#fitymi

[lovecla]

FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT ; nico hischier.

｡ᡣ𐭩ﾟpair: nico hischier x fmc (emma, kennedy walsh face claim)

｡ᡣ𐭩ﾟword count: 24.4k

｡ᡣ𐭩ﾟsynopsis: for the sake of making his long time crush fall in love with him, nico does the only thing he had never thought he would: he starts fake-dating his best friend, emma roberts.

｡ᡣ𐭩ﾟwhat to expect: fake-dating trope, best-friends-to-lovers, angst, nico needs to make his crush notice him, emma will help him!, nsfw, social media interactions, happy ending.

— from the author: for my girls who are always prioritizing other people. this is my way of calling you out.

— nhl masterlist.

theme song: that way by tate mcrae

main female character:

Emma Roberts

— “if you’re happy, then i’m happy too.”

— public speaking? please. no.

— has a degree in journalism.

— will do anything for her friends and family.

— new jersey girly through and through.

chapters

1) un

2) deux

3) trois

4) quatre

5) cinq

6) six

7) sept

8) huit

9) neuf

[tyrennosaurs]

“Wasn’t rigged. Told you I could do it. Took me only two tries.”

- Scene from “fake it ‘till you make it”

[doeinstinct]

Fake It 'Til You Make It | Chapter 2: What If

10.6k words

Madara is practically deadweight where he leans against Tobirama’s side. He stumbles and Tobirama has to grab his waist to keep him vertical. Perhaps he should have watched how much champagne the man was throwing back as the night went on. 

Party guests dwindle and Tobirama just wants to go home and be done with this whole fiasco for the night. 

Unfortunately, no one feels inclined to give him that respite. 

“Elder Brother,” Tobirama calls out, practically dragging Madara across the room, throwing the man’s arm over his shoulder to make moving easier. “Take your best friend home.” 

Hashirama blinks at Tobirama slowly before tilting his head to the side slightly, pouting a little. 

“Aren’t you going to take him?” he asks and Tobirama freezes. Perhaps he hadn’t thought through all the details of this plan. He purses his lips, glancing to the side and spotting Satomi chatting with one of Mito’s friends. 

“I have to make sure Satomi-san gets home safely,” he says, just as Satomi spots him and makes her way over. 

“Oh don’t worry about that,” she says smoothly, a dangerously sly grin on her face. “I’ll take your car home and you can drive Madara-san to his place. That way you two can have some alone time .” 

“Satomi, I couldn’t–!” 

“I insist!” she says, slipping her fingers into Tobirama’s jacket to snatch his keys. With Madara’s bulk keeping his hands occupied, he stands no chance in stopping her. He opens his mouth to protest, but the words swiftly die on his lips when Madara shoves his face into Tobirama’s neck, humming.

“You smell good,” he slurs, loud as usual. Tobirama feels his face heat as he looks to the ceiling for answers he knows he will not find. He doesn’t really have a choice, does he? It will add legitimacy to their engagement if they go home together, he supposes. 

“Fine,” he says to Satomi, pointedly ignoring his brother’s shining grin. He turns his head to Madara, lifting his chin to look into dark, hazy eyes. “Where are your keys?” he asks. 

continue on ao3

[alwaysteveswife]

Fake It Till You Make It | Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader.

It's been a month since Steve and you signed the marital contract and, after so long, the media has finally caught wind of it. The first news about your fake relationship has been published, and, apparently, no one suspects anything.

Warnings: Manager!Reader, Vocalist!Steve, Modern!AU.

Midnight Masterlist.

[jedimordsith]

Whumptober Day 22 Prompt: Poisoned

From FITYMI

- - 

“I didn't know you ate anything other than rather bars,” Luke joked, helping himself to her take-out. 

“Ration bars are safe.” Mara folded the robe tighter around herself, defensively. “Other people knowing what type of food you like is risky.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “They might mistake you for human?” 

“Yes,” she bit out, frostily. “A human being who can be poisoned.”

“Seriously?” 

“If someone tried to poison you three times in the last five years, you’d be over it, too, Skywalker.” Mara scowled. “Well, maybe you wouldn’t.”

Luke almost dropped the container, horrified. “Someone tried to poison you?”

[cxptain-capsicle]

Fake it Till You Make It | 2 (Repost)

Summary: You are Best Friends with Peter Parker. Peter has a crush on Liz Allen and you have a crush on everyone’s favorite neighborhood spider-man. So what will happen when you and Peter pretend to date?

Pairings: Peter Parker x Reader

A/n: @racerparker pointed out that the link to this chapter wouldn’t work on my masterlist and I went back on my posts and this chapter legit dissipated because my tumblr is bat-shit crazy so i’m just gonna repost it

Masterlist     Series Masterlist

“Breathe, Peter,” You touched his arm reassuringly before you got into the back of May’s car with Ned following behind you. 

The car ride wasn’t quiet per se, Peter was quiet. May asked you questions about your family and how school was going, she already knew the answers but she was being polite. You answered her questions simply before she began telling a work story. You laughed and said things like ‘yeah’ and ‘mhm’ but your attention was on Peter. He would stare out the window for a few seconds then look down at his hands. His lips were moving, silently speaking to himself. You smile slightly knowing he was rehearsing what he would say to Liz. 

May finished her story just in time for us to pull up to Liz’s house; mansion may have been a more apt term.

“House party in the suburbs!” May gushed. “Oh, I remember these. I’m kind of jealous.”

“It’ll be a night to remember.” Ned goofily smiled.

“Ned, some hats wear men, you wear that hat.” May looked back at us. You nodded and patted Ned’s shoulder. 

“It gives me confidence.” You smiled at Ned’s remark.

“This is a mistake,” Peter mumbled. “Hey, let’s just go home,” Peter said with a begging tone.

“Oh Peter, I know, I know it’s really hard, trying to fit in with all the changes your body is going through, It’s flowering.” 

You physically had to put a hand over your mouth to stop you from laughing, Peter glared back at you.

“Sorry.” You giggled quietly.

“He’s so stressed out lately,” May said in a hushed voice to Ned and you.

“I know, it probably cause of the, you know, changes.”  You smirked and May nodded.

“What helps with stress is going to a party, and we should go to the party.” Ned smiled and you nodded.

“Yeah, let’s do it, I’m gonna go.” Peter quickly fumbled with his seatbelt and left the car.

“Hey Peter, have fun okay?” Peter mumbled an ‘I will’ before closing his door.

While you were going to slide out of the car May stopped you.

“Y/n” She turned back to face you and you nodded. “Peter’s never been a social butterfly. Just watch out for him, okay?” 

“I always do, May.” You said simply before getting out of the car. 

Getting out of the car Peter was quick to give you his hand to help you out of the car. You got out and smiled up at him before pulling down your dress.

Wait, Y/n is wearing a dress. She never wears dresses. Peter thought to himself. It is a pretty dress.

Peter was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a group of people shouting your name. He saw a group of guys and a few girls calling for you. He looked at you watching them in his head begging for you not to go. 

“I’ll be right back, okay.” You held two hands up before running towards the group of kids. You only made it a few yards away before coming right back. “And Peter. You’re gonna kill it.” You gave him two thumbs up before running away. 

You went and greeted a few friends from school as Ned and Peter went inside the house. Once you reached the group of kids you turned back and watched Peter and Ned enter the house. You sighed, feeling a pit in your stomach every time you thought about Peter talking to Liz, possibly at this moment. You made pleasantries with the group of kids but the pit in your stomach grew with each second and you had to go check on Peter. You made your way across the lawn and into the house, pushing your way around several drunken teenagers. The music was blaring obnoxiously but on top of that was an even more obnoxious voice.

“Penis Parker, what’s up!” Flash's voice came over the mic. “Yo, where’s your pal Spider-man? Lemme guess, in Canada with your fake girlfriend. That’s not Spider-Man that’s just Ned in a red shirt.” Flash smiled deviously. “Where is your girlfriend Parker, huh? Where is she?”

Peter’s face broke your heart. He looked uncomfortable, hurt, and completely stalled at the same time. You didn’t know what to do to fix the situation but you had the overwhelming need to do something. You pushed through the crowd of sweaty kids to make your way to Peter and Ned. Flash still stared at Peter waiting to get some type of reaction from his, some people were still laughing at the encounter, and Peter was staring anxiously at his feet. Now you felt yourself fuming so you walked straight over to Peter and took his hand in yours wrapping your other arm around his bicep.

“Hey Babe, do you wanna go outside,” Peter starred at you with wide eyes completely confused by what you were doing. “C’mon.” You pulled Peter towards the back door and dragged him outside leaving Ned inside, completely in shock

“What was that?” Peter nearly screeched once you got outside.

““I don’t know! I just got so upset-”

“Oh no no no,” Peter started to freak out.

“What is it, Pete?” You asked.

“Liz probably saw, now she’s gonna think we’re dating.” He groaned. Liz was really what he was thinking about? And we did he seem so disgusted by the thought of dating you?

“Peter...” You said slowly as if you had an epiphany. “This is perfect! Liz thinks we're dating,”

“I know it’s terrible-”

“No, shut up. She thinks we’re dating so then she’ll get jealous, we’ll break up and then she’ll be all yours.”

Peter cocked an eyebrow curiously.

“Is that really how girls work?”

“Yeah pretty much.” You nodded. Peter groaned again.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come. I’m gonna go find Ned.” Peter turned around and trudged back inside, you figured it was best not to follow him. About fifteen minutes later when you went looking for the boys you found Ned standing by himself.

“Where’s Peter?” You asked.

“He uh... he went home.”

[lovecla]

© property of lovecla, nhl masterlist, nico hischier x you.

FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT, final phase.

<last chapter>

➴ chapter warnings: oral sex (f. receiving), brief arguing.

➴ word count: 2.6k

💌 from me to you: and this, my loves, is the end of fake it ‘till you make it (for now!!). thank you so much for supporting me and my stories and thank you for this playlist that got me through this chapter. anyways, i’m so excited for you all to read the rest of this universe that i’m going crazy. hope you enjoy!!!! xxx

𖧷

nicohischier

liked by njdevils, nataliebrooks, _quinnhughes and 29,103 others

nicohischier #Life 😌😁

View all 2,083 comments

user1 What does this even mean

user2 Nico are you cheating on me

user3 TOLD YALL THEY ARE LITERALLY MARRIED WITH KIDS

emmaroberts when did you even take that 😓

user4 Cap got his first hat trick and a girlfriend in less than three months

elladavis em looks sooo cute 🥹

user5 I thought i could keep convincing myself they were just friends but this ?????????

user6 Captain Dimples has a girlfriend (and she’s not me)

user7 the “#life 😌😁” is killing me

user8 user7 Like he really said Idgaf and went to sleep

user9 user8 beside emma

𖧷

YOU GRUNTED, almost throwing your phone away when you entered Nico’s apartment, which was basically your second house now.

There were tiny, somewhat insignificant things around his place that reported that you two were together, things like your hairbrush in his bathroom, your toothbrush beside his, your books and phone charger on his bedside table.

Or maybe the fact that he keeps buying the sweets he knows you like, or when he changed the brand of softener he used because you once briefly mentioned that it made your nose itch.

You won’t deny that you’re happy with the fact that he seems pleased to have you around, but you’re still not sure if you want to move in with him— your story already sounds crazy and fast paced enough.

Still, you enjoy spending your days off with him, especially when he’s also at home, which is tonight’s occasion. He’s sitting on the couch watching The Godfather when you enter the house, but you don’t even have time to properly greet him before Richard starts talking again.

“Technically, it wasn’t due until 5 p.m. today. So, no need to get your... keyboard in a knot.”

You scoff. “My keyboard in a— what?! Richard, I was waiting for your notes last night so I could approve it. I guess I didn’t factor in your busy schedule of... what was it? Two hours chatting up Emily from graphics?”

“Oh, come on,” he laughs, like he didn’t delay a week’s worth of work. “It wasn’t two hours. More like 45 minutes. And anyway, building relationships in the office is important, Emma. You should try it sometime.”

“Building relationships? Is that what we’re calling shameless flirting now?” you ask, voice filled with rage. “Good to know. Next time I don’t meet a deadline, I’ll just say I was networking over cocktails.”

“Listen, Emma—”

“No, you listen,” you say, finally tired after thirty minutes of arguing with your colleague. You place your bag on the coffee table, and almost lose your arguments when you find Nico’s puppy, almost scared eyes looking at you. “Jake, who’s a father of two adorable, sweet girls, had to stay at work way past his work hours, re-writing half of your article. Not to mention Melissa, who also had to stay late because your inspiration left her waiting for the graphics requests you didn’t submit.”

“Ain’t that awesome? That’s what I call a real team.”

“A real team?” You almost shout. Usually, as the editor-in-chief of one of the most important sports magazines in the US, you’d try to keep your cool and act professional. But you’ve been handling Richard’s bullshit for the past two months and now you’ve had enough. “I can’t do this anymore. I want you in my office on Monday so we can discuss your leaving.”

This time, Richard doesn’t have an immediate bratty remark for you.

“Was I clear?”

“M-Mrs Roberts, I—”

“My. Office. On Monday. At half past seven.”

“I’m sure we can figure this out and—”

You look at the clock sitting on Nico’s desk and smile, even though you know Richard can’t see. “Oh, would you look at that? It’s seven p.m. which means I’m not on my work hours anymore. So, we should probably just talk on Monday.” You use your best, fake happy voice. “Have a nice weekend, Richard.”

You don’t wait for his answer before hanging up on him and sighing loudly.

“Hi, baby,” you finally say, leaning down to give Nico a brief kiss. “I’m sorry for this.”

“I’m somewhere between proud and scared,” he smiles, getting up and wrapping his arms around your tired body, as you lean closer to his chest and rest your head on it. “Proud because you’re actually standing up for yourself, scared because I have never seen you talk like that.”

You shrug. “I mean, he did make Jake go home later than he’s supposed to, several times, and I’ve met his kids, I just… if it was just me, I wouldn’t be this upset but—”

“You don’t need to justify your actions, schatz. Not to me, not to anyone,” he smiles softly, and you just lean closer to his chest. He smells like home and violets. “And the guy is an asshole.”

You laugh, reluctantly pulling away from him.

“I guess you’re right,” you said. “I need a shower though. This ‘standing up for myself’ thing is tiring and nasty.”

“Better hurry, then,” Nico whispers against your mouth. “I ordered food from your favorite place.”

You moan loudly as you make your way to his bathroom. “Fuck, I’m going to have your kids.”

His laugh is loud enough for you to hear and you smile, closing the door behind you.

𖧷

YOU’RE ALMOST falling asleep on the couch when you feel it.

It’s light and sweet at first, barely noticeable. Nico had been resting his head on your belly, while you played with his hair and tried to keep up with the last episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty.

But you probably snoozed for a few seconds, and Nico saw that as the perfect opportunity for him to bury himself in the middle of your thighs.

“Baby,” you call him, and he hums back, barely paying attention to you. “What are you doing?”

“I miss you.” Was all he said, before going back to kissing your naked thighs.

You just chuckled, looking down at him, and feeling somewhat shy as he inhales your skin, probably smelling the hints of lavender your body wash left behind.

He keeps kissing you, taking his time. It’s barely anything, yet it has you throbbing under your panties, which makes you blush. It’s embarrassing how fast you melt under his touch.

He gets up, sitting on his heels, looking down at you with lustful eyes. “You’re stressed.”

“I am,” you smile.

“I want to eat you out.”

“You do?”

“I do, yeah,” he plays with the hem of your shirt, slowly moving his finger down, all the way to your black panties. “What do you think?”

“I think that’s the best idea you’ve had in a while,” you bite your lips, hiding your grin.

He doesn’t hide his, smiling widely as he quietly drags your underwear down, lifting your hips just enough to remove them from your body.

“You have such a pretty pussy, babe,” he muttered, spreading your legs, until your bare, smooth flesh mercies the open air. “I can never get enough.”

Before you can even start to feel shy about your nakedness, Nico dives in, licking a long stripe up your pussy, not paying attention to your most sensitive part, not just yet— it had you moaning anyway, though.

He attaches his warm mouth to your core, tongue messily gliding over your lips and entrance. His movements are precise and smooth, like he was born to do this.

The tip of his tongue finds your hole, dipping inside you slowly, then, he finally licks your clit, moving his wet muscle from side to side while you trash under his touch, holding onto the couch with both of your hands.

“You’re so wet, baby,” he says, voice hoarse and silvery. “Dripping, actually. And all of that for me.”

You’re about to answer when he dives into your core again, this time focusing on your clit only. He grabs both of your thighs and pulls you towards him, licking everywhere. The sound of him eating you out filling up the room, louder than the boring show you had on.

The room’s barely illuminated yet you can see him staring at you as he licks, eats and satisfies himself with your taste. He doesn’t even blink, trapped between your legs, sucking your most sensitive part.

“Ngh.”

He stops messing with your clit just to smirk and say: “C’mon, love. I know you can be louder than that.”

And then, he dives into you again, giving you all he can. And his all has you pulling his hair and moaning loudly, even with your left hand covering your mouth.

Your release builds fast, as it always does whenever Nico decides to do whatever he wants with you. The tension in your lower belly comes faster each time you both have sex, and even though you can’t explain why, you’re not bored by it, not at all.

“Nico, I’m gonna come,” you manage to say, rolling your eyes, only to close them afterwards. “F-Fuck.”

You’re rutting against his mouth, not caring that your sweet spot’s feeling overstimulated. It’s like a feral feeling, taking over your body and mind, and your only goal is to come.

You feel lucky, so fucking lucky, to have a man like him to make you see stars, and when you come inside his mouth, it’s without warning or coordination.

You’re seeing white and you’re gasping for breath as he continues to lick you, digging his short nails into your flesh so he can keep you in place— even though you can barely move, your limbs are too weak to do anything.

“N-Nico,” you whisper, gently pushing him away because you’re sure you’re about to disintegrate if he keeps going. And also because you know he’ll be there for hours with no end if you don’t push him away. “Shit.”

He smirks, and you’re sure he’ll never look this hot again. His hair is glued to his face, and his chin is shiny with your come, but so are his lips and the tip of his nose. But what really does it for you it’s the way his chocolate eyes are shining and looking at you like you’re everything.

You grab his shirt and pull him down, kissing his lips right away, tasting yourself on his tongue. It’s nasty and new, but you don’t care; you just want to feel him, be close to him.

“There’s no one else,” you tell him. “It’s just you, and it will always be just you.”

He smiles, his dimples stealing the spotlight because they make you want to live inside his cheek forever. “Hope that’s a promise, baby.”

“Oh, captain,” you hum. “It is.”

𖧷

YOU’RE SITTING on Nico’s lap when you see her.

She enters the bar with her chin up, holding her Gucci purse under her arms and softly clicking her fingers against the phone she’s holding.

She doesn’t immediately look your way, and even though you’re not sure if she knows you and your people— Mia, Ella, Luke, Jack and Nico— had chosen this specific bar to celebrate the Devils winning streak, you can’t help but feel aware of her presence.

Nico brings you back to the present moment, squeezing your waist lightly, just enough to make you look back at him.

“What does Em think of this?” you hear someone, Luke, maybe, ask, and you shrug, trying to hide the fact that you don’t know what they’re talking about.

“Keep my girlfriend out of your useless conversations, please.” Nico says, saving you once again. You give him a brief cheek kiss, taking care so you won’t smudge his cheek with your red lipstick.

“Please, you’re so pussy-whipped it’s sad to watch.” Jack says and Mia rolls her eyes at him.

“As he should.” she grins, winking at you.

“I only asked her if she thinks the last Fast & Furious movie is boring or not,” Luke argues. “I mean, Natalie almost killed me last time I mentioned it.”

“She hates those goddamn movies,” you laugh, remembering how angry she’d get whenever someone tried to make her believe that that whole franchise is good. “You should’ve known better.”

“I guess,” Luke pouts, toying with his beer bottle and Ella smiles at him. “I lowkey miss her, is that weird?”

“It’s not weird to miss your friends, Duke,” Mia fake punches him. “I miss her a lot, too. And Quinn.”

“We should visit them once the season’s over,” Ella suggests and you all agree, making plans for your next trip to Vancouver.

The conversation makes you forget about the fact that Nora is in the same place as you, and your insecurities are set aside so you can enjoy your evening with your friends.

You’re caught up with laughing and dancing with Mia and Luke when Nico reaches for you and tells you he’s going to the bathroom, and you just nod and give him a peck, before following Luke and doing the dumbest dance moves ever, making Mia laugh and curse at both of you.

You end up knocking over Luke’s bottle of glass all over you, and even though it’s hot inside the bar, you know you’ll have to dry your shirt before heading out again, otherwise it’s certain you’ll catch a cold.

“I’ll be right back, guys,” you tell Mia and Luke before looking around and trying to find the bathroom sign. Once you do, it’s a sixteen step walk until you’re standing in front of the door that leads to the bathroom hallway, only to find Nico standing there with—

Nora.

They don’t see you, and Nora’s the first to speak again. “It’s just that… you kind of just vanished after that night at my house, and you did unfollow me on Instagram. Did I do something wrong?”

“Well, Nora, you see: you did do something wrong. You kissed me even though you knew I had a girlfriend. That’s not really cool.”

You can tell by his tone that he’s upset, and the Angel sitting on your right shoulder is telling you that you should trust your boyfriend and leave the two of them alone but the Devil speaks louder and you stay right where you are.

“But…” she’s pouting and you feel the urge to punch her. “I didn’t know you and Emma were serious. If I had known, I’d—”

“You’d what?” he scoffs. “You’re still here, even after knowing that Em and I are serious, and have been for a long time now. You followed me all the way to the bathroom just to ask if I was upset with you for kissing me even though you knew I was dating.”

“Nico, you’re being too serious. Emma doesn’t need to know what we did—”

“She already does,” he crosses his arms in front of chest and leans against the bathroom door. “And even if she didn’t, I know, Nora. If you can sleep at night knowing you kissed a compromised person, that sounds like a you problem. I love my girlfriend and I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t bother me anymore.”

Nora’s silent for a few seconds before she remembers Nico’s probably expecting an answer.

“I’m not saying you don’t love her, I’m just saying that I understand if you can’t talk to me because of he—”

“It’s not that I can’t, Nora, I don’t want to,” he scoffs again. “Emma is my girlfriend for a fucking reason. I love her.”

Nora’s face is red, and her hands are shaking slightly. She nods before running out of the hallway like her ass’s on fire, only stopping when she almost runs into you.

You don't do anything besides winking at her, watching as her face becomes even redder and angrier. It’s funny how she stomps her way through the bar and leaves without a single word to anyone else.

When you look back to the hallway, you find Nico staring at you, a beautiful smile decorating his lips.

“Looks like you got yourself wet, baby.” He says, pointing to your shirt.

You smile, following him to the bathroom. “Hell yes I did. But it’s about to get worse.”

[lovecla]

© property of lovecla, nhl masterlist, nico hischier x you.

FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT, phase five:

<last chapter>

➴ chapter warnings: angst.

➴ word count: 3.7k

💌 from me to you: i actually had the shittiest morning today (i got yelled by my 60yo teacher in front of the whole class for literally nothing 😭) but i remembered i had to give you guys this so here i am <3 hope you all still like me after this! love you! 🩶

𖧷

YOU WOKE up with Nico’s soft breathing on your neck.

It was a strange, comfortable feeling. You’re used to cuddling with your friends all the time, so the strangeness isn’t coming from that. It’s the fact that, somehow, during the night, you and Nico moved around and now his much larger body is engulfing yours, making you the little spoon.

His hand is directly touching your belly under your shirt, and it’s hot and firm. His nose is buried in your neck, and you can feel his chest going up and down like clockwork.

You look around his room, and you realize it’s the first time you’re inside it. You can’t see much, the room is only partially illuminated, and you realize, after looking at the clock Nico keeps on his bedside table, it’s because it’s only six in the morning. But you can see that the room is neat and organized— and even though you wouldn’t have expected this from a man in his mid-twenties, it doesn’t really surprise you.

Nico’s always been a jewel. He’s different from every man you have ever met and as corny as it sounds, it’s also entirely true. He’s kind, gentle, and polite.

Nora’s so lucky.

And she is, isn’t she? She’ll be the one waking up with Nico’s arms holding her close, she’ll be the one hearing his soft snores in the morning. What happened this night between you and Nico will never happen again.

Suddenly, your mouth fills up with a bitter taste. Your tongue burns inside your mouth and instead of pretending none of your thoughts are real and you do have chances with Nico Hischier, you start to move carefully, removing yourself from his grip.

Thankfully he seems to be a deep sleeper, since all he does when you leave the bed after five minutes of pulling yourself away is whine and grab the pillow you used to rest your head in and hug it close to his chest.

You leave his room, looking down at your wrinkled clothes. It’s the same outfit you were wearing yesterday, and you must’ve fallen asleep on the couch with Nico. you cringe, thinking about what his family must’ve thought.

They have all been so nice to you. They have always been nice to you but this time it's been different. They treated you like you were one of them, almost as if you were one of the Hischiers. Or soon to be one.

And you’re hurt because you know you’re not one. The realization that you’re hurt with a fact as insignificant as this makes you want to slap yourself.

You decide that the best thing for you to do is breakfast. You don’t have much time since you have to be at work in two hours but you want to do something for Nico. Before you found his kitchen you went to the bathroom, trying to make yourself look at least a little bit more presentable.

His kitchen is also extremely organized so you don’t have too much trouble finding the things you need to make crepes— eggs, flour, sugar, milk. You mindlessly mix everything inside a bowl, but still make sure everything is perfectly mixed.

You’re almost done when Nico shows up in the kitchen and you swear your heart stopped for a second. Unlike you, he did change into sleeping clothes, and now he’s just wearing gray sweatpants and an equally gray t-shirt. His bed hair is messy, his face is adorably swollen and his eyes are barely open.

He’s not much of a morning person, then, it’s what you decide.

You smile at him, pointing at the plate full of crepes beside his stove, where you were currently making your last one. “Good morning. I hope you don’t mind me going through your stuff, but I made you some crepes,” you flip the one inside the pan before continuing. “The chocolate syrup is in the fridge, but the honey is right here.” You point at the honeycomb shaped plastic bottle, halfway full still.

He stares at you for a few seconds before walking towards you. You try not to look too anxious, looking back at the crepe in front of you, but you freeze immediately when you feel his large hands on your back, the same hands that held you the entire night, and a light, brief kiss on your temple.

“Good morning, Em,” his accent is even more noticeable, his voice raspy and deep. You’re glad he pulls his hand away as fast as he puts it on your back because this way he isn’t able to feel the shiver that went through your entire body when he touched you. “Thank you. Will you eat with me?”

“I can’t, I’m sorry,” you pout, because you genuinely are. He looks unsatisfied with your answer as he sits on one of his stools, grabbing one of the crepes with his fork. “I have to go to work.”

“I thought you were on Holiday break until next year?” He raises one brow.

“Technically yes, but my boss needs me and I can’t really say no.” You shrug, wiping the counter and turning off the stove.

“Of course you can, you’re on break.” You chuckle, because he sounds upset and pouty.

Before you can reply, you hear your phone ring somewhere, your daily alarm going off. You excuse yourself and run to your phone, wanting to stop the annoying sound as fast as possible.

It’s only then that you check your infinite texts, five reels from Mia and—

“What?” you whisper to yourself, opening the text from the last person you’d expect to text you.

“Is everything okay?” Nico asks from the kitchen, and you walk towards him, reading the text on your phone over and over again.

“Well,” you cough, not sure of what to do. “Nora kind of texted me?”

Nico’s puffy eyes open slightly, and you can see he’s just as surprised as you.

“What did she say?”

“She invited us to her New Year’s eve party,” you explain, looking at him again. “She says she expects us, both of us, there at nine o’clock.”

If you’re being honest, you expected a bigger reaction coming from Nico. But all you get is a nod, as he continues to savor the crepes.

“Are we going?” He asks, all of a sudden.

“You’re asking me?” you scoff. “I mean, you’re the one who’s in love with her. Not me.”

“But do you think we should go?” He tries again, and you frown, confused. “I mean, the three months are almost up and all we got was some flirty texts and a follow on Instagram.”

You want to slap yourself, again. You forgot about the first rule, condition, whatever, you set up.

“But you have to promise me something.”

Nico nods. “Anything.”

“If this doesn’t work out, then you'll move on.”

“Emma—”

“It’s not healthy for you to be thristing over someone for this much time,” you sit on the couch next to him and place your hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “We will fight, and we will fight hard, but if there’s no results in three months, and I’m being generous, we’ll move on. Okay?”

Nico stared at his hands, biting his lips before looking at you again.

“Okay.”

“Well—”

“Be honest, please.” He pleads.

You sigh, running your hands over your face.

This is your chance.

Tell him the truth about Nora, and tell him the truth about your feelings.

Tell Nico the truth.

“I think that you both didn’t have many opportunities to be together, right?” you say instead. “I mean, the only time we saw her in person was at your game, a long time ago. So maybe this party is the perfect opportunity for you?”

“I guess you’re right,” Nico says after a while. “Then we’re going. Are you sure it’s okay with you?”

“Yeah,” you say, grabbing your boots and putting them on again. “I didn’t have anything planned anyway.”

“Okay,” he nods, looking at you again. You gulp. “Thank you for everything.”

“It’s fine. See you on the 31st.”

𖧷

“YOU LOOK beautiful.” Is the first thing Nico says when he looks at you.

You smile, red spreading all over your face while you play with your fingers. You’re wearing a long, backless, white dress with pearl earrings and heels. You always choose to wear this particular color on New Years since in some cultures it is known that it brings peace.

Nico also looks amazing, but he always does. He’s wearing a tailored, dark-colored three-piece suit with a crisp white dress shirt, a black bow tie, and patent leather shoes. He shaved, and his hair is a little bit longer than usual; you’ve noticed he’s been letting it grow over the past few weeks and you don’t even try to hide the fact that you’re a fan.

“Thanks,” you answer softly, getting inside his car and putting your seatbelt on. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Nina helped me with the outfit,” he chuckles, starting the car. “She called me to complain about the fact that I wasn’t going to spend the New Year's eve with them and ended up dressing me up.”

You hum, too nervous to keep the conversation going. You’d both have to spend the entire evening pretending to be together, pretending to love each other, and this time, you weren’t so sure that you’d be able to do it.

And you’re all on your own too, because neither Mia nor Ella were going to the party. “If I wanted to go to a party of a fake ass bitch I’d go to Jack’s.” Is what Mia says when you ask her to come with you.

So, you’re going to be alone, all night, with a bunch of rich, somewhat famous people, while pretending to be in a relationship with your friend.

What a great way to start the new year.

The party had already started when you and Nico arrived, and despite being too anxious to even think properly, you cannot ignore the fact that Nora quite literally lives in a palace. Her house, or her family’s for that matter, is the biggest you’ve ever seen and you’ve been to a lot of places. It probably has more than fifteen rooms and not to mention the limestone with onsite parking for 80-100 cars.

“Jesus,” you let out, looking at the sight in front of you. “How much does her dad make?”

Nico laughs as he parks the car. “I have no idea but now I’m thinking of retiring from my NHL career and working for him.”

You roll your eyes at him, still amused with the house— mansion? Palace?

“Does a family of three even need a house this big?” you snort. “This is insane.”

Usually, you wouldn’t care about the size of her house, because it’s none of your business if her family is wealthy or not. But you’re already so fed up with Nora’s bullshit that every tiny detail related to her is enough to set you off.

Which is an awful thing.

“Well, let’s go then,” Nico says, turning the car off. “It’s already ten p.m.”

When you enter the house, you’re even more upset. The interior is richly decorated with high brand furniture, at least five fireplaces— in the living room only, because that’s how big her house is—, painting that you’re sure cost more than what you make in a year, and not to mention the beautiful, probably handmade rugs on the floor, so delicate you’re scared to step on them.

Nico holds your hand while he walks beside you, greeting so many people you lost count after the fifteenth. They all look delighted to see him, and you get them, because seeing Nico is like finding gold at the end of a rainbow.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asks, leaning down so his lips are close to your ear, his left hand holding your waist in place.

You weigh your choices. Spending this night miserably sober and pouty or drunk and happy?

The answer’s obvious.

“I’ll get a martini, please.” You ask, grinning at him, already feeling the taste of the alcohol in your tongue.

“Coming right away, baby.” He jokes, kissing you on the cheek and making his way to the stupid built-in bar Nora probably asked someone to build in the middle of her stupid living room.

Stupid Nora, stupid rich people, stupid Nico and stupid, beautiful, gorgeous dimples.

Nico’s back after a few minutes and he hands you your drink, and its smell makes you raise your eyebrow, giving him a curious look.

“I asked him to make it a little bit stronger. You look like you need it.” He smiles, and you don’t think before kissing his cheek, exactly where his dimple sits.

“Thanks.” You shyly say, sipping on your drink afterwards. You feel your throat burn immediately. “Woah.”

“Is it good?” Nico asks, before sipping on his own drink.

“It’s definitely a drink.” Is what you say.

“Oh my God!” Nora approaches both of you and you have to ask God to give you the strength not to roll your eyes at her. “You guys are here.”

She hugs Nico like you’re not even there, holding his neck and kissing him on the cheek, a content smile on her face. You can’t see Nico’s face but just by the way he politely puts his hands on her arms, you can tell he’s not comfortable, at all.

“Hello,” is what he says, smiling at her. The sight makes you drink almost half of your drink at once. “Thanks for the invite.”

“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” she grins, stepping away to look at you. “You look adorable, Emma.”

Go fuck yourself.

“Thank you. You look amazing too.” You reply, hoping she doesn’t pick up on your fake smile.

“Are you enjoying the night?” She asks, but it’s so clear she only wants Nico to answer that you don’t even bother speaking.

“Yeah. Your house is great.”

“I can show you around,” she winks. And you want to punch her in the face. Again and again. “Both of you, of course.”

“Uh—”

“I think I’m fine here,” you say, making a tired face. “These heels are killing me so I’ll just find somewhere to sit. You can go, though, baby.”

Nico looks at you with an indecipherable expression, and you nod your head, encouraging him.

“Great!” Nora says, not even hiding her excitement. “Let’s go, then.”

Nico doesn’t even have the time to answer before Nora grabs his arm and pulls his body towards hers, walking and waking until they are out of your eyesight.

You finish your drink in seconds. But thankfully, you were right: even though you’re not drunk, just remotely tipsy, the night flies by in a second.

You end up finding an old man to chat about the current challenges in the world of journalism, and you entertain yourself with his opinions on the topic.

Even though your brain can’t stop going back to the fact that Nora and Nico have been away for more than fifteen minutes now.

It’s easy to pretend you’re not bothered by it when Nico is back, seconds before midnight. He doesn’t let you say goodbye to Mr. Kyle before he grabs your hand and walks you out of the house.

“Five!”

“Nico?” you ask, confused, barely able to catch up with his fast pace. “Nico, what— what happened?”

“Four!”

He stops and turns around, standing in front of you. His eyes hold a storm in them yet you can’t tell what’s wrong.

“Nico—”

“Three!”

“Em,” he starts, his voice cracking slightly. “I need to tell you something.”

“Two!”

“Okay,” you breathe, still not quite sure of what’s gotten him so nervous. “Does it really have to be now, because,” you laugh, humorouslessly. “We’re kind of in the middle of—”

“One!”

“Nora kissed me.”

“Happy New Year!”

There are fireworks exploding, people shouting and singing. People are happy, welcoming the new year.

And you…

You’re standing in front of Nico, taking in his words.

Nora kissed me.

“Emma.”

“T-that’s great!” you put on your best fake smile, hoping that he wouldn’t notice it. “I’m so happy for you, Ni—”

“Then why are you crying, Em?”

His words surprise you. You didn’t realize you were crying. Touching your face, you feel the warm tears running down your cheeks.

He was right. You were crying.

Wiping your tears, you make a pfft sound with your mouth. “These are happy tears, I promise you.” You lie.

That’s all you seem to do anyway.

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me,” he says, moving his body towards yours. “Emma…”

“I’m happy for you, I really am,” you say, trying to convince him. Or yourself. “You got what you wanted, right? Our plan worked.”

“Emma—” he tries to speak again and you take a step back, shaking your head.

“My work here is done.”

He frowns. “What do you mean? Now you’ll stay away from me?”

“Not entirely, no. I’m going to hang around for a bit and start telling people we had a friendly breakup. We still love each other but we realized that it was a mistake and—”

“Emma—”

“—and no one gets h-hurt,” your voice cracks, and you’re crying even more now. It’s hard to hide your tears, so you just hope for some kind of miracle. “No one gets hurt.”

Except for me.

“I think we should talk.”

“I don’t think we should. There’s nothing to say,” you try to smile, but it doesn’t go well. “You got what you wanted, Nico.”

You don’t let him answer, you just leave the garden with your phone in hand, wiping the stubborn tears that want to have their moment so badly.

You don’t look back when he calls your name, and you don’t look back when, twenty minutes later, the Uber driver finally shows up and picks you up.

𖧷

MIA OPENS the door for you after the second knock.

“Baby, what happened?” Her worried voice reaches your ear and you can’t help but start sobbing loudly.

She doesn’t ask any more questions, and just wraps her arms around you, taking you inside her home. She sits you on her couch and gently rocks your body, back and forth, whispering sweet words in your ear.

You can’t stop crying, even though you feel shitty for ruining her New Year’s eve. Her arms comfort you and you keep replying Nico’s words in your head.

Nora kissed me. Nora kissed me.

“It was flawless, Mia,” you sob. “The p-plan was flawless yet I had to mess everything up.”

“Em, what are you talking about?”

“I fell in love with him, and I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Oh my God,” Mia whispers. “Are you in love with someone else? Is that why you’re crying—”

“No, I— She kissed him.” You whisper back, your voice so soft you’re sure Mia wouldn’t have heard you if she wasn’t so close.

“I’m sorry, what?” She asked, confused. “Who kissed who?”

“Nora kissed Nico tonight. At her party.”

“What a fucking bitch!” she says, loudly, sounding genuinely mad. “And what the hell is wrong with Nico, too? Does he have a death wish or something?”

“No, it’s—” you choke on your sob, hiccuping a few times. “It wasn’t real.”

Mia’s confused voice makes you want to smile, even if you don’t have the strength to. “Baby, I am so freaking confused. What do you mean? What wasn’t real?”

“Nico and I. We were pretending to be in love.”

Mia’s silent for a while, but she’s still holding you close. You keep crying, despite knowing that you have no right to. You put yourself in this situation. It was your idea.

When Mia speaks again, there’s a hint of humor in her voice.

“Happy New Years to us.”

“So, let me see if I got this straight,” Mia sighs. “You told Nico that if you both faked a relationship, Nora would finally fall in love with him, but you ended up falling in love with him instead and now that your plan worked, you’re miserable?”

“Pretty much that, yeah,” you mumble, a little bit calmer now. “I just wanted him to be happy.”

You rest your head on her thighs as she looks down at you. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re not supposed to be sorry, Mia,” you chuckle. “You’re supposed to be telling me that it was a crazy idea right from the start.”

“I don’t need to tell you that, baby, you already know it,” she smiles. “Besides, I know you had the best of all intentions. And that’s what I’m sorry for. Because I know you’re always putting other people’s needs in front of your own and it hurts me.”

“Mia…”

“You know I’m right,” she blinks. “I love you. So much. But… that’s not healthy. You’re your own person and the priority in your life. You didn’t even think about how you were going to feel with all this mess. You only thought about Nico being happy with that fucking cunt.”

“You should’ve seen it,” you say. “The way she looks at him. Like… like… I don’t even know. Like he was a prize for her and it’s all a competition.”

“We already know how she is,” Mia rolls her eyes. “I think her life goal is to destroy every relationship in Newark.”

“Mhm.”

“But what’s really weird is the fact that Nico was okay with all of this,” she pouts. “I saw how he looks at you. And how you look at him. And when you were both together it was like you’re meant for each other. Even Natalie said this and she’s not even around as much as me and Ella are.”

“We are great actors,” You explain, and even though you can tell she wants to contradict you, you get up. “Can I spend the night?”

She nods, smiling. “You know you can. I was really looking forward to cuddling with someone tonight.”

“Right, because it’s so hard for Mia Turner to find someone to cuddle with.” You playfully roll your puffy eyes, and she slaps your arm.

“You’re so annoying, Emma Roberts!”

<next chapter>