incl. nsfw/suggestive content 17+, fluff, nicknames (pipsqueak, baby, beautiful), praise, soft dom caleb (?), nudity, non-descriptive allusions to sex
if you weren't so blissed out, you'd be wondering how the ravenous beast that had just been all over you is the same man caring for you so gently now.
you're still sticky with remnants of him when he flips you both over carefully, pulling you on to his warm, broad chest as he wraps his arms around you.
"did so good for me, baby, so good." caleb murmurs, praising you his second nature, especially at times like this. "you okay?" it's a quiet but familiar check-in, and you hum affirmatively and nod, eyes fluttering shut as you soak in his warmth. even though you hate the grey of winter, you think you could go a while without seeing the sun as long as he's there.
"words, pips, need to hear you say it." he asks again, soft but firm in his quiet demand, his fingers working soothing circles into the bare skin of your back.
"'m good. y'always make me feel so good." your voice cracks on your words, throat a little dry from a long night's activities, but he can feel your sincerity, your whole aura blurred at the edges where you're curled in his arms but glowing, warm and bright and soft and it has him awestruck. he'll spiral if he's not careful, but can that really be a bad thing if it's brought on by the beauty of the sight of his most beloved in his arms?
"good." he whispers, planting a kiss to your hair as he holds you tighter. you nuzzle into him, letting out a long, low hum, and it feels like you're a cat purring on his chest.
he lets the quiet stretch for just a little bit before stirring, though not long enough that you're likely to have fallen asleep quite yet. when he does try to shift you off of him, though, you whine in protest, hands pawing at him in attempt to grip on to something, anything to make him stay.
"need to clean you up, beautiful, i'll be back in a second, i promise. is that okay?" he asks softly,
you let out an unhappy sound before eventually conceding and releasing him. true to his word, he's back in moments with a warm damp cloth and some pyjamas.
"arms up, baby." he requests, pulling your (his) shirt down over your head so you won't get cold. "that's it. comfy?" he checks, features lighting up even in the dark with a soft smile when you nod. then, he pushes the duvet out of the way, carefully prying open your sticky thighs so he can clean you of the mess you've made together. you let out a tiny whimper, your body tensing when he brushes your still-tender clit with the cloth. the combination of the contact, the slight chill of the night air and lingering sensitivity makes you twinge - he kisses the soft skin at the inner side of your knee.
"sorry. almost done." caleb murmurs, drying off your skin before gently pulling on the softest pair of shorts he could find. "lift your hips f'me, there we go." he slides a hand under your lower back to help you get into your shorts, briefly lifting your shirt to leave a smattering of kisses on your tummy. it tickles a little, especially when his hair brushes your skin, too, making you let out a sleepy giggle before he tucks you under the duvet. he pulls on his own shorts, forgoing a shirt in favour of body heat and the unobstructed contact he so deeply craves with you, even right now.
then, he's pulling you close to him, hands roaming under your shirt, holding firm like he's trying to fuse with you. he can feel your heartbeat hammering hard through you where he wraps his arms around your middle, and he's sure you can probably feel his, too, heat blooming from his chest and enveloping you while he does the same with his arms.
you snuggle into him, curling up like a cosy little bird in its nest as you squish yourself backwards into the safety of his chest, letting out a warm, happy hum as you get comfy. caleb isn't even sure if you know you're doing it, or that you do it every time he's holding you like this. and you definitely don't know that it's one of his favourite things about being the big spoon.
his heart does that thing where it does a million somersaults, dives, flips, rolls, or whatever is is that olympic gymnasts or divers or ice-skaters do - he's not sure exactly what in the haze, but he knows that butterflies are swarming his stomach, so strong he's sure you can feel them too.
and who can blame him, really? it's not his fault that his girlfriend gives him heart-shaking cuteness aggression.
he channels it by giving you a just-about controlled squeeze, strong arms wrapping tight around you and making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. home, your brain whispers to you, and despite the daze of sleepiness and exertion, it's achingly clear. he feels like safety, feels like home.
"goodnight, pipsqueak. i love you. sweet dreams." he murmurs, kissing the nape of your neck tenderly, a couple of times and then once for good measure before he's tucking his head close against yours where he rests on the pillow, the soothing scent of your hair sending a serenity through his mind that feels like fresh air.
"g'night, caleb, i love you, too." you whisper, sleep creeping through your voice as you bring your hands to rest over his, your fingers curling loosely around his larger ones.
and as ever, sleep comes without a fight when caleb's holding you close.
a/n: hiya hope you enjoyed! sitting here wishing i had a caleb so he could take care of me so sweetly after wrecking me but i dont so heres how we cope </3 anyways sry if this is inaccurate or just straight dogshit im afraid of both men and sex irl
Thinking about Caleb spoiling you with his colonel salary.
As children he worked hard earning what little money he could to buy you sweet treats and little toys at the local convenience stores.
You were overjoyed with everything he bought you. It didn’t matter if it was cheap or fixed together with glue after the flimsy plastic broke. Caleb was the one who gave it to you so it automatically meant the world to you. Even if you broke the toy or craved more sweets, Caleb would smile and give you more.
But now, with his extremely generous pay, he can spoil you all he wants just as he’s always wanted too. Don’t get him wrong, he’s loved giving you your hearts desires as a kid. But that’s just it, he could only give you so much. Grandma didn’t always pay for everything, mainly the necessities. So he couldn’t always throw his money around.
Now though, he can buy you those designer bags, expensive makeup, artisan craftsmanship tools, the latest gaming console, high quality sports equipment or anything else you desire. His card knows no limits.
It took you a while to get used to it. Going from budget dinners as a kid and instant food when you were grieving his death became luxury banquets. Of course, all paid and provided for by Caleb. It was foreign. But not unwelcome.
He always reassured you that he wants to pay for you. It makes his heart grow three times seeing you scarf down premium meets, fresh vegetables and decadent desserts. Providing for you and ensuring you’re well taken care of is all he wants and needs.
Whatever hobby, beauty service or vacation you want is paid by him. You couldn’t be happier.
And all he asks in return is for you to stay with him and spend the next hundred years together.
Sorry for the little hiatus I’ve been so busy recently but! I have brain rot of rich Colonel Caleb Xia 😝 oh to have Caleb pay for your hair appointments I didn’t know it was that expensive 😞 will get back to proper writing soon 🫡
You knew you did. You weren't crazy! Except, you were kinda, sorta starting to feel crazy. It was a little early for you to be on your period, but you had a lot more discharge lately, and your stomach hurt.
So, explain that, body. Explain that.
You were careful—went to the bathroom constanty to check for any bleeding only to realize: oh, just more fucking discharge.
Waiting to get your period was its own kind of torture. Because it's not like you wanted to get your period, but the constant checking so you didn't stain another one of your good panties was so annoying.
And now, you were getting cramps at the worst possible moment: on a long car ride with Caleb.
You shifted in your seat uncomfortably, crossing one leg over the other. You could feel that familiar ache in your gut, the dampness between your legs that you still couldn't tell blood from discharge.
Caleb gave you a brief look. "Hey, you good?"
You pressed your lips into a thin line, trying to keep it cool. "I'm fine."
You know the worst part? You didn't bring pads. Why? Because you kept checking, and nothing. You also kept telling Caleb, "I feel it," and, "I'm gonna get it today." Still, nothing.
But then you felt that pang in your stomach again. You sighed, slumping in your seat. With your luck, this was probably the moment your body finally decided start your period. On a long car ride with no pad, and no designated stops any time soon.
"What's up, Pips?" He reached over, rubbing soothing circles over your thigh with his thumb. "Talk to me."
You pouted, glancing at him. "I think I'm getting my period..."
Caleb's lips twitched into a frown. "How does your stomach feel?"
As if on cue, you felt another warm pang in your stomach, like someone was reaching in and squeezing your insides. "Bad," you answered. "Feels bad, Leb."
Caleb momentarily took his hand off your thigh, typing something on his phone. You watched as the course on his screen changed, then his hand was back on your thigh. "There," he said. "Routed the GPS to the closest store."
"No, it's okay. You don't have to make a stop—"
"I do. If you got your period, I'll get you something."
"Okay, fine. But we can just stop at a convenience store and—"
Caleb cut you off with a click of his tongue. "No way. They always have the weird cardboard applicator." He paused for a minute before turning to you. "Unless you want those?"
You gave a slow shake of your head.
"Good. Don't worry, Pips. I'll be quick. Make this 15 minute ride a 5 minute one."
You let out a pained huff. "That's not safe."
"I'm always safe, Pipsqueak." He reached in front of you, pulling out a few napkins from his glove compartment. "Here. You can use these for the meantime." He offered a sympathetic little look. "I know it's uncomfortable, but I also know you hate staining."
You took the napkins from him, then awkwardly positioned them so you wouldn't bleed through your clothes. "Thank you, Caleb."
"Anything for you."
—
wrote this while experiencing the worst cramps of my life!! and i leaked thru my tampon!! ❤️ something while i try to get rid of my writer's block
littering caleb with lipstick marks because he deserves it
"hey, caleb, i have an idea." you enter the room where caleb is lying on the bed.
"hm? what is it?" he looks away from his phone and looks in your direction. you lift your hand that is holding what seems to be a lipstick.
"it's gonna be really cute, i promise." you grin as you walk towards the bed and straddle him, his hands automatically dropping his phone that he was holding to the side and finding their place on your hips. you grab his phone to use as a mirror as you apply the lipstick on yourself, caleb watches in admiration.
you put down the phone and lean down to kiss his cheek, leaving your first mark, then to the other cheek before going to reapply the lipstick. at first, caleb was surprised, but eventually broke into a smile, seemingly to like what you're doing.
"i'm liking this idea of yours," he announces as you stare into his phone as you reapply your lipstick.
"good," you look down on him and flash him a smile before going back down to leave more kisses on his cheeks, all over his face, his jaw, and down to his neck, purposely avoiding his lips.
"kiss me properly."
"patience, love," you spoke on his lips before turning his face to the side to leave more red lipstick stains.
"i think my whole face is red now."
"i like you better when you shut your mouth."
"so then kiss me."
"will do in a sec," on your last reapplication, caleb gets excited upon hearing your words.
halfway through leaning down to kiss his lips, he pulls the back of your head down to your surprise. it was supposed to be one kiss only but he keeps on kissing you, lipstick smearing all over both your lips. the kiss turns into a quick make-out before pulling back and seeing the art you just created. you grab his phone and take a few pictures of him.
"i'll be sending these to me later," you say, then you lift the phone up, holding a peace sign as you take a picture of both of you. in the picture you're straddling him and you can see the mess of red lipstick on both your lips.
caleb thinks this is one of your best ideas and now also a favorite of his.
pairing: caleb x nonmc!reader
synopsis: a few weeks have passed since Caleb and Mc’s disagreement. and although they’ve both told you they talked it over and made up, you’re not fully convinced seeing how distant they’ve been ever since. the school’s lunar new year festival is coming up, and with you being part of the student council, you participate in the preparations. along the way, you start avoiding Caleb, making him realize he had maybe taken you for granted.
cw: none, f!reader, highschool!au, angst, hurt-comfort, slight miscommunication, insecure reader, ooc Gideon, mutual pining, cussing (like twice), sorry if I've missed any typos, I've read this over 4 times...
wc: 6.5k (oops)
Caleb masterlist
part 1 | part 2
Tick, tock..
Tick, tock..
The clock’s ticking echoed through your mind, drowning out your teacher’s voice, as he continued explaining the same thing he had been explaining for the past hour.
You stared at the round mechanism propped up on the wall behind him, as if willing time itself to go faster.
And it seemed to work, finally.
The bell rings and chimes, and students immediately start putting their books and pens away, already rising from their seats.
You feel bad, as you notice the panicked expression and tone of voice your teacher displays. “Do not forget to do your reading for next class!”
You let out a yawn and stretch, not being in a particular rush to leave. After all, you weren’t going home just yet, you had afterschool duties to tend to. You stand up and calmly put your things away. After a minute or so, the only people left in your class are you, your teacher, and a classmate making their way toward you.
“Someone’s tired.” You hear a familiar voice tease. You look up to be met with Caleb’s dimples.
“Yeah..” you let out another yawn unconsciously, as if the mere mention of fatigue made your own worse.
“You sure you can stay after school and help around?” He steps closer, already lifting your bag for you. “Don’t push yourself just because others need you. Take some time for yourself.”
You let out a huff as you push your chair back against your desk. “I’ll be fine, sitting for an hour and listening to history lessons is the real reason I’m tired. I’ll be full of energy once I’ll actually be walking around on my feet and talking with friends.” you give him a reassuring smile. “Besides, the festival’s only in a little over a week, this is no time to be lazing around.”
He lets out a small sigh at your determination, and shakes his head. “If you say so,” he starts walking towards the door, and you follow after him.
As the two of you walk down the hall and towards the stairs, he hands you your bag, and you sling it over your shoulder.
You go down the stairs, and walk down the hallway, approaching the main door. Pausing, you turn to Caleb.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” You smiled, adjusting your bag’s strap on your shoulder.
His eyes widened for a moment, as if he forgot this is where you two parted ways. He quickly recovers with a mocking hand resting on his heart, like he had been wounded. “So eager to get rid of me, huh?” He lets out a huff, and pretends to wince.
Your own eyes open up in slight shock, but your eyebrows quickly furrow. “What? No! I just meant—“ you stutter, pink tinting your cheeks. “Mc’s waiting for you, no?”
You watch the way his smile slowly fades, leaving behind pursed lips. “No, she already went home.”
You quirk an eyebrow at his response, confused on why she’d go home without him when it was routine for them.
“Oh, I thought you two would walk home like usual.”
He doesn’t say anything in response, still looking away from you.
You clear your throat as if it could help make the situation less awkward.
“Well… they’ve probably already started setting up,” the corners of your lips tilt nervously. “I’d better go join them.” you walk off.
“Wait,” he reaches for your hand, and you turn to face him.
“Yes?”
“I–” he starts, but one of your fellow council members interrupts him, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
“Y/N, finally–” she starts, but grows quiet once she notices the basketball team’s captain by your side. Her gaze trails down to your connected hands.
You quickly snatch your hand away and take a couple steps back to create distance between the two of you. You don’t miss Caleb’s slight groan of disappointment—or annoyance—only audible to you.
“Oh, Caleb!” she chirps, a smile breaking out on her face. She then looks back at you. “Did you bring him here to help?”
Your eyebrows quirk, clearly taken-aback by her assumption. “What–”
“That’s perfect, actually. We could use an extra pair of hands. Especially strong ones.” you almost choke on your spit at her last comment. “You can lift heavy things right Caleb?” She looks at him.
He smiles back at her. “I’d be happy to help.”
The shock on your face only deepens as you look at him.
“Okay great then! Come on you two, there’s a lot to do.” She spins on her heels and walks down the hallway.
The two of you are left standing alone in the midst of it.
“Why’d you say yes?” you ask him incredulously.
“Why not? She said you guys needed some help. And I’m happy to be of service.” he shrugs, feigning innocence. He follows the girl. “Come on, I thought you said this was no time to be lazing around?” he gives you a glance over his shoulder, his lips adorned with a teasing grin.
Typical Caleb, always ready to help and wow everyone, you thought to yourself.
You sigh, unsure of his real reason for staying but continue walking as well.
“Like this?”
“Yep, just like that!” you hear giggling behind you.
Caleb seemed to be getting along very well with all of the student council members, just like you’d expected. Currently, he and the girl who had called you over to help were hanging up banners all throughout the hallway’s ceiling. His 6’2 frame proving to be quite useful for the task.
You tried your best to focus on your own task, hanging up lanterns, but their loud banter kept distracting you. The constant effort you had to make to stay focused annoying you. They were being quite loud. Or rather, you were just jealous. You groaned quietly to yourself, trying to push down the ugly sentiment.
You were used to it afterall. Not really. Having a crush on Mr. Popular was not for the weak as you were being tested everyday. But it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t owe you anything. You two were just friends.
Just friends, you repeated, trying to calm yourself and return to your senses by stubbornly reaffirming the boundary firmly wedged between the two of you. He just sees me as a friend and that’s it. Don’t get it twisted.
Little did you know, while you quietly grumbled to yourself and absentmindedly hung up the lanterns, Caleb stared at you across the room, trying to find a way to ditch his task and instead help you with yours. Even while nodding along and replying with mindless “uh-huh”’s and “yeah”’s, he couldn’t take his eyes off you, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what could possibly be making you pout in such a cute way.
He pauses.
‘Pout in such a cute way’? Since when did he—
“Are you listening?” he hears beside him, and glances down to look at the girl, caught off guard. “I said I was going to go get more banners, okay?”
He nods with an awkward smile and lets her go, his gaze instinctively returning to you.
But you were already staring at him. The two of you make eye contact for a very brief moment before you both look away, flustered out of your minds. You immediately grab a nearby lantern and turn your back to him, trying to look busy.
You just had to go ahead and get caught again, didn’t you? It wasn’t always like this, however.
Ever since you realized and accepted your true feelings toward Caleb, you had made a pact with yourself to not let them be shown or known. You’ve never really had an issue with it— concealing your feelings that is. You knew just how long you could stare before getting caught, how close you could stand next to him without imposing, how much you could smile or laugh, or how long you could hang out one-on-one with him.
But ever since Caleb and Mc’s fight at the coffee shop a couple weeks ago, you’ve gotten sloppier at the one thing you shouldn’t be getting sloppy at. You found yourself staring a second or two too long, leaning in too close, rendered unable to contain your bright smile at his jokes or his mere presence.
You didn’t exactly know why you were slipping up like this, though you did have a theory. Seeing him grow so distant from Mc, coupled with those ridiculously heart-fluttering moments you shared with him right after their disagreement that night had definitely gotten to your head. And you tried your best not to become deluded into thinking you maybe had a chance, but it was so hard when your intrusive thoughts were so stubborn.
Besides, it wasn’t a hundred percent your fault. You weren’t the only one acting weird.
Caleb seemed to seek you out more often, calling and texting you more regularly, finding excuses to stay by your side, even if it was just for five more minutes. You could only assume it was because his fight with Mc was a bigger deal than they were both letting on, and that he needed a distraction, a placeholder. You.
And as much as you were all for helping a friend through a rough patch (even at your own expense), you could already see the irreparable damage he was causing you.
Your mind knew the reality of the situation. He very obviously loves her, and they’re currently on bad terms. Seeing how he spent so much time with her, it was only natural she’d leave behind a void. A void for you to fill.
But your heart insisted on its own version of the story. A version where you maybe had a chance with the boy you’d been pining over for months now. A version where he wasn’t just using you as a replacement. A version where you aren’t the temporary replacement he settled for. Where he truly had moved on from her, and instead chose you.
But you knew that wasn’t the case. And that it never would be.
Eventually, they’d make up, and things would go back to the way they were. The two of them would become inseparable again and sickeningly sweet together. And you’d be left behind, like a discarded chewed-up dog toy that lost its purpose.
You hung up the last lantern carefully, not realizing you had already set up a couple of them during your mental turmoil.
As you step down and off the stool, you stop for a moment to resume your thinking.
It was up to you now.
Will you remain the same you’ve always been, a people-pleaser through and through who’d rather suffer alone for the sake of the people she cares about?
Or will you choose yourself for once? Put yourself first? Instead of waiting for someone to do it.
After a deep and tired breath, you finally decide.
You refuse to let yourself be a second option to anybody, no matter who that person may be.
It was getting fairly late, and you had all made significant progress in the preparations, so it was time to go home now.
Of course, he insisted on walking you home.
Usually you’d be ecstatic at the opportunity of spending more time with him, but right now, your mind keeps circling back to your earlier thoughts.
You had let yourself be naive and foolish for too long, and it was time you snapped out of it. You couldn’t just let him use you as a replacement and get away with it.
But you weren’t sure exactly what you were supposed to do– should you distance yourself from him, confront him about it, or just… stop being friends?
As much as you wanted to do a 180 and finally be independent and stand up for yourself overnight, you weren’t sure you were ready to go that far just yet. So, you settled for the easiest solution: avoidance.
“I told you you should’ve just gone home, you look exhausted.” he sighs next to you.
You hum in response.
Of course, Caleb knew you. Too well, perhaps. So he had immediately picked up on your short and dismissive responses since the beginning of your conversation.
But seeing how tired you looked, he couldn’t bring himself to comment on it or push for answers. Besides, you were probably only being dry because you had a long day… right?
It took all his effort to not stop you in your tracks and ask “You okay?” He was worried about you afterall, even if it was seemingly just you having a tiring day. Small or big, all your issues were reason enough for him to fret and worry about you. He couldn’t help it.
Obviously getting the memo that you weren’t in the mood for talking, he stayed quiet until he dropped you off at your house.
“See you tomorrow?” he smiled softly and waved.
Already walking through your driveway, you didn’t bother turning around to return his smile or wave, instead muttering a small “Yeah.” you weren’t even sure he heard. But truth be told, you couldn’t bring yourself to care.
Seeing the cold shoulder you gave him, Caleb’s expression faltered into a small frown.
Had he done something to upset you? Was he speaking too much? Was he too clingy for staying after school with you, and then walking you home on top of that?
He turned on his heels, walking off, and ignoring the pit forming in his stomach.
Things remained the same for the following week.
And Caleb felt like he was losing it.
You were avoiding him every chance you could get.
You always ran off to your other friends for lunchtime, you stopped asking his help for homework, you wouldn’t look for him during your breaks, you wouldn’t even walk home with him since you were staying late after school everyday to prepare for the festival. You always took at least a day to reply to his texts, only for him to end up being met with curt one-word responses, or you simply liking his message. You didn’t return his calls, didn’t text him first, didn’t even look his way.
At first, he tried to rationalize. This was the last week before the festival so you were clearly busy and overworked. But after the first two days he couldn’t just pretend everything was fine. It clearly wasn’t.
Caleb had done something to make you mad at him, and he didn’t know what. It was driving him crazy.
The urge to just find you, back you into a corner, and confront you was strong. It was in his nature to communicate and be lucid with others– most of the time, at least.
But every time he thought of going up to you and demanding answers, his mind would immediately go back to his dispute with Mc, and he’d remember how bad it went.
The last thing Caleb wanted was to scare you off, or worse– make you hate him. He couldn’t live with himself if you did.
So as much as it pained him, he let you distance yourself from him slowly but surely, watching you from afar, and waiting for you to eventually come up to him and talk like nothing had ever happened.
Was he being too wishful in his thinking? Would you two ever go back to normal? Was this only a rough patch you’d eventually overcome, or was this the beginning of the end for you both?
Letting out a heavy sigh, he ran a hand down his face. He really needed to stop being so dramatic.
“What’s got you in the dumps?” he hears a deep voice come up behind him.
Tilting his head back, Caleb peeks through his large fingers, only to be met with one of Gideon’s signature grins.
“Nothing, just thinking.” he mumbles in reply, leaning forward and resting his elbow against the surface of his desk.
“You’ve been doing that a lot lately, haven’t you? Careful, you might actually develop more than one brain cell at this rate.” he teases, eyes half-lidded and mocking.
Caleb shoots him a deadly glare, before pushing the palm of his hand against his friend’s face and ruffling his hair. “Shut up.” he groans. Silence falls for a second. “What’re you even doing here? You’re not even in our class.”
“Can’t I come visit my friend during our break? Who else are you gonna talk to if not me?” He grabs the chair of the desk in front of Caleb, and sits on it with a light thud.
At this, Caleb’s eyes widened slightly. Did the break already start? Since when? He hadn’t even noticed. He was too busy thinking of you.
Where were you anyway?
His eyes snapped to your desk at the back of the class. Familiar disappointment crawled up his spine as he saw it to be empty.
This kept happening. You’d run off before he could even catch a glance at you.
Gideon quirks an eyebrow, following his friend’s gaze. “Oh, she went to the bathroom.”
Caleb’s head whips back around to face his friend. “How would you know?”
“I ran into her on the way here…?” his eyebrows only raise further, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “Forget what I said about you potentially getting smarter— something’s messing with your head.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he rolls his eyes before glancing back at the window.
A beat of silence.
“... Is this about Mc?”
Caleb freezes. Mc? Why would he think this had anything to do with Mc?
“I’m right, aren’t I? Man I knew it. You know I didn’t buy it when you said you guys made up, right?” The smirk on his face deepens. When he sees his friend still deep in thought, he sighs before speaking up. “Relax, I’m sure things will go back to normal. I don’t think there exists a reality where you and Mc aren’t happy together.” he teases, even though he means it.
Is that really how he saw it? How other people saw it? Caleb and Mc, two peas in a pod, inseparable, bound by some absurd concept like fate– or soulmates.
He couldn’t accept it. Caleb couldn’t let his fate be decided for him.
He didn’t know what had changed.
A couple of months ago, he might’ve agreed with Gideon, nudged him while blush crept up his face at the thought of him and Mc being fated together, no matter what universe or timeline.
But now? Now he couldn’t help but feel like it was wrong. Like maybe she wasn’t the one for him, and him not the one for her.
Gideon was right about one thing though. Something was messing with his head. But it wasn’t Mc. It was you.
And that was the first time Caleb had ever admitted it to himself: it wasn’t her, it was you.
Maybe it hadn’t always been you, maybe it was her at first, but somewhere along the way, something changed. And he wasn’t sure he could go back now, even if he wanted to.
Because things were different with you. He didn’t always have to prove himself to you, to convince you he was worthy of your time and attention. He didn’t have bickering chats with you that would leave him secretly hurt and doubtful afterwards. He didn’t have to navigate through mixed signals. He wasn’t constantly being pushed away, rejected, and called overbearing or clingy.
No, with you, he could just be. With you, he wasn’t constantly in some sort of fight or flight mode. Over-performing with one too many jokes or acts of service, always aiming to please everyone around him. In your presence, he could just be Caleb. He didn’t have to be the perfect childhood friend and older brother figure, he didn’t have to be the basketball team’s captain and ace, he didn’t have to be the straight A student, he didn’t have to be Mr. Popular. He could just be Caleb. Because you allowed him to.
But it was more than that now. Now, it wasn’t just about what you unknowingly did for him, it was also about you as a person.
You were so wildly different from Mc, and maybe that’s why his feelings changed.
Sure, maybe he had wanted Mc at some point, but after meeting you? After getting to know you over the course of the past six months? He couldn’t– no, wouldn’t go back.
The hope blooming into his chest from this sudden epiphany gradually fades however, as he remembered the current state of things.
Had he realized his feelings too late?
Maybe it truly was over before it even began.
“Alright well, I hate to leave you sulking all by yourself but I should probably head back.” Gideon huffs out as he stands from the chair. “Don’t think too hard about it. Just go with whatever feels right.” He pats his shoulder and walks out the classroom.
As he crosses the doorframe, Gideon bumps into you, apologizing. You do the same and shoot him a small smile which he returns.
At the sound of your voice, Caleb’s gaze flies towards the two of you. He watches you both interact.
Excusing yourself, you walk back to your desk.
Caleb’s eyes follow your form as you make your way to your place and sit down. The way you seemed so composed as you gathered your notebook and textbook, carefully opening them to the right page while you reached for a pen almost had him mesmerized. Forget almost, he was mesmerized.
Fuck. Was she always this pretty?
It’s not like he didn’t think you were attractive– on the contrary, he had pushed back way too many unsafe thoughts at the sight of you sometimes. Convinced it was wrong of him to think of you in that way since you were just friends.
But this time, he could both hear and feel his heart hammering against his ribcage.
He quickly looked away to keep his eyes trained on his own book. It seemed that finally admitting his feelings had just made things a whole lot harder for him.
At last, today was your school’s lunar new year festival.
You and all the other council members had worked your asses off for this, and it clearly paid off. The hallways were adorned in red and golden decorations. Lanterns, banners made of paper-cutting art, and zodiac decor. The courtyard surrounding the school building was also intricately decorated. Stands forming pathways for the students and teachers to walk through, more paper lanterns hanging from the trees, confetti spread everywhere on the concrete ground.
The red and gold color scheme coupled with the evening’s soft glow, and the people’s chatter and laughter made for a beautifully warm and inviting atmosphere.
You were currently waiting in line with a couple friends of yours to get some tanghulu. Out of all the stands you knew were going to be displayed, this one was of course the one you had been the most excited for.
Among the other stalls, they had one for buying flowers, another for lanterns, a larger tent with seating for papercutting crafts, as well as more snack stands.
“You guys did a great job this year, this is better than last year’s festival.” your friend commented.
The others nodded in agreement, leaving you with a smile. “Everyone on the council was really nice and dedicated, that’s probably why.” you shrug as you pull out your coin pouch, noticing it would soon be your turn in line.
You all chat for a little bit longer, before you can finally buy your long-awaited tanghulu.
Your friends each take turns ordering, and you do the same. Once you all receive your skewers, you argue with your friends and manage to convince them to let you pay for everyone’s food. They rave on and on about you being the “best”, making you roll your eyes in response.
But before you can actually hand the money over, a hand blocks you. He pays for the food and smiles at the person on the other side of the stall, who happily takes the money and motions for the next person in line to come forward.
With a hand on your shoulder, he guides you to step away.
You look up to see the guy and recognize one of your council members. The two of you worked together often for the last two weeks to prepare for the festival.
“Why did you…” you start but trail off.
He grins in response. “Don’t worry about it too much. Just accept it.” he shrugs.
“Oh… okay then. Thanks.” you raise an eyebrow.
His hand comes up to scratch the back of his neck.
Eventually your friends turn to you, and one of them hands you your skewer. “Who’s this?”
“A friend from the student council.” you respond as you take your snack and start chewing on it. Just as expected, the wait was worth it.
He nods to them in acknowledgement, before speaking again. “Do you guys mind if I borrow her for a second?”
They look slightly stunned, and then search your face for any sign of dismay. Once they notice you look fine with it (albeit a bit confused), they nod.
He steps to the side and gently grabs your hand, and you follow him, a bit stunned.
The two of you walk for a little while until you reach a tree. “I just wanted to give you something.” he says.
He reaches for the inside pocket of his jacket, and carefully pulls out a mini-bouquet of peony flowers.
Your eyes widen. He must’ve gotten those from the flower stand.
Immediately, you remember that a lot of students bought peony flowers to ask someone out.
Your heart sinks. Was this really happening?
“I think you’re cute and nice, and… I was wondering if–”
You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way this is happening.
“If you wanted to be my girlfriend?” he smiles, holding the mini bouquet up to you.
The candied skewer in your hands drops to the ground, your grip going slack, as well as your jaw, as you stare up at him.
You barely knew the guy. Sure you saw him for the first time months ago, as he’d always been part of the council, but you’d only had your first conversation two weeks ago. You didn’t know how you could reject him without coming off as rude.
“Listen, I… I’m sorry.” you start, hoping that would give him a hint.
His shoulders drop. “Oh…” he sighs.
“I just… I don’t know you that well. Don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast?”
He lets out a huff as a small frown forms on his lips. “We can get to know each other while dating. Everyone does that.”
“I know, but— I don’t want to do things like that.” you clench your fists, trying your hardest to affirm your boundaries, even though you felt like your knees could give out at any moment.
“... But you could try it, you know? You might end up really liking me.” he takes one step closer.
You were truly at a loss for words. What was this guy’s problem?
Your blood boiled underneath your skin.
“Come on, please?” he pleaded, but it didn’t sound all that sincere, rather annoyed. Like a child being refused a lollipop.
That’s when you feel a familiar warm hand rest on your shoulder. “Pretty sure she told you to fuck off. Are you too dumb to read the room, or something?”
Your eyes snap up, and you see Caleb. His eyebrows are furrowed, and his lips tugged into a frown.
The guy hesitates for a moment. “Do you mind? I was talking to her.”
Caleb hums before looking down at you. “Do you still wanna talk to this idiot?”
You look a bit stunned, but almost as if on instinct, you shake your head.
“There you go. That enough confirmation for you?” he turns back to the now seemingly embarrassed boy.
“Whatever,” he mutters before walking away, throwing the peonies in a trash bin on his way.
Poor flowers, they didn’t deserve that. And poor tanghulu.
Once the creep is fully out of our sight, you let out a deep breath you didn’t even know you were holding, and Caleb releases his grip on your shoulder.
“You okay?” he murmurs, and leans down to be at eye level with you.
And you hate yourself for the way your heartrate immediately picks up. “Yeah, I’m fine… thanks.”
An uncomfortable silence settles in between you.
“I think I should go—” you start.
“Please don’t.” he immediately interjects.
You look up at him and sigh. “Why?”
“Because I miss you.”
Your eyes widened in response. “… What? Why?”
The expression that forms on his face at your words is one you’ve never seen before. He looks hurt, confused and taken-aback, all at once.
“What do you mean why? You’ve been avoiding me like the plague for the past week now.”
You look away, wishing the earth would just crack open and swallow you whole.
He sighs, and takes a step back, as if afraid to overwhelm you or scare you off. “Walk with me?”
You hesitated for a second before nodding, and following him.
He stays silent, giving you the opportunity to speak if you wanted.
“I… I didn’t really think you’d care that much.” you speak up.
Caleb holds back from nearly exploding because of the absurdity of your statement. He just takes a small breath. “You have no idea how much I care.” he mutters quietly. “... But I know that’s my fault. I should’ve shown you better that I cared.”
You fiddle with your hands, not really knowing what to say. These were the words you’d always wanted to hear from him, and you don’t know how you were possibly going to recover from this.
Suddenly he stops walking. Noticing he’s no longer next to you, you stop as well and turn back to face him. His eyes meet yours, a desperately pleading look in them.
“Y/N, what did I do? … Why have you been avoiding me?”
And there’s the million dollar question. You had played this scenario over in your head a thousand times– even though you were convinced he wouldn’t even notice your absence. And you still had yet to find an answer that would make you skillfully dodge saying the truth.
But maybe you couldn’t find a good excuse because there was no excuse. Maybe you just had to be upfront.
You brace yourself for a moment, and then finally spit out the words that had been burning at the back of your throat. “I’m sick of you using me like some sort of placeholder.”
“What?”
“... You heard me.”
“A placeholder for what exactly?”
Was he really going to play dumb? Fine, have it that way.
“For Mc.” you finally blurt out. “Ever since your fight with her, you turned to me. As if to replace her.” You cross your arms over your chest, still unable to look him in the eyes. “I’m sick of being a second choice.”
You imagine he probably looks a bit confused, maybe repulsed. But as you look up to confirm your suspicion, you’re instead met with the most dejected pair of eyes you’ve ever seen. You almost feel bad— he looks like a kicked puppy.
And yet, you can’t help but continue. The words flow out of you, tired of having them echo and fester in you.
“I know I can’t live up to her— she’s pretty, she’s feisty, she’s lively and extroverted. And I’m not like that. I never will be.” you unfold your arms over your chest, letting them fiddle with the hem of your shirt instead. “And I’m tired of constantly having to live up to her— I mean, why should I have to? I know I’m not amazing or anything… but I’m not that undeserving.” you ramble, almost as if to convince yourself, rather than him.
“... That’s how I made you feel?” he asks you, his voice weak and quiet. “Like you had to live up to her?”
The realization you finally let that heavy weight of your chest finally settles in. And despite how terrified you are, you’re mostly relieved. And it felt so good. “... Kind of, yeah.”
“Y/N, you don’t have to live up to her, or be like her– or whatever other idea you have.” he takes a step forward. “I don’t want you to. I never did.”
“So why—”
“If I turned to you it’s not because I needed to replace her. Did you ever stop to think it might just be because I like you?” He searches your eyes for a response, but you look down. “… I wasn’t looking for her in you, I was just looking for you.”
Your breath catches in your throat, and you can’t help the way your posture shifts, as if to retreat back in your shell like you so often did, taking a small step back. “Caleb, you don’t even know what you’re saying—”
“No, I know exactly what I’m saying.” he doesn’t give you the chance to shield yourself or run away, grabbing both of your hands and pulling you in closer until you’re a breath away from him. He leans his face down to almost meet yours. “I might’ve been the biggest imbecile for taking you for granted and not realizing my feelings sooner… but I know what I’m saying.”
Unknowingly, you hold your breath, waiting for his next words.
“I’m saying I love you.”
You feel like you might go into cardiac arrest from the way your heart stops beating for a second. Your stare goes vacant, and your lips parted. You might’ve been quiet but your mind wasn’t. You had to have at least ten different voices speaking— no, screaming at the same time.
He nudges himself closer, pressing his forehead to yours. A hand remains on your own while the other moves up to cup the side of your face.
“Do you hear me? I love you. And I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.”
Your eyes finally focus on his own. The sunset currently painted across the sky above your heads matched his own sunset-colored eyes. The lighting only making the soft glow displayed in them brighter.
“… But what about—“
You feel his eyebrows against your own, knitting together tightly. “If you say her name one more time I’ll lose it.” He interrupts you. “Do I need to repeat myself just to get my point across? Because I’ll do it a hundred times over if that’s what you need.”
You feel tears welling up in your eyes, and the corner of your lips tilt downwards into a trembling frown. Blinking the tears away, you shake your head softly. “N-no… I get it.”
“Good.” His expression softens at the sight of your tears. “Now stop crying… you’re too pretty for that.”
Nodding, your free hand comes up to wipe at the water pooling in the corners of your eyes.
He tentatively moves closer, carefully watching your face for any sign of rejection, before kissing away at your tears. “I’m sorry for making you cry.”
“Don’t be, I’m just being overly sensitive.” you continue sniffling, cursing yourself for being unable to stop your waterworks.
He gives you a moment to compose yourself, moving back without straying too far.
“Do you really mean it?” you let out a shaky exhale.
“I do.” He nods carefully. “I love you.” he affirms, for the third time already.
You take another deep breath before wrapping your arms around his neck, moving before you could even give your brain the time to overthink it. His hands immediately find the expanse of your back, and the back of your head. You bury your face in the crook of his neck and he does the same, tilting his head sideways to occasionally pepper your neck with kisses, muttering soft apologies against your pulse.
“I feel the same— by the way.” you whisper sheepishly.
“Thank god…” he speaks, his voice hushed. “Don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t.” he chuckles.
You laugh softly, the ticklish feeling of his lips against your own making you giddy.
Suddenly, fireworks erupt in the sky. They explode into various colors and patterns, and you look up with wide and amazed eyes. Your pupils are blown, and they reflect the lights in the sky.
Caleb stares at you, heart feeling so full, wishing he could take a photo.
“Look, they’re pretty right?” you look back at him.
“They’re okay,” he shrugs, before moving closer. “You’re prettier.”
You scoff and close your eyes, letting out a huff. “... That was pretty bad, Caleb.”
He only laughs, taking no offense. How could he feel anything but pure joy when you were standing right there in front of him, arms around his neck, and face close enough for him to see every detail he loved so much?
“Let me make it up to you then,” he says, and you know what he’s suggesting.
Not wanting to rush you, he doesn’t move, waiting for your approval.
You say nothing, far too nervous. Instead, you just nod with half-lidded eyes as you look up at him through your lashes.
Not giving you the time to change your mind, he presses his lips to yours, and tilts your head sideways to deepen the kiss. You find yourself subconsciously raking your nails against the hair at the back of his neck, earning a soft groan from him. He pulls away before letting himself get carried away, but doesn’t forget to lick your lips one more time even as he pulls away.
“You taste sweet,” he comments. But it sounds more like a genuine observation than a compliment.
A chuckle slips past your swollen lips. “I ate some tanghulu.” you explain. “Before I dropped it on the ground, that is.” you sigh.
You really wanted that snack.
Seeing your adorably disappointed look, he presses another chaste kiss to your lips. “Well, I can’t have my girl starving.” he pretends to give it some thought. “What do you say we go get you some more?”
You nod, a smile gracing your lips.
He slips your hands off his neck, and keeps one in his grasp, already walking back to the food stalls.
“Also… did you just call me your girl?” you speak up, voice still slightly weak from your dizzying first kiss with him.
His free hand comes up to scratch at the back of his neck where your nails had just caressed him. “Yeah… is that okay with you?” he asks, flustered.
“Would that make you my man then?” you can’t help the grin on your face.
“Absolutely— I mean, yeah. I’d like that. To be your… man.” he clears his throat, embarrassed by how eager he sounded.
“Okay.” You squeeze his hand and look up at him.
The moment he looks back at you he loosens up and returns your smile. “I love you,” he finds himself repeating for the nth time tonight. He just can’t help it.
Your heart stutters, your cheeks flush, and you look away. “Me too.”
part 1 | part 2
Caleb masterlist
a/n: kinda nervous to post this since so many ppl were waiting for it (I wanted to post this sooner, but i had midterms, sorry) but I hope you enjoyed! tysm for all the support and kind words btw, they're very appreciated!
you and caleb haven't seen each other in so long you want to crawl into each other's skin
"so what time will you be here tomorrow pips?" you looked over to caleb's video on your phone as you finished the last sentence in your report.
due to the recent influx of wanderers, jenna has had you all over the place. barely being able to stay 3 days at your own apartment before you were off to the next one. thus, resulting in having not seen caleb in person in almost a month.
"my mission in chansia city should end around 7:00pm? but my flight won't get into linkon till about 11:00pm, then I'll have to travel to the station and finally to skyhaven…" you already felt the toll this was going to take on your body, but seeing caleb after so long was more than worth it.
"so you're saying i won't ever see you again?" a chuckle left your lips at his dramatics.
"as long as everything goes well, I should be showered and in bed with you at the latest, 1:00am." a long agonizing groan left caleb's lips as he fell over onto the couch. the camera went dark as he buried his face in his arms and kicked his feet in anger.
"i know, i miss you too caleb. but just think, after this mission i'll be with you for a whole week. you'll be sick of me by the end of it—"
"i can never be sick of you." he cut you off before you could even finish that thought. "you could be living with me full time and it would never be enough."
"famous last words, colonel."
"well there's only one way to find out, miss hunter." he had the little smug grin on his face as you stuck out your tongue to him.
"you know if i could i would, handsome." though most of your free time was spent at caleb's, your job at the association required you to be in linkon. times like these really sucked the life out of you, but seeing the way his eyes lit up when he would pick you up from the station made everything worthwhile.
"but don't wait up. i know the fleet has been working you to the bone lately. i'm sure this surge hasn't been easy on you either. i can make it to your place safely, as i always have been."
you could tell that caleb needed rest. he would always text you goodnight, and as of recent, some of those had been rolling in at about three or four am. the bags that were slowly forming under his eyes were also a dead giveaway. so you hoped that this week off would be able to recharge the both of you.
"no, no— i want to stay up and see you when you get in."
"caleb, i've watched you doze off while you eat dinner at the base." you watched as the embarrassment kissed the tips of his ears. you gave him a tired, but soft smile.
"i swear i'll be right there when you wake up. most likely trying to fuse my body with yours with how close i'll be to you." there was a moment of silence as you watch the cogs turn in caleb's brain.
"…only if you double pink promise." you laughed as you held up both your pinkies to the camera. it may seem childish, but to you and caleb, double pinky promises were the end all be all ever since you were kids. a yawn escaped your lips, as you reached your arms up for a big stretch.
"alright big guy, in less than 24 hours i'll be in your arms. i'll try my best to finish off these wanderers in the blink of an eye."
"stay safe out there, pips. i need you here in one piece." he brought the phone up to his lips as you brought it up to your forehead. "i love you, goodnight."
"you know i always try." you did the same, offering him three kisses before waving him off. "i love you too, goodnight."
any ounce of energy you had, left as you finally sat down on the train to skyhaven. you barely had the energy to raise your arm to check the time— 11:37pm. just one hour and you'd be in caleb's arms.
no doubt that he had been sleeping since 10:00pm when he got home. though he didn't send you a goodnight text, from the stream of messages he had been sending you today, the fleet better be thankful that you're going to be skyhaven to tame their unruly colonel. he was probably at the second g in 'goodnight' before he could press send, the pillow instantly coaxing him to sleep.
a smile subconsciously fell on your lips thinking about how you'd find him— one leg up, sprawled out on the bed, covers half on, with one of his hands up and under his shirt resting on his stomach.
your phone lit up as you tapped on the screen— a picture that a kind stranger took of you two looking ravishing on one random date night. his hands wrapped around your waist, head buried in your neck as you threw your head back in laughter.
"soon."
you could barely keep your eyes open as the door scanned your finger print. hearing the approving jingle, you pushed the door through, being welcomed by the smell of your second home. you slipped off your shoes, leaving behind your bags at the door. hours ago, caleb had messaged you:
[sms] i'll have your pajamas laid out in the bathroom, so take a shower quickly and come to bed.
you sped run your night time routine— showering, brushing your teeth, skin care, blow drying your hair all in record time. you checked your phone one more time before heading into your shared bedroom— 1:06am. close enough.
as silently as you could, you opened the door to the bedroom. there was the faint light from the moon that was able to guide you to the bed, finding caleb exactly how you pictured him to be. you crawled up onto the bed, almost instantly finding yourself hovering above caleb. your movements barely brought him out of his slumber (a testament to how tired he was) but was pleasantly surprised to feel your weight on his body.
like his body was on autopilot, it instantly came to life. he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you impossibly close to him. you could feel the way he spread fingers out on your back just so he could feel more of you. how his finger tips gave just enough pressure to tell you how much he had really missed you.
god, he could cry.
the weight of you on his body, the warmness that was emanating off you in tandem with your scent permeating his nose— this is what heaven felt like. a groan left his lips and vibrated through his chest as you nuzzled your face into his neck, littering it with kisses and sweet little nothings of finally being back in his arms.
he dreamed of this for weeks, but nothing could compare to the real thing. it felt like his heart was about to fly out of his chest at any given moment. the absolute emptiness of missing someone, only to be brought the feeling of being made whole again when they return.
he shifted his grip so he had one hand under your shirt and securely around your waist, while the other one was tangled in your hair, massaging your scalp. your felt your body decompress with each soft touch. it's like caleb knew all the valves on your body and was slowly releasing all the pressure that has been stored in your joints for the past three weeks.
"you're late" he said barely audible. you felt your eyes getting heavier by the second. the low timber and vibration of his voice whilst on his chest was lulling you further into sleep.
you hummed in response, bringing up one of your hands to his forearm. you gave it a light squeeze, using your thumb to absentmindedly trace his skin.
"i know.. but only by a few minutes." you craned your neck up to lay a kiss on his jaw.
"forgive me?" he nuzzled his cheek against your head, but not before giving it a kiss. he took in one long inhale, as if he was trying to get the scent of you back into his veins before he let it out. his thoughts were barely coherent as he began to drift into dream land.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ in which you tell your lads boyfriend that someone made creepy comments about you
a/n : based on an interaction I just had with my (no longer) guy friend who made the most heinous comment about me n my friends :,)
content warning : men being creepy (no comments actual written out), slight yandere! tendencies from the lads men, overprotective, very much a vent post sorry not sorry 🥀
pairing: secret bf! caleb xia x non-mc! reader
summary: despite caleb's objections, you want to keep the relationship between you and caleb a secret in fear of mc's reaction
tags: fluff, slight angst, established relationship, unintentional instigator mc, ooc caleb, (not beta-read)
wc: 2.2k
masterlist | part 2
nobody knows about you and caleb, and you prefer it that way. caleb, on the other hand, doesn’t understand why you would want to keep the relationship a secret, but he still submissively obeys because it’s you, and he would do anything for you. not to mention how long and how much begging it took caleb just to convince you to go on a single date with him. caleb refuses to flush down his years of hard work just to satisfy his desire to show off what’s his.
so far, caleb has been able to keep up with the facade with little trouble. however, while caleb’s natural possessiveness does occasionally cause tensions to arise, you always manage to quell it with lazy mornings in bed with roaming hands and kisses.
unfortunately for both you and caleb, his inevitable breaking point seems to be quickly approaching, and with that, the reveal of your relationship. the cause behind caleb’s rapid frustration and desperation to come out clean is, unsurprisingly, mc's non-stop attempts at playing matchmaker.
the three of you are lazing about at mc’s apartment when it happens. you’re sat next to caleb on the couch, legs touching, while mc is sprawled all over the floor as the tv is playing reruns.
despite mc being 3 feet away from the two of you, caleb’s clinginess takes over his rationality as he tangles his arm and hands with yours.
you glance over at caleb, whose stare is locked onto the tv with a fake innocent expression on his face, then you move your gaze to mc’s silhouette to make sure that she was properly distracted by the show playing on the tv.
after analyzing mc’s demeanor for a brief moment, you conclude that it was safe for you to cling back with caleb as well. in the corner of your eye, you can see caleb’s grin grow into a smug smirk when you gently let your head rest against caleb’s shoulder.
however, the short moment is shattered when mc suddenly calls out your name. you hum out in response as you move your gaze to fully pay attention to mc. at the sight of mc beginning to push herself up, you immediately snap your head upright and off caleb’s shoulder while simultaneously attempting to untangle from caleb.
to your dismay, caleb predicts your movement and tightens his grip before you can even move. with mc almost completely straightened up, you meet caleb’s fed-up gaze with a pleading expression as you squeeze his hand in one last attempt to coax him into letting you go.
everyone knows that caleb can’t say no to you, so it isn’t a surprise when caleb complies, but not without showing his disagreement with the situation.
with a lasting blow to caleb’s composure, you move to put a bit of distance between you and caleb right as mc moves to completely face the two of you.
if mc notices caleb’s irritated mood stinking up the room, she doesn’t show it as she zones her attention in on you while she drags a finger up to point at you.
“you’re single, right,” which causes you to widen your eyes as caleb clenches his fists.
“uh,” you fidget, “why,” you nervously laugh out as you feel the waves of tension radiating off of caleb.
mc shrugs as she confesses, “i have a friend who is exactly your type,” she smiles while caleb sarcastically laughs through a clenched jaw as he crosses his arms against his chest. caleb knows that he’s being careless with his reaction, but he can’t help losing it at mc’s ridiculous claim of supposedly finding the perfect man for you when he’s right there.
mc glares at caleb as she accuses him, “what’s your problem,” she huffs out.
caleb stiffly forces the fakest smile you’ve ever seen onto his face as he pokes his tongue against his cheek. he’s trying his best to not explode, and you’ve never felt this grateful for his patience and loyalty in your life before.
before he responds to mc, he allows himself a quick glance at you, and then curtly states, “nothin’,” as if anyone would buy his poor attempt at playing it casual.
mc, now irritated by caleb’s standoffish behavior, shoots up from her spot as she scoffs out, “listen, caleb,” you quickly flicker your eyes back and forth between mc and caleb, refusing to get involved. “just ‘cuz you refuse to go on dates doesn’t mean that we,” mc waves a finger between you and her, “have to stay single forever too,” she mocks.
seeing caleb’s genuinely ticked off expression, you break your silence to prevent an actual fight from breaking out, “who’s the guy,” you immediately wince as soon as the words leave your mouth.
at the interruption, mc practically cheers while caleb crumbles in hurt and disbelief. pacing around the room, mc begins to ramble about the guy, “i swear, he’s practically a carbon copy of your celebrity crushes,” mc doesn’t stop, but all you can focus on is caleb.
caleb’s already extremely irritated demeanor becomes impossibly more tense. sensing your gaze on him, caleb gets up from the couch without a word and exits the room. mc pauses her non-stop rambles as caleb passes by her. both you and mc focus on caleb’s figure as he hurriedly enters the bathroom to calm down.
the sound of the bathroom door closing causes both you and mc to snap your gazes back to each other. mc moves to sit beside you, “ignore him,” she tries to reassure you in an attempt to break the now awkward tension. “he’s just jealous that you’re going on a date and he’s not,” she jokes, but she notes how your anxious demeanor refuses to leave.
now serious and concerned, mc begins to rub up and down your arm in a comforting manner. however, before she can properly question you, you grab her hand and gently squeeze it before softly asking her, “so, what’s the real reason behind this set-up,” you knowingly grin at her.
—
as soon as you and caleb enter the elevator and the doors slide closed after you, you burst out apologizing. caleb hates hearing you like this, so, unsurprisingly, he immediately shuts it down, “‘s fine, really,” despite his passive behavior telling you otherwise.
carefully, you explain the situation to him, “caleb,” he refuses to meet your worried gaze, “mc just needs a stand-in for a double date. the guy wouldn’t go on a date unless his friend had one too,” you hurriedly clear up in a desperate attempt to return your relationship back to normal.
at his persistent silence, you continue, “it’s not even a real date-“
he cuts you off with a disbelieving scoff, “a date’s a date, honey,” he frustratedly argues.
at his tone, you quiet down as caleb finally begins to unravel, “i just don’t understand why we have to keep it a secret,” he finally meets your eyes with a heartbroken stare of his own.
he shakes his head in confusion, “i know mc, you know mc,” he points out, “and we both know she isn’t going to be upset about this!” caleb rarely raises his voice at you, and he hates when he does, but he can’t hold himself back anymore.
he hates being your secret and he hates being forced to make you his secret even more. he’s been trying his best to be patient with you, but the longer this goes on, the more he grows confused at this odd situation. caleb would understand your worries if he was mc’s ex, but he isn’t!
if anything, caleb knows that mc would be your guys’ biggest supporter if she knew, so all caleb can scramble together for the reason behind your unwillingness to reveal your relationship is that you’re embarrassed about him. the idea is ridiculous, and caleb knows it himself, you’re constantly all over him in private, so now caleb is stuck in a limbo.
you want to speak to reassure caleb’s visibly growing turmoil, but you can’t. you don’t know what to do.
finally reaching the lobby, the elevator’s bell rings to indicate your arrival breaks the silence, but the tension between the two of you remains even weeks after the fight.
—
you feel as if you're torturing the poor guy as he lingers behind after dropping you and mc off at the meet-up destination for the double date. mc has tried to persuade caleb to leave multiple times, but all her attempts were shut down with the same excuse, “it’s not safe for the two of you to wait alone.”
now you’re filled to the brim with guilt and overwhelming adoration for caleb. despite the fight causing awkward tension between the two of you, caleb will always prioritize you before his feelings.
you feel utterly cruel and terrified because even though you’re standing right next to him, you feel as if there is a massive ravine separating the two of you at the same time. the worst part is that you can’t blame anyone but yourself.
panicking, you start to spiral as you realize how ridiculous you’ve been and all the unnecessary heartache you’ve forced upon caleb. your loving boyfriend is standing right next to you, waiting to watch the love of his life go on a date with a random guy, who you’ve never even met before, just because you’re afraid of how mc would react to your relationship with him.
stuck in your daze, you don’t even notice that the guys have finally arrived minutes late. when the two guys apologize for their tardiness, you snap out of your thoughts and lift your gaze to face them. caleb would never leave you waiting, you think as you scan them, and you feel insulted that mc thinks that is your type. you make a note to yourself that after this entire debacle is over, you need to admire and remind caleb of his beauty more often.
you’re still zoned out as the introductions begin. you’re more focused on solving whatever remains of your relationship with caleb anyway. however, your attention fully returns when one of the guys turns towards caleb, who has been patiently waiting by your side the entire time, and asks, “uh, and who are you,” the guy’s gaze is flickering between the three of you in an attempt to figure out the relationship dynamic.
with a tight-lipped grin, caleb introduces himself, “i’m caleb,” he grits out while keeping his hands shoved in his pockets. “i was just making sure that these two,” caleb nods in yours and mc’s direction, “were safe as they waited for you,” he ends with an obvious accusation and judgment.
it would be a miracle if no one noticed the sudden tension that stretches over the entire group. irritated at caleb’s seemingly random hostility, the guy passive aggressively huffs out, “okay,” he then moves his gaze to both you and mc, “let’s get outta here, yeah?”
when the guy takes a step forward, caleb takes that as his cue to leave despite his entire being screaming at him to drag you home instead. however, before caleb can defeatedly retreat, he feels a hand desperately grasp at his sleeve.
surprised, caleb looks down and tracks the shaking arm that’s gripping him, which lands his eyes on your panicking expression that is already staring at him.
now extremely concerned at your sudden change in behavior, caleb makes a move to open his mouth as his face scrunches up in worry, but you interrupt him before he can speak.
still grasping at caleb’s sleeve, you snap your head to face the rest of the group before proudly shouting out, “i have a boyfriend,” with a nervous, but determined expression on your face.
a silence breaks out as the entire group halts whatever they were doing and turns to face you. everyone is seemingly frozen. except for caleb, of course.
standing besides you, caleb’s face immediately breaks out into the brightest and biggest growing smile you’ve ever seen from him as soon as he processes your declaration. he’s trying his best to quell the smile, but, if anything, it makes his smile grow impossibly wider, especially when he feels your hand that was gripping onto his sleeve snake down his arm to intertwine your fingers together.
he figures that he probably looks like the biggest, down-bad idiot ever right now, but how can anyone blame him when his entire world finally marked their claim on him. caleb swears his heart is going to burst with how much relief and adoration he feels.
in an attempt to compose himself, caleb brings his free hand to cover his love-sick grin that refuses to leave his face while gently squeezing your connected hands to relay how much this means to him.
the rest of the group is still frozen at the reveal, especially mc whose eyes and mouth have dropped open and remained in that position for a solid minute or two at this point.
taking advantage of the calm before the storm, aka mc, caleb lowers his hand that was covering his face as he bashfully announces, “i’m the boyfriend,” while moving the arm that contains your interlinked hands together over your shoulder to tug you closer.
caleb thinks this is the best day of his entire life and he could die happy right then and there. mc, on the other hand, is having a meltdown as she shrieks out, “what?”
