pairing: joan garcía x female!reader | fluff | situationship | wc: 3,116 | warnings: none | note: none
joan garcia was a very simple man. well established and happy in his chosen career, he had few ambitions beyond it. nothing too far-fetched or impossible to achieve, even for someone in his position. he would've stayed with his previous team if they'd decided so, but he couldn't deny his dream of playing for a bigger team, which came true a short time later. he didn't imagine that he would be so well received by the barcelona fans, let alone by his teammates, who embraced him as if he had always been part of that family.
since then, his micro goals, as he used to call them, were being achieved. small ambitions that were being fulfilled through his effort and dedication, such as becoming the team's main goalkeeper, when he thought he had been hired only to be a substitute. not that he didn't have as much prestige in his previous team, but it was a different feeling. a dream. because that's what barcelona was for many players: a dream.
his professional life was going well, very well, he had nothing to complain about. if he were to be honest, perhaps this was the best phase of his career, so he dedicated himself to enjoying it to the fullest, with no idea if he would ever experience a similar phase again; the world of soccer was full of inconsistencies and impossible to predict, which was perhaps why he enjoyed being part of that universe so much. the unpredictable always seemed a little more attractive than the predictable, but he was starting to change his mind. because when it was a matter of unpredictability, he didn't like it when it came to you.
you, who were right now in his bathroom, with the door open, fixing your hair in front of the oval mirror hanging on the wall above the small sink. you were wearing his old brown t-shirt and only tiny panties, your bare feet against the cold marble floor. from the bed, he had a privileged view of you. it wasn't very common for you to spend the night, but he'd grown to like it when you did.
“i have an invitation for you," he said suddenly, breaking the silence, his words echoing until they reached you.
you tied your hair back the way you wanted and turned your face just a little toward him, arching one eyebrow in genuine suspicion. you hardly ever accepted his invitations, except for those that meant getting into his bed immediately.
“don't make that face, it's a good invitation,” he shot back, adjusting himself on the bed.
“i don't know, joan, you've been having some ideas that are a bit. . .”
“we've been at this for what? six months?”
you bit your lip after splashing water on your face and drying it with a small towel. you left the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe, not taking your eyes off him for even a second. you had the impression that you had had this conversation before, maybe a month ago.
“that's about right. maybe,” you replied, even though he had gotten the exact time right.
was six months a long time? a short time? reasonable for casually sleeping with someone? you had never had many long-term relationships, and because your job wasn't stable, your relationships didn't last. not really. not that long.
“that's half a year, y/n.
you sighed. hanging the towel back in the bathroom, you said:
“make the invitation."
the goalkeeper dragged the blanket to the side, patting the bed, silently calling you. you offered a small smile, nodded, and walked back to the bed, sitting down in front of him with your legs crossed. joan scratched the back of his neck; there was a hesitant smile on his lips, his beauty subtly softened, you had no doubt that he was handsome.
“come watch the supercopa final,” he finally asked.
you had been waiting for this. it was strange that you knew him so well at this point, but joan wasn't exactly a mysterious guy; in fact, he tended to be a little transparent. you could almost guess his thoughts sometimes.
“you remember that i'll be working, right?” you pointed out.
he was aware of that. somehow, though, he wanted to be foolish enough to try the approach. since you started seeing each other, you had never formally attended the games, let alone the important ones. at first, he didn't mind; after all, what you had wasn't anything special. every now and then you were together, but you always went your separate ways afterwards. however, joan realized at some point during those months that things were changing. he began to enjoy your company more, wanted to have you around more often, and always found some excuse to get you to go to his apartment or the hotel where he was staying.
you never accepted invitations to dates, casual dinners, or anything like that, always claiming that you didn't want too much exposure. getting involved with players, especially from big teams, always meant constant harassment from fans.
“can't you, i don't know, trade with someone?” he tried.
at that moment, joan didn't understand how his heart was beating so fast and so hard in anticipation of an answer. he wasn't that stupid; he had been trying to make it clear to you that what they had wasn't working for him anymore because he wanted more. he tried to bring up conversations about relationships, trying to understand what you were thinking, but unpredictability always hung around you. he understood your fears, obviously, it made perfect sense, but he couldn't help but wonder about giving it a try.
he liked you enough to make it work.
“i don't know if anyone would want to trade covering the final of el clásico for covering a simple rayo vs. mallorca match,” you joked, hiding your expression.
you made up an excuse, of course. you would be working on another game on the day of el clásico in the super cup, but if you wanted to, you could find someone to trade with. even though it was an important game and a classic rivalry, there was always someone with whom you could negotiate a swap in your line of work, but you didn't know if you wanted to.
being there would mean... a lot.
joan realized this, let out a low sigh, but didn't abandon the smile on his face. on the contrary, he just pulled you a little closer, touching the base of your face in a caress. the intimacy of the gesture melted you, and you didn't know how much longer you could keep acting like an idiot just because you were afraid to try and not succeed, collecting yet another failed relationship.
“i would be very happy if you were there, watching me, but i also understand, y/n, ” he said, his voice gentle, his heart gradually calming down. “it's okay. when you feel ready. you know how i feel.”
you swallowed hard, but forced a smile and returned his kiss on your lips, while your mind became a little messy again in terms of thoughts, because even though he had never said a single word directly about his feelings for you, he was right. you knew it.
you just pretended you didn't.
⚽⚽
the coffee was untouched. the cup remained in the same place you left it thirty minutes ago, cold and untouched. your computer screen was fixed on some website you didn't pay attention to, something like an article about the next game you needed to cover, but the words just weren't making sense to you. the office wasn't busy that day, most of the journalists were out in the field, which gave you some freedom to act as if you weren't thinking straight.
your mind was swirling with a million thoughts. at some point, you sighed and rubbed your face with both hands, trying to shake off your thoughts, spinning your body in your office chair. quite close by, on the other side, kaylen and ben, your two colleagues, exchanged glances. neither of them needed to say anything to get up at the same time and walk straight over to you.
“okay, spill it,” ben said, coming up on your left, leaning against your desk.
kaylen just joined him on your other side, dragging her chair closer. you took your hands away from your face and stared at your two friends, looking at them both in confusion.
“spill what?”
“you’ve seemed distracted since you got here,” kaylen explained. “you haven’t taken a single sip of your coffee, you didn’t complain about the last game you covered, and you can’t even concentrate enough to write a simple article.”
“what happened?” ben asked.
you huffed again.
“nothing happened, it's stupid and. . .” you were about to say, but stopped when you saw the look on their faces, which showed they didn't believe your words. you sighed, realizing very quickly that it would be useless to try and lie to them, so you leaned back in your chair, crossed your arms, and said, “it's the guy i'm seeing.”
“the mysterious hottie?” kaylen wanted to know.
you almost laughed.
“you don't even know if he's hot.”
“well, i may doubt everything, but not your good taste,” kaylen shrugged.
“so what about the mysterious hottie?” ben brought the subject back.
you thought there was no way to explain the situation without revealing the identity of the mysterious hottie, so you decided to come clean. ben and kaylen knew how to keep a secret, even if you didn't want to tell them before.
“the mysterious hottie is joan garcia,” you revealed. “and he wants me to go watch him in the spanish super cup final.”
ben's eyes widened.
“you're dating the hot barcelona goalie?!”
kaylen almost laughed at her friend's reaction.
you started to explain the context of the whole situation, confirming that, yes, it was the hot barcelona goalie. they didn't need many details, because even though you hadn't told them who you were dating, they always knew what was going on.
“okay, hold on, you didn’t say yes?” kaylen asked.
“i didn’t say no directly, i used the work excuse, which isn’t exactly an excuse, because i’ll be working that day,” you explained.
“what game are you covering?” ben wanted to know.
“rayo and mallorca.”
“give me a fucking break, y/n, you know i'll cover for you,” he complained. “what's the real reason you don't want to go? exposure? the inevitable fame of the players? you don't like him?”
you took a deep breath, uncrossing your arms. to outsiders, your decision was simple and easy, but they weren't in your shoes. you couldn't downplay your fears; you had made that mistake once and were trying not to do it again.
kaylen stared at you for a moment.
out of the three, she was the most perceptive. she understood her friend's fears about relationships, they were all valid, but she also realized that you were too attached to something that could be hurting you. you deserved to experience all of that, you didn't even realize you were sabotaging yourself.
“y/n,” she called, turning her friend's chair to face hers, “i know you have fun with him, but it's also time for you to admit to yourself that this stopped being just sex a long time ago. you always walk away when you realize that casual is no longer casual, so what makes this guy different?”
you blinked and swallowed hard, seeking ben's gaze, who just shrugged, silently agreeing.
“you don't have to answer that now, just... maybe it's worth giving him a chance, even if it comes with public exposure and everything, because, girl, you like this guy,” kaylen continued with a smile. “it's clear, and i think it was always inevitable.”
“besides,” ben interjected, "i think the exposure of him going public with you will be the least of your worries compared to how stupid you would be called for letting a hottie like that get away."
you and kaylen laughed, cursing him under your breath. you stared at them both, your smile faltering.
“what if it doesn't work out?” you whispered.
kaylen squeezed your hand, but it was ben who smiled and replied:
“what if it does?
⚽⚽
he was the star of the match.
the stadium couldn't have been any different on a day of el clásico: packed with fans from both teams, the singing and cheering louder than any other sound echoing in the environment. you used your position as a sports journalist, working for a renowned company that covered both teams' games, and entered as part of the crew, wearing a badge that identified you, but you weren't working.
ben insisted on covering the game that would be yours that day and did not accept that you were going as a journalist to the game, but as a personal guest of one of the players, which explained why you were wearing a barcelona shirt with joan garcia's name on the back, something that was not very common, since he was the team's goalkeeper and had his own uniform color.
this also meant that you weren't in the usual crowd. you preferred to be close to the vip area and didn't tell joan you were there. he had no idea, and you chose to reveal yourself only at the end of the game, preferably with his team taking the cup in that fierce final.
both teams were taking advantage. the score was tied, pointing to a possible overtime, so barcelona and real madrid increased the pressure, both teams trying to turn the game around to gain the upper hand at the end and secure the title.
even with barcelona down a player, the players did not seem shaken. you were one of the voices shouting joan garcia's name, watching him excel in the game. when barcelona finally turned the score around and broke the tie, gaining the advantage to secure the title, real began to press at the end of the second half. stoppage time was an important part of the goalkeeper's performance, as he continued to defend clear scoring chances by carreras and asencio, keeping barcelona ahead on the scoreboard. joan showed throughout that he was secure between the posts, confident in his own defensive work, his performance being crucial to his team's 3-2 win.
when the referee blew the whistle, securing the title for barcelona, you finally took a deep breath, letting go of that tension. for a moment, you really thought the game might go into extra time or that maybe they wouldn't come out on top. you watched the culé fans cheer in the stadium and kept your eyes on him on the field the whole time. you waited a moment before starting to leave the section, taking the path that led to the field.
you wanted to find him before the title was awarded.
on the way, you greeted some familiar faces, genuinely happy to be there, as if a few days ago you hadn't been racking your brains with doubts, which made you think you were making the right decision. when one of the security guards allowed you to pass onto the field, your hands sweated a little, your pulse quickening. you looked around; you had lost sight of him along the way, but he always stood out in that uniform color, so he would be easy to find.
and so it was.
a little further ahead, he was talking to pedri and ferran. you walked towards them, ferran seeing you first, but you asked for silence, receiving a nod from him. joan didn't see you because he had his back turned, and you took advantage of that. getting closer, you stood on your tiptoes and stretched out your hands, covering the goalkeeper's face.
“man, that's not…” he started, but stopped when he touched your hands. he felt the texture, but what gave you away was the scent of your perfume, which he noticed right after, dismissing that it was just one of the boys trying to mess with him. “y/n?”
pedri smiled at you and pulled ferran away to leave you alone.
you kissed joan's shoulder and took your hands off him. he turned to you, his face genuinely happy, his eyes surprised by your presence.
“i thought you weren't coming,” he said. “did you just get here?”
“no, i watched you from the beginning,” you replied, biting your cheek. “i think you should win mvp of the match.”
the sound of his laughter made your smile even wider.
he broke the distance, touching the side of your face.
“that means more to me coming from you than actually being awarded mvp,” he confessed.
you stared at each other for a moment, letting the silence prevail between you, even though there was a lot of noise around. you felt his tenderness on your cheek and held him by the waist. you were fully aware that you were right in the middle of the world's spotlight, in front of hundreds of cameras, but you didn't care.
all you cared about was being there with him, being the target of that smile. you raised one hand and placed it on his chest, feeling the goalkeeper's heartbeat, which wasn't normal.
“is all this because of me?” you joked.
but joan took it seriously, swallowing hard.
“i just won my first title with barcelona, and even so, i'm ecstatic because of you,” he confessed, quietly, just so you could hear. “i'm going to kiss you, y/n, here in front of everyone, may i?”
instead of answering, you kissed him. he held you so tightly, as if afraid it was a dream, that you almost lost your breath. he kissed you as if no one was watching, as if you were alone, as always, in your own space, not caring about the stares or comments around you.
“what does this mean?” he asked after breaking the kiss.
you licked your lips and turned your back just a little, just enough for him to see his number and your name on the shirt you were wearing. you felt something different, something you couldn’t explain, wanting to freeze that moment right there.
“it means whatever you want it to mean,” you replied, reaching out your hand to him.
without thinking twice, joan garcia accepted it, because if it meant what he wanted it to mean, then from that moment on, everyone would know he was yours.
Can you write Jeremy swayman being a total munch. He just looks like the kinda guy who loves eating yk
jeremy swayman x afab reader | smut | wc: 1.7k | a/n: i'm really sorry for the wait, anon!! i hope you're still out there to enjoy this one - namu <3
he starts with a long lick, getting the full taste. her juices won't stop coming out, affected by the touch of his tongue, by his hands squeezing her thighs, by the kisses previously left on her skin. he controls himself as much as he can so as not to simply make out with that pussy like a starved man. he wants to take his time, so he gives her kitten licks, circling around the clit, up and down the folds. he can feel her skin shivering under his fingers, letting her move as much as she wants, setting her own rhythm, allowing her to enjoy it while she still has control.
his tongue thrusts into her tight hole, going back and forth, feeling it tighten with each thrust. he grinds against the mattress, although he fears cumming before he pushes himself into her, he can't help but look for friction with each little sound that comes out of her. the vulgar sounds of his tongue on her wetness, making him moan along, the vibrations driving her wilder. she says yes, like that, keep it up, it's so good, she needed that head so badly, his hands on her nipples, squeezing them between his fingers, filling his hands with the voluminous flesh.
at some point he just dives in, making out with her pussy like it's his last meal. his tongue covers all of her mound in long stripes, one of his hands searching for hers as some kind of grounding. she makes eye contact and it's almost the end for him, humping the bed when her desperate gaze meets his. the lapping doesn't stop even when he uses his other hand to shove two fingers into her mouth, the tips reaching her wet, trained throat. when he feels it's wet enough, he uses them to thrust into her tight hole— fully aware that making her choke on his fingers affected her down there, he felt it right away when her pussy convulsed from the action. one finger, two fingers, then three fingers curves into her wet pussy, taking her slightly by surprise, and she begins to bounce immediately. it wasn't as if it was a surprise, she knew that three fingers were the minimum to prepare her for his cock. in fact, three fingers were the minimum she asked for in every foreplay.
“my baby likes to feel full, doesn't she? this greedy cunt wants to feel everything it's entitled to. it's okay, love, i'll give you everything you want. keep bouncing for me, okay? i'm going to fuck you just like you deserve.”
the curved fingers accelerate in the same movement as the hot tongue against the clit. she used her free hand to stroke his hair, sometimes pulling it to take control. the best part was when he left his tongue out and allowed her to rub her wet pussy against him, making his nose and cheeks all messy, he loves getting all honeyed up with her essence. this time, she uses two fingers to open her labia majora so he could lick her clit better as she wanted, since his grip on her wasn't as strong. he wanted to have control, but he couldn't stand the urge to let her thrust herself against him, decide her own rhythm and get him all dirty. rubbing his cock against the mattress was becoming unbearable, he needed to get inside her as soon as possible, but he had to make her cum first, as hard as he could. he wanted to stick his sensitive cock into the mixture of saliva and cum, he wanted to hear the vulgar sound of the liquids mixing with his pre cum. the thought of sliding into that sensitive, relaxed pussy drove him crazy. frankly, he didn't care if he came in his pants, he knew he could eat that pussy and suck on her sensitive tits until he recovered, he knew she wouldn't rest until she made him cum as well. the satisfaction he felt from fucking her was the same as the satisfaction she felt from fucking him, that's why they were such a good couple, that's why time passed so slowly when they were together.
“i see you humping the bed, honey. do you want to cum inside? take off your pants, come here, rub that cock on my pussy... i want to feel you cumming in me so bad. feels so good, love... oh...”
his rhythm increased, three fingers reaching the right spot inside her, the moans increasing, his tongue touching all the right nerves to make her come so good she could see stars. he left his mouth open, his tongue out, totally available to swallow every drop of her, every twist that intensified her sensation until it became too much.
“feel good, baby? can i put it in or should i wait a little? talk to me.”
she was silent for a few seconds, her mind in blackout and her hips still rolling on their own. with her eyes still cloudy, she said:
”put that cock in me now."
he left one last kiss on her sensitive clit, a few more on her thighs and got down on his knees on the bed. a string of spit on his hand around his cock, only then begins to rub it slowly between her sensitive lips, watching her with her eyes closed, completely lost.
“are you sure, love? don't you want to wait a bit?”
she rolled her eyes impatiently and propped herself up on her elbows.
“if you don't put that cock in me now, i'm going to take my vibrator and fuck myself in front of you. i don't care if you punish me later, i'm not going to let you fuck me for a month.”
he arched his brows and laughed through his nose, thrusting his cock into her slowly, no warning. she fell back without complaints, her moan sounding more like relief.
“fuck me, go on. took such good care of me, now use this pussy to cum, you deserve it.”
she pulled him by the arms, hugging him around the neck as soon as he got close. their lips connected lasciviously, one tongue trying to dominate the other, a dirty, wet, horny battle.
“want to get you on all fours, baby. want to get so deep inside you, then we can come together, okay?”
“you'll have to get me into position, i'm a bit weak after the first one.” she laughed.
“i got you, baby.” then he turned her body with ease. she let out a little scream, too excited to face the pillows.
he put her ass up and face down, gave her pussy a few more kitten licks and finally put his cock in, this time more slowly, since the position allowed him to go deeper. as soon as he eased in, he leaned forward, leaving kisses on her back until he reached her ear, knowing that she liked to hear the sounds of his pleasure.
“damn, baby. so good for me, letting me fuck you so good.”
his hands held her tightly around the waist, she even tried to roll back, but the rhythm was dictated by him. her moans were muffled by the pillow, feeling him touch all her sensitive spots. the hand that held one of her breasts, the other hand that was dedicated to rubbing her swollen little button. if she squeezed him any harder she would make him come at any moment, but there was no other way he would’ve wanted it to happen.
“so close, baby,” he said, feeling the burning in the pit of his stomach.
“cum for me, baby. spill it all in me, please, please, put it in me,” she begged, starting to roll back more intensely.
the out-of-sync movements and the warm tightness around his cock made his orgasm come on strong, expelling a large amount of cum inside her. she didn't stop bouncing, wanting to prolong his pleasure as long as she could. however, when he managed to recover from the peak of his orgasm and pulled it out, he manhandled to lay on her back again, his fingers found her little hole, taking her by surprise.
“you're going to give me one more, love, it's only fair.”
his fingers moving back and forth in just the right position hit just the right nerves, making her wonder if she would be able to expel any liquid other than her normal cum. his tongue found her clit again, insatiable for the taste of her, the muscle restless for all the hot skin. he wouldn't ever get tired of doing that, he’d be able to spend hours just eating that pussy, looking for spots had yet to know, searching for even more intense orgasms from her. it didn't take long for her to come, already sensitive from her previous ones. her hands grabbed his hair to pull it away from his sensitive skin, but as he kept sticking out his tongue, she couldn't resist giving him a few last rubs. her pussy refused to take a break when she saw his chin all wet once again. she wanted to devour that man, and she was sure that he was also on a mission to devour her.
“come here, come here,” she called, pulling him up while still holding him by the hair.
she could taste herself on his tongue, making her legs cross around his hips. she could also feel his cock hardening against her leg.
“i know we need a break, but i can feel you on my leg...” she said, leaving a kiss on his smiling lips. “we can go and take a shower to relax... i have no problem kneeling on the tiles to suck you off...”
he threw his head back in laughter.
“you drive me crazy, it's impossible to resist you.”
“i can do it now too, if you prefer. i'm tired, but i really want your cock in my mouth, are you going to deny me that?”
he squinted for two seconds, then slapped her ass.
“i'm giving you too much freedom, don't you think?”
“just wanna suck you off, babe,” you said in a pout. “is that a sin or something?”
pairing: william eklund x reader | fluff, slight angst, a bit suggestive at the end | friends to lovers | wc: 3k+ | warnings: one of the main characters got cheated on in the past | namu's notes: i was WILLING to write a smut for this one but i'm struggling to do it, so i'll post it before ella reads the open ending (she might actually k*ll me). yeah, byeee!!
i'm going under
storm, lightning, thunder
i'm drowning in the deepest of truths
fuck, i think i'm falling for you
— tsunami, by niki zefanya
it happened during a gathering with your friends. well, they weren’t around at the time, some of them lost the game you played to decide who would run to the grocery store before the second period started. you and william were left alone in the living room, your legs over his lap on the couch, which he was mindless tracing his fingers on your skin. the commercial playing on tv was something about taking your lover to one of the most beautiful places on earth — valentine’s day was close by. the invitation got lost on the tip of your tongue, that’s when you realized.
"oh gosh."
"what?" he looked at you.
"i like you!"
"you what?"
"i think i'm falling in love with you!"
you were terrifyingly excited over something so sensitive, that’s why william kept his eyes on you, waiting for the laugh telling him it was a joke. but what he got was a shy giggle as you jumped off the couch, covering your face.
he knew you were aware of his issues with romantic feelings, he knew you were aware of his past relationship. what just happened?
"y/n..."
“goodness, this is so fun! i know you're emotionally unavailable, don't worry,” you pointed.
"it’s not that— listen, you just confessed out of nowhere and it looks like i just proposed to you!"
"yes! i finally know how it feels! isn't it great?!"
william frowned, utterly confused by your reaction. he couldn’t get why you were so happy when you knew he didn’t feel the same. his first girlfriend was his first love back in sweden, but things got messy when he got drafted to the nhl. that was when her behavior started to make sense; how she kept on shaming him for being romantic, that he didn’t have to be so performative about his love — even in private. “that’s not the aura of a professional athlete, okay? you’re so charming, try being more cooler towards me, that’ll keep me interested,” she used to say. he was so blinded by his feelings for her that he didn’t realize how alarming that was. he molded his behavior to please her, just to be cheated on with a guy that was cooler than him, the ideal man to just have fun and enjoy popularity. william didn’t know he was molding himself to become a ladder. then when other women looking for fun started showing up in his life, he came to terms with the environment he would live in from that moment on.
“y/n, i’m not ready for this. we talked about it before."
"listen," you paused to look at the door, lowering your voice so you wouldn’t get caught by your friends. "it’s like an experiment."
"what the hell? what's that supposed to mean? you're scaring me." william put a hand over his chest.
you sat by his side once again, as ready as you would be for a business presentation.
"i want to experience this. i want to give you my feelings and enjoy this while i can. since you won't feel the same, i can easily get over you later."
"that's not how it works, dear."
"i will make it work."
william covered his face and groaned. damn, she’s adorable, he thought.
"please, please, please!" you begged. "this is such a big moment for me, you know i’ve never been in love before."
"and why would you like me?" he stared, making you gulp.
"i have a lot of nice things to tell you, but only if you agree. i'd never do something to make you uncomfortable."
the longest william pondered, the longest you scanned his face — and the need to kiss him all over was strong. he noticed when you got lost in your own thoughts and squinted, holding a smile to himself.
“alright, let’s do this.”
the touch of his hand on your cheek brought you back, making a radiant grin flash on your lips. you went to hug him, but stopped mid action, silently asking for permission. when he crossed his arms around your waist, everything made sense. the scent of his cologne was usually the one that got stuck on your clothes because not only you were always together, but william used to be the last one to hug you goodbye after taking you home. the warmth of his body was also responsible for everything you were feeling in that moment, which kind of hurt to think that you wouldn’t be able to be this close anymore without making it weird for him.
later, you got home and did your night routine, excited about your team’s win and for the realization about your feelings. william wasn’t allowed to take you home that night, “i might not be able to hold myself from kissing you, so let me get my uber in peace.” you didn’t realize how he had to turn around so you wouldn’t see him blush.
you: permission to be corny
eky: sighs- permission granted
you: i hope you show up in my dreams tonight, hopefully it won’t be weird
i won’t tell you if it is
eky: and if it’s sexy?
you: do not flirt with a woman in love if you’re not willing to give her what she wants
eky: my lips are sealed.
you: i like them, btw
eky: my lips?
you: yeah, love when you smirk trying to pretend i’m not the funniest person you know
and i love when you laugh out loud, even when i can hear from a distance
i love how it makes your nose wrinkle, it’s adorable
eky: i’m not adorable, but thank you
you: you are to me
i’m so excited to be cheeky when i notice all the things that made me feel like this
eky: glad you’re having a good time
you: sorry you don’t feel good about romance anymore, thank you for not being weird about me
eky: it’s okay, you deserve to know how it feels
i’ll try to be a great first love for you
you: oh
my heartbeat is speeding up right now, gotta blast
eky: cute
sweet dreams
you: goodnight, eky
you took a long time to sleep, your racing thoughts didn’t give you a break. your mind kept replaying the events and planning everything for the next day. one of them was telling one of your closest friends, so she would prevent you from going crazy when necessary. the following days, you worked with a silly smile on your face, dismissing your colleagues that teased you about it. you spent some of your breaks writing love letters, giggling like a high school girl because of how exciting everything was. the butterflies on your stomach, the scenarios playing in your brain, the chills every time you thought about william’s touch. you allowed yourself to be delusional, to enjoy every sensation of pure joy that love delivered.
“how will he talk about other girls if he knows you like him? it’s not like he can keep acting normal,” lena said after you spilled what was going on.
“he already didn’t before, so.” you shrugged. “have you seen him with someone lately?”
“no, but that’s not the point. you want to enjoy the feeling of being in love, but you need to be realistic that it will hurt because it’s unrequited.”
“yeah, he’ll keep on living his life…”
“i love it for you, it’s such a beautiful feeling.” she held your hand. “i need you to be careful, don’t want you to be disappointed.”
“i get it, thank you for helping me back down a little,” you said, a tight smile on your lips. “i’ll be seeing him tonight, i’ll give him the love letters i wrote.”
“love letters?” she gasped and started laughing. “girl, you’re down bad!”
“i am!” you admitted, covering your face. “i’m wondering if this is considered some kind of love bombing because i’ll have to get into a lockdown at work for the next week.”
“well, depending on his reaction to your actions, he might show up at your door just to spend time with you,” she suggested. “you know eky is a romantic, he’s just been through a lot.”
“yeah, don’t want to scare him off,” you worried. “well, once last month i wasn’t responding enough so he showed up with groceries and nagged at me until i took a break.”
your friend squinted her eyes, suspicious.
“have you ever considered how comfortable eky is with you in comparison with the rest of us?”
“i didn’t, it’s just that i’m more of a touchy person, but he has other love languages with everybody.”
“i agree, i love my quality time with him, but i sense it’s so different from what i see between you two.”
“okay, don’t do this. i’m already struggling not to jump on him, i don’t want to think of the possibility of any truth in his flirting.”
“he flirts with you?!”
“yeah, well, he has these witty responses to my confessions. you know how cocky he can be.”
“y/n, my love, i need you to be so serious right now.”
“it’s enough that he’s letting me enjoy this first love thing, i won’t go further than that. period.”
“okay, okay. once again, be careful, but pay a little more attention. i might not be overreacting here.”
you arrived at william’s place with your heart in your sleeve. that could be a metaphor or simply all the words you wrote in those journal pages, mixed with cute doodles and printed pictures of you two. you were focusing on not being embarrassed when he opened the door. william looked like the cuddliest human being on earth, his soft cologne taking up your senses when he immediately hugged you.
“hey, dear. craving sushi tonight? it might be here at any moment.”
“sushi is nice,” you agreed, throwing yourself on his couch.
“how was work today?”
“pretty calm right now, to be honest. but we’ll be locking down for the next week to step up in the research of this new found element.”
“oh, are we talking about nasa classified shit?”
“no!” you burst out laughing. “it’s just that we need to have a lot ready for the seminar at the end of the month, so i’ll be working even at home.”
“got it. so i won’t be seeing you for a whole week?”
your eyes softened instantly.
“i think so. i don’t know how i can make it work, lena already said she’ll be texting every three hours to check if i’m taking care of myself.”
“well, i can do that in person. did that before, no?”
“yes, indeed. but what about the games?”
“i can’t accept that you won’t watch them, so i gotta show up and talk about each of them. i’ll be resting as well, so don’t worry about me.”
“okay, you know where the key is.” you smiled. “now tell me how you’re expecting the next matches.”
couple hours later, after you and william devoured the japanese food, he put on the highlights of a game you missed recently. he ended up as one of the top stars, skating around and scoring like he owned the opponent’s ice. at some point, though, your focus changed from the tv to his face, expressions immersed in every aspect of his story.
“y/n.”
“i can’t stop looking at you, what the hell,” you muttered, regretting as soon as it came out.
“kinda creepy,” he teased.
“i know!” you admitted, averting your gaze. “i just like seeing you happy, that’s all.”
his eyebrows raised, william couldn’t hold back the grin hearing you be so forward with your words. he liked watching you be in love, although he still didn’t know how to deal with the fact that he was the one you were in love with.
the silence didn’t go unnoticed by you, which suddenly made you self conscious.
“too far?”
“hm?” william was brought back. “no, don’t worry.”
“now i’m thinking back on giving you the love letters i wrote.”
william gulped, turning his whole body towards you.
“you wrote me love letters?”
“you don’t have to read them, to be honest. it was good for me to reflect on what made me like you romantically when i already loved you as a friend.” unable to hold his gaze, you looked back to the tv now paused in a random player. “and it’s been kind of hard not to touch you like usual or feeling all the time that i’m making you uncomfortable or how you can’t talk to me about other women because you don’t want to hurt me.”
william held your hand, stopping your ramble.
“dear, look at me.” he touched your cheek. “i love you, alright? nothing’s changing that. i feel honored to be your first love, i don’t feel uncomfortable at all. and there’s no other women to talk about.”
you tilted your head and chuckled, making his hand drop from holding your cheek.
“thank you for reassuring me, eky.”
“well, there’s actually a woman that’s been writing me love letters and i still haven't had the chance to read them. i’ll update you when i do, though.”
you laughed, biting your lower lip to hold a gasp when you noticed he was closer than before, his other hand still holding yours. his warm touch was making you dizzy.
“i saw you sighing and licking your lips, dear. you’re not subtle at all,” he said, finding hilarious how he could watch you be a mess in front of him. he was loving every second of it.
“i wasn’t trying to be. i’m more focused on thinking of something else.”
“yeah? like what?”
“like how i’ll hide my spare key so you won’t actually see me for a week,” you whispered. “i need time away from your touch, ‘cause right now it feels like we both want the same thing.”
you noticed when his eyes quickly dropped to your lips, then back to your eyes.
“and what do you want right now?” he whispered back, a haze starting to grow in his eyes.
“i want to go home and hopefully not dream of you tonight,” you said, standing up mid sentence. it confused you to see william seemingly disappointed with your reaction. “this week will be good for us, i mean, i can’t wait to go back to normal.”
william hummed quietly, his body defeated against the couch’s backrest. he was exactly the opposite of you, his eyes wouldn’t leave you for a second.
“i’ll be counting the days ‘till i see you.”
“william!”
his eyes went wide when your tone raised.
“the past week has been fun, but i’m starting to feel sorry for myself.” you bit the inside of your cheek. “i’m in love with you, that’s nice, now it’s time to start getting over it so i can be you dear friend again.”
william frowned, but no words came out of his mouth.
“i think i exposed myself enough, so i won’t give you the letters. i’ll take them as memories of a good time,” you decided, a smile tinged with sadness. “in the future, when it happens again, i’ll recognize it easily enough to do something about it sooner.”
“dear, i’m really sorry.”
“no, it’s my fault. i know what you went through, i know your reasons, that’s why it needs to stop now.” you nodded. “i don’t feel bad about liking you, though, it’s not that. i’m glad my heart made the right choice, it was just not the right timing.”
you got your purse and headed for the door. you heard a frustrated sound coming from him, but you didn’t look back.
“förbaskat, this is not fair,” he muttered, standing up to catch you before you opened the door. “y/n, wait.”
“yeah?”
“i can’t stop myself from living a real love story just because someone else hurt me. i don’t know why my mind got so blurred when i know i’m happy with you, it’s freaking dumb to let you go when i feel the same.”
you didn’t dare to interrupt his train of thought — too shocked to do that, honestly.
“i want to read all your letters, to hear all your confessions, i want to write you my own as well, to tell you beautiful words even though they won’t be as poetic as yours. being loved by you is amazing, loving you is amazing. i don’t know how different it can be from what i already feel. i want you emotionally and physically, i want to be the one you're still in love in the future. so please don’t give up on me yet, let me try to be the boyfriend you deserve.”
william waited, almost out of breath. you just stared back at him, thoughts going crazy around your head.
“eky,” you whispered.
“yes, dear.”
“i have this need right now to kiss the hell out of you. all the touches i held the past week are tingling my skin for having you so close.”
“i can take you, baby. just say the word.”
your purse dropped to the floor, you took a step closer to him.
shake my earth, suck the air out, burn me down
it's like you've known me through all my past lives
what an evil thought
wreck my plans, stop me dead, kiss me now
“your love, give it to me. don’t hold back.”
his hands were all over you in a second. it seemed like william was doing his best to be delicate with the first kiss, but your enthusiasm matched his, which turned everything too intense. your hands went down his sweatshirt, the warmness of his skin against your hands gripped a moan out of the both of you. he reached the back of your thighs and picked you up without warning, ripping a small scream from you, which made you both laugh.
“that was freaking sexy, but don’t scare me like that.”
“sorry,” he pampered you with kisses all over your face. “promise to be more vocal from now on.”
pairing: joseph woll x female!reader | established relationship | angst if you squint, fluff | wc: 1.2k | a/n: i'm so endeared by this man - namu
the vibes were weird. you were sitting alone in your living room, the tv on in the background. the presenters were talking about the great performance of the toronto maple leafs in today's game, but none of it was really sticking in your head. a few messages from your friend were popping up in your notifications, but you couldn't stop staring at the open photo on your phone screen.
you're not the type of person to worry about speculation or the opinions of strangers, especially when it comes to your relationship with a public person. however, your friend was responsible for forwarding a photo apparently taken after today's game, where the focus was on joseph and a woman laughing with matthew and his girlfriend. the unknown woman was comfortable enough to rest her head on joseph's shoulder. you knew the other couple, but you had never seen this woman before in your life, and you couldn't understand how joseph was so relaxed about such physical contact.
“she must have been invited by matthew's girlfriend, the comments are boiling over against this girl,” said her friend, now on the call. “i had to go on the blogs and see for myself, i'm sorry.”
“it's okay, i get it. it's not often that this happens.”
in fact, you were only the subject of gossip when you first started showing up together, but as soon as the relationship circulated without much to talk about, there were only a few compliments during public appearances and in the comments of photos. besides, joseph had never been the target of scandals, so tranquility could be preserved in everyday life.
“i've seen some people commenting that she's been seen at other games with other friends, that she's probably looking for that wag life,” your friend snorted. “but what this clueless girl doesn't know is that even the gossip blogs love your relationship, so a lot of people are doubting that joey is involved in anything.”
you murmured in agreement, the withering tone not going unnoticed.
“how are you feeling? i know that worry crossed your mind at the beginning of everything.”
“yeah... well, it's just a photo at the right timing. i'll wait for him to get home and have a difficult conversation.”
“that's fine, call me if you need anything. anything.”
you laughed, then replied: “i'll be okay! love you, thank you.”
as soon as she hung up, you went back to staring at the photo, but a message from joseph appeared at the top of the screen.
lovey: you won't believe what happened today
a few minutes later, you heard the security code being typed in, then joseph walked through the door. he only had a simple backpack, probably left his bigger bag in the car. he was restless, rushed, as he always is when he has urgent news - which is usually cute, but today especially there wasn't much space in your head to focus on how adorable he was.
“hi, love,” he greeted, kneeling down to give you a kiss on the forehead. “feeling okay? you look tired.”
“long day, that's all. tell me what you wanted.”
“are you sure? i can cook for us and tell you later.”
“don't kill me with curiosity, joey.”
your voice managed to convey your tiredness, convincing your boyfriend that there was nothing more to it than that.
“you know kniesy's girlfriend? she recently started using her extra invitation to bring a so-called friend to our arena. this so-called friend is always trying to talk too close to me, even though i've already mentioned that you're my girlfriend!”
joseph stood up and started pacing back and forth.
“but today she crossed the line, she was blabbing, laughing and touching my arm while I was waiting for a guy from the staff to give him a lift home. that's actually why it took me so long to get here,” he reasoned, raising his index finger. “who does she think she is? what a horrible woman, love! i hate to be indiscreet, but i had to scold her in front of everyone. i told kniesy's girlfriend to get a grip or i'd talk to the admin who handles these invitations. i'm not the guy she wants to mess with in order to try and get in.”
you had a surprised expression that gradually became comical as he vented. although he had defended many attempts on goal a few hours ago, joseph still seemed to have the breath to speak without breaks.
“i can't believe i went through that,” he muttered, covering his face with his hands. “i wish you were there. actually, no. gee, just thinking about her embarrassing you gives me a bad feeling, my blood pressure goes up.”
“love.”
“i'm going to make shirts with your face on and wear them all the time to make sure this never happens again.”
“joey, come here.”
he finally stopped and walked back to the sofa, snuggling up to you. his slightly irregular breathing indicated his genuine annoyance. a minute passed in silence, with you just stroking his hair. then you finally unlocked your phone and showed him the photo you'd received earlier. joseph's eyes widened, his irritation returning in full force.
“look at that! the timing so terribly perfect it makes it look like i'm laughing with-”
he stopped, stared at the photo, then looked at you with wide eyes. absolutely worried.
“where did you find this? what did they tell you?” he asked, the difference in tone almost making you laugh. joseph looked on the verge of tears.
“i think she was quick to send it to the gossip blogs, but it wasn't very successful. my insider told me that almost no one believed that you were feeding it to her.”
joseph took a few seconds to scan your face for any attempt to hide something, he was genuinely afraid that you had been hurt by it. the seconds inside his own head became obvious externally, so you had to bring him back before he spiraled.
“honey, i believe in you. i need you to calm down.”
“what a mess, love. i'm sorry you have to go through these things,” he said, wrapping your body in a tight hug.
“you can't be immune being a public person, but fortunately we have a very beautiful and healthy relationship,” you replied, leaving a kiss on his temple. “and you went through the worst of it, it must have been very uncomfortable. i'm sorry.”
“how bad were you?” his voice came out muffled in the curve of your neck. you let out a little air through your nose, aware that his focus was different.
“i can't deny it, i was a little shocked, but not out of mistrust,” you admitted. “misunderstandings can be very dangerous sometimes.”
“i hate that, i hate the thought that i might bring doubt to your mind, even if it's just briefly.”
“it's over now, i feel better already.” you continued to run your hand through his hair, feeling his body relax on top of yours.
“i love you.”
“i love you too. as soon as you calm down, we'll cook together while i tell you about this fantastic piece of company gossip.”
joseph raised his head, his wide eyes showing his interest.
“is it about that iced coffee guy?”
“yes, except now he has an opponent on the same level as him.”
he gasped, shifting to sit down. you grumbled as you lost the warmth of his body.
pairing: rúben dias x reader | fluff | established relationship | wc: 2k+ | warnings: none | a/n: hey, i know christmas is over, but i'm still a born lover of the holiday, so here's a short scenario i just imagined! have a good read! xx, ella.
“here it is.”
you raise your face in the direction of your boyfriend's voice and find him with his hand outstretched, offering you a cup of hot chocolate. he has a simple smile on his face and when you accept the cup, he sits down next to you on the couch. simba is lying down, snuggled up with his brother, both of them softly quiet after having taken a walk with the two of you earlier.
“thank you, darling,” you say and take a sip.
the atmosphere in the apartment is a little dark. there are only the christmas lights from the huge tree you set up together at the beginning of the month, which made a lot of mess and fun, but it's exactly what you love. being with him makes you feel in a way you never expected to feel with anyone.
you met rúben quite by chance. you weren't used to walking around manchester, but you were there one day on business and got lost in the place you were supposed to be. luckily, he was also nearby, coming out of the coffee shop across the street and because you were distracted, looking at the gps on your phone, you accidentally bumped into him, spilling all the coffee on your overcoat.
he apologized immediately, even though it was your fault. you found him extremely kind in the midst of so many ordinary people there, because you had tried to ask three people for help before, who said they were in a hurry and couldn't help you. not that people in new york were any warmer, but you expected a bit more of a welcome from manchester.
he made a point of taking you to a nearby store and bought you a new overcoat to wear. you tried to tell him you didn't need it, but he insisted so much that you ended up accepting it, even apologizing— he considered it to be entirely his fault. then he helped you find the right street. that was supposed to be your only interaction, but somehow he managed to find you on instagram and sent you a message.
since then, this is the third christmas you've spent together. this time, it's more intimate, because you decided to stay at home this year. although you still lived in another city, you kept trying everything you could to keep the relationship alive. as your work allowed you to travel to manchester to sort things out, you were able to see each other often.
but you've been thinking about changing that for a while now. every day you miss being close to rúben, the distance is no longer fulfilling your need to deepen your relationship with him. you want to be closer and you want to have more moments together. you want to be able to go to his matches, to cheer him on from up close, to wear his shirt with his name on the back. you want to be able to support him in bad times from up close, like these injuries, and not from afar, via video calls. you want to be able to get home and snuggle up to him, go where he goes, be where he wants to be.
you're a bit tired of always traveling for work and not being able to stop anywhere. you're always sleeping in hotels and eating bakery food because you don't have time to cook. and although rúben also traveled to games in other cities, even countries, he had a home there in manchester. you didn't have that.
you loved new york, but you fell in love with manchester. and with rúben. that's why you took a promotion decision at work.
“is everything all right?” rúben asks, brushing your leg, which you've placed over his lap. “you seem distracted.”
you take another sip of the hot chocolate and lean over to leave the cup on the coffee table. he studies your movements in silence and you turn and smile at him. it's not a very comfortable position to be sitting like that, but you don't care, all you want is to be close to him anyway.
“it's our third christmas together, right?” you start talking. “i mean, i know we didn't get to be together like this on our first christmas, but for the count, it's our third, right?”
rúben is confused, but there's a smile on his face.
“ah... yes?” he lets out, uncertain.
you can see him perfectly only with the christmas lights illuminating the room, but also with the natural light of the city night, which you can see through the glass of the balcony. you intertwine your fingers in his and kiss the knuckles of his hand affectionately.
“i want them all, rúben,” you say. “i want every christmas with you. here in this house, with your family in portugal, no matter where, i want them all, as long as it's with you.”
he widens his smile, the kind of smile that shows his teeth and you feel yourself melt inside.
“i want them too, y/n. more than anything,” he says.
you nod slowly and turn just enough to reach the small box next to simba. he looks at you with those bright puppy dog eyes and you scratch his head in a caress, apologizing for interrupting his sleep.
he lays his head back against the sofa and you turn back to rúben, now holding the little box. he doesn't understand anything from the way you're acting, but you don't worry, because he will soon.
“i thought we weren't going to exchange our presents until tomorrow morning,” he says softly.
“i can't wait until tomorrow,” you admit, which makes him laugh. “besides, i can give you as many christmas presents as i want. this is the first one.”
he nods, without contradicting you.
“you're not going to propose, are you?” he jokes.
you roll your eyes and move to sit on his lap. rúben holds you by the waist and adjusts you against him, both of you wearing comfortable pajamas to spend the evening with a small dinner and the christmas movies you loved the most.
“it depends on your point of view. but no, it's not a ring,” you reply, looking more closely into his eyes now. “don't you recognize this little box?”
he stares at the small object in your hand. you watch his expression change from confusion to recognition in an instant. he remembers when he gave you that box and knows exactly what's inside.
“when you gave me that box, i still didn't feel ready for the change it represented,” you start and swallow, suddenly getting a little nervous. he notices and rubs his hands against your thighs, comforting you. “i love you, rúben. that's never changed, on the opposite, i've only grown to love you day after day. you've always been more sure of that than i am, the proof is this little box.”
maybe it’s the christmas atmosphere, or what that moment represents, because your eyes fill with tears. you feel that it's not trivial to get emotional. you love him so much and it took you a long time to find someone who loves you as much as rúben does. the two of you have always understood the problems and difficulties of a long distance relationship, but you've always held on to each other.
everything wasn't always a bed of roses. but you never doubted how you felt about him, under any circumstances. much less did you think about giving up on what you had. all that contributed to you just being sure that you had made the right decision.
you open the box and reveal the key inside. the key to that apartment you're in now, which he started to say was your home, even though you weren't even living there yet.
“i've accepted the job offer to stay on at the branch we have here in manchester,” you say, finally. “which means i'll have more stability and won't have to travel from one city to another.”
you take the key and smile.
“and it also means that i need a place to live,” you joke.
he focuses his eyes on you, your smile, your genuine happiness and the fact that his heart feels like it's about to burst with love. you wait, expectantly. you gulp and feel nervous again. when rúben notices the change in your expression, he realizes that he haven't said anything yet.
“are you doing this for me?” he asks. you notice a little concern in his tone and understand why.
rúben never wanted to pressure you into anything. even though he always seemed sure of everything, he also always said that things would happen in their own time. he didn't want you to give up anything in your life to live with him there, and that included your job, which he knew was important to you. but you didn't accept the promotion solely because of him, on the contrary, you had already been thinking about this stability. it was tiring to live traveling like that.
he was just one more reason to reinforce you. your firm ground for moving forward with the decision you'd been thinking about making for some time.
“yes and no,” you show a closed smile. you drop the box on the arm of the sofa next to you and sigh, both hands holding his face and your right thumb caressing his cheek. “when i took this job, there was only the possibility of staying in the position if i had the availability to travel. at first, everything seemed fine, i even liked it a little.”
you pause. he doesn't interrupt you at any point so as not to get in your way. maybe he needs to know that you're sure about it, about what this step means for both of you.
“but then it got lonely. i didn't have a home, you know? i jumped from hotel to hotel, even when i was in new york, i lived in a boarding house, because renting a house wasn't worth it,” you keep explaining. his hands stay on your legs all the time and you receive his silent affection. “then i met you. and when you brought me here for the first time, i felt at home. not because of the apartment itself, but because of you, rúben.”
“y/n…”
“i've always believed that what turns a place into a home is not the place itself, but the person. i'd go anywhere you were, because you're my home. and i want that, the two of us together, living more moments that distance doesn't allow. so, yes, i'm doing it for you, but i'm also doing it for me. for us,” you finish, almost out of breath.
the beaming smile he gives you warms your heart. he lifts his hands from your legs and reaches for your face, holding your chin gently, pulling your face towards him, your lips sticking together slowly. it's not an intense or urgent kiss, it's just a kiss coated with affection, with things that words couldn't express.
“when i first met you, i was a little scared about how sure i was about you,” he pulls away and starts talking, his voice low because you're close enough to hear what he's saying. “some people have doubts about their own relationships, uncertainties about various things, but when i met you... i only had certainties. and i love you so much that you have no idea, y/n.”
you sniffle softly, a smile on your lips. sometimes, it didn't seem real that he was yours.
“i'm glad you accepted this little box. because now there's no turning back, darling, i hope you know that accepting to live with me is also accepting that you're mine,” he says, smiling.
you laugh and shake your head. you squeeze his cheeks with one hand, forming a pout with his lips, and you kiss him.
“i've been yours since the day we first bumped into each other,” you reinforce.
and being there, with him, is all you've ever wanted.
pairing: aaron ramsdale x female!reader | fluff, suggestive | friends to lovers | wc: 6.6k | warnings: mentions of sex | status: finished
a/n: hey, i know there aren't many scenarios with aaron ramsdale, but i have a lot of affection for the person he is and, as one of my favorites who features on our masterlist, i thought he deserved a special place on our blog. i hope you enjoy it. a happy new year filled with light and love to you! ✨- ella
synopsis: you and aaron are spending new year's eve with some friends. as you count down to the turn of the year, you begin to realize that what you have is much more than just casual sex.
you turn in the direction of the familiar voice entering the kitchen. no one is completely drunk yet - except maybe for jenna and george - but everyone is pretty excited after a few shots.
you're now barefoot and wearing aaron's coat because of the cold, but everything else about your look is still intact. you've taken a thousand photos and then put down your phones, starting a karaoke session, the laughter mixing, tony always nearly getting sick from laughing so much at the off-key singing.
and now it's only twenty minutes until midnight, the end of the year and the start of the new year.
"ah... do you have any options in mind?" you ask, joining in the fun, as you pour wine into your glass.
you went into the kitchen to get a new bottle of wine, since you'd run out of the one outside. aaron leans back against the counter and looks at you, holding his own glass of booze. he never drank until he was drunk.
"the only person in my field of vision," he replies, shrugging.
you smile and take a sip of the wine. that's when you get up the courage.
"are things different for you?"
aaron frowns.
"different in what way?"
you run your tongue across your lips.
"me and you."
aaron softens his expression, realizing what you're getting at. he looks at you in a different way, or maybe you're looking at him in a different way now. he ignores the noise coming from the balcony and focuses on you, in this moment that he's managed to get you alone since you came downstairs together a few hours ago.
"i haven't seen you as just a friend for a while now, y/n," he finally confesses, seeming to take a load off his heart. hiding his feelings for you was crushing him. "and sex for me is no longer just casual."
you shouldn't be surprised. that is, it doesn't seem that different from the way you feel, but you're more surprised by the fact that you didn't seem to notice it before. because he's always been affectionate and attentive, you didn't think it might be something more, but rather a characteristic of who he is as a person.
but then came the compliments. the stolen kisses at any time of day, in any place, when before you didn't do that. the more frequent dates, you spending the night at his place, not leaving earlier.
the affectionate nickname.
"look, i understand if you don't feel the same, i just..." he tries to say, but you interrupt him, shaking your head when you realize he's misunderstanding your silence.
"falling in love with you was the easiest thing i've ever done in my life,” you say, the words coming out without thinking.
but you don't regret it. not even for a moment or a second. it's exactly what you feel, what you ignored feeling, but which was there, growing day by day. being with him is easy. he draws long sighs, warm laughter and makes you feel comfortable. every idea you had of what love is, aaron is always proving to you that it exists.
he looks surprised. as if he doesn't believe what he's just heard, expecting it to be some sort of hallucination or something, but you're still there and you haven't denied anything. aaron watches you approach him and leave the glass on the bench he's leaning against.
"are you serious?" he asks. "because my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my mouth with happiness right now."
you laugh.
"oh my gosh, you're so cheesy." you stop in front of him and wrap both hands around his waist. "yes, aaron, i'm very serious."
he places his own glass next to yours and holds your face with both hands, the smile so wide on his face that his eyes sparkle. the two of you are enveloped in a private bubble, as if there were no one else and nothing else in the world - just the two of you.
"i kept waiting for the moment when you'd realize that i'm in love with you," he confesses. "or that you'd give me a little clearer sign that i'd be accepted if i worked up the courage to confess my feelings. because that's all i want most: to be with you."
you smile until your cheeks hurt, feeling his thumb caress your skin. it seems so unreal to feel so happy like this, as if it wasn't possible, but he's showing you that it is.
"you've confused me at various times, but i don't know, it didn't cross my mind that you could be in love with me," you admit, biting your lip.
"i know your last relationship sucked and that contributed to a lot of your insecurities, but believe me when i say: it's easy to love you, darling. because it was the first thing i did."
you lose your breath at everything he says, your eyes glistening with a few tears, but not from sadness. you didn't think you'd get into a relationship so early in your life again, but aaron started breaking down all your barriers without you even realizing it. he watched some of your vulnerabilities up close and never took advantage of them, on the contrary, he always embraced you.
"maybe you need to be a little more patient with me, but...” you begin, your eyes never leaving his. "i want this. us."
the sincere happiness on his face warms your heart. losing that man or letting him go is not an option.
"then be mine," he asks.
when you try to stand on your tiptoes to finally kiss him, the shouts of your friends interrupt the moment.
"you two, come here!" seth shouts.
"let's start the countdown!"
you roll your eyes, but keep smiling. it's definitely the best new year's eve of your life.
"do you still need someone to kiss at midnight?" you ask, before moving away to join your friends on the terrace.
he intertwines his hands in yours. when your friends see the scene, everyone knows what it means and jenna smiles at you, winking. aaron hugs you from behind and kisses your neck quickly.
5. you’re breathtaking | wc: 1.019 | masterpost | next part
the days of the end-of-year break have been fun. you like the atmosphere of the new years' eve party more than the christmas celebration, but part of the magic is in aaron's presence. you like your friends, of course, but spending time with him has changed things, making you see everything from a different perspective.
it's the last day of the year and it's been raining since dawn. you and your friends canceled your plans to celebrate the new year on the beach and decided that you could watch the fireworks from here. the house is big and has a wide view of the sea, it wouldn't spoil anything. so you focused on getting the food and drinks ready to enjoy the night.
the boys are outside, on the terrace, arranging the tables and chairs, filling the golden balloons to make up the decoration. you can hear seth and george laughing because tony can't fill the balloons without bursting them, while aaron tries to help. abbie is somewhere in the living room and you're in the kitchen with jenna.
"is this recipe right?" jenna asks you.
you stop stirring the cake batter and look at what she's making, something she got off the internet and which made tony go and get the ingredients at the market earlier, even in the rain.
"i don't know," you admit. "but it looks great."
she shakes her head and shrugs, deciding she's going to keep taking risks and you go back to your cake. the sound of aaron's laughter reaches the kitchen and, noticing that you're wearing one of his sweatshirts, jenna clears her throat.
"so..." she begins. "when are you two finally going to admit it?"
you look confusedly at your friend.
"who's going to admit what?"
jenna rolls her eyes and puts some salt in the pan, mixing everything together. you have to admit that it smells good, although you have no idea what it is, but jenna is great at cooking. of all the people there, she's the best.
"you and aaron," jenna says. "let's be honest, only poor abbie is left here. and i know she tried to get his attention."
you bite your lip hard, understanding what she's saying.
you're still thinking about what happened in the bathroom the day before, his words echoing in your mind, telling you not to resist. abbie's question was also on your mind, the “you're just friends, right?” that you couldn't answer.
"it's kind of..."
"don't say complicated, y/n," jenna interrupts you.
"i was going to say confusing," you add, with a frown.
jenna wipes her hands and stares at you. the boys' laughter still sounds like a soundtrack and, in the living room, abbie has just put on some music.
"it's only confusing because you haven't stopped to talk and redefine the terms of this... thing you have," jenna starts to explain. "have you seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one's looking?"
your silence is an answer to jenna.
"look, we don't always realize so quickly that we're in love. i'm just saying that you're past the stage of just being friends, right?" jenna says softly.
you gulp, because she's right. you thought you were a little crazy for imagining that this trip was different from the others, but it really is. because things had changed.
"what if we only work out like this?" you show some of your insecurity. "and not in a relationship?"
jenna smiles. she seems so calm that it reassures you too, even if realizing the changes in your feelings for aaron makes you a little scared. relationships aren't exactly her strong suit, but she made it look easy.
"we don't predict the future of any relationship, y/n," she says. - that's why love is such a risky bet. If my opinion is worth anything, i believe it's worth a try.
you and aaron didn't have time to talk or anything, everyone was busy preparing the food and decorations. it was still raining, the cold was a constant presence, but the heater was working. however, outside, the heater didn't protect you from the freezing wind.
you and the girls - even abbie, who now that she's disenchanted with aaron, seems a little nicer - get ready together after you've set everything up. the boys are already downstairs, waiting for you to start preparing the drinks. it was still around eight in the evening.
when you've finished putting your makeup on, you take one last look in the mirror, liking the image of yourself. you're not someone who wears a lot of makeup and you always like something simpler, but you're glad you did it tonight.
abbie and jenna came down first. you chose a knee-length white dress, the exposed legs now seeming like a bad idea because of the rain that was still falling, but you decided to wear it anyway.
as you leave the room, ready to go down to the terrace, you bump into aaron arriving. he's dressed all in white, a long-sleeved shirt and slacks, handsome as always. you two smile at each other.
"i... wow," he says first, looking you up and down, admiring you. "you're breathtaking."
your cheeks blush at the compliment and you rarely blush at anything he says.
"it's just a dress, aaron," you answer, laughing.
he rolls his eyes and comes closer.
"no, you're the one wearing it," he points out. "can i kiss you? or am i forbidden to smudge your makeup or something?"
you pull him by the shirt and press your lips to his, but you don't deepen the kiss. you feel the absurd need to do it, but you hold back because you have to go down to the terrace and join the others. you pull away and he groans in protest, making you smile.
"come on, the night is young,” you say. "the others are waiting for us. by the way, you look breathtaking too.
you kiss his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark there, and go downstairs first, with him following you to enjoy the last night of the year.
4. foggy mirror | wc: 1.138 | masterpost | next part
“where's aaron?” tony asked.
everyone looks at you. you're chewing a piece of the cake that seth baked that very morning and you swallow it, looking back at everyone, surprised that you're getting so much attention.
“why are you looking at me?” you say. “i don't have a gps stuck to him.”
tony rolls his eyes and george taps you on the back, as if you were being a little naive. they were more aaron's friends than yours, but they welcomed you into the group so well that it felt like you'd always been a part of it. it's strangely comfortable to be accepted like that.
“you haven't left each other's side since you got here,” jenna points.
you look at her with your mouth half open, your eyes shining with amusement at the implied accusation.
“you can't complain about me when you're doing the same with tony,” you retort, taking another bite out of your slice of cake.
jenna laughs and raises an eyebrow.
“yeah, but they're boyfriend and girlfriend,” abbie jumps in, interrupting what jenna was about to say. “you're just friends, right?”
you feel the acid tone in her voice, as if she's expecting you to confirm it or something. her expression changes and you run your tongue across your lips. you don't hate abbie or anything, but she clearly doesn't like you at all. it's all because of aaron, her interest in him and the fact that he doesn't reciprocate as she expects.
she blames you. but she arrived later and you were there before. what did she expect?
“i'm going to call him,” that's all you say with a fake smile on your face.
the others don't say anything and abbie keeps quiet too. you wipe the crumbs off your hands and get up from the chair, leaving the kitchen. you go up the stairs to the room you shared with aaron and hear the sound of running water in the shower, discovering that he's only showering.
you woke up before him and joined the others. you'd arrived late the night before and he'd drunk a bit more than he should have, so he couldn't get up as early as he'd hoped. you even tried to wake him up, but you felt sorry for him and let him sleep a bit longer.
“aaron?”
you walk to the bathroom, which has the door half open. without any ceremony, you enter. the morning was particularly cold that time and he turned on the hot shower, which made the glass of the shower stall and the mirror fog up. you could barely see the outline of his body.
“yes, darling?” he returned your call.
something warms up inside you, but not from the cold. it's that endearing nickname he's been dropping without realizing it ever since he called you for the first time the night before, on the artificial snow place. you liked it more than you admitted, but you didn't quite understand what it meant.
things were taking a different turn? your friends now looked at the two of you in a different way, as if they knew something you didn't know yet.
this trip is different from the others.
“i just came to check on you,” you reply and lean against the sink, arms crossed.
all you're wearing is a pair of shorts, your bikini top showing, because you've all agreed to go to the pool again, but first, you're going to walk along the beach.
aaron opens the box door, revealing his nakedness, nothing you haven't seen before.
“are the guys rushing?” he asks, silently reaching for the towel next to you.
you take it and hand it to him, watching him wipe himself off, your eyes passing over him slowly with the same familiar mischief in your eyes. you don't quite remember how this thing between you started, but you like the dynamic you two have.
aaron is affectionate, funny, and never restricts himself to anything. he's exactly who he wants to be with you. maybe that's why other people think you're a couple. you don't have that much reason to be confused about it.
but you keep thinking that this trip is different.
“is everything alright?” aaron asks you when he realizes that you haven't answered his previous question.
“huh?”
he laughs at your zoned out expression and wraps the towel around his waist, stopping in front of you, the difference in height minimal, but enough to make you raise your face a little to look at him.
“you're distracted, darling.”
you feel your heart racing. there it is, the nickname again.
you sigh and, acting without thinking, uncross your arms and wrap them around his waist, a few drops of water running down his bare chest.
“you should stop calling me that,” you say quietly.
aaron narrows his eyes, squeezing your waist slightly.
“does it bother you? don't you like it?”
“it's not that, it's just...” you bite your lip, hoping that he really can't feel your heartbeat, but you're too close for him not to notice. “i like it too much.”
aaron doesn't answer anything immediately. instead, he just stares at you for a while, his thumb tracing the features of your face slowly, as if he wants to keep something. you're worried that he'll feel your heartbeat, but he doesn't. he doesn't mind you noticing how he feels, but that's the problem: you don't seem to notice.
aaron thinks he's giving you all the signs that things have changed for him. it's not just sex anymore. he feels something for you, something he can't say because he can't know if it would be reciprocated in the same way, so he's acting differently this time. more affectionate, more attentive, more clingy. he wants to be close to you all the time. and you don't realize it yet, but confusion about your own feelings is always the first step.
“if you like it, why should i stop?” he says.
he brushes his nose against yours, your breathing becomes labored. just when you think he's going to kiss you, he turns your body, facing you in the mirror, your back resting on him. you look at the image in the mirror, at the way he's looking at you and at the way the corner of his mouth lifts into an adorable smile, his cheeks sinking a little.
“it's getting impossible to resist you,” you confess.
silently, it's his heart that's racing now.
“then don't resist,” he says, as he writes something on the foggy mirror.
he places a kiss on your shoulder and walks out of the bathroom, leaving you alone. you look at what he's written on the mirror and smile, softly rolling your eyes, but sigh as you realize that things aren't the same anymore.
because on the mirror there's just one word in lazy, adorable handwriting: darling.
3. call me darling | wc: 1.356 | masterpost | next part
“no, no, no!”
you don't manage to dodge in time for the artificial snowball to be thrown in your direction, hitting you in the stomach. you try to return it, but seth hides behind aaron, so you hit the blond in the forearm, making him look at you in fake surprise.
he prepares to hit you this time, but you run to use jenna as your shield, just as seth used aaron. the laughter mixes in the environment. george, seth's pseudo-boyfriend, hits you in the back and you look at him with your mouth open in a giant o, but you duck to set up another snowball and hit him.
jenna breaks free of you and joins george, throwing the next snowball at your leg. you look at her with a perplexed but amused look, the smile never leaving your lips. it was the last day of the year and you decided to walk around the city a bit after lunch by the beach. that's when you found that artificial snow establishment and decided to have some fun with the experience, since it rarely snowed in the city, even though it was as cold as expected.
on the other side, seth is up against aaron and abigail, who is laughing loudly, the sound overpowering any laughter from the others. when seth throws one of the snowballs at abigail, she throws herself behind aaron, the white ball hitting his chest and you look at the two of them at the exact moment that abigail is hugging him around the waist.
you narrow your eyes at the scene, but say nothing, the burning feeling inside hitting you in a bad way. you were so distracted that george and jenna hit you at the same time, one in the arm and the other in the shoulder, on opposite sides, but you didn't even laugh, taken by surprise.
abigail says something that makes aaron laugh and you frown. when seth hits them both again, she somehow slips away, taking aaron with her, the sound of loud laughter exploding, seth's worried voice drawing george and jenna's attention, but you remain in the same place.
you don't like the feeling in the pit of your stomach. while the others help them up, you concentrate on wiping the artificial snow off your clothes, adjusting your coat to your body.
“i'm sorry, aaron," you hear abigail say. “but it was so much fun, wasn't it?”
it's so obvious that she's been hitting on him the whole time, even though he's stuck to you most of the time. you're annoyed by her insistence, but you don't think you have the right to say anything. you wait for aaron's response, but he looks at you and his cheeks are flushed.
“yeah, i…” he scratches his head and gets up. seth helps her up soon after. “who's hungry?”
you snort and are about to turn to leave first, but something hard hits you, grazing near your forehead and eyebrow, instant pain appearing and you fall backwards, looking for what hit you.
“carter!” a woman with a very thin voice shouts for her son. “jesus, i'm so sorry! are you alright?”
“y/n?” aaron's voice echoes.
you barely notice how quickly he gets close to you, soon to be surrounded by the people in your group. you feel a little dizzy, your hand unconsciously searching for aaron's and he holds your fingers against his.
“it's okay, no problem,” you say to the woman.
the child, carter, threw the toy car at someone else, but it accidentally caught you on the way.
“are you sure you're alright?” the woman insists, worried. “there's a bit of blood on your face…”
almost immediately, aaron turns your face towards him, checking. there's just a trickle of blood coming out, nothing worrying, but he gets up with a certain urgency, pulling you along. he doesn't let go of your hand at any point.
“aaron?” you call out, but he keeps pulling you to the other corner of the establishment, an area reserved for first aid. “aaron, wait a minute.”
he squeezes your hand silently. you look back and see your group discussing something and the woman leaving with her son, so you follow the blond goalkeeper who makes a point of not letting go of you. abigail's eyes are on you the whole time.
“stay here, i'll get something to clean it up.”
he indicates a chair and you sit down, too tired to fight anything back. you let him leave and lean back against the chair, closing your eyes for a moment, your head throbbing where it was hit. you couldn't think much now, but the image of him and abigail is looping in your mind and you don't understand why.
“y/n?” aaron calls out, his thumb caressing your cheek.
you open your eyes, meeting his blue ones, the irises shining with concern. he pulls out a chair to sit in front of you and places a small box on your lap, his eyes fixed on you, not looking away for even a second.
“you're always watching me, huh?” you poke.
he begins to tend to the small wound, running the wet gauze over your skin, a slight burning sensation bothering you.
“i have the impression that this comment was a little sarcastic,” he comments, smiling softly.
his fingers gently clean the wound. he concentrates on this small task as if it were something important and there's a different tension between you now. your breathing falters a little with the intensity with which he looks at you and you lose yourself for a moment when he pulls the cotton away and prepares to put the band-aid on.
“she should know that we have... something,” you try to find a word for whatever it is you two have, but you can't.
you and aaron have never talked about a label or exclusivity. but in this moment, you don't care. the exclusivity agreement should be an implicit rule. it doesn't need to be verbalized by either of you.
“abbie?” he asks.
you bite your lip hard, annoyed.
“will you stop calling her that?”
“it's her nickname,” he retorts, his voice calm.
“that only close people call her!” you complain, your breathing increasing. “and you're not close, what the hell!”
he laughs. you get even angrier. you're fully aware that you may be playing a ridiculous role, but so what? that girl needs to understand that aaron isn't available. you don't care now if you're acting silly.
you can't even honestly identify that all you feel is jealousy.
“aaron, i'm serious!” you kick him slowly.
“i know, darling, i'm sorry,” he says.
you shut up. the nickname is new and you slowly process how he just called you while he carefully places the band-aid on the wound. aaron notices your sudden silence and the way you've relaxed your shoulders, a clear sign that your irritation has dissipated. as soon as he's finished the simple, manual task, he looks back at you, his thumb stroking your cheek.
“y/n?”
you blink. you swallow. you're confused. then you look up and meet his eyes.
“did you just call me darling?”
“ah... yes,” he replies, a little hesitantly. “is that a bad thing?”
the way he cares warms your heart. you were right before: it really is impossible to hate this man, because he doesn't seem to realize how unintentionally he breaks down your barriers.
“no, i like that,” you admit, a whisper of words that only he hears. “actually, i like it a lot.”
“you're amazing,” he says, smiling.
you pull his thumb away from you and roll your eyes, your body tilted and your hands resting on both of his thighs.
“i don't want to be amazing,” you state. “i want you to call me darling again.”
he laughs softly and gives you a quick kiss on the lips. so quick that you can barely feel the texture of his lips, but you're soothed by the fondness. he pulls you into an embrace straight away and whispers close to your ear:
2. my parents love you | wc: 959 | masterpost | next part
“aaron, will you... ah!”
you interrupt yourself when you enter your room and notice that he's on a video call with his parents. he turns to you with a smile and calls you over, tapping on the bed next to him, indicating that you should sit there. you go, without hesitation.
he turns his phone towards you, showing you to his parents.
“hello, mr. and mrs. ramsdale!” you greet the two eldest warmly, your best smile shining on your gloss-pink lips.
“my dear!” mrs. ramsdale exclaims, sympathetically, the same gentle smile as always. “i thought my son was hiding you!”
you let out a laugh.
“i think he likes showing me off more than hiding me,” you joke.
aaron pinches your waist lightly and you wince, laughing.
“are you having fun? is he treating you like a queen?” mr. ramsdale fires the questions this time.
you feel an enormous affection for those two. you could see why aaron was such a great person and so kind to people, because his parents and brother were the same way— a loving family that you were never part of. his mother made a point of adopting you when she met you, taking you in like no one else ever had. since then, she's always asked about you.
“has he proposed yet?” his mother added.
you hold back a laugh, because it's not the first time she's asked something like that. you've easily gotten used to seeing aaron's cheeks turn pink, so when you look at his face, there it is. his cheeks are blushed again.
“mom. we've already talked about this,” he says, hurriedly.
for comfort, you squeeze his thigh lightly, as if to say “it's okay”, because you understand that his mother didn't quite get their relationship. for her, there was no such thing as casual sex or friends with benefits or whatever else young people nowadays come up with.
“nonsense, darling, you already know that i treat you like a daughter-in-law,” she says.
before aaron can say anything and extend the subject any further, you look for a way to change the direction of the conversation, so that his cheeks won't explode even more into that rosy hue.
“how's your trip going? i hear madrid is great at this time of year!” you comment.
then his parents turn the phone around, showing the scenery where they are, and start chatting about how great everything is and how excited they are to see the fireworks. the two of you could have been there too, but aaron thought his parents needed a more intimate and romantic trip, so he joined you and the group of friends for your own celebration, since he wouldn't exactly have a vacation from the premier league.
he was on injury leave, but would be back in the first week of january, so he wouldn't be able to enjoy madrid as much as his parents, with a three-week stay. aaron watches the three of you interact silently, saying one thing or another, listening to you laugh at something his father says. he can genuinely see how much his parents like you and it makes him think about some things.
“we have to go, but don't forget to have fun, alright?” mrs. ramsdale echoes. “honey, call your brother. talk to him for a while.”
“i will, mom,” aaron promises. “take care. i love you. see you tomorrow.”
you say goodbye to them as well and aaron hangs up the call, blocking his phone screen. he looks at you strangely and you frown, a little confused by this new gaze.
“what?” you ask. “i knew he wouldn't…”
“my parents love you, you know?” he says at once, interrupting your train of thought.
you stay silent for a moment, softening the expression on your face, relaxing your facial muscles when you understand what he has said. you squeeze his thigh again, more gently, the exchange of affection almost automatic.
“they're just being kind,” you say. “apparently, you've never introduced a woman as nice as me to them in your life.”
the laugh he lets out makes his shoulders shake. you watch the reaction, your heart racing a beat faster.
“you're not even cocky, are you?” he teases back.
you kiss the tip of his nose, too close, smelling his perfume so near. the scent is so pleasant that you go down and bury your nose in his neck, but not in a provocative way. you just want to smell him.
“i'm confident” you whisper against the skin of his neck, but you're not sure he heard you, as the sound is muffled. “and you smell so good.”
he strokes your skin exposed by the open part of your dress from behind, but no matter how hard you try, things intensify.
“what are you doing here?” he asked, remembering that she had said something she didn't finish.
she lowered her mouth to his collarbone, placing a kiss there.
“i don't remember anymore,” you admit, hearing his chuckle echo. the best part of that game between the two of you was the intimacy of being able to touch each other freely like that. if you felt like kissing him, you just did it.
“ok, what do you want to do now?” he rephrase the question, goosebumps taking over his body as you keep pressing not-so-innocent kisses all over his sun-reddened skin.
without thinking, you climb on top of him, leaning over so that your faces are close and you can reach his mouth. your lips graze his and his hands hover around your waist, trailing the hem of your dress up your thigh.
the door is open, but it doesn't matter. none of your friends would go in there.
1. burnt pancakes | wc: 1,096 | masterpost | next part
“what are you doing?”
the smell of something almost burning catches your attention and you walk into the kitchen, while your friends are still in the pool, having fun at some game you don't quite understand.
you missed your friend, noticing his absence as soon as he left and when you smelled something different, you knew it was him. the goalkeeper was on the other side of the counter, with a grimace on his face and raised his head to look at you, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“i was trying to make pancakes, but it didn't work out,” he says in response.
you laugh at his failed attempt and look at the burnt pancake batter and he's right, it didn't work very well. the smell didn't help either. he sighs again and you move closer to see if you can salvage anything and stop next to him.
“were you craving pancakes?” you joke.
he nudges your waist slightly, making you arch a little. he holds out the pan for you to check, but there was nothing to save and the countertop is a mess from his unsuccessful attempt.
“no, that's because of you,” he replies, thoughtfully. “i heard you tell jenna that you wanted to eat pancakes with strawberry jam, but... didn't do very well.”
you look at him with a mixture of feelings that you can't decipher. you and aaron had been friends for some time. you were introduced by mutual friends, the same ones who were at the pool and who organized this end-of-year trip to celebrate the new year together.
you hit it off instantly, a friendship that evolved very quickly to the part where you had sex causally, without anything serious. he lived in hampshire and you lived in nottingham, you didn't get to see each other all the time, but for two people who lived in such opposite cities, you managed to see each other often.
“aaron,” you snort. “it's impossible to hate you like this.”
he frowns, his expression a complete mixture of confusion.
“i'm sorry, were you trying to hate me?”
you lick your lips, turning your body forward and your back to the countertop, leaning on the marble thing, your face turned to face him. then you cross your arms.
“did you notice that seth's new friend was hitting on you?”
aaron's face softens, but there's still a flicker of confusion, not quite understanding what you're getting at with that question.
“abbie?”
“wow, you're already calling her by her nickname?” you sound sarcastic, one eyebrow arched.
your body was still dripping from the water in the pool and all you were wearing was the pink bikini that matched your skin tone, he was wearing just a pair of blue swimming trunks.
“is that jealousy i hear in your voice?” he teases, his light eyes twinkling with amusement.
“what? no!” you push him with your shoulder, your face in an indignant expression. “we're just friends. i just thought she hit on you too blatantly.”
“i wasn't paying attention.”
you roll your eyes at his response.
“aaron, you're not such an idiot,” you say.
you stand with your arms folded around your breasts and he drops the pan on the stove, moving slightly closer to you. his body stops right in front of you.
“i'm serious, i haven't been paying attention. haven't you realized that whenever you're in my field of vision, all i see is you?” he retorts, his voice soft and calm.
fighting with aaron was impossible. like, you never really argued, at all. that blond man who defended the team from conceding goals always found a way to say those words. with no room for an elevated argument, he won before he even started.
however, you try to disguise how affected you are and subtly swallow, trying to say something, anything, other than responding directly to what he has just said.
“she was covering your field of vision. you weren't seeing me.”
but then he just laughs. he comes closer to you, brushing his nose across yours, because that's what intimacy does. it gives the other person freedom to do anything like that. things that set your heart racing in a very ridiculous way.
“i see you all the time,” he says. “it's you who can't see anything.”
he doesn’t give you time to answer anything. the caress on your nose evolves into the moment when he presses his mouth to yours, in a kiss that starts out slow, soft and more intimate than usual.
it's not the first time he's kissed you like this. when you first got involved, things used to be a bit more separate, but you soon realized that aaron didn't know how to separate anything. not that that was a bad thing, it was more that everything for him was also entirely emotional.
yes, you had sex casually, but he insisted for you to spend the night and never leave so immediately after sex. he liked to sleep with you. he woke you up in the morning with a tender kiss and started buying you things you loved to eat, like jam, which he hated, but who cared?
aaron was like that. and he didn't know how to be any other way. as long as he understood what it meant to be casual — and he made sure he did — you didn't mind being treated like that. in fact, to be honest, it's the first time you've been with a person who treats you in a decent way and not like a sexual object, like your previous experiences.
everything with him is different.
the kiss continues. you uncross your arms and go up to his neck, remembering how useless it is to try to resist. that spontaneous charm is a strong characteristic of his. you would have continued that little smooch for longer, but the voices nearby interrupted the moment and you heard the laughter of one of the girls.
“hey, can you guys catch up later?” jenna says, watching the two of you step back from each other. “we're at a disadvantage in the game.”
seth walks past jenna, pushing her lightly on the shoulder.
“speak for yourself, i'm hungry," he teases. “hey, man, what did you cook there?”
he goes over to find out what aaron had cooked and you turn away from the goalkeeper, going to join the girls back at the pool. your fingers brush across your lips, which smile slyly one last time at aaron, who returns it, ignoring all of seth's complaints about the burnt pancakes.
pairing: heungmin son x female!reader | fluff | wc: 1.1k | established relationship | warnings: a bit suggestive at the end | a/n: hi, everybody! your girl namu cried writing this one. yeah, happy holidays.
preparations for christmas dinner were in full swing, all the more so because you and heungmin had been chosen as this year's hosts. in a few hours, family and friends would be filling the house with presents, food and drinks.
you had found an analog camcorder that you hadn't used in a while, so you decided to record the process during the day. heungmin was in the kitchen decorating the cookies you had baked — because he could never turn the oven off at the right time — looking quite focused on the job at hand. he noticed you entering the kitchen, but didn't notice the camera in your hand, even though you had leaned over the counter to focus on his handsome face.
“honey, what do you think of green in these details and red as the main one in this outfit?” he asked, still not looking at you. “i'm trying to make it more varied, but i'm running out of ideas, there are very few colors.”
you smiled, delighted with his dedication.
“is the idea to distribute the colors evenly or are you going for random?”
“there are so many cookies, i think i've given up on the idea of being half and half.”
“then do what you think suits it best, don't worry so much,” you advised. “although i think this one in particular would look great with red and white.”
“white, of course! great idea, honey, thanks." he looked up to send you a smile, then finally found you framing him. “do i look good on this little screen?”
“handsome as always, it's quite absurd.”
you walked around the counter until you were next to heungmin, leaving a kiss on his lips that had already formed a pout.
“i'm so proud of what we've done so far, the house looks and smells amazing.”
he nodded.
"we need to find a way to get one of them to do the dishes afterwards."
***
after showering and getting properly dressed in more elegant clothes— although you couldn't wait to get back into your pajamas — heungmin went to check the temperature of the freezer and the details of the table while you got ready to do your makeup. the camcorder had been left in the living room, so you cracked a smile when you saw heungmin coming back into the bedroom talking to the lens.
“i hope she hasn't finished her makeup yet.”
you squinted your eyes and laughed, tilting your head with a questioning expression.
“anything i should know?"
heungmin placed the camera on the dressing table, fixing the angle for a few seconds. you were still completely confused, not knowing whether to continue your previous action. then heungmin knelt down beside you, you froze. his eyes were sparkling, the smile was trying to be contained on his face, but it was almost impossible. there was a little black velvet box in his hands, the color matched the clothes he was wearing, it matched your dress too.
“i've loved you for a long time, honey. we've built this beautiful life together, this whole house is part of the representation of our love. every corner we make welcoming, every guest we host makes me realize how we also reflect this in others. i'm the happiest man in the world to live this life with you, to be able to hold your hand, hug you, cry with you, laugh with you. there hasn't been a moment in the years we've been together when i haven't felt grateful to have you with me.”
during the speech, you were smiling and nodding positively. you noticed the beautiful ring when he opened the box, but you didn't look at it for more than two seconds. you spent the whole time with your eyes fixed on his face, trying to anchor yourself on solid ground, or you would be able to fly if you were allowed to. you reached for one of heungmin's hands and placed it between yours, making him smile as he felt you trembling.
“even when we disagree, when we have bad days, negativity has no power over me because I know we can get through it, we can overcome adversity. i've loved you for a long time and i want to keep loving you for even longer, i want to tell everyone that you're my wife, that you're the greatest certainty i've ever had, that you're the one i want to make a home with. honey, will you marry me?”
“of course!” you replied, leaning in to hug him. “gosh, i love you so much! i can't believe you decided to do this today.”
heungmin pulled away briefly to look at you.
“bad idea?"
“no, just wait a minute.” you signaled before getting up to go to your purse.
heungmin stood up again, slightly confused because he still hadn't put the ring on your finger. you took out a small paper bag, then took out a small box very similar to the one he was holding, but navy blue in color. he widened his eyes as you approached him again.
“my idea was for it to happen after dinner, but now it makes sense to ask before everyone arrives. we don't know how long this party will last.”
you held out your right hand so that he could put the ring on, but heungmin took a few seconds to react. he didn't think it would be possible to feel so much love in such a short space of time. he took the ring off and threw the box on the table, gently taking your hand and putting the ring on your finger. he caressed it with his thumb, watching how beautiful the sparkle looked on your skin.
“i'm not that good with words,” you began, your voice wavering slightly. “but my great certainty is also that i've chosen you every day since day one, and i can't wait for a lifetime by your side.”
heungmin pressed his lips together as if trying to hold something for himself, but his unsteady breathing was obvious from the movement of his chest. you took the initiative to take his hand and carefully place the ring on his finger. suddenly, your fiancé wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you off the ground, his face sinking into the crook of your neck, repeating the three most precious words in existence. you could only laugh.
“i love you, i say we get married tonight. almost everyone we love will be here.”
“i'd love to, but i don't want to get the holidays mixed up,” you argued back, crossing your legs around him. “i want our day to have its own celebration.”
heungmin pulled his face away to look at you again, completely immersed in the constellations of your eyes, which were surely a reflection of his own.
“alright, we've got a lot of work ahead of us,” he agreed, giving you a smooch. “the dress looks fantastic on you, i wish we had more time before everyone arrived.”
you squinted and tilted your head to the side.
“we could just change the dress code to pajamas and enjoy the time we have now,” you suggested, running your nails gently over the back of his neck. “we're the hosts, aren't we?”
he grinned and walked over to the bed, carefully laying you down.
“i just need to stop that video first, we've got enough romance on the record.”
pairing: pablo gavi x female!reader | fluff | established relationship | wc: 1.3k | warnings: none | a/n: hey, merry belated christmas! this scenario wasn't planned, but gavi did the miracle of posting a story and i got triggered to write it. hope you like it! - ella
you told gavi that you wouldn't be able to spend christmas with him or his family. things were tight at work and you hadn't been able to get a last-minute flight — that's all you told him, who believed you, letting his withered expression show on the video call, but he understood your reasons.
he promised you that he would call you on christmas night, because you would be alone in your cold apartment, even if he wanted to take the first flight from spain to germany, but you wouldn't let him. you liked the connection he had with his family and preferred him to spend the holiday with them.
however, you secretly planned a surprise.
you managed to get a last-minute flight and despite the rush to make it on time, everything worked out. he still didn't know that you were about to knock on his door, distracting him with replies to his texts, as if you were still in your cold apartment in germany— but you were standing in front of his house.
nervous, you pay the taxi driver and look at yourself, checking your simple, pretty dress, all red, thin straps. your makeup was simple and you were holding a wheelie suitcase, ready to spend the rest of the year there too, since you've managed to plan properly for it.
you check the clock on your phone screen, noting that it's a few hours before christmas. but they're already all gathered inside, like the family they were, and you take a deep breath and start walking, dragging your suitcase along. you hadn't seen him for almost five months, always exchanging messages or making video calls, because you needed to stay in germany for another year to finish your master's degree in psychology.
even though it was difficult, you managed to make the relationship work. every now and then, gavi also managed to get over to germany to see you and spend a quality weekend, but those five months were the longest without seeing each other. you weren’t even able to go watch him play the match in which he made a comeback from his injury.
but you watched it all on tv. then you called him and spent hours together on the phone, despite the time zone, until you went to sleep. you thought you wouldn't be able to keep it up for that long, but you liked the way things were working out, both of you working equally hard to make it happen. you just had to wait another year. another year and you'd be back in spain, putting an end to all the distance.
you raise your hand and finally knock on the door. it doesn't take long for them to answer and the person who opens the door is aurora, your dear sister-in-law, gavi's sister, who gives you a huge, instant smile when she sees you standing outside. surprise shows on her face, but it soon gives way to genuine happiness, because aurora has always shown how much she loves you.
“oh my god, but i thought...?” she tries to say, hugging you.
you laugh softly and ask her to keep it down.
“i know, i know,” you say quickly, trying to explain yourself. “but i wanted to surprise him, okay?”
aurora crushes you in her embrace, but releases you soon after, agreeing with a silent nod. she makes room and points with her head in the direction gavi is, so that you can go and make your surprise without anyone ruining it.
you leave your suitcase by the door and walk silently to the other side of the room. from the side, you can see him sitting in a cozy armchair, with mateo, his younger cousin, sitting on his lap. gavi is looking at the boy, while another cousin of his snaps a picture and you ask him not to say anything.
you walk silently closer, slowly, not wanting to give away your presence too quickly and when you get close enough, you sit on the arm of the armchair as soon as he moves his hand away and smiles quickly for the camera, but he notices the sudden movement and raises his eyes towards you.
at first, his expression is closed, but when he sees that it's you standing next to him, his expression softens, there's surprise in his eyes and his lips lift in an instant smile, just like aurora's.
“y/n?” he calls out, confused, as if he's afraid he's hallucinating your presence.
you smile. he slides mateo slowly out of his lap and stands up, not caring about anything else except pressing his lips to yours in a kiss you haven't experienced for five months. and five months is considered a long time.
you pull away, only to hold his face, your fingers touching the smooth skin. the smile he gives you is so bright that you can almost feel your heart bursting with love. he touches your cheek and kisses the corner of your mouth, hugging you properly. the people around just let you have this moment.
“i've missed you so much,” you whisper just for him to hear and feel him squeeze you around the waist. your eyes tear up with emotion.
“no more than me,” he says.
as he steps back, he smiles even more at you, that sparkle in his irises outshining any glittering christmas decorations around you. the atmosphere is pleasant, cozy and you notice how he's dressed, so casual, so beautiful.
“i should have worn that horrible christmas sweater of yours,” you say, jokingly, making him laugh.
he stares you down.
“i like this dress better,” he says. “i think it'll make my job easier later…”
“gavi!”
you understand the implicit suggestion and laugh, shaking your head, while he shows the innocent expression of someone who hasn't said anything too much. his hand finds yours, entwining your fingers as if he never wants to let go.
“you really came...” he murmurs, still trying to process your presence.
you nod, a smile playing on your lips.
“of course i came. couldn't let you spend christmas without me, could i?”
before you can say anything else, you're pulled out of the reunion bubble when aurora lets out an excited exclamation, attracting your attention. all the rest of the family were gathered around, waiting for their turn to hug you.
“a better surprise than this, impossible!” someone says in the middle of the small crowd, and you smile, feeling the warmth of the welcoming.
aurora approaches you again, hugging you. his mother is right behind, with a huge smile on her face.
“darling, i'm so glad you could make it!” mrs. gavira says, warmly.
you return her hug, but gavi doesn't let go of you for an instant. he remains by your side the whole time, observing your interaction with the rest of his family in silence, but with an expression of radiant happiness.
when everyone has finished talking to you, gavi finally takes you by the waist, leaving everyone alone again before christmas dinner is served.
“come here,” he calls, pulling you to sit on his lap, as soon as he sits back in the armchair. with his other free hand, he gently strokes your exposed thigh. “how long can you stay?”
you rest your hand on the back of his neck, brushing the skin with your thumb.
“until the first week of january,” you reply. “i thought we could make up for five months away from each other.”
his expression becomes radiant again.
“i'm having so many ideas…”
you start to laugh and hide your face in his neck, placing a tender kiss there. it still seems unbelievable that you actually managed to get there and that you were finally together, the longing crushing your chest like never before. you want to stay there forever.
“merry christmas, gavi.”
you realize that being there, surrounded by him and his family, is exactly where you always wanted to be.
pairing: jack drury x reader | secret relationship, childhood friends | fluff | wc: 1k+ | a/n: merry christmas, everybody! this is part of our holidays special, so i can’t help but be cute and romantic with my boy jacko. - namu
you were in the back seat of steve's car — jack's best friend — the designated driver for the hour-long journey to your parents' house. as you had taken the previous shift, you were finally able to enjoy a few hours' nap while the others chatted and listened to music to keep up the energy in the car. in the driver's seat was your cousin, julie, on your right was your best friend, annie, and on your left, serving as a pillow, was jack. he was wearing a very comfortable cotton jacket that made it difficult not to snuggle closer to his body.
three months ago, jack asked you to be his girlfriend. you'd been friends since you were teenagers, you moved to the same college together — albeit on different degrees — and you'd kept in touch the whole time. it was the most peaceful decision you'd ever made, since all the intimacy was already there, like a safe haven. inside the car were your accomplices in this surprise, because it would have been impossible to hide their relationship even if they'd wanted to. the greatest danger of letting it slip was julie, but she loved surprises, so she made an extra effort not to leak information during her calls with the family in the meantime.
"i don't know how you expect to pretend until it's secret santa time,” said steve, taking his eyes off the road to look at you quickly through the rearview mirror. “you can't stay apart for a minute."
as a matter of fact, when you were driving, jack was in the passenger seat. the same happened when he was driving - the highway allowed you to hold hands, as a bonus - so the comment was absolutely valid.
"the hardest part is not reacting to them, i need a lot of help with that," annie warned. "any tips, julie?"
"i'm not known for being discreet, you know? that was my hardest mission."
"it's okay, guys. we've always been affectionate with each other, everyone knows that," said jack, giving your hair a little kiss.
the whole conversation passed far from your ears, but it didn't help to reduce your nerves. there was nothing to be afraid of, your families had never been problematic enough to make the two of you insecure. the surprise was just a silly idea to celebrate the end of the year festivities, but you couldn't deny that you both wanted to preserve the privacy of the relationship right from the start. you couldn't escape the eagle eyes of your friends, who had followed the whole “pathetic” process of falling in love with someone you already love so much.
your families still lived on the same street, houses facing each other, specifically. jack's brother was crossing the street carrying a box when julie pulled up.
“hey, guys!" he stopped only briefly.
"go inside and say hello to everyone, then come back to help me carry these things, i'm exhausted."
"always so welcoming," jack said, shaking his head.
you took your things out of the trunk and headed for your house, which had been chosen to host the big event this year. your heart already felt a pang of regret for keeping the secret, as it meant that jack wouldn't be sharing a room with you.
a smile appeared on your face as soon as you set foot inside the house. a neatly decorated christmas tree, decorated cookies on the coffee table, the smell of good food coming from the kitchen, the smell of coffee, different pots of tea, warm lighting compared to the freezing weather outside, a christmas movie playing on the tv, slippers and cozy clothes as the dress code. before you started helping with the chores, you placed your secret santa gifts under the tree.
you couldn't help but notice that jack's present was particularly heavy, but you decided not to push it any further, even though you were immensely curious. he had refused to reveal who he had drawn in the draw, so you didn't reveal your person either. the problem was that jack didn't have a fraction of the curiosity that consumed you, so he always laughed when he caught you staring at the package for longer than usual. usually this smile was accompanied by a kiss on the forehead, but this was the first challenge of the stay.
throughout the day, you took advantage of every opportunity to be together. catching up in the living room? jack was next to you on the carpet by the fireplace. responsible for the dinner dishes? you pretended to play a game to decide who would go, fully aware that your father would send you both to take care of it. the biggest struggle was on the side of your friends - accomplices -, always close by, always making every effort not to burst out laughing or roll their eyes.
***
the next day, at secret santa time, everyone gathered in the living room. warm clothes, full bellies, mugs of chocolate, cinnamon rolls and marshmallows being devoured little by little.
jack cracked a suspicious smile, running his fingers across the gift wrap on his lap.
"my secret friend is actually the person i'm dating."
a few gasps of surprise echoed around the room.
"wow, you and steve finally worked up the courage to stop clowning around,” said his mother."
steve arched his eyebrows, almost offended.
"excuse me? i don't remember ever being asked out,” he replied. "do you think i'd be single by choice?
then everyone looked in your direction, no jokes this time, and found you trying your hardest not to cry. jack couldn't stop smiling, so he handed you the present.
"wow, you and y/n finally worked up the courage to stop clowning around!" said your mother.
applause and celebrations filled the room as you crawled over to jack to hug him tightly.
"i can't believe you kept that from me."
"i can't believe you didn't suspect a bit."
he positioned you to sit sideways on his lap, slipping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder. you opened the heavy gift, finding the expensive book that would help you with your thesis research. your eyes widened at jack, meeting the same satisfied grin as before. no words were spoken, you just showered him with kisses.
"it really had to be the two of you,” said annie, holding a smile. "the unbearably perfect combination."
