, filled with our distant yearning for one another. My hands move from my side to his chest, as he pulls me onto his lap. This deepened the kiss, as it deepened it became more gentle. His hand moved from my neck to my cheek, as his other hand went under my shirt resting on my side unmoving.
When we finally pulled away, he rests his forehead on mine, stealing one more kiss. This one was merely a peck, short and sweet. We just sit there for a few seconds, as if scared to wake up from a dream.
"I guess we should actually take care of your knee now?" I asked, moving to get off of his lap. He let me, just watching me more. When I asked him to sit on a bench rather than the floor he did. When I asked him to elevate his leg on a chair I pulled over he did.
He followed every word I said, and every direction to the T. As if he was hoping to pick up an underlying message in my words. When I was finally done wrapping his knee, the team came in. I wasn't sure if I should leave for their pep-talk or stay.
However, Roy made that choice for me. He stared at me as he grabbed my hand, his eyes silently pleading for me to stay. So I stayed.
I let the man, who made my life living hell, hold my hand. I must be stupid or insane, but my heart fluttered as he intertwined our fingers. Thinking back to the kiss, I must be a damned fool cause I am going to fall in love with this grumpy injured man.
The pep-talk ended as I zoned out staring at his hand and mine. Everyone was quick packing up today and leaving. Soon Roy and i were alone again. He lets go of my hand so he could use both of his hands to stand up. I quickly collect my stuff to leave, so I can go home and think.
"I'm sorry I told you to go fuck yourself this morning." This apology caught me off guard again, "I wanted to say sorry earlier when I saw you in the office but I couldn't find the right words..."
"Thank you..." I mumble, trying to understand what happened today. He heads to the door seemingly given up on reading me.
"Roy" I say without thinking, "I fancy you too, by the way..."
Roy's eyebrows went up and eyes widened, he rushed across the room as fast as he could while limping. He kisses me again, both hands on my cheeks. My hands clutching his shirt.
Yeah, I was just on a mental health break. I just kind was really stressed and could never find the time to post (although I was posting some crappy fics on wattpad).
Jake was laying in bed texting his girlfriend, with music in the background. Obviously it was GG Allin’s albums. This day was boring, but soon he began to day dream. If he could meet this legend for one day, he would do many things. Obviously everyone is aware of Jake’s love of the Punk Rock Singer.
Sam, Colby and David Dobrik were all planning a collab for months. The video plan involved Jake Webber and his Idol. David had been messaging with GG Allin for a week at this point to make sure the plan was perfect. No matter how nervous they were the day of the video had come.
David pulled up outside the Trap House 2.0, in his Tesla. The star was in the passengers seat. Sam was waiting outside while Colby was trying to keep Jake from looking outside or figuring out. Sam guided the two other men into Jake’s room and helping set up the scene. When everything was set Sam texted Colby.
Jake began to feel very uncomfortable, his roomates were acting strange. He ignored this feeling and decided to just go into his bedroom. He felt like he was about to be pranked. It was not the first time, but he must be imagining it. Jake went to go into his room. When he finally got to his room and looked up; there stood the legend himself.
“WAIT WHAT!?!?!?!?!” Jake was so shocked that was all he could let out.
“Hey Dude...” GG Allin said, he was so chill and it was awesome.
“OH MY ******* GOODNESS! YOU ARE REALLY HERE! MAN I’M A HUGE FAN OF YOURS!” Jake was screaming so loud that everyone in the neighborhood could hear.
“Man I have heard so much about you, I was told we were gonna do a collab.” The legend said.
“You guys did this for me? You got him all the way here so I could spend a video with him” Jake was almost crying. But he was no wimp, so he sniffled and kept moving.
“Yeah, now we have a lot of stuff planned for this collab. We are gonna go to an amusement park so let’s go.” David said.
~time skip~
As they arrived at the amusement park, Jake’s heart was gonna bust out of his chest. This was gonna be the best day ever.
“We are just gonna walk behind you guys and record everything.” Sam said.
“Okay” GG and Jake spoke in sync. Jake could die happy now.
~time skip~
After doing some stuff for content, they started to joke around. They walked to the snack stand in the park. When GG said, “dude you are pretty chill. We should chill later on.”
They got ice cream and sat on a curb outside the park, when Jake said “Thank you for spending the day with me”
~~~~
IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG AND IT WAS JUST TERRIBLE AND SHORT!!!
Hey love! I saw you taking request so here I am. Mr Madden is on my mind recently so I was thinking the reader is a coworker of his, having his eyes on her for a while. So reader is going through some rough time with one of the cast member, some kind of harassing going on or something, and Richard catches on with these happenings. I know it's angsty, but it can end with good old fluff 🤷🏽♀️😁 thanks love - @badasseddy
So the reader is a makeup artist (Richard’s for The Bodyguard.)! Also the Coworker will be called Tom (cause i don’t want to use a real actor!) All in your pov. (used They/Them)
TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT/HARASSMENT, and alcohol.
Sitting in the blazing sun for hours a day wasn’t considered fun, but then again neither was today. Today I would have loved the heat or the sun burning everyone’s skin. But instead we were left with the rain and snow-like slush. Filming in a city meant everyone also had to deal with the wind blowing in the valley between sky-scrapers. The one enjoyable part of today is the heat I feel while reapplying Richard’s makeup. He always comments on how cold my hands are against his skin, but what can he expect when I’ve been stuck sitting in the cold for hours.
Richard came back to get fake blood added to the already layered on blood. He silently sits in his chair as I pull out my jug of false blood. I start talking as I open it, “Is this your last scene for today?”
“Yeah, after this a couple of the crew members were planning to go get a beer or two and talk. Would you like to join?” He asked, with his smooth-smooth accent, I almost dropped my brush onto his costume as I turned to paint on his face.
“I would love to, if that isn’t any trouble?” I said after I controlled my inner freak out. Finally doing my job as he speaks again.
“It would be no- AH Why are your hands so cold?” He began to shrink away from my icy grasps.
“Sorry, but the faster we apply this the faster you can get away from my oh-so cold hands.” I said, finishing as quick as possible. When I finished, Richard reached for my hands wrapping his own around them.
“I have a few minutes until I have to get back, lets get you warmed up. I think i have some hand warmers in my trailer.” Richard pulled me outside to his trailer, where he left me to wait. He exited three minutes later, with hand warmers and his jacket. “Here you go”
“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that!” I say trying my best not to blush at this attractive and kind man. He wrapped the jacket around me and activated the warmers, but Tom, his co-star, called out.
“Richard, the scene is starting soon!!!” This caused Richard and I to both run to the set. Leaving our close moment together behind.
Tom always seemed to be out to stop any interaction between Richard and I. Something about him creeps me out, his eyes were naturally sunken in and his smile just gave me bad shivers. Any chance he could get he would touch me or talk to me, nothing to serious. Just causes an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.
“So Y/N, would you care to get drinks with me after work? The others will be there but we can always sneak off...” Tom attempted to flirt with me, throwing a off-putting wink at the end.
“I’m going with Richard, he already invited me. Err sorry...” I said, trying to put some distance between the two of us.
“Well maybe after you would like to come to my place to have some tea?” He didn’t get the hint, moving closer.
“I actually can’t, sorry...” I said moving to sit in Richard’s seat to show I was done with the conversation, “I’ll see you at the bar though.”
Tom got obviously angry and stormed off to shoot a scene. Richard was already waiting in position and chatting with one of the director.
The rest of the day sped by, until Richard came back to the makeup department in hopes of getting the makeup off quickly. He had already changed into his usual jeans and tight white v-neck. As he sat down, I went to find some makeup remover.
“Since we are still here, would you like a ride to the bar?” Richard offered with a small smile. I pull off my or his, jacket and placed it next to him as I begin to remove the cap.
“I would love that.” I say, as I poured a generous amount of the remover on a rag. I approached his face slowly, “This might be cold...”
“The hand warmers didn’t work?” Richard asks as I started removing the makeup.
“They worked for a while but my hands just always end up cold.” I gently scrubbed the makeup away leaving the actor bare-face.
“Ah okay...” He trailed off in thought, “Have you finished?”
“Yes, would you like to head out or do you have anything left to do?” I answered quickly.
“Let’s head out.” Richard stood up, grabbing the jacket. Walking towards the door opening it for me, and offering his hand as I walk down the steps.
“Thank you!”
He offered his arm as we walked to his car, obviously I took it. When arriving to his car, he opened the door and closed it behind me like a gentleman. Most of the drive was silent, but with every turn his muscles flex causing me to almost pass out. When we parked, he stepped out of the car and I moved to open the door, but he pulled it open and offered his hand to help me out of the vehicle.
“The pub is just round the corner, are you ready?” He says, as we stop on the side walk.
“I suppose...” I cringed at how bland I sounded, and Richard’s now arched brow, “I’m just not ready to see Tom again... He got upset last time we spoke..”
“Don’t worry, he’s probably already over it” He sounded unsure, and hesitant. With that we both start walking quietly to the pub. As we enter we see the Tom and the other crew members. Tom started waving wildly at me. Richard places his hand on my back to help guide me through the crowded pub.
“Hey! How are you guys?” Richard asked as we arrive, not removing his hand.
“We are okay. What took you two so long?” Tom asked not removing his gaze from Richard’s hand.
“Y/N was kind enough to help me with all of my makeup.” Richard had a small smirk.
“How about we go get some drinks, does everyone just want beers?” I offered, starting to walk to the bar after everyone hooted and hollered.
“I’m gonna go help her, I’m sure they will need help carrying all the drinks.” Tom got up, slipping through the crowd like a predator through jungle brush. When he reached me, he said, “So you let Dick over there drive you but not me?”
“He doesn’t like that nickname and he was there when I finished work and offered.” I said trying to avoid a fight.
“Ahh, so if anyone offers you’ll give them a ride?” He tries to slip a hand onto my waist, in return I try to shrink away. Luckily the bartender appeared with our drinks.
“Here are you beers, 8 in total.” The tender looked at the two of us with a questioning look but going back to work shortly after. Grabbing four of the drinks, I rush back to the table. Placing two for whomever wants them and giving one to Richard.
“Thank you Love.” He says as he takes a sip. He gently help one of my obviously shaking hands and asks, “Are you cold again?”
“Oh, um only a little. Your hand are really warm.” I said clinging to his hands, when Tom arrives at the table with the other four, looking sour.
“Here.” Tom says as he aggressively places the bottles down. Then sliding in next to me, drinking half of his drink. “I guess I was right.”
“No...” I whisper to him, that doesn’t stops him from placing his hand on my thigh. I try to shake him off, unsuccessfully.
“Shhh...” His hand starts moving up my thigh. With every inch he moves up, my grip on Rich tightens. This obviously caused Richard to look at me, the fear in my eyes caused him to look for what was wrong. Only to land on Tom’s Hand.
“What the F***, What is wrong with you man?!?” Richard burst at Tom, causing everyone to look at the three of us.
“Nothing, I was just showing them a real man.” Tom sneers.
“Get your hands off her and get up!” Richard slide past me, grabbing Tom by his collar. He wanted to damage this boy so badly, but stopped himself. He looked back at me, I was almost in tears.
“Y/N let’s get you home...” Richard let Tom down, and moved towards you to walk you out of the building, away from this man.
When in the car, I finally spoke, “I’m sorry”.
“Oh Love, you have done nothing wrong. Let’s get you home so you can take a nice bath and after that how about we put on some happy, and nice movies.” He said as he put my address into GPS. “Does that sound nice?”
“You’ll stay with me?” I ask looking at his blue eyes.
“If that makes you feel safe, I will.” He said.
“You always make me feel safe...” I let out after a long silence.
When we arrived he opened the car door and helped me into the house. He led me to the shower and grabbed a pair of comfy clothing. When I was out of the shower and all dress, he had ordered take-out food and set up a small cuddle fort. A Disney movie was in and ready to play on my word.
“Hey love, are you feeling better?” I find my actor, in a pair of sweats that were in his bag all the time.
“A little, thank you.”
“I would do anything for you...” He said, this was the way he said ‘I love you’. He gently moved us both to the couch. and started to the movie.
The entire night was him saying I love you, without words.
But after we finished eating and were cuddled into each other he finally said, “I love you, Cold hands and all.”
He loved me the entire time, i just couldn’t see it before.
Hey love! I saw you taking request so here I am. Mr Madden is on my mind recently so I was thinking the reader is a coworker of his, having his eyes on her for a while. So reader is going through some rough time with one of the cast member, some kind of harassing going on or something, and Richard catches on with these happenings. I know it's angsty, but it can end with good old fluff 🤷🏽♀️😁 thanks love
I will begin writing and will tag you when it is up! :)) <3
I was sat on Kat’s couch as she, Sam and Colby all debate what to do. Sam wants to film, Colby is just asking adding random information into the debate, Kat wants to watch a movie. Sam said something about not being able to film while we watch because oh her laugh, which wasn’t a lie. Her laugh was loud but not bad.
“If it is worth anything, i think we can wait to watch something until after they film whatever they need to do...” I finally break in after 15 minutes of back and forth.
“Great, it’s settled we’ll film!” Sam exclaimed, rushing to grab his camera off the mantle.
“Why don’t you guys join us?” Colby offered to keep Kat from being to sad,as he was handed a camera.
“Ya know what, why not. What video are you planning to wear?” Kat said, offering to help me stand up.
“We were gonna do a challenge video, how well we know each other. Every time we miss a question someone pour ice on us.”
“Hell yeah! We can do that!” Kat yelled, obviously excited to pout ice on her boyfriend.
“Okay, let’s go guys!” Colby led the way, most of the equipment was already set up. Sam and him sat down as Kat pulled me behind the boys. We open the cooler to see all of ice we get to use. Sam pressed the start button, and started the introduction. They only got my attention when they say my name.
“Hi” I said while waving awkwardly at the camera. This caused Kat to laugh a little, before everyone went back to the video.
I missed some of the questions, but Colby would tap me when i needed to dump ice on him. Over all it was awesome and fun to get to know all these things about my new friend.
When all of it was over Colby shouted, “ You should all go listen to Y/N! They are an amazing singer!”
With that, Kat dumped the rest of the ice on the both of them. I ended up getting wet, and cold.
“KAT!!!” All of us yell together, Sam slowly got up and threw ice at Kat before turning off the camera.
I watch as Colby stood up, and shook off the water. Causing me to squeal from the cold. The sudden noise made him look at me, his face suddenly looked guilty, “Sorry...”
“It’s okay” I went to speak again but Kat shouted “Can we watch a movie now?”
“Colby and I need to change, and Y/N probably wants a new shirt. You can start picking out a movie and grabbing snacks, meet in the living room in five minutes?” Sam said as they begin to scatter.
Colby grabs me and says, “I’ll grab you a shirt if you want?”
I nodded and followed him to his room, where he gave me a Metalica tee shirt. I waled to the bathroom to change. When I came out at the same time Colby came out of his room.
