The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
THE KING OF ISRAEL!”
Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, YOUR KING IS COMING,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
Dialogue prompt: “Why won’t you just kiss me?” “I’m afraid if I do, I won’t be able to stop.”
The attraction between you and Andrew has been clear since your childhood. After a get-together at Simon and Eden’s house, you confide in one another, and relive your fondest memory.
Requested by Livvy
“—So then he didn’t go to yeshiva, but instead went to market, and let out all the sheep! It was chaos!” Andrew concludes a story about his older brother under chortling laughter, and you heave as you wipe under your eye at the vivid image of a teenage Simon being rebellious and wreaking havoc all through Capernaum. Eden chuckles and looks at her husband, planting a hand on her hip.
“You never told me you sent the entire village running after a bunch of sheep just because you didn’t feel like going to school that day.”
Simon shrugs and grins behind his cup. “Well, I didn’t exactly have good judgement back then. I do regret doing it. I can still remember the look on the shepherd’s face. Poor man…”
“Hindsight.” You and Andrew say in unison, causing your heart to skip a beat and share a look with the curly-haired fisherman. He smiles a bit at you, an expression which you mirror.
“Ah, remind me to apologise to him if we ever run into him on the streets again.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s already passed away,” Andrew says with a grimace, causing Simon to sigh and run a hand down his face before taking a long sip of wine.
“Well, so much for reconciliation.”
Eden walks around the table, topping up everyone’s cup of wine. Every so often, you let your leg bump into Andrew’s under the table, curious to see his reaction. The alcohol has you feel bolder about it and more confident. The son of Jonah has a sweet flush on his cheeks, but that may also be the wine doing its job. The roaring fireplace isn’t exactly helping the situation, either, for the house of Simon and Eden is a bit too warm for your liking.
Your hostess gladly provides you a cup of water when you request it, whilst you focus back on a memory from the past that suddenly pops up inside your head. “Do you guys remember that one time we sneaked into one of the barns and decided to have an impromptu sleepover in the hay? Our parents were terrified that something had happened to us.”
Andrew gasps and puts a hand over his mouth. “Oh, why did you have to bring that up? I had actively blocked that from my memory!” There is a hint of amusement in his voice. Simon snorts and shakes his head.
“If I recall correctly, we found them searching at the nearby creek the morning after. Your eema was crying her eyes out.”
A feeling of guilt colours your cheeks red. “We were so young and stupid.”
“Now we’re just stupid.” Andrew mutters, causing you to laugh as you take a long sip.
“Speak for yourself.”
Casting a glance outside, you notice the position of the moon as well as the amount of stars already speckling the sky. “It’s late already.”
“I didn’t even notice,” Eden says, smiling softly. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
You agree whole-heartedly, smiling as you down the rest of your wine. “In that case, let’s call it a night.”
“Let me walk you home,” Andrew instantly offers, causing you to give him an odd look at how quickly and eagerly he made that suggestion, but he has hidden himself behind his cup and takes a long drink from it, emptying it in a few long gulps. “I mean, it would be bad manners to have a lady walk alone in the dead of night.”
You give a playful roll of your eye as you stand up, heading over to the door to grab your cloak and put on your sandals. “I appreciate the gesture, An,” you say before turning to your hosts. “Thank you guys, for having us over. It has been way too long since we got together for dinner and spent our time reminiscing on the past.” You pull your cloak over your shoulders, “I suggest that next time, we’ll have dinner at my place.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Simon says while wrapping an arm around his wife, pulling her to his side. “You two get home safely now, alright? It’s long past Andrew’s bedtime.”
His younger brother snorts and shoves his shoulder before wrapping him into a tight embrace, whilst you hug Eden as well albeit less rough in nature. “Have a good night now, alright?” You greet Simon with an embrace as well before you step out of their home, into the cold night air. They stand on the threshold, waving at you and Andrew until you’re out of sight.
“That was fun,” you breathe contently, the pleasant buzz of the wine making you more open but not tipsy to the point you’ve had too much. Andrew nods, agreeing to your statement.
“It definitely was. We don’t see each other often enough, do we?"
You hum, smiling softly. “I thoroughly enjoy bringing up memories from the past.”
“The things we got up to as children… Unreal.” Andrew murmurs, “Honestly, I’m quite ashamed of some stuff. I recall a moment where we had this friend group that would dare each other to do the most ridiculous things.”
Your mouth falls open as you look at him. “Oh, for real! That one guy, what was his name again… Job? We were convinced that the guy didn’t have a conscience at all. Looking back, I don’t know whether we had developed one for ourselves, either. I mean, what person in their right mind would tell a kid to steal an entire bag of dates?”
Andrew snorts and chuckles, shaking his head. “If our parents only knew, we’d have given them grey hairs way earlier.”
You smile, a pleasant silence between you two as you walk towards your house. You aren’t looking forward to the moment of arrival, for even though a hint of tiredness has crept up behind your eyes, you are enjoying Andrew’s company too much for it to end already. You cast your eyes upwards to the sky, taking in the sight of the full moon. “The night is beautiful, don’t you think?” Andrew turns to you for a moment and grins.
“Yeah,” he agrees, taking in the sight of your look of awe for a moment before following your gaze to the stars. “I bet the view from the shore of the Sea of Galilee would be breath-taking.”
You hum, giving him a look. “It’s been a long while since I’ve walked there at night.”
“I guess that another nightly stroll is long overdue, then. Come on, for old times’ sake.”
The two of you take a left where you should have taken a right to reach your home, instead heading towards the lake where you had spent countless hours skipping stones and sharing stories, enjoying the sun and basking in the carefreeness of your childhood. You miss these times, when the world was still simple, at least to the mind of an innocent child.
The sand gets between your toes with every step, but you don’t mind it. It’s very reminiscent of easier times after all, and you hug your cloak a bit tighter around yourself against the wind. In silence, the two of you walk past the shores, your gaze flicking over to a familiar set of dunes a little on the side. They had been the witness of countless jokes, serious conversations and gentle late night talks. It had been the place where you’d hide from the outside world. These dunes had seen that fateful afternoon that Andrew had gingerly kissed you once and true. Although distant in years, it had been a memory you keep close to your heart. Had you not been clumsy teens, perhaps something could have bloomed from it.
When you look at Andrew, you notice that his gaze is on that same dune. “The things we’ve shared, huh?” he says with a slight hoarseness to his tone, which is quickly battled by a clearing of the throat, indicating that he must be replaying that same event inside his mind. “We ate the snacks we sneaked into our bags from home there and talked for hours about all kinds of nonsense.”
You fondly think back on the days where you’d have picnics consisting of your mothers’ fresh pastries and bread, figs picked from the trees hanging over garden walls, and the way it left your fingers and lips sweet and sticky. A quick trip to the shore to wash away the honey from a strand of hair that gotten stuck to your cheek. The way the grass tickled your face whenever you laid down in it, rosy-cheeked with full bellies.
“I miss these days,” you confess, “Back when we were younger. Closer.”
Andrew looks at you from the corner of his eye, admiring the way you look in the moonlight. “Me, too,” he admits, “We saw each other every day back then.”
“It’s crazy how things have changed. Now we’re lucky if we can meet up once a week,” you breathe, looking at the soft sand below your sandals, feeling yourself sink down into it with every step. “I wish we would do things like these more often. Now we are adults, and we are exhausted all the time.”
Neither of you says it out loud, moving back towards the village almost naturally at the mention of your shared tiredness. It’s getting late after all, and you know that being seen together at this hour would spark both rumours and other troubles. Capernaum is silent as Andrew speaks up.
“We’ve grown older and more boring, too.”
You smirk a bit. “Are you calling me boring?”
Andrew’s eyes widen and he chuckles. “No-no, I’m calling myself boring. I wouldn’t dare Simon to steal an apple anymore. Not you, you aren’t boring.”
You snort a laugh. “Maybe I have become boring, too,” you whisper.
The curly-haired man pokes your side, causing you to squirm. You swat at his hand but fail miserably.
“Don’t—”
“—I remember tickling you until the point you were slapping me.”
“It was annoying!” He pokes you again and you move away, glaring at him. “Maybe you still are!” There is humour in your voice. “Cut it out, I mean it!”
“Hm… Maybe you are boring now.” Andrew teases, stepping closer as you attempt to step away— Too late, he’s already onto you, moving his fingers over your sides as he gets you to shriek a laugh.
“Andrew, stop it— I will slap you!”
“Do it, I dare you! You’re way too proper for that kind of mischief now!”
“Don’t tempt me, you’re still that little annoying boy from—”
Your voice gets stuck in your throat as footsteps suddenly approach from around the corner, a flame dancing, growing larger as the noise becomes louder. Andrew quickly grabs your arm and pulls you into an abandoned alleyway. Holding your breath, you stand with your back against the wall as two patrolling soldiers pass, your heart racing inside your chest as you turn back to Andrew—
—He has got you trapped against the wall, his arms placed on both sides of your face. He seems to realise the position now, wanting to step away as he profusely starts to apologise.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t.” You’re slightly breathless as you are unsure whether you’re protesting his apology or the fact that he’s attempting to leave your proximity. “I— I mean… I like having you so close to me.”
He gulps visibly as he inspects your face, letting his gaze roam over it as it momentarily flicks down to your lips, then back up to your eyes. “I— I shouldn’t. It would be improper.”
“Andrew.” You whisper in such a soft tone that he freezes on the spot, “I was thinking about it just now and I know you were thinking about it too. That one afternoon in the dunes.”
His eyes glitter. “Yeah,” says he, licking his lips subconsciously. “I’m still not sure how it never… Never blossomed into more…”
“We were teens,” you say, “We were insecure and uncertain about everything. But I wasn’t unsure about you.”
Andrew’s eyes widen as he inspects you closer; the freckles and dimples on your face, every little perfect imperfection that he had grown to memorise, fondly so. “Me, neither,” he confesses, “I’ve always liked you, (Y/n). I’ve always wanted you.”
The buzz of the wine consumed earlier has worn off and instead settled into a different kind of confidence. “Why won’t you just kiss me?” you dare to ask upfront, “I’ve been waiting for so long for you to do it again…”
“I wasn’t sure if you felt the same, and I was too afraid to ask.”
You smile softly at his blush, cradling your hand into the crook of his neck. “Have my words not sparked enough certainty in you, now?” you softly query.
Andrew smiles, closing his eyes for a moment to resist a second longer. “And… I’m afraid that if I do, I won’t be able to stop.”
You bite your lip and smile, searching his face. “So… Don’t stop.”
He breathes a laugh, cheeks turning darker. As he leans closer, his fingers gently tilt up your chin, sparkling eyes looking down in yours. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
You remain silent.
“Last chance,” he murmurs, bringing his face closer to yours. You huff in amusement and lick your lips upon letting your gaze flick down to his. You remain silent. It’s enough encouragement for him to finally press his mouth to yours.
He tastes of wine and pomegranates, and a hint that you recall from back when you were younger. The kiss starts slow, both of you testing the waters, lips attempting to find a rhythm that works for both of you. It soon melts into something natural, something way less awkward than the kiss you had shared when you were children, and your stomach pools with butterflies and a longing to be closer to him.
Your fingers find the front of his tunic and pull him further down to your level, causing Andrew to softly hum into the kiss. It is a pleasant sound that sets your veins alight, and a little breathlessly, you need to pull away a few moments later. The two of you remain close, inhaling and exhaling puffs of one another’s breath. You can feel his teeth when he smiles, a sensation that makes you grin just as widely.
Andrew takes a deep breath and prepares to kiss you again, but you pull away at the last second, gazing into his dark eyes that glimmer with adoration. A little dazed, he meets yours. “Was it too much? Do you want me to—”
“—No,” you cut him off, “Bygones, no.” He smiles, chasing after your mouth again, but you giggle against his face. “Andrew… What are we, now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he murmurs, “I mean… We have yet to make it official, but… I’ll be paying your parents a visit soon.” Your eyes widen, even though you had fully expected him to. Hearing him confirm it out loud, however, sparks a different kind of feeling altogether; a tightening of the chest, a flutter of the heart, a heaviness in the knees at the realisation that you will be marrying the man you have loved for so long, at last.
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” you admit, smiling softly as you cup his cheek, thumbing through his beard. He hums a sound resembling a purr as he leans into your warm, soft palm.
“Me, too,” he says, “So I’ll do it as fast as I can.”
“Good,” you manage to get out right before he claims your mouth with his own again, lips fitting against yours perfectly, and you stand like that for a while longer until you can’t breathe anymore, whilst the full moon bears witness to your heartfelt confessions.
Okay Judean Beauty Contest time 🤣 which of the disciples as portrayed in the Chosen TV show do you find most attractive?
If you don't watch the show feel free to look at the pics below and give your vote.
And we're talking in show here because some of them are more attractive out of character (George Xanthis is much cuter than John imo) and some of them are cuter in character (Z is much more handsome than Alaa Safi sorry)
and the best looking guy in Galilee is...
Simon Peter
Andrew
Big James
John
Philip
Nathanael
Matthew
Thomas
Little James
Thaddeus
Simon "Z" the Zealot
Judas Iscariot
Voting ended onFeb 23, 2024
*yes I realize Yoshi Barrigas no longer plays Philip but he's the Philip we've had the most of on screen kinda like Abe's Big James so that's who I'm going with
