this event was for his birthday and I've changed it so now it end on my birthday because I had no time to finish it.
This won't be the best as this is(still) my first time trying to an event so please do wish me luck
anyone's free to join so if you want to participate you can I'd greatly appreciate it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is little to no rules for this event but I do ask you abide by the few I have.
• Be creative: though it's mostly writing anything is allowed as long as it's about law it counts,it could be short,long,a small doodle, a drawing or whatever all I ask is for creativity and hey even if you have any ideas you'd like to share with me for this event my asks are always open so feel free.
• You can participate however much or as little as you want, no pressure to complete every single day.
• Tag potential triggers and NSFW accordingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Current prompts
(feel free to leave suggestions for the blanks)
will be edited at a later date
(also they will be posted on the day their due sorry)
(26 SEP)Day 1: affection w/ law(currently Wip)
(27 SEP)Day 2: (days 1 and 2 r the same fic)
(28 SEP) Day 3: law with an insomniac lover <33
(29 SEP) Day 4: teasing law(drabble)
(30 SEP) Day 5: red towel(fluffy drabble abt life on the polar tang)
(1 OCT) Day 6: back massages(small self insert)
(2 OCT) Day 7: blind date
(3 OCT) Day 8: Finally submitting
(4 OCT) Day 9: That day(angst about minion island)
(5 OCT) Day 10: Making inappropriate suggestions
(6 OCT) Day 11: small birthday drabble and a smutty short fic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is all I've got so far but do feel free to participate or leave suggestions I'm looking forward to how this turns out.
If you do participate please tag me in it and also put STLEVNT or STL event (small Trafalgar law event) Sorry I'm uncreative with names so I apologise for that but anyway you could also tag animelover20s event if that's easier but I'm rather exited about this.
Warnings: lil bit of angst, but mostly just pining and fluff
A/N: Happy Valentines Day @fallingprincess! This is my gift to you for @dtfrogertaylor’s Somebody to Love event! I hope you enjoy it. Sorry it’s so ridiculously late, I recently got a new job and the training has taken up all of my time! This was my first time writing for Ben so I hope it’s okay :)
You couldn’t roll your eyes harder if you tried. The walls of the meeting hall were covered in tacky red and pink decor; you might have thought the organizers had bought every heart-shaped decoration in town. You were nursing a shitty beer as you watched the people around you mingle with borderline desperate enthusiasm. The whole event was a cringefest and you were unlucky enough to be a part of it.
Going was your best friend Grace’s idea. You had both found yourselves single for Valentine’s Day and when she saw the post about a singles event on Facebook, she wouldn’t shut up about it. You had politely declined, but she practically begged you to accompany her, insisting you needed to put yourself out there more. You had shrugged at her reasoning, arguing that you were in no rush to meet anyone right now. You were young and more focused on your blossoming career; you had plenty of time to meet someone and eventually settle down. But Grace had pushed and pushed, and you finally gave in (mostly to get her to leave you alone).
You glanced across the room where said best friend was chatting up some tall brunette who was waaaay too attractive to be at one of these things. You sighed, shaking your head as you leaned against the high top table and took another sip of beer. No one had come up to you in the last ten minutes and you couldn’t have been more relieved. You had hoped your annoyed expression would act as a deterrent long enough for either Grace to meet someone and leave with them, giving you an excuse to make an exit, or the event to end.
“You look almost as miserable as I am,” said a husky voice next to you. You turned to find a blonde with piercing green eyes mirroring your stance at the high top table next to yours. You gave him a quick once-over before smirking. Another guy at the event who was way too good-looking to be single.
“I can assure you, most people here are miserable,” you countered. “They’re just pretending not to be. I am, however, embracing it.” You gestured to yourself with your beer. The blonde chuckled before moving to stand next to you.
“I assume you’re not here by choice,” the blonde commented. “Let me guess. Friend dragged you here?” You smiled and turned to look at him, almost thrown by just how gorgeous his face was.
“You too, huh?” you asked. The blonde returned your smile before nodding towards the other side of the room.
“The tall, gangly, brunette lad over there trying to shoot his shot with that girl who’s out of his league,” he replied. You threw your head back in laughter, causing the man’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.
“Small world, blondie,” you joked. “Your ‘gangly’ mate happens to be attempting to flirt with my best friend, Grace.” The man took a sip of his beer and leaned on the high top, copying your stance once again.
“Gwilym and Grace. It’s got a ring to it. Maybe they’ll fall in love, get engaged, and we’ll drink shitty beer together as best man and maid of honor,” he suggested with a wink. You snickered and rolled your eyes.
“Here’s hoping. Then we’d never have to get dragged to one of these dumb things again.”
“I’ll cheers to that.”
You clinked your bottles and each took a sip before sharing another laugh.
“I’m Ben, by the way,” he said, sticking out his hand. You told him your name and returned the handshake before turning your attention back to the couples sprinkled around the room.
The two of you spent the rest of the evening people-watching and exchanging commentary about the people around you.
“Dude, check out that guy’s pit stains!” you pointed out, nudging Ben with your elbow.
“He hasn’t stopped talking for a second to let that poor girl speak,” Ben replied. “You can see the light in her eyes slowly dying.”
The banter went on for another hour, until eventually the room started to clear out as the event ended.
Gwilym and Grace didn’t fall in love and get married. In fact, Grace didn’t even leave the event with anyone’s number, declaring the entire venture to be a letdown.
You, however, left the event finding yourself a new friend.
You and Ben clicked instantly, and you quickly found yourself hanging out with him on a regular basis. The two of you would watch trashy tv shows and add your own commentary, making each other laugh until the late hours of the night. Weekly lunch meetups became the standard every Friday, the two of you determined to explore the entire culinary scene of the city.
Ben became your best friend quickly. Well, another best friend. You adored Grace, but hanging with Ben was less…exhausting. It was like the two of you had known each other for years. You felt comfortable telling him things you didn’t even trust Grace with. You had even given him a copy of your apartment key, claiming you were too lazy to get up and let him in yourself every time he came over.
It seemed like Ben had embraced your instant connection just as much. You were the person he called when he needed a plus one to a family wedding. You were the person he trusted to watch Frankie when he was away for work. You were the person he called if he was having a rough night, and you were always there in an instant.
You didn't know when it happened. There wasn’t an “aha” moment. It just crept up on you slowly. Your normal excitement for hangout sessions with Ben turned into anxiety and giddiness. You started to care more and more about how your hair looked or what you were wearing when you were going to see him. What used to be friendly, platonic hugs and touches started to cause your stomach to flutter and warmth to travel to your cheeks. You started to count down the hours between each time you were to see him.
Plain and simple: you had developed feelings for your best friend.
You convinced yourself it wasn’t a problem. You were pretty good at compartmentalizing. Was it healthy? Probably not. But you figured you’d either get over it or meet someone else and lose interest in Ben. The only thing you cared about was preserving the friendship. The thought of Ben suddenly not being in your life anymore was painful to think about. So you went about your business, silently pining from afar, and everything was fine.
Time passed quickly as your friendship blossomed, and suddenly it was the beginning of February again. You couldn’t believe it had almost been a year since you and Ben had met. It seemed like just yesterday, while at the same time it didn’t feel like you had only known him a year.
It was a Monday morning. You were at work looking at your calendar when you realized your weekly lunch meetup was set to fall on Valentine’s Day, giving you the perfect opportunity to spend your “Friendaversary” together. You pulled out your phone to text Ben.
You: we still on for lunch as usual on fri?
Ben: of course! i think it’s your turn to pick a place :P
You: let’s go to that italian place that we keep walking past and saying we’re gonna try it and never do
Ben: perfect, i could go for some pasta
You: you always want pasta
Ben: let me LIVE, doofus
You chuckled and shook your head lovingly at the nickname Ben always called you. You felt your stomach flutter again at the interaction before you started to put your phone away, but it buzzed again.
Ben: OH i forgot to tell you! i met someone!
You felt your heart skip a beat.
You: someone?
Ben: a girl! i asked her out tonight and she didn’t run away in terror! her name is chloe
Chloe. Suddenly you hated the name. Your stomach churned unpleasantly at the thought of Ben seeing someone. All this time, you assumed you would meet someone or simply move on from your feelings for him. You never even entertained the notion that he would be the one to meet someone first.
But you had to play the part of the supportive best friend. Ben would know something was up if you didn’t.
You: nice! you’ll have to fill me in on how it goes
Ben: obviously. wish me luck!
You locked your phone and shoved it into your desk drawer with a huff.
You spent the rest of the day moping around the office, barely getting anything done. You couldn’t stop thinking about Ben and his dumb date that night. Your mind raced with questions that you almost didn’t want to know the answers to. How did they meet? When did they meet? Was she pretty? Did she make him laugh? The morbidly curious side of your brain wanted to know every detail, but the logical side of your brain knew that the less you knew, the better.
That night you found yourself bitterly chomping on chips and spinach dip as you watched some random cooking show. You were trying desperately to distract yourself from Ben, but nothing was working. You hated how jealous you were feeling. Why did you have to get this stupid crush in the first place? Ben was an amazing friend, and here you were feeling sorry for yourself instead of happy that your friend had met someone.
Your phone buzzed on the coffee table. You groaned when you saw the notification: a text from Ben. You didn’t open it, but the preview was all you needed to see.
*New Text Message* Ben: tonight was amazing! i think we really hit it off…
Of course they did. Who wouldn’t hit it off with Ben? He was charming, attractive, and funny. If you were being honest, it was surprising that in the almost-year you knew him, he hadn’t been on any dates until now.
You let out another groan and grabbed your phone, heading to your room to call it an early night. You hoped a good night’s sleep would cure your crabbiness.
The next few days went by in a blur. You focused all of your energy into work. The number of unread texts from Ben grew and grew, but you couldn’t bring yourself to open them. By the time Friday morning came around, you had sixteen unread messages from the man. It suddenly occurred to you that there was a possibility that Ben had cancelled your lunch meetup in one of those texts. You finally bit the bullet and pulled your phone out to open the texts.
Ben: tonight was amazing! i think we really hit it off. i might ask her out again this weekend. or is that too soon?
Ben: what even is a good second date activity? is cooking dinner for her too much?
Ben: i assume you fell asleep early. call me sometime tomorrow so i can fill you in!
Ben: hey doofus! text me back! i know you’re bored at work!
Ben: ready to die of cuteness?
Ben: [picture of Frankie on her back with a toy in her mouth]
Ben: you okay dude?
Ben: seriously i’m starting to get worried
Ben: did i do something? or not do something?
Ben: i don’t know what’s going on, but i’m going out with chloe again tonight if you want to hang out after
Ben: please talk to me, i want to fix whatever i did
Ben: i honestly have no idea what’s going on, you gotta help me out here
Ben: i’m really worried about you, doofus. i texted grace and she said you’ve been kind of down lately. did something happen?
Ben: you usually always talk to me about this kind of stuff
Ben: you haven’t even opened any of these
Ben: just let me know if you’re okay
Your heart broke at the desperation in his messages. Here you were pushing him away for such selfish reasons. To Ben, you were disappearing out of the blue. He was genuinely concerned for you, and all you were doing was being a jealous asshole. So you decided to finally respond.
You: sorry bud, i’ve just been having a bad week. i’m sorry for making you worried. i’ll explain it all at lunch later.
You shook your head and sighed as you hit send. You owed Ben an explanation. And while you cringed at the thought of telling him how you felt about him, you couldn’t keep acting this way. At the end of the day, Ben was your best friend, and you should be happy for him if he found someone who made him happy. Your phone buzzed almost immediately.
Ben: shit. i didn’t realize what day it was. i have tickets to a matinee movie with chloe in a few hours. raincheck? also good to know you’re still breathing doofus, i missed ya :)
You could literally feel your heart sink. He was cancelling your weekly lunch meetup for her. The two of you had never missed a weekly lunch meetup. And of all weeks to miss. It was your Friendaversary for fuck’s sake. He probably didn’t even remember. He was probably taking Chloe out for Valentine’s. How could you be so stupid? Your days-long mini temper tantrum had driven him right into Chloe’s arms.
You didn’t respond. You left him on read and shoved your phone into your desk drawer. You watched as your coworkers received Valentine’s Day flowers and chocolates and other gifts while you sat there moping.
When the time came for your lunch break, you had zero appetite.
Later that night, you were grumpily watching one of your favorite movies and drowning your sorrows in a bottle of wine when you heard the jingle of keys outside your door. You furrowed your eyebrows as your front door opened; Grace was out of town for the weekend so you weren’t expecting her back until Monday.
Your confusion was sated as soon as you heard a familiar husky voice call your name. Ben.
You sighed and slumped even further into the couch. Right, he had a key.
“In here,” you called. Ben appeared in your living room, a look of concern on his face.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t we friends anymore?” he asked suddenly, a twinge of anger in his voice. You sat up, taking a deep breath to calm your pounding heart. He crossed his arms, waiting for your answer.
“We are friends,” you replied, your voice small. You weren’t ready for this conversation, nor were you prepared for him to be angry with you.
“You sure about that? Because you’ve stopped talking to me almost entirely,” Ben snapped back. “Was it something I did?” There was desperation in his voice. The same desperation you felt through his texts.
“It’s complicated,” you answered. To say you were unprepared was an understatement. You hadn’t once thought about exactly how you were going to tell Ben how you felt about him.
Ben moved to sit next to you on the couch. Your heart was practically beating right out of your chest. Between the fact that you were about to confess the only thing you’d ever kept secret from him and how fucking close he was sitting to you, you were surprised you didn’t pass out.
“We tell each other everything,” Ben stated. “What changed? Just tell me so I can fix it.”
“You can’t fix it!” you suddenly burst out. Ben shifted back, clearly surprised by your sudden change in tone. He didn’t say anything, he simply waited patiently for you to continue, that look of worry still painted on his face. You took a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been handling all of this very well. I just…” You drifted off, unsure of how to phrase it. Your eyes met Ben’s bright green ones and you felt your resolve slipping.
“I have feelings for you,” you explained, looking down at your lap so you could avoid Ben’s stare. “Beyond friendship. I’ve felt like this for awhile, and I figured it would either go away, or I’d meet someone and move on. I never thought about what would happen if you met someone.” You let out a small sigh of relief. Now that the words were out there, you felt slightly better. When Ben didn’t say anything, you continued. “I’m sorry for disappearing on you. I was jealous and handled it like a child. But you’re my best friend and I want you to be happy. If Chloe makes you happy, then I’m all for it.”
Ben still didn’t say anything. You finally looked up at him and were met with those familiar emerald eyes. His face was unreadable and your heart sunk for what felt like the tenth time that day. Panic set in, and you could feel yourself getting worked up.
“Please say something,” you whispered, trying desperately to keep yourself from crying.
Ben shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face. He gently placed a hand on your cheek. You froze at the touch, biting your lip as you waited for his next move.
“You are such a doofus,” Ben stated before crashing his lips onto yours.
You were still frozen in slight shock, but after a few seconds you relaxed into the kiss, massaging your lips against his. It was better than you had ever imagined. You reached up to weave your fingers into his blonde locks as you deepened the kiss. The two of you moved like that for what felt like hours but was probably only seconds. You pulled away gently to catch your breath, but Ben kept his forehead pressed against yours. You couldn’t help but laugh, and Ben joined you as the two of you sat there holding each other on your couch.
“I have been practically obsessed with you since we met,” Ben finally said, pulling away to look at you.
“And I’m the doofus?” you joked, earning another laugh from Ben. “How come you didn’t say anything?”
“Never in a million years did I think you’d ever see me that way,” he replied, caressing your cheek with his thumb.
“Guess we were both doofuses,” you countered, earning another laugh from Ben.
“Guess so,” he agreed before leaning in to press his lips to yours once again. After a few moments, he pulled away suddenly. “Oh! Happy Friendaversary!”
“You remembered?” you commented, nudging him with your shoulder.
“Of course I did,” Ben answered, as if he was offended you’d ever suggest the opposite. “How could I forget the anniversary of meeting my favorite person in the world?” You felt heat in your cheeks again as you beamed back at him. A thought occurred to you, giving you pause.
“What about Chloe?” you asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“I ended up canceling our movie date because I was stressing about you,” Ben confessed. “I like Chloe, but I didn’t see it going anywhere anyway. I was too caught up on you.” Your smile returned and he mirrored it. “Come here, you.” He pulled you closer to him, moving your legs to drape across his lap.
You instinctively reached for his hand, interlacing your fingers with his. The two of you had always been touchy with your affection, but never this much. But now it just felt right.
“Sorry for being such a doofus about everything,” you said before bringing Ben’s hand up to place a gentle kiss on his knuckles. Ben’s face lit up, giving you a bright smile.
summary || the fact that you’re late to work in the morning is not your fault. the fault lies with Joe, the cute guy who works at the coffee shop that’s just a little too far out of your way to be convenient.
rating || explicit (18+ only). do not read if you are under eighteen. the smut is only towards the end - before that, it’s just fluff.
word count || 3.3k.
author’s notes || thank you SO MUCH @queenmylovely for your patience. here, finally, a week late, is your stl fic, and i am your secret valentine. sorry i did a bit of a rubbish job at it! thanks again to @dtfrogertaylor for creating and hosting the event.
masterlist
Yes, you’re going to be late for work again. Yes, you know you should just go to the coffee shop that’s on the way. Or at least you should’ve left earlier if you knew you were going to the coffee shop.
The coffee shop. The one with the cute boy who works there on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings.
The cute boy who always makes you late. Well, he doesn’t make you late. But his existence makes you late, because you always go out of your way three times a week to see him, and you somehow always forget that it really is quite considerably out of your way.
Does that make you sad? Maybe. But there are worse things in life.
He greets you with a big smile, as he always does. His eyes are dark brown; his hair is reddish. He remembers your coffee order, as he always does, too. And your name.
His name is Joe. You know that from his nametag. But you don’t know much else about him.
You stand to the side and watch him work as you wait for your coffee. He has a particular cadence to his voice, a way he nods and shakes his head as he speaks. When he’s standing idle, waiting for customers, he plays with his fingers.
It’s been six months since the first time you visited this coffee shop one fateful Monday, totally on a whim. The coffee is good – it’s better when Joe makes it, but it’s never bad coffee – so you came back the next week on the Wednesday, and that’s when you saw Joe for the first time.
To call it ‘love at first sight’ is a bit dramatic. But it wasn’t far off. It took a few weeks to figure out his schedule, but when you did, it became part of your routine.
You’re not super proud of it. You tell yourself you’re building up the courage to ask him out on a date. But six months is an awfully long time to build up courage. Now it just feels a bit like stalking.
You watch as he keeps half an eye on the coffee being made behind him as he serves customers. Then, at some point, he ducks away from the register to take a coffee out of the barista’s hand, so he can bring it over to the counter. You’re standing right by, but he calls your name anyway.
This is also part of the whole song-and-dance the two of you have: he’s always the one to give you your coffee, even if it’s not him who has made it. He always calls your name, and it makes your heart sing.
“Thank you, Joe,” you say, taking the coffee from him.
“You’re most welcome, [Y/N],” he says. He talks fairly quickly, in that unusual cadence, and his eyes are warm. “I hope you have a lovely day.”
“You too,” you say.
“Thank you,” he says.
“You’re most welcome,” you reply.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Sure will.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Likewise.”
“Joe,” says the barista, smacking Joe with her tea towel, and Joe flinches. “Customers.”
“Right, sorry,” Joe says. He turns back to you. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” you say with a smile.
“Joe.”
“Sorry, jeez.” Joe shoots you an apologetic smile, and hops back to the register.
It’s usually how the morning goes. Your boss gives you a talking-to for being late, and you apologise and promise it won’t happen again.
It will. But it’s worth it.
And at night, if a certain face pops into your head while you’re having some… personal time, then that’s your business, isn’t it?
-
You check your phone as you hurry towards the coffee shop. Late again. Later than usual, actually. The neighbour’s dog kept you up all last night with its incessant barking. Why the hell would anyone get a dog if they couldn’t be bothered to train it? Now the dog’s miserable, and the owners would be miserable, and everyone on the block is miserable. Idiots.
There’s a text from your friend Josie. We still on for brunch tomorrow?
Uh, yeah, you text back, and almost run into someone passing you. It’s galentine’s day, can’t miss that.
The coffee shop door opens, and you almost get smacked in the face. You apologise to the person exiting, even though you don’t really have anything to apologise for, and slip into the café.
The walls are dotted with posters advertising the café’s special Valentine’s Day-themed lattes and snacks. You almost consider getting one – the raspberry white chocolate latte looks pretty good, actually, and maybe you could ask for an extra shot of espresso to wake you up – but then you hear your name.
Joe’s there at the serving counter, setting down a coffee. He meets your eyes, and grins – your stomach flips – and gestures to your coffee.
You wander over, confused. “But I…”
“You were late,” Joe says with a shrug. “Figured you’d need it to go in a hurry.”
You feel a beaming smile burst onto your face before you can help it, and you gratefully take the coffee, curling your hands around it. “Oh, Joe, that’s so sweet of you,” you say, and Joe’s ears turn red.
He shrugs again, glancing away, flustered, and you giggle.
“Let me pay, at least,” you say.
“No need,” Joe says. “It’s on the house.”
Your mouth falls open. “No, Joe, I can’t–”
“Go on, you’re gonna be late,” Joe says, cutting you off. “Just – look at the cup before you throw it out.”
You frown, and lift the cup to look, but Joe blurts out, “Not now! Later. When you’re done.”
“Customers, Joe,” the barista says tiredly.
“Thank you,” you say. “I’ll see you next week.”
“Yeah,” Joe says, after half a beat too long. “Yeah, see you then. Have a good day.”
“You too,” you say, and hurry out the door.
You want to check the cup as soon as you can, but first you have to make sure you won’t get fired.
You’re lucky your boss likes you so much.
By the time you get to work and settle in, you’ve almost forgotten what Joe told you, and it’s only when you’ve finished your coffee and are about to throw it out when black handwriting on the cup catches your eye.
It’s hard to read – it was obviously done in a rush – but it’s a message and a phone number.
Too chicken to ask you face to face, the message says. Go out w/ me on Valentine’s Day? Joe x
You let out a tiny squeak of excitement, ignoring the confused looks sent your way.
You whip out your phone and send the text straight away. It’s [Y/N]. How does dinner sound?
-
Joe insists on going all old-fashioned, picking you up and bringing you flowers. “I’m trying to woo you,” he says when you protest all the effort as you carry the flowers into the kitchen. “I can’t woo you if you won’t let me.”
“You don’t need to woo me,” you say with a laugh.
“I want to,” Joe says.
You pause, turning back to smile at him, and the smile he gives you in return in excited and eager and just a little bit shy, and you say, “Okay. You can woo me.”
You find a vase, and set the flowers in your living room.
“You look beautiful, by the way,” Joe says.
You look down at your outfit to avoid his gaze. You’re dressed up, sure, but you’re not exactly red carpet ready. “Oh, thanks,” you say with a chuckle. You glance up at him, and blurt out, “You too.”
Joe beams. “Thank you,” he says. Then he holds out his arm. “Shall we go?”
You scoff at his gesture, but hook your arm through his, and he leads you out to the car.
It feels like a breath of fresh air to finally get to know Joe on more than a superficial level. He tells you about his family, his favourite movies and food and drink, where he grew up. He tells you about his friends, and the mischief he got up to when he was growing up.
He asks about you, too, and you have a feeling he’s been dying to know more about you just as you have with him. He asks so many questions that you almost feel self-conscious about how much you’re talking, but he listens so intently that you can’t help but answer every single question he asks.
He’s booked you both into a nice restaurant. Italian. Not too fancy, but still a little bit nicer than you’d usually shoot for on a first date. It thrills you to no end.
“I hope this isn’t too much,” Joe says as he pulls your chair out for you to sit down. “I just…” He scratches behind his ear. “Y’know, I’ve sorta wanted to ask you out for a few months now, and I got really excited when you said yes, so I guess I– I just kinda went for it with the restaurant. I hope it doesn’t…” He chuckles awkwardly. “Hope it doesn’t scare you off or anything.”
“No,” you say, shaking your head. “No, I…” The fact that you wanted to impress me and that you’ve wanted to ask me out for so long is probably the best thing ever. “I feel very much wooed. And I quite like it, I think.”
“Oh, good,” Joe says, and the relief is unmistakable.
First dates are usually awkward, and, as much as you like Joe, you’re still expecting the awkwardness.
But it never comes. It’s like you’ve known each other for years.
He’s funny, but you knew that already. You end up accidentally choking on your wine from a joke of his, and he apologises profusely in between his bouts of laughter. You both frantically try to stifle your giggles – and you your extremely unladylike hacking coughs – shrinking down in your seats as you’re given unimpressed looks from other patrons.
You quickly find out that he’s an avid baseball fan. ‘Avid’ might be too mild a descriptor. His eyes light up when you ask about it, and he launches into a detailed description of his favourite team and his favourite player and his favourite game that he’s ever watched. You watch in awe and delight as he grows more and more animated, gesturing wildly with his hands, and it’s only after he eventually draws to a close that he realises how loud his voice has become.
He hunkers down in his seat again. “Sorry,” he says with a sheepish grin. “I really like baseball.”
“Don’t apologise,” you say. “I think it’s great.”
“I know I can be really loud,” he adds. “My friends give me shit for it all the time. Sorry.”
“I don’t care,” you say with a shrug. “You said you were Italian, weren’t you?”
Joe snorts a laugh. “Yeah,” he chuckles. “Yeah, that also explains the, uh–”
“The gesturing?” you say, at the same time Joe says, “The hand gestures.”
“Yeah,” Joe says, and he laughs.
He looks down at his meal, suddenly quiet, and he twirls some spaghetti around his fork. “Maybe I could take you to a, uh, a game,” he says, glancing up at you. “Some time. If you’d like.”
You bite on your bottom lip, nodding. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”
Joe’s smile, the look in his eyes, sends a bolt of heat all through your body. “Okay,” he says, nodding as well. “Yeah, cool.”
You offer to share a dessert, and Joe happily accepts. It’s some pricey piece of chocolate cake with peanut praline that looks better than it tastes, as most pricey desserts do, but it’s worth it to have Joe’s hand close to yours as you both dig at the slice with your forks.
The smiles you’re both exchanging now have a certain unmistakable weight to them that makes your stomach bloom with butterflies. You catch Joe’s eyes wandering down your neck a couple of times, although he does his best to hide it.
You both eat dessert a little more quickly than is warranted.
Despite Joe’s overwhelming need to woo, you refuse to let him pay for the whole meal. He tries to talk you out of it, saying that it wasn’t fair of you to pay when you didn’t choose the venue, but you’re not having it. You end up splitting it, and Joe mumbles an abashed ‘thank you’.
You’re both still chatty and excitable on the drive home, but there’s extra jitters in the air. Nothing has been discussed about what comes next, but it’s easy to tell where it’s going to go.
Joe parks outside your flat. Pulls the handbrake.
The car falls silent.
“Thanks for coming out with me,” Joe says, looking to you. His cheeks are flushed from the wine, and you desperately want to kiss him. “I had a really nice time.”
“I did too,” you say. “Thanks for driving me.”
“No problem,” Joe says.
You both look at each other. Waiting.
You lean in first, capturing his lips in yours. He kisses back without hesitation, cupping your cheek in his palm.
You’d meant for it to be short and sweet, but now that you’ve started, you’re finding it hard to stop, and Joe seems to feel the same way.
Eventually, though, you break away, and ask a little shakily, “You wanna come up?”
“Yeah,” Joe says. You think he was aiming for casual, but it’s far too easy to read the eagerness in his voice.
-
“God, Joe,” you breathe as Joe presses a kiss to the inside of your thigh.
He gives you a heated smile. “Good?”
“Yeah,” you say. “Yeah, so good.”
He crawls up your body again, holding himself up above you, and he kisses you deeply. You coax his mouth open, and you taste traces of yourself on his tongue.
You roll him over, straddling him, and kiss him again once before reaching over to your bedside table, yanking the drawer open and fumbling for a condom. Joe’s hands slide down your sides, over your ribs, the curve of your waist. You pull out a condom and rip open the packing, and he wordlessly takes it from you and rolls it onto himself.
You grind against him, hissing at the feeling of him, hot and hard, and he grips your hips, gasping out, “Fuck.”
You kiss him again, and it’s all tongue and teeth, and then he’s taking his cock and stroking the tip through you a few times. Your hand joins his, and you hold him steady as you sink down onto him slowly, taking him inch by inch.
Joe moans, deep and rough. “Shit.” He holds your waist in one hand and the bedsheets in the other, like he’s not quite sure what to do with himself.
“You feel so good,” you say, your breathing ragged, and you settle in his lap, giving an experimental wiggle of your hips.
Joe lets out a laugh, and you smile. “What?”
“Nothing,” he says. “You just feel… fuckin’ great.”
You hum. “Thanks,” you say teasingly, and rock forward.
Joe’s hips buck against yours. “Oh my God, please move,” he says, his voice tight.
You do, grinding against him, and you brace yourself on his chest as you pick up speed, bouncing his lap, and he lifts his hips to meet yours.
He hisses out your name, holding tightly onto your hips, and then he surges forward, sitting up and rolling you both over.
You let out a small yelp of surprise, and he says a quick apology before burying himself in you again, and you yank him down for a kiss as he thrusts in and out of you. You wrap your legs around his waist, and he takes a moment to adjust to take hold of one of your knees and press it up against your chest, and you whine at the feeling.
“Joe, fuck, just like that,” you gasp, and he drives into you hard, burying his face in your neck, and you claw at his shoulders.
“You feel so fucking good,” he says weakly, “oh my God.”
“You gonna come?” you ask him.
He makes a sound you guess is meant to be uh-huh, and you wriggle a hand in between the two of you to rub your clit. He mouths at your throat, and lets go of your knee to brace himself on the bed again.
You can feel yourself rapidly building, and Joe takes a moment to pause and gather himself, adjusting his arms on the bed. You’re both panting and sweaty, and Joe kisses you as he picks up again, just thrusting slowly, watching you carefully, his eyes dark and hot on your face.
You’re still massaging your clit, still climbing, and you whimper, your back arching.
“That’s it, touch yourself,” Joe breathes. “Want you to come on my cock.”
“Shit, Joe,” you say, almost in surprise, and Joe smirks.
“Well, it’s true,” he says, and you giggle, then gasp when he does a particularly harder thrust.
He starts speeding up again, hitting you deep, and it feels so good, and you’re getting closer and closer.
He drops his head to your shoulder again, and he moans, his hips jerking erratically. “Fuck, I’m gonna…”
You grab at his back with your free hand, squeezing your legs tighter around him, urging him on. “Yes, Joe, come on.”
You’re on the edge yourself, and your hard is growing tired, but it’s hard to care when you’re so close, you’re so close, and then Joe’s hips snap against you, and he stills as he comes, moaning out your name. His body heaves as he tries to catch his breath, and he pushes himself up and presses his forehead to yours, gripping your hip with one hand as his hips move a few more times, whispering words of encouragement. It’s just enough to push you over the edge, and you let out a broken moan, twitching and shuddering, and he dots kisses all over your cheeks, the corner of your lips, your temple.
When you’ve come down from your orgasm, he eases himself out of you and flops down on the bed next to you. You both look at each other, and smile widely.
“Consider me officially wooed,” you say, and Joe laughs breathlessly.
“Consider me officially wooed,” he says. “Holy shit.” He rolls over and kisses you, and you smile against his lips.
He breaks away to take off the condom and throw it in the bin in the corner of your room, and then joins you back on the bed.
“You gonna kick me out?” he asks, dragging you in closer by your waist. It’s half-joking, half-serious, and you smooth your hand over his shoulder, pretending to think about it.
“Not yet,” you say. “But I am expecting you to make me some very good coffee in the morning.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Joe says. His thumb circles your hip. “It’s about how good the coffee beans are. I don’t really do anything to make it taste better.”
“Nonsense,” you say. “You’ve got the magic touch.”
Joe quirks a brow. “Oh, do I?” he purrs suggestively.
You laugh. “Oh, I see, it’s like that, is it?”
Joe steals a few kisses. “You’re just too hard to resist,” he murmurs.
You hum approvingly. “Well, Happy Valentine’s Day to me,” you say chirpily, and Joe huffs a laugh, then pulls you in impossibly closer, kissing you like it’s his last day on Earth.
The coffee he makes you the next morning is the best coffee you’ve ever had.
Valentine’s Day with Brian: You and Brian planned everything. This time it would be different and both of you agreed to opt for a quiet day outdoors. So after a peaceful trip to the museum, you and Brian decide to relax for a romantic picnic and enjoy each other’s company, talking about life and watching the day go by. Just the two of you.
This is our Valentine’s Day gift for @drivenbybri for @dtfrogertaylor’s Somebody To Love event.
Summary: Little snippets of your and Ben’s childhood friendship and when you finally realized you loved him.
A/N: Hi everyone! This is for DTFRogertaylor’s Valentine’s Day event! I got the ever lovely @killer-queen-xo. I hope you enjoy the story! I had a ton of fun writing it and sorry it’s a day late!
Pairing: Ben Hardy x F!Reader
Warnings: Language, angst, lots of fluff
Word Count: 4.8k
When you broke your arm, 6 years old
A knock at your front door alerted your parents to guests, they opened the door to reveal a nice looking woman, an older man and a young boy around your age. The grown ups talked and you were told to “Go out side and play with Ben, sweetie.” Reluctantly you agreed to follow this chubby cheeked blonde haired boy outside to your back yard.
“I’m Ben.” He gave you a big grin, you felt slightly jealous that he had already lost his first tooth. You could tell by big gap in his grin.
“I’m [Y/N],” you offered shyly.
Your folks were still in the middle of unpacking, only having just arrived that morning which unfortunately meant your outside toys were packed away. But, you followed Ben’s gaze to the large oak tree that stood in the middle of your back yard, “I bet you cant get to the top.” Ben challenged you.
You shy timid nature was suddenly shattered, Ben had no idea how seriously your five year old self too challenges, especially from some smug boy “I can do it.” You retorted, running towards the tree as fast as your tiny legs could carry you.
You easily caught your footing on the seemingly perfect placed tree branches and up, up, up you went, “I told you I could do it!” You shouted back at Ben. Your leg slipped on one of the thinning branches and your heart thumped loudly in your chest. You put on a brave face and turned, sitting on a tree branch and looking down to where Ben looked like a tiny ant. You could see everything from up here, well just the tops of the surrounding neighborhood houses, but to your small mind it felt like you could see the whole world.
Ben grinned manically up at you “I cant believe you did it!” He shouted, “I’m gonna come up!” He scrambled towards the base of the climbing tree.
Your watched him run to the base of the tree and suddenly it felt as though you climbed too high. You looked around and attempted to find a place to lower yourself, but the branches became a jumbled mess. You felt overwhelmed and your chest began to heave with nervousness, “Wait!” You yelled back, sounding terrified, “Don’t come up until I come down, I need help.” You felt tears pricking at your vision and sniffed, wiping your eyes.
“Don’t worry!” He looked up at you and held his arms out bravely, “I got you!” He promised.
You shook your head, “I cant do it.” Your vision went blurry and your shoulders shook from crying.
Ben’s face softened “Just jump,” he urged you, “I’ll catch you I promise!”
For some reason, you believed him.
You waved in and out of consciousness, remembering your father carrying you to the car. Ben apologizing frantically and what seemed like an endless number of doctors until you finally woke up.
Your arm was broken in three spots from your fall, it was going to heal just fine but for now you had on an ugly flesh tone cast that prevented you from moving it. You looked around the hospital room, past your parents, “Is Ben here?” You asked eagerly.
Your mother and father looked at each other with slightly apprehensive looks on their face, “Yeah, he’s in the waiting room sweetie.” Your mom said.
“I wanna show him my cast! Can he sign it?” You asked moving your arm, but wincing at the pain.
Your mom sighed, “Yeah I’ll go get him.” She said before walking to the waiting room.
Within a few minutes Ben and his folks filled the room, “Aw man! I thought you died!” Ben grinned at you and scrambled up to sit next to you on the hospital mattress, avoiding his mother’s scolding remarks. He made himself comfortable and sat cross legged, “I thought I really could catch you, you know, but then I didn’t and you just hit the ground like a sack of rocks. You shudda seen your arm!” He eagerly babbled on and on about your fall, and you listened.
When he finished his story you held your arm out to show off your cast, “I want you to be the first on to sign it!” You grinned at him.
Ben looked at you in awe. Signing a cast was a big deal.
Well according to the two of you it was .
He messily scrawled his name down, the letters looking wobbly and unpracticed, “When you break your arm I’ll be the first one to sign it too, promise?” You asked looking up at him wide eyed.
Ben’s brows knit together, “I promise.” He answered back sounding determined.
————
Your First Boyfriend, 18 years old
You were 18 and it was your first year at University, you met Jake in an English class. He offered to edit your papers and wore button downs every day you saw him in class. Naturally a college romance blossomed.
You couldn’t get enough of him, he was funny, smart, charming; truly a package deal. You couldn’t wait to introduce him to your high school best friend, Ben, this was what would seal the deal.
In the weeks leading up to your planned dinner together, you would not stop talking about Jake to Ben.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for you to meet him!” You practically squealed on the phone.
Ben laughed and the phone line crackled, “You’ve been talking about him nonstop for the last three days.” You could hear the grin in his voice and as he spoke.
You laid on your lumpy dorm mattress and looked up at the white painted ceiling, “I know, I’m just excited is all.” You matched his grin, “I think the two of you are really gonna hit it off. He’s into sports too you know.”
“Is that all your basing our friendship off of?” Ben quipped, teasing you, “You know a lot of people like sports.”
After your phone call, you laid back onto your bed. A sudden wave of nerves washing over you; what if he and Ben didn’t get along? What if Ben was different? It was going to be the first time the two of you saw each other since your college moves. Your nerves and excitement churned your tummy in an unpleasant way and kept you awake for most of the night.
You tossed and turned, moving your pillow around, adjusting your blankets, and listening to the rowdy college students that walked through the hallways.
The following morning when you met Ben at the train station, he greeted you with a big warm hug. You inhaled his scent, it reminded you of home.
“So where is this Jake guy?” Ben pressed, throwing his bag into your car.
You shrugged, “He had class this morning so he couldn’t come with, but don’t worry you’ll meet him at dinner!” You tapped at the steering wheel nervously.
Ben told you all about his acting coach and how much he loved living in London. His eyes were bright with excitement as he talked, it caused a surge of warmth to spread through your chest. Ben was always so animated when he talked about something he was passionate for.
Getting to spend the whole day with Ben was exciting and nice, seeing him reminded you of home and back when you weren’t piled neck deep in essays. But, dinner time was what you were truly excited for; your two favorite boys getting to meet each other at last.
You showered and dressed in the bathroom attached to your dorm suite while Ben waited patiently for you to finish getting ready. You wore something casual, yet still nice. When you stepped back into your dorm room Ben’s face lit up, he cast a familiar, warm smile at you “You look great!” He complimented.
A wave of bashfulness washed over you, “Thank you, Benny” You smiled softly at him. “You clean up nicely too.” You said noting how he had changed into a nice button down while you had been getting ready.
When the two of you arrived at the restaurant, Jake had already gotten a table for the two of you inside. Ben was nervous, what if this Jake fella was a complete and total prick? His feelings for you had teetered over the line of best friend for quite sometime now and as much as that it pained him to hear you talk on and on about how great Jake was, he, in all honesty, just wanted you to be happy.
When Ben’s eyes fell upon the infamous Jake he noted the man’s tall thin stature and dark hair, almost the complete opposite of Ben. He pursed his lips into a thin line and felt a pang of jealousy wash over him when Jake greeted you with a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Jake,” you grinned, “This is Ben, my best friend from back home.”
Ben reached his hand out and gripped Jakes in a firm hand shake; it was as though either one was trying to establish dominance via who gave off the firmer grip, “Pleasure.” Ben said giving a too friendly smile.
The you and Jake sat across from Ben in the booth, “So, [Y/N] tells me you’re going to school for engineering?” Ben asked.
Jake looked up from his bowl of pasta, “Oh yeah, materials focused. I liked music, but the arts didn’t seem like a very practical field of study for future jobs.”
Oof, that felt like a personal attack. Ben’s shoulder’s tensed ever so slightly, “A lot of people don’t go into the arts because they’re too weak to take constructive criticism.” Ben humbled, raising his glass to his lips and quirking his brow at Jake.
“Ben is going to school for acting!” You excitedly mentioned, “He was telling me all about his acting coach and the show he is doing for this semester-”
“I know, [Y/N],” Jake let out a less than amused laugh, “You’ve mentioned it practically a hundred times.” You sunk back into your seat, the familiar glimmer your eyes held now dampened. Ben did not like the tone Jake took with you.
As the night progressed, Ben tried to keep an open mind; but, to put it frankly, he hated Jake. He hated how Jake obviously looked down on you and though he was vastly smarter than you and the condescending remarks he would make and the way Jake constantly had to be holding your hand and shot you a look whenever you tried to take it away from him. None of it sat well with Ben.
“So, Ben, where are you staying tonight?” Jake asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin before he reached back and grabbed your probably too sweaty hand.
“[Y/N]’s floor.” Ben answered truthfully.
“You’re sleeping in the same room at her?” He pressed, brows furrowed.
“Yeah, we’re in college, mate,” Ben reminded your boyfriend, “It’s hard to afford a hotel for a few nights.” The fact that Ben was sleeping on your floor wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for your friendship. When the two of you were younger you would have sleepovers all the time.
“It’s not weird, Jake,” You gave him a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed his hand.
Jake made a face, showing his obvious discomfort with the situation, “Seems a bit weird to me.”
You let out a huff, “What do you not trust me?” You bit back harshly. An uncomfortable air settled between you three and you abruptly shook your hand away from Jake’s, “We’re all adults here, I’m sure Ben and I can sleep in the same room and not have it be weird.” You smoothed your hands over your jeans, “I’m sorry Jake is being so rude, Ben. He normally doesn’t act like this.”
Ben shrugged his shoulders “It’s okay.” It wasn’t, “I’m going to use the restroom I’ll be right back.” He said tossing his napkin from his lap onto the table.
“Fucking hell.” He mumbled, washing his hands with warm water and staring into the mirror. Part of him didn’t want to go back out and face the two of you arguing, he knew that once you got going on something there was really no way for you to back down. But, Jake wouldn’t know that after only knowing you for two months now would he?
Once Ben left the restroom he caught sight of you and Jake still locked in a heated debate and slowly meandered his way over to the table. You rubbed your face in frustration, “You can either sleep at my place and leave Ben in your dorm, or we can break up,” Jake angrily stated. You were obviously not happy with the result.
Ben gaped at your boyfriend, what the hell had he just walked into? You abruptly stood up, throwing a fist full of cash onto the table and grabbed Ben’s arm, “Let’s go.” You said tugging him to leave. You were practically seething with anger as you pulled your best friend through the restaurant, ignoring the stares you got.
“I’m sorry, [Y/N]” Ben said softly once the two of you got to your car, “I didn’t mean to ruin things.” He truly hadn’t, he just wanted to see you happy.
“I cant believe he couldn’t trust me,” You said your voice wavering with emotion. You gripped your steering wheel determined to not let the warm tears that stung at your eyes spill over. You were determined to be strong.
Ben turned towards you, a small frown on your face “Come here,” He said softly, pulling you into his chest, “[Y/N], you deserve so much better than that guy back there.” He cooed while resting his chin on your head.
You inhaled deeply; Ben smelt like spearmint gum, the cheap cologne you always made fun of him for wearing, and home. You finally let out a broken sob, allowing yourself to relax into Ben’s warm and familiar embrace, “I cant believe that he would actually think I would just leave you all alone in my room like that.” You said into Ben’s chest, your words muffled, “I made you come all the way from London to visit me, I’m not throwing it away just because some suit tells me to.”
Ben couldn’t help but let out a little laugh, “You know I was going to wait tell you this, but I brought a box of those cookies my mom always bakes with.”
You pulled away and looked at Ben, eyes red and slightly swollen from tears, “Ben, those are my favorite.” Your face contorted once more as you threatened to cry. Your best friend cupped your face, wiping away your tears and you smiled at him before leaning over to place a soft kiss on his cheek, “Thanks, Ben, what did I do to deserve a best friend like you.”
—————
His date to the world premier 28 years old
You stood in the mirror and looked at yourself. You could hardly believe that the person who looked back at you was in face yourself. Ben invited you to accompany him to the special premier of his most recent movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. You knew it was going to be big, but you didn’t think it was going to be designer dress, get your hair and makeup professionally done, big. But it was.
“Come on, the car is going to be here soon to pick us up!” Ben shouted as he walked past the door in long rushed strides. He stopped and backed up before turning to look at you once more, “You clean up nicely.” He gave you the same cheeky grin and admiring the soft curve of your hips in the dress he helped you pick out.
Your face felt hot when you looked at Ben, his black suit jacket covered his black mesh top, only allowing a stripe of skin to show. You swallowed thickly, suddenly the tight bodice of your dress felt too tight for you to breathe comfortably, “You, uh, you look nice too.” You attempted to play it cool, but your voice gave away your struggle.
“The car.” Ben said suddenly breaking the silence.
“Oh right! Shit, I need to get my shoes on, give me a second.” You said quickly sliding one foot into your pumps. You struggled to balance on one heeled foot and wobbled, your arms spreading out to steady yourself. You stumbled slightly “Woah,” You mumbled, furrowing your eyebrows now determined to put your shoe on. Ben reached out and his surprisingly soft hands gripped yours in his own. He stood firmly and you felt something stir within the depths of your belly from his touch. You ignored your swimming thoughts and slipped your other shoe on with ease.
What you had pictured this grandiose event to be was dwarfed by the actual scale of the event. As soon as you and Ben exited the limo you were met with a barrage of flashing lights and a wall of people yelling. The sounds overwhelmed your senses and the voices of the thousands of people gathered soon morphed into one giant voice that hammered away at your ear drums and caused your head to spin. You gripped Ben’s hand tightly and buried your face into the back of his shoulder as you stood behind him while he and his costars conversed with a reporter.
Ben glanced over his shoulder and leaned his head onto yours, his thumb smoothing over the skin on the back of your hand, “You okay?” He murmured.
You looked at him with wide and slightly terrified eyes, “‘M fine.” You huffed out.
Ben let out a small huffing laugh “Liar.” He teased, “I’ll be right back, I’ve got to show [Y/N] where the bathroom is.” He said politely excusing himself and leading you to a back area with refreshments. He grabbed a bottle of fancy water and opened it before handing it to you.
You drank down the cool liquid and sighed, “How the hell do you do it?” You asked shaking your head in disbelief.
Ben shrugged his shoulders, “It’s overwhelming, but it’s also nice to know so many people are appreciating something that you do.” He stuffed his hands into his fitted dress pants and pursed his lips into a thin line, “It helps having you with though, you know, it eases the nerves a bit.” His cheeks were flushed a slight pink color and he was smiling softly.
After the after party and a healthy amount of drinks the two of you some how managed to stumble your way back to the hotel suite Ben had booked for the night. You held your heels in one hand and leaned on Ben’s shoulder while the two of you giggled about nothing and fumbled through your purse to find the key card, “Come on, Ben.” You whined and slurred your words together from intoxication, “My feet hurt and I have to pee.” You leaned on him, your chin resting on his shoulder as Ben continued to rummage through your purse, past the lipstick and cards that made up its contents.
Ben turned towards you, your noses practically touching. He let out a shaky breathy that bounced off your face, it smelled like alcohol but you didn’t mind. “I found it.” He stated holding the card up, his voice suddenly gone hoarse.
He struggled to swipe it through the card reader, distracted by how your breath tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. He threw the door open and let out a sigh of relief once you pulled away from him. You quickly pushed past him and flopped down onto the bed, spreading your arms out and snuggling onto the soft comforter.
Ben messily kicked his shoes off and began to unbutton his mesh shirt. You glanced over at him and you felt heat spread from the tip of your nose to the back of your neck.
You sat up and handed Ben his jacket that he graciously gave you to keep you warm during the after party before you began to struggle with the zipper on the back of your dress. You stood up, your arms and body contorting in different ways so you could attempt to reach the zipper, but it proved to be a far bigger struggle than you were prepared for, “Benny?” You asked in a small voice.
He glanced up at you, swaying from side to side. You didn’t know if it was from nerves or alcohol, “Hmm?” He hummed.
You turned your back to him “Can you help me?” You sounded sheepish.
Ben swallowed thickly “yeah, course.” He answered and padded over to you.
He gripped the small zipper in his large fingers and eased it down, his face feeling hotter and hotter as more and more skin began to reveal itself to him. Without any thought, his fingertips lightly followed the zipper, tracing your skin in its wake and causing goosebumps to rise on your skin and your nerves to stand on end.
You shivered. You obviously felt it. He felt it.
A thick tension settled between the two of you and you were hit with an abrupt wall of sobriety. “Thank you,” Your voice was just barely above a whisper. You clutched the front of your dress to your chest and you grabbed your sleep clothes before shuffling away to the bathroom, the fabric of your dress pooling around your feet and rustling as you walked.
The following morning your head felt like it was swimming, not because of your hang over, but because of Ben.
The same Ben that had dared you to jump out of a tree when you were 8 years old and caused you to break your arm after he promised to catch you. The Ben that remembered the promise the two of you made after you broke your arm and wouldn’t let the rugby team sign the cast for his broken arm until you did. The Ben that was there for you when your first boyfriend dumped you and there for you for the several others that followed. The Ben that took you to the world premier of his movie and helped you pick out a lavish dress.
You sat in the bathroom, towel wrapped around your body and head in your hands while in deep ponderous thought. Why did you always been so much warmth every time the two of you hugged? You groaned in frustration, you could not have feelings for Ben.
But you knew you did. It gnawed at your insides like a parasite.
You sat there long enough for parts of your hair to dry before Ben knocked at the door, “[Y/N]?” He asked, “You okay in there?” He pressed
You jumped slightly surprised, “Yeah, sorry, just scrolling through twitter.” You answered back before you quickly rushed to get your clothes on.
“Did you still want to get breakfast?” Ben asked, you could hear the hopefulness behind his voice. That boy sure did love food.
You held your hand on the door knob and stared at it before opening it, “Yeah we can.” You answered, a small smile playing on your face.
You opened the door, only to be met staring face to face with Ben. “Excuse me.” You teasingly poked his chest so that he would move.
Ben stepped off to the side and allowed you space to slip past before he went in the bathroom to get ready.
You mindlessly scrolled through social media, but not before your eyes caught a news report on the movie premier. You licked your lips, unsure on if you should click and read through it. Going against your gut feeling you found yourself scrolling through and looking at the glorious images the photographers captured. You saw pictures of yourself and hardly recognized your own face all done up for a Hollywood party, and you saw pictures of Ben looking as stunning as ever on the red carpet.
As you continued to scroll through the feed you took note of the pictures of you and Ben, how he constantly was touching some part of your body in a tasteful manner whether it was a hand placed on the small of your back or lacing his fingers in his own.
It looked… natural…
The little glances that were captured showed how enamored you seemed to be with the man and how he equaled your affectionate gaze. Your stomach clenched at how the two of you looked like an actual couple.
“[Y/N].” Ben said, suddenly sounding close.
You jumped and immediately locked your phone before you turned to the side and smiled at Ben nervously. “Hey,” You said giving him a tight lipped smile.
“Are you okay?” He asked, “You look, off?” He didn’t know the word to use that explained your expression.
It was a combination of awe and longing.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” You said and picked at the imaginary lint on your pants, “So about that food.” You let out in a quick breath.
“Oh, right, I’m starved.” He grinned and patted his tummy for added effect.
Despite feeling hungry you picked at your plate like a bird while Ben filled his belly full of breakfast food. “Are you sure you’re fine?” Ben pressed, arching his brow and letting his fork loosely hang in his hand.
You nodded your head, “Yeah, why?”
“You haven’t even put syrup on you pancakes, you just put butter on them and watched it melt.”
Right.
You shrugged, “Dunno, I’m just thinking.” You answered honestly.
Ben quirked his head at you in confusion, “About what?”
You.
“Last night.”
Ben felt his blood freeze, “What about last night?” He put his fork down, “I’m sorry if the paps overwhelmed you, I should have warned you about it ahead of time.” He followed, sounding genuinely worried by your little freak out on the red carpet.
You shook your head, “No it wasn’t that.” You chewed on the bottom of your lip nervously, “I just…” you didn’t know how to properly communicate how you were feeling, “I don’t know, I’m just being dumb.” You looked away and averted his gaze.
Ben reached over the table and gripped your hand in his own, smoothing his fingers over the soft skin on the back of your hand, “Don’t ever say that, [Y/N], you’re one of the most brilliant people I know.” Ben said giving your hand a soft squeeze and letting it linger there for a while.
It felt like his fingertips were burning into your skin. Even when he pulled away, you could still feel them lingering, “Why are you so nice to me.” You asked, half joking.
Ben shifted in his seat uncomfortably, “Because I like you.” He answered honestly and abruptly, “I have since I saw you climb to the top of that tree in your backyard.”
It felt like your heart skipped a beat in your chest, “Ben, that’s been more than twenty years.” You said back to him slightly shocked at his confession.
It felt like your eyes were staring holes right through him, “I know.” He firmly stood his ground on what he said.
You looked down at your hand where his fingers last touched yours and then back up at Ben who was staring at his plate, “I like you too.” You said shyly.
After your breakfast, Ben drove you back to your apartment and walked you up to the door where he lingered for a moment, obviously needing something to say, “Can I take you on a real date?” He asked, suddenly shy and red faced.
You smiled softly at him and shook your head, “Was taking me to the world premier of your movie not a date?” You joked.
Ben laughed and shrugged, “I didn’t know it was, so I told the reporters you were just a friend.” He answered honestly and scratched at the back of his neck.
You couldn’t help but join him in laughter, “Then yes, you can, but only if you kiss me.” You felt a sudden wave of boldness wash over you and your words fell out before you could close up with nerves.
Ben gave you a wide, toothy grin and brought his hand up to your face. He cupped your cheek in his palm and pulled you close, his lips lightly brushed against yours before he closed what little pace there was. His lips were chapped and he tasted like left over syrup from breakfast, but you didn’t mind.
You melted into his touch and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer against you and sighed against his mouth. There was something so familiar about his touch, it comforted you and caused a surge of warmth to spread through your body. The cool December air was long forgotten.
All my Valentine’s days with you (Gwilym lee x reader)
A/N: Hi, its me! Your secret cupid/santa (a million years later though) @rogerscupboard I had so much fun writing this little piece, hope you like it! and im sorry for the delay 😭 i truly hope this matches your expectations and you enjoy reading it ❤️❤️ happy (very late) Valentine’s day! Special thanks @dtfrogertaylor for hosting this!!
Warnings: Pure 100% fluff, a little bit of innuendo at the end.
-------------------
You met casually in a little coffee shop on a very cold afternoon. He ordered a cappuccino, nothing too extravagant, just a hot beverage to help him forget a little about the cold weather. You were nursing a cup of tea, reading a book that everyone had recommended to you, and it mostly had good reviews online so you decided to give it a try but, in your opinion, it wasn't that good after all, but you had already started so now you had to finish it.
"That's a really good book" you heard a man say. You jumped slightly, he had caught you off guard.
"Oh, did you read it?" You asked. "Wait, no. That's stupid. Of course you have. Why would you say it's good if you hadn't read it" you said, closing your book squinting your eyes a little.
The rather tall, handsome man chuckled a little. "Do you mind if I sit here?", you shook your head. "I'm Gwilym, by the way," He said offering you his hand.
"Y/N. Nice to meet you" You said shaking his hand, a small smile spreading over your face.
You spent hours talking about the book, he tried to make you see it's good, you, on the other hand, couldn't see it, even when he presented good points, he still didn't completely convince you, but he did make you laugh. A lot.
"How about we continue this discussion some other day?" he suggested. "Maybe over coffee or dinner?" Gwilym continued. He really wanted to see you again and you thanked god he asked you first because you too wanted to see him again, but didn't know exactly how to tell him.
You texted back and forth all night that night, and that was the beginning of you and Gwilym. Your friends had never seen you this happy. His friends had never seen him blush so easily and frequently as he did whenever he read a message you sent him.
An almost exact week later, on February 14th, you were getting ready for your first date with Gwil. At 3 pm sharp you heard your doorbell ring.
"You're right on time!" you said opening the door. You saw Gwilym standing there with a boyish grin just staring at you.
"What? do I have something on my face?" You asked as he didn't say anything after you greeted him.
"Oh no, it's just that you look very pretty today, that's all," He said making you feel like you could just melt right there and then. "Shall we?" Gwilym asked you, offering you his arm, which you gladly accepted.
That afternoon you went to a museum, they had a special exhibit about the Renaissance era. They showed different artifacts, how people used to live back then and the development of arts, science, and society. You were mesmerized, everything looked so interesting until you saw the part they dedicated to Shakespeare and his work. You were now absolutely thrilled. You took Gwilym's hand almost as an impulse and guided him through the hall, telling him everything that you knew about Shakespeare and his marvelous work, even though both of you could read that same information in the exhibition, he preferred listening to you and looking at your face lit up every time you saw one tiny detail that made you remember a new piece of information you had almost forgot about. You realized you were holding hands a while later, you felt your face burn from embarrassment. You tried to let go of his hand, softly mumbling an apology, but Gwilym's hand squeezed yours a little tighter, "Don't worry about it" he said, trying to keep his voice a little lower than usual.
After the museum you guys went for a walk around the city, the museum was near a beautiful park and gorgeous old buildings that thankfully have been taken care of so they still had that charm that almost made you feel you have time-traveled to a completely different century. You ended up in the coffee shop you met a week ago, enjoying the rest of your afternoon talking and discussing Shakespeare and theater. You knew Gwilym was an actor and he looked adorable talking about his job with you, and you couldn't be more entertained with this conversation because theater is something you are passionate about too, it wasn't something common to find a good looking guy that's smart and also has so much in common with you. Then, after hours of conversation and sharing laughs, you two went back to your place since it was getting a little late.
"Thank you again for the coffee," You said, as you two stood outside your place.
"It's the least I could do after you were my guide at the museum," He said
There was a moment of silence between the two of you, it wasn't uncomfortable nor comfortable, it was just silence. You felt Gwilym's warmer hand on your cheek, you could see his bright blue eyes were scanning your face until he stopped at your lips just to go back to your eyes. You got closer to him and then you felt his lips on yours. He kissed you softly and sweetly, butterflies were everywhere and you felt weak at your knees. Gwilym couldn't help but let a smile spread across his face as you two kissed.
And that's how your first valentine's day with Gwilym went.
Uncountable conversations and a few dates later you guys made it official.
----
Fast forward a year later.
You were working late, sitting on your chair in an empty classroom, decorated with hearts of different colors and a couple of balloons that your students put all over the walls, some had quotes from different poems or love stories your students had read, others had candy heart like messages written on them. The only thing keeping your company during that cold day was a mountain of tests you still had to finish grading and a now cold mug of coffee. You had texted Gwilym during lunch break letting him know that you probably were going to be working late that day in hopes that you wouldn't ruin anything he had planned for that day, the only answer you received was an almost cold "Okay, love you" from him. You kept repeating those three words over and over again. Was he upset? Did you ruin a surprise? you tried to text him again after you finished your last class but you received no answer and you knew that no answer is an answer, too. You were too caught up in your thoughts, trying to finish with those tests when you were interrupted by a knock on your door.
"Come in!" you said. You saw that familiar chestnut-colored hair and those bright blue eyes you love so much pop in your classroom
"Excuse miss, I'm looking for the English teacher, I need to talk to her. It is rather urgent," he said letting himself in the classroom.
"Well, you've come to the right place mister," You said standing up from your desk "This is she," you said as you put your hands on Gwilym's chest.
"Oh good, I have to confess something," He said, trying to look as nervous as he could. "I have a big crush on you miss and uh, I know this is dangerous, but we can try to make this work," He said making you laugh "Gwil! that kind of relationship is forbidden, I can't risk my job for this kind of affair" you said playing along. "But it'll be worth it," He said as he leaned down to kiss you.
"Hmm now, if you put it like that, then I guess we can try," You said, giving him another little sweet kiss.
"Happy valentine's day, baby," he said handing you a bouquet of red roses and a cup of hot chocolate. "Oh, thank you, these are beautiful and exactly what I needed," you said receiving the gifts. "Happy valentine's day, my love," you replied.
"Hey I still need to finish with these," you said pointing to the pile of paper on your desk. "Nonsense, you can work on them tomorrow, today is the day of love," Gwilym said, making a heart shape with his hands. It took you a minute to think about it. You were tired, needed to rest and wanted to go home to spend time with your boyfriend on valentine's day. "Okay, let me grab my stuff," you said, putting away the tests and grabbing your bag and coat.
You guys went back to your place, Gwilym was carrying a big bag with him that he placed on your kitchen counter. You went to your room to get changed into something more comfortable, Gwilym did the same. He practically lived there so he had many hoodies and sweatpants over there (which you stole once in a while and that day was no exception).
"What's all this?" you asked inspecting the brown bag. "Well, I thought maybe we could cook dinner and spend the evening watching a movie or two and have a little spa time too," he said showing you a bunch of face masks that he bought. "You're so thoughtful" you almost squealed as you jumped over him, he swiftly picked you up and you started peppering his face with small kisses, making him giggle.
"I love you so much," he said, looking at you with complete adoration
"I love you too" you said pinching his cheek.
----
Fast forward to now, two days before your third valentine's day with Gwilym. Well, more like your third valentine's day with Gwilym but your first valentine's day away from each other. He was away because of work, he'd start filming a new movie soon so the producers of the movie had asked the cast to meet so they could read the script, work on costumes and whatnot. You both thought he'd be back for valentine's day but Gwilym was asked to stay for a couple more days. It'll be fine, after all, you didn't need a specific day to celebrate the love you have for one another, right? also, it's always nice to have a "me day" once in a while, right? there are a million things you can do on valentine's day after all, it's literally not a big deal, you kept repeating to yourself. And it's really not a big deal, all those things are true but the idea of giving your boyfriend a surprise was also going through your head and every time you thought about it, you couldn't help but feel excited and happy imagining Gwilym's face when he saw you standing there in front of him right in his hotel room.
"Fuck it," you said opening your laptop. You booked a ticket to go visit your boyfriend in France.
Many hours later, you heard the pilot of the plane announcing you're about to land in Paris.
As soon as you got out of the airport, you took a taxi and told the driver the name of the hotel, and thank god he understood your terrible French.
Almost half an hour later you were outside the hotel and you texted Gwilym to know if he was busy, he told you he's free the rest of the day.
You: "babe, I was wondering what's your room number? Can you see the Eiffel tower from your room?" You asked, in an attempt to get the information but without being too obvious.
Gwil: "Oh yes, I'm on the tenth floor, you can see a lot of the city from here, you'd love it" And he attached a picture of the view from his room.
You: "That's beautiful, but what's your specific room number? I read somewhere that hotel rooms with odd numbers have the best views." What a dumb lie you thought
Gwil: "Hmm they're wrong then, I'm in room 1006 and that's an even number if I remember correctly."
Alright, that's all you needed to know. You went to the elevators and waited patiently until you arrived on the 10th floor. Your heart was racing and the closer you got to room 1006 you felt your heart getting closer to your throat and your pace quickened as you almost trotted down the hall. You knocked on the door twice and heard your boyfriend shout "coming!" from the other side of the door. He opened the door and there he was, the man that you're crazy in love with was there in front of you.
"Bonjour monsieur," you said, in the best French accent you could.
"What on earth are you doing here?!" He exclaimed, giving you the tightest hug, lifting you off the ground, spinning you around in a circle.
"Well, I figured I'd be the one giving you a surprise now," you said. He picked your suitcase up and invited you to come in.
"Well, mission accomplished then," he said sitting on the bed. He tapped the bed, telling you he wanted you near him, you sat next to him but he wanted you to sit on his lap. "You're so beautiful. I've missed you like crazy, you have no idea" Gwilym said in a more serious tone. Your face was very close to his, feeling his breath on your lips.
"I've missed you terribly too, Gwil" and you kissed him, feeling his familiar scent intoxicate you, feeling his warm hands roaming your body, his soft lips again yours, his stubble slightly scratching your face, or neck, or thighs. His grunts and your moans getting louder as you chased your release, filling room 1006.
After a rather long nap, you woke up just before sunset. You got up and put on Gwilym's hoodie, covering your naked body before you went to the balcony to admire the city you’d soon get the chance to explore with your boyfriend. It was chilly outside but you didn't care, you felt comfortable, looking at this beautiful city. You felt his arms make their way around your waist and a kiss placed on your cheek.
"Do you like the view?" Gwil asked.
"Yes, it's beautiful. The picture you sent earlier doesn't do justice, at all" You said, getting closer to Gwil, pressing your back against his chest.
"Have I ever told you I love you?" He asked
"Hmm, yeah just a couple times," you said, a smile spreading on your face. "Have I told you I love you?" you asked back.
"Not that I recall," He said kissing the top of your head.
"Well, Gwilym Lee, I love you and I'm so happy to be in this beautiful city with you," you said turning around to face him.
"Thank you, baby, for being here with me and giving me the best surprise I've received in probably my whole life," He said cupping your face. "You're the one I want to spend the rest of my valentine's day with" he continued.
"I'm glad we're on the same page, sweetheart. I love you so much"
"I love you too," he said before kissing you softly.
Nights End With Your Breath (Joe Mazzello x Reader)
Synopsis: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Joe is late. Luckily, he’s got a surprise or two in store for you. 1.8k words, fluff with a touch of innuendo.
A/N: HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYONE! i’m so excited to share this fic with all of you!!! this was written as part of @dtfrogertaylor‘s valentine’s day fic challenge, and it was written specially for.... *drum roll* @brianprobablywill!!! it was so so lovely to be assigned to a mutual that i already care so much about!! i hope you enjoy this sweet, fluffy piece (with a touch of innuendo) written just for you <3 tip: listen to cold/mess by prateek kuhad while reading!
You hummed to yourself as you lay back on the couch, stirring your coffee absently. You had gotten home from work a little over an hour ago, but with Joe not yet home, your evening had been pretty lowkey, despite the fact that it was Valentine’s Day. The two of you had been dating for a little over a year, and although this wasn’t the first time you’d be spending the holiday together, it was your first time sharing it as a serious couple. That is, it was supposed to be. The text he had sent you just before you had arrived at your shared apartment stated otherwise.
Hey babe, gonna be a little late tonight. Thinking of you! XO
You let out a small sigh as the message ran through your head once again. True, you didn’t want to make a huge deal out of the holiday, but you had hoped for, at the very least, some quality time with him… even if that meant just cuddling on the couch before being whisked away to the bedroom. Usually, you arrived home from work at the same time, but the clock was nearing seven, and he still wasn’t back.
Suddenly, as if on cue, you were jolted from your thoughts by a dull, thudding knock on the apartment door, making you jump. He carried a key, so why wasn’t he unlocking the door himself? You set your mug down on the coffee table and walked to the door curiously, hoping that it was Joe, and not some stranger knocking at your door after dark.
When you swung the door open, however, your mouth dropped wide for another reason.
Joe was standing there, grinning sheepishly, holding not only the biggest bouquet of flowers you’d ever seen, but also a stack of boxes bearing the name of your favorite sushi restaurant.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, looking at you with a playful glint in his eye that made your heart skip a beat. “But I do come bearing gifts.”
You laughed a little in disbelief, realizing now why he hadn’t been able to use the key.
“I thought you forgot what day it was!” you giggled, moving out of the way so he had a clear path for entry. “Get inside, babe, it’s cold out there.”
“Sometimes I prefer to be mysterious,” he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, making you roll your eyes and gesture once again for him to come inside. He listened to you this time, but paused in front of you as he entered, leaning in and giving you an affectionate peck on the forehead. “Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.”
//
Twenty minutes later, a picnic had magically appeared in your living room.
The checkered blanket had been spread haphazardly across the hardwood during a fit of giggles, culminating in Joe throwing you over his shoulder, cheering at his victory as you laughed wildly, playfully drumming your fists against his back.
Once the two of you caught your breath from laughing and he agreed to put you down, you had put the bouquet of yellow flowers in a vase, setting them as the centerpiece of your indoor picnic. Joe grabbed a bottle of wine from the kitchen and the boxes of sushi, and before long, the two of you were reclining on the blanket with your sushi, chopsticks, and drinks.
“Jesus, this Alaska roll is good,” you said in disbelief between chews, and Joe looked expectantly at you, opening his mouth wide as if on cue. You rolled your eyes with a smile, but obliged, grabbing a piece with your chopsticks and feeding it to him, laughing when he tried to chew the whole thing at once “No soy sauce?!” he replied dramatically, mouth full of sushi, and you scoffed playfully at him as he leaned back in mock defeat, rice sticking to his bottom lip.
“You got something there,” you said teasingly, pointing at your own lip for reference, and he arched an eyebrow at you, propping himself back up on his elbow. “Should I get it, or do you want to do it for me?” he asked, wiggling his brows and pursing his lips.
“I guess I have to do everything around here,” you played along, but happily rolled over so your face was inches from his, running your thumb across his bottom lip to take care of the stray rice. The moment your skin made contact with his, your gaze met, his eyes flickering down to your lips, and you couldn’t resist. You let your hand slide to his cheek, running your fingers across his scruff, savoring the half-second of anticipation before letting your lips collide. Your thumb stroked across his cheekbone as he melted into the kiss, the sushi sitting forgotten, if for just a moment.
When the kiss finally broke, he fell back, sighing contentedly, making you giggle.
“That good, huh?” you asked, leaning back on your elbows to reach for another piece of sushi.
“Only one thing could’ve made it better,” he said, looking back up at you earnestly, and you looked at him with interest. “I’m all ears.”
He leaned back, groaning in mock agony.
“Some fucking soy sauce!”
//
“Joe, stop splashing me!” you laughed, waving the dish towel at him, trying to ignore the devious smirk on his face as he shook the water from his hands in your direction, soft music playing from the speaker sitting on the kitchen table. The sushi had been finished, as well as a good portion of the bottle of wine, leaving the two of you with cleanup duty.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just washing dishes,” he said innocently, turning away, a playful smile tugging at his lips as he picked up another dish, adjusting his rolled-up sleeves.
“Yeah, sure, that’s what they all say,” you teased, rolling your eyes at him as you dried another glass, stifling a giggle at his dramatic scoff.
Before you could say anything else, however, a certain love song started playing through the speaker sitting on the kitchen table, making you gasp a little as you put the glass down on the drying rack.
When I feel cold, I’ll keep you close...
You turned around to find Joe with a goofy grin on his face, stepping back and entering into a sweeping bow, extending his arm out to you. “May I have this dance?”
You laughed, reaching out and placing your hand on top of his. “You may.”
And if I could hold you, and take you home…
He seemed to be glowing as you intertwined your fingers, the space between your bodies shrinking as the world around you melted away. The music surrounded you, his free hand landing on your waist as you looked up at him, meeting his gaze, so tender you could hardly breathe. After all this time, he still gave you butterflies.
I wish I could leave you my love, but my heart is a mess.
He guided you around the kitchen, holding you steady and safe, the look in his eyes enough to keep you floating on air. The soft backdrop of the song kept you in time, Joe’s hand lifting just enough to spin you, twirling on the tips of your toes, before letting yourself fall back into his arms.
My days, they begin with your name, and nights end with your breath.
The moment hung in the air, as if suspended in time, the two of you only half conscious of the smiles that appeared without warning on your faces. It didn’t matter if the dancing wasn’t perfect, if a step was out of time, if a movement left one of you giggling, overwhelmed with affection. Your bodies and steps fit together as if it were meant to be, the kitchen just as good as a ballroom— better than a ballroom.
And if I could hold you, and take you home…
The song had seemed to last both a moment and for a lifetime, but as the final notes faded out, you found your body pressed up against him, lips centimeters apart, the lyrics hanging in the air.
It was barely a few seconds before his lips were on yours.
His left hand, still positioned on your waist, slid around you, pulling you up against him, while his other hand found its way to the back of your neck, holding you, embracing you, as the kiss deepened just enough to send shivers down your spine.
Breathlessly, the two of you pulled apart, foreheads resting against each other, eyes still closed, unable to open them, unable to think.
You stayed like that for a moment, just holding each other, before your eyes fluttered open at nearly the same time. Your heart grew warm in your chest as your gaze met once more, the tenderness in his expression almost enough to bring you to tears.
“You made this night perfect, Joey,” you said softly, laughing a little, rocking back and forth on your heels, savoring the way he was still holding you. “Especially considering I almost thought you forgot.”
He grinned shyly. “I’d actually been thinking about it for a while… I know we were together last year, but… we’ve come a long way since then.” You nodded, reaching up to stroke his cheek once again.
“I wanted to make it special… special for you,” he continued, squeezing you a little tighter. “Nothing fancy… but something just for us.”
“You were incredible,” you said, looking up at him through your lashes, heart feeling as if it could burst. “I couldn’t have imagined anything better.”
He paused for a moment, looking away for a second, biting his lip.
“Well… the night isn’t exactly over,” he replied, his tone dropping a little, implying a lot, a familiar glint in his eyes. You raised an eyebrow at him, enjoying the way his grip on you tightened just enough to communicate his thoughts.
“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?” you asked, feigning innocence, blinking up at him with doe eyes.
“Care to follow me and find out?” he quipped back, loosening his grip on you just enough to take your hand once more. You pretended to consider it deeply, making yourself appear lost in thought, leaving him grinning at you, waiting patiently for your dramatics to come to a close. After a few moments, you nodded at him definitively. “I think I’m down for that.”
He pumped his fist in victory, making you laugh as he took your hand, leading you down the hall towards the bedroom you shared, twirling you once again as he closed the door behind you.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N,” he said, letting his hands slide around your waist once more, his smirk making your heart race in anticipation.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Joe,” you responded with a grin, only to be met with a kiss as your bodies fell to the bed.
The night was only just beginning.
//
A/N: and that’s the end! just a quick fluffy piece written just for Felicity <3 but i hope y’all enjoyed it!!! if you want to be added to my taglist just let me know, and you can find my complete masterlist here!
a/n: Here it is! Nothing but pinning and fluff for the much anticipated STL Event! This is my gift for the lovely wonderful @joemazzmatazz I really hope you enjoy this, lovie! And I hope that your day is beautiful regardless of this silly little holiday. 💖
w/c: 6k
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
It was Valentine's day. Usually, you were only excited about the day that followed, when all the chocolates went on sale. But this year your roommate had plans to throw some big ridiculous party. Tilly had been planning this bash for over a month now, and you had agreed to help set up and mingle with mutual friends. But until later tonight, you had far too much more to worry over.
"I've gotta go get Joe from the airport." You sighed, sliding your arms into a thick jacket.
"Oh," Tilly realized with a playful roll of her eyes. You let out a frustrated mewl at her disregard as you scrambled to grab your purse.
"I just don't get it." Tilly continued smirking. "Why are you nervous, again?"
"Because." You hissed. "I've gotta tell him. And I don't want to."
Tilly must have registered the true dread bubbling closer to the forefront of your system; because she slouched closer to the door as you stepped out into the hallway. She said, "You have no reason to be nervous. Trust me."
Oh, but how wrong she was. Since Joe had up and left overseas to film his latest project, you missed him. But you came to realize the magnitude of your feelings for your dear friend smack dab in the middle of a grocery store's freezer section, last month. After spending too long debating on ice cream flavors, you chose cherry, because Joe loved cherry and you loved him. Oh shit. The thought seamlessly pieced itself together in your mind as if it were a fact as clear as any other. You raced home in a panic and spilled your guts to Tilly like she was a priest and you, a dirty sinner. Your roommate helped you through that night, and several more that followed when you regretfully avoided Joe's phone calls. You were afraid of letting your true feelings seep through the phone speaker, or at all. But time was up. You had agreed to fetch your dear friend from the airport some odd weeks ago, and according to the time on your phone, his flight just landed.
Joe deserved to know how you felt, so why not rip the plaster off right away? He'd be pissed if you kept this from him for too long, and you couldn't act like everything was fine. You knew you had to tell him. You just really didn't want too.
As you slid into the driver seat of your car, you reached toward the visor for the pair of sunglasses you stashed there. From out of nowhere a tiny piece of canary yellow stock paper came fluttering into your lap like confetti.
"Oh, wonderful." You huffed a laugh. It was a note from Joe. He was always stashing these tiny pieces of yellow paper in odd places for you to find later, with silly little sentiments jotted down. This one read:
"You're only a day away!"
He must have left this one before he left to go film.
Some notes Joe left were inside jokes. Some were thank you's for dinner. Some were doodles of dinosaurs and maps. You kept them all in a ball jar on your dresser. But all you could do with the latest note was stash it in your jacket pocket with a frustrated groan as you began to drive off.
It all started the first night you went out to dinner with your hoard of mutual friends, who were the only reason you'd met Joe in the first place. They each left one by one, and soon you and Joe were alone with a basic knowledge of each other's existence, finishing dinner at a six-person table. By the end of the night, you'd exchanged life stories and ended up rambling over the topic of arcade games. You marveled over how fun they seemed growing up, but how you came to understand the sad reality that most arcades were just scams to collect change in disguise. But then Joe brought up some bowling alley he swore had a rigged Pacman machine that spit out tickets that won some above-average prizes. He decided he would invite your group of friends there, next weekend. Then, he exchanged his phone number on a slip of canary yellow stock paper because your phone had died and he left his in the car.
The following weekend you met up with all your friends at that bowling alley. They were shocked to see you'd come out of hiding two weekends in a row, and invited you to pick a team to bowl to the death. But then you locked eyes with Joe, walked past the lanes and headed straight for the arcade in the back. Joe had been right about the rigged Pacman. He showed you how to pause the ghosts by holding down a broken button to cheat. But after racking up mega points, the machine was out of tickets. You both presented this sob story to the jaded arcade prize gatekeeper, who simply did not care. Not like you did, either. Even though you had your eye on a silly looking plush green crocodile from the midlevel prizes; the time you'd spent with Joe was reward enough for you.
He called it a night soon after, leaving you with the few friends who couldn't be stopped from bowling. You joined their team, even though you already felt like you'd won something.
You were at ease that evening as you headed toward the dusty car park.
You notice something was resting against your windshield. You were alarmed enough to wonder if this was one of those trafficking tricks, where a kidnapper left something for you to be distracted by long enough to snatch you. But then you noticed just under your windshield wiper, a canary yellow slip of stock paper. It read:
"Sorry I couldn't win you the alligator you insisted was a crocodile. Hope this will do until next time."
Next to where Joe had left the note, you found a tiny keychain with a neon green frog attached. It wasn't quite the river monster you'd been hoping for, but Joe had left it just for you, alongside a note; the latter of which would become a tradition. You stashed both mementos in your pocket and wondered when you'd see Joe again.
One long year had passed by, and you managed to see Joe at least once a week since those first fateful meetings. You added the frog charm to your keychain. And every time, without fault, Joe would leave behind a note for you to find.
You spent days accidentally snowed inside each other apartments. He bought you Christmas presents and you took him out for his birthday. You watched terrible movies for fun and wound up alone together even in the midst of your group of friends, who were the reason you'd known Joe at all. You'd seen each other cry and fought over things that did and didn't matter. But it wasn't until he flew across the ocean for a while that you realized exactly why you missed him so much.
Considering the time you'd spent with Joe, practically attached at the hip, your heart sunk at the realization that if anything romantic had been blossoming between you, Joe would have done something about it by now. But you had to tell him how you were feeling, waiting any longer would only complicate things further. So as you pulled up to the airport gates and marched into the waiting area, you practiced a speech in your head one thousand different ways. There was a swarm of people buzzing in different directions hardly paying you any mind, but soon one voice cut through the crowd.
"It's you! It's really you! You haven't aged a day in the hundred years I've been gone!"
You spun toward the sound of Joe's excitable greeting and barely caught a glimpse of his bright smile before he was pulling you into a hug. You couldn't help but laugh as you hugged him back, welcoming the boy home, but selfishly longing to be so much nearer to him all at once. Oh no. This was too weird.
"Welcome back." You grinned as Joe reached for his suitcase once more. He was still smiling that stupidly pleasant smile.
"That's all I get?" He playfully jeered. "No, 'I almost died of boredom without you? '"
A nervous chuckled escaped your throat as Joe started walking toward the sliding doors, right up to your car right outside.
"Uh, actually... I. Well." You began, sheepishly following Joe out of the airport. "I was going to tell you something but we can worry about it later." You feigned passivity, all the things you practiced to say melting off the page in your mind. That wasn't the plan, but the words were out before you could think of reforming them.
"What? You found someone funnier than me to add cometary to hallmark movies?" Joe quirked a brow.
"Impossible." You assured, opening your back car door so he could lift his luggage inside. "How was your time?" You scurried to change the subject, not really sure what happened to the plan you'd promised yourself to stick by.
Joe didn't seem to notice your internal battel as he eased into your passenger seat, already rambling about where he'd been and what he'd done. You listened with care, truly interested in knowing what he had to say. But one half of your mind buzzed with worry and confusion while you drove Joe home.
You unlocked his door while he managed his luggage from your car. When Joe made his way inside you remembered the plans you'd made for the rest of the evening. He was apart of the group chat where your roommate birthed the idea for her Valentine's day party. Joe was invited, and one late night over the phone (before you started having this strange crisis) you offered to spend the rest of this afternoon with Joe so he could hitch a ride with you to the party.
"So Tilly's party isn't until nine, now. I promised to pick up Zoey and Lyla and stop for dinner someplace." You chatted naturally as any other time you'd spoken to Joe. Regardless of your feelings, Joe was still your friend and you had plans. You naturally expected Joe to shrug and agree like he always did when your shared plans became altered. He was standing before you, bright forest colored eyes searching your face as his usually permanent grin began to fade.
"Actually..." Joe frowned, flicking his eyes to the floor then back up to yours. "Well, is it okay if I just meet up with you where you stop for dinner? I kind of need to do something. Alone."
"Oh... sure." You tried to hide the shot through your heart as you processed this. Of course, he wanted to show up alone. Lyla always had a thing for Joe, never one to hold back her lingering stares. Joe was single and it was Valentine's day. And right now, you had to pretend like you couldn't care less.
"Thank you for picking me up, Y/N. Text me where to find you." Joe shifted, dawning a little smile.
"Of course, Joe." You smiled brightly, stepping out of the already opened door.
"I'll see you tonight! And you can tell me whatever it was you mentioned earlier!" Joe promised as you skipped down the steps toward your car.
"It doesn't matter anymore!" You waved a hand, opening the driver door, trying like mad to remain casual. Shit. Why did I say that? You just dug a deeper hole for yourself.
"Oh. Well okay! See you later!" Joe waved from the door, shutting it as your engine started.
Okay... Was it just you and your twisted, jumbled up mind, or was Joe acting weird, too? Maybe he picked up on your vibe and didn't want to spend any more time near you than he had too. You boggled your brain all the way home, wondering why you were such a wimp. When you unlocked your apartment door, Tilly was pinning bright red cartoon hearts across the living room wall.
"Oh." She cocked her head at your arrival as you shut the door behind you. "You're alone."
"He's meeting up with us later, I guess."
"You guess?" Tilly wondered in a curious tone.
"I didn't tell him." You huffed, kicking your shoes off.
"You were supposed to bring him here either way! He said he'd help decorate." Your roommate pouted, nodding toward a box of Valentine-themed tinsel on the sofa.
"This is all a bit ridiculous don't you think?"
Tilly's excuse was that every holiday deserved a party, even the one couples famously spent alone together. You proceeded to help decorate, draping streamers and tossing flower petals in place. Your roommate made 'Love Potion' with peach schnapps, red grapefruit juice, and vodka, while you jammed strawberries onto the side of clear plastic cups.
"I'll be handing these out. Take your pick." Tilly held out a bin full of plastic headbands. Some were pink with cartoon hearts attached to a couple of cheap springs, like an Instagram filter come to life. Others were deep red devil horns covered in glitter. You just rolled your eyes and went on setting up snacks.
"When are you going to tell him?" Tilly asked from across the room as she placed her bin of headgear on a table near the door.
"Oh, you know what?" You raised the pitch of your voice. "I think I'll do it right in the middle of your bangin' Valentine's party." You pointed toward Tilly, as if this idea had just come to you like a message from cupid himself. Tilly let out a dry mocking, "Ha Ha."
"You can break out that Prince vinyl, and I'll stand on the coffee table and rip my own heart out in front of everyone!" You really hoped you sounded more like you were joking, and less like you wanted to cry.
"I'm sure we'd all love a bit of a show. But babe, it's gonna be okay." Tilly softened.
"Isn't it funny how you keep saying that and I keep on feeling the opposite way?" You groaned, abandoning the kitchen past a doorway full of shiny maroon ribbon.
"You have exactly an hour to dress up for seduction!" Tilly comically hollered your way, skipping toward her bedroom.
"You mean confession!" You shouted back, sulking toward your own room. After shutting the door, you unearthed Joe's latest note from your pocket. The one that fell from your visor. How hadn't you found it sooner? Without too much thought, you opened the jar on your dresser where other notes had been collecting and went about getting ready.
You stared into your closet for far too long, almost talking yourself into throwing on a pair of leggings and calling it a day. But then you found an unassuming longsleeved dress, one that was passable in the cut-throat world of party fashion, but somehow remained supremely comfortable. It would do.
Then you hurried to fetch your friends from across town. Zoey and Lyla were dressed in tight velvet and equally as confused when you showed up to their door without Joe. "He's never not with you." Zoey pointed out. "Is he okay?" Lyla worried. This only made your heart hammer despite all your efforts to pretend everything was perfectly fine.
You pulled into a shitty diner because Zoey wanted breakfast for dinner. Both girls were enjoyable company, laughing over memes and telling you their latest gossip. The three of you were nearly through your meals when Joe finally showed up to join the party. He was dressed for the occasion, in a cozy blue sweater and dark jeans. You had to turn and sip your soda to keep from staring. Joe slid into your side of the booth with an arm across the seat, trapping you into his side and unknowingly making your guts twist up. Lyla seemed unusually unassuming. Every time before now, when Joe was in her line of sight, Lyla hardly ever hesitated to throw her self near him. You wondered why the hell everyone was being so insanely weird tonight, but then the thought brought you comfort, hoping you weren't alone in all the unease.
While Zoey and Lyla waited in a long queue to pay, Joe dragged you around the corner to an empty section of the diner. For just a moment, Joe stalled and looked to you with a barely noticeable furrow in his brow. It was as if he had something to say but forgot in a flash. Just when you were about to question Joe's antics, he turned away from you and walked deeper into the unused room. There was a giant, brightly painted claw machine in the corner, stuffed with prizes of the highest caliber.
"I dont have any quarters." You frowned, looking toward your friend. His smirk was back, the one you'd missed seeing all this time. Joe just chuckled, reached into his pocket and stepped up to play the game.
You should have been distracting him with a joke. You should have been saying something. He dragged you all the way back here to be apart of the fun. But all thoughts faded while you kept an eye on your dear friend. Joe was surprisingly good at operating the machine, eyes focused on the claw, fingers moving the control in just the right direction. It was becoming a challenge to keep your lovesick thoughts from burning your skin.
Joe broke out into a celebratory jig when the claw latched onto some plush toy and you laughed all the while, snapping back to reality. Joe retrieved a small plush bear from the prize slot and tossed it your way. You caught the thing without missing a beat, but the action caused your head to clog up all over again.
Luckily, Zoey and Lyla popped around the corner, excited to leave for your roommates long-awaited Valentine's day party. You kept a hold of the claw machine prize while you drove the girls in your car, watching Joe's following close behind.
The party was in full swing by the time you arrived. With the plush bear dangling by its paw from your grasp, you led your crew inside. Past guests who had all already shown up, mostly Tilly's friends. Men with sharp jawlines and nice cologne. Girls in tight dresses, lingerie peeking out from hemlines. And a couple of people you knew, offering hugs and demanding selfies in their matching themed headbands.
Your friends grabbed some from the bin next to the door. Joe chose a headband with cartoon hearts but turned to put it on your head like a crown. All you could do was hope to high heavens that you weren't blushing.
"Snacks in the kitchen. Don't forget to try the 'Love Potion' it's actually pretty good." You shrugged, passing a massive bowl of pink alcohol nestled behind a row of already filled cups. Joe grabbed one as he followed your lead.
"Everyone is in there." You gestured toward the living room entryway, where a group of girls lingered, taking selfies. Zoey and Lyla scurry hand in hand into the dim dance party.
"And you should be too! Nice of you to finally make it." Tilly twirled into your vision, toting an empty tray, her sequined dress sparkling right in your eye.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Joe greeted with a smile. She gave him a half-hearted hug, complaining about running out of finger foods. Your roommate loaded her tray with cups full of candy hearts and dashed back into the room where the party raged on.
The kitchen was empty and quiet now. You reached for a skewer of cherries and plucked one off to eat. A distraction.
"You look really nice. I like this." Joe actually honest to God tugged at the hem of your dress. And somehow, you magically managed to keep from fainting into a puddle.
"Thanks. You too." You shrugged, eating another cherry. You were being weird again. Usually, you'd make a joke or sashay around the kitchen to show off your look. But your feelings were collected in a mess of worried thoughts, and you were being weird. You knew Joe noticed, but if he cared, that didn't show. He just downed his 'Love Potion' and reached for two wine glasses from the rack near your stove.
"The usual?" He asked in a funny voice, already reaching for the bottles of wine on your counter.
"Of course."
You liked white wine, but not too sweet. He liked red wine, but not too bitter. So you learned one night, to mix them together. Everyone around you practically shrieked in terror, because of etiquette or whatever. But you and Joe eventually figured out the perfect proportion to mix, and he made a show of it every time. You were laughing again, as Joe poured each wine in a separate glass and went on pouring one into the other until he was satisfied. It was like watching a middle schooler at a science fair. He offered you one of the experiments and leaned across the counter to enjoy his own glass.
Then you settled into conversation, like always. He talked about his flight. You bit your tongue. You kept waiting for Joe to mention anything about being occupied earlier. Where he might have gone and why. But he never did. So why did he skip out from you in the middle of the afternoon? And why was he acting like nothing was strange at all? Why was Joe standing in the kitchen with you, instead of flirting with one of Tilly's pretty friends with sparkly devil horned headbands peeking through their silky hair?
Your intrusive thoughts were quieted as Joe asked about you. And somehow you both stared laughing about stupid old jokes, reaching for another love potion and gripping a little tighter to the plush bear in your fist.
When Tilly turned off too many lights and cranked up some tasteless raunchy record, Joe rolled his eyes. You watched him move to the other end of the kitchen, snatching the two bottles of wine, and an unopened box of frosting covered cookies.
"Come on!" He snickered, clearly headed right toward your room. You giggled, pushing yourself from the counter to follow behind him, toward your bedroom.
Usually, when Joe hung out at your flat, you'd had to hide away in your room together often. At first, because Tilly would bring dates home who couldn't keep their hands to themselves far past the living room couch. Later on, because it became a normal and relaxing spot to unwind.
So when you shut and locked the door, to keep any drunken partiers from breaking in, it didn't feel weird. And it wasn't unnatural the way Joe flung himself toward your bed. He reached across the empty blanket-covered space to grab your remote. You ripped off your stupid cartoon heart headband and rested it on the dresser with your plush bear, the same space the jar of notes had taken residence.
Before you knew it, Joe had queued up 10 Things I Hate About You, kicked off his shoes and settled in for one of your favorite stories. Naturally, you floated to his side and tore into the tin of iced cookies, much like any other normal movie night with your friend.
Joe made you screech like a loon, adding his own commentary and laughing too hard to even go on doing so. Maybe it was the wine, but either way, it was paradise. And Joe always made you laugh that hard. Between the sweets and all the wine, You and Joe nearly laughed yourselves sick. When the film cut to the scene where Kat was meant to read her poem, Joe lunged for the remote and clicked pause.
"Okay, name ten things you hate about me, Go!" Joe laughed, laying back and looking up to where you sat cross-legged, sipping some water you'd earlier filled your cup with from your bathroom sink.
"One..." You thought for a second, glancing at the bottle Joe kept a loose clutch on. "That you're hogging all the wine." You laughed, swiping the bottle from his grasp. He gave it up easily, chuckling with you.
"Nine more to go." Joe rose a brow, searching your eyes as you held the wine bottle to your chest. You couldn't think of anything besides the way Joe's eyes peered into yours, how they still seemed so bright in your low lit bedroom. You were suddenly a little too flustered by the sight of Joe laying against your pillows.
"I can't think of anymore." You looked away from Joe's gaze and took a swig of wine right from the bottle.
"I'm sure that's not true," Joe chuckled again, egging you onto listing off the things he did that annoyed you. But you couldn't seem them right now, you couldn't see much of anything past the way your eyes fogged over with a rosy sheen.
"I dont hate you, Joe." There you went again, speaking without thinking and letting your tone reveal more than intended. You hadn't even considered a response before that one came tumbling past your lips, like a half-hearted confession. It was quiet then, with the movie on pause. Even the heavy thrum of music from past your closed-door seemed light-years away.
"What were you going to tell me? Earlier?" Joe asked, propping himself up a little so his eyes could catch yours again.
"Oh uh- no. Nope, not yet. I should probably wait." You decided, feeling vile for admitting you had something to say but holding it hostage all because you were suddenly not at all ready to give up this moment. You figured Joe would catch on to any way you acted trying to hide your feelings, but when you froze up, Joe had yet to call you out. So now you were trapped in feeling too frightened to give any of this up. Say how you felt would ruin all the fun. You didn't want to confess, watch Joe leave and spend the night locked away alone while strangers made out in the hallway outside your door.
Thankfully, Joe didn't push you any further. He just watched you watching him. You knew better than to say another word. But then, Joe shifted. He slid off the side of your bed onto the floor beside you, kneeling with one knee on the ground.
"What the hell are you up to?" You couldn't help but cackle, out of nerves mostly. Joe had that look in his eye, the one he got before telling you a story or showing you something he was proud of.
He reached into his back pocket.a Joe pulled out a pretty velvet wallet. He held it out in front of you.
"I uh... I tried to give this to you at the diner. Unzip." Joe demanded, still holding onto the thing.
You glared suspiciously out of the corner of your eye, taking a beat to try and figure out what this is all about. After setting your bottle of wine on your bedside table, you did as he said. Inside the wallet was a tiny yellow note.
It read "Happy Valentine's Day" in Joe's writing. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was the first note he'd given you in ages, even though you'd only just found the last one he left, today... This one felt different. Your heart seemed to grow three sizes as you glanced over his holiday greeting once more.
"It always takes you way too long to find my notes. Keep this with you, I'll put them in here for you to find, from now on." Joe explained with a sleepy smile.
"I do." You mocked his kneeling on one knee, ignoring the butterflies multiplying in your belly. Joe's smile was soft as he slowly shifted to sit on the edge of your bed next to you.
"There's something else in there." His voice nearly caught in his throat, it was so quiet. The muffled music from the party outside your door was beating as heavily as your heart inside your chest. Joe was so close to you that you could practically feel him, just far enough away to leave you wishing you really could.
You let those thoughts seep into the back of your mind while you reached into the wallet once more. You pulled out another piece of trimmed stock paper. This note was an unusual shade of tea green, and three words were meticulously scrawled in dark marker.
"I love you."
I love you?
"Joe..."
"I 've had this plan forever, but I started overthinking everything. So I waited till the last minute and I had to go buy more of this paper and I felt really bad about sending you away without earlier any explanation. But I wanted you to have this. It's like a promise. You keep the wallet, I'll keep giving you these notes." Joe gestured toward the gift as you gapped at him. "And also I love you. I know it's a cheesy holiday but it doesn't matter, I couldn't as hold it in any longer and I wanted to do something for you anyway but I didn't wanna freak you out and -"
"That's what I was gonna say. Earlier. I was gonna tell you that I'm in love with you. But then I got scared. I... I never thought you'd. .. " You look back down at the note. His confession.
"Well, I do."
"You really love me?"
"I love you a whole fuckin' lot."
"I love you." You grinned in near disbelief. The irony of this situation was almost unreal. Joe was here, something you'd been so nervous about. If only you could have spoken up at the airport, maybe this day would have gone differently. But a wave of affection washed over you thinking back to Joe's sweet presentation. You wouldn't have wanted this day to have gone differently, after all.
And slowly, you both leaned in. Joe was the first to brush his lips against yours. You pressed yours back with all the care in the world. That must have been enough of a confirmation for Joe, as he moved to cradle your head in his hands while proceeding to part your lips and kiss you like a soldier coming home after too long gone. Your head spun as you registered the way he smelt like fancy cologne and the way his fingertips pressed into your head, pulling your lips closer to his. You thought of nothing but the way he kissed you, warmly and deeply. You lifted a hand to rest on his shoulder. But you couldn't tell if it was because you longed to touch him, or if you needed the extra support from how dizzy his kisses were making you. But they slowed after then and turned into lingering pecks. As you parted ways to catch your breath, you glanced to his gift still in your grasp.
"Thank you for this, Joe." He looked to the wallet you'd fixed your gaze on. "You've got a lot of notes to catch up on, ya know?" Joe had been gone for longer than you allowed yourself to keep track, feeling void grow vaster every day he wasn't around.
"I hope those two will suffice for now," Joe smirked, searching your face. His eyes were still sleepy but they were filled with all kinds of multitudes; flecks of gold and green you'd always wanted to look at a little longer each time your eyes managed to meet his.
"They're the best notes you've ever left me." You beamed, glancing at Joe with a wide smile. Then you were struck with the realization that everything still felt normal. Exceptionally normal. Tilly was right when she warned you not to worry. You rested the wallet on your side table next to a bottle of wine and turned back to throw yourself toward Joe, wrapping him in a hug that was more like a tackle. He laughed at your antics, chuckles dying down when you pressed your lips against his, again. Joe gave you a sweet kiss back before he broke out into quiet laughs once more.
"Were you really gonna lay all that on me at the airport, earlier? Why didn't you? We could have gone viral on Facebook, or something." Joe teased. Yep, still normal.
Even though some shitty pop music still blasted from the living room, you reached for the remote to start the movie over and turned up the volume. The rest of the night faded into some pulsing daydream version of all the things you longed to do with Joe. Lingering touches you'd never let yourself wish for, because you were so sure they'd never come true. Sweet, hot kisses that each lasted a little longer each time you met again after pausing to breathe. You laughed the whole night long, about how you stopped Joe from leaving marks on your neck long enough for you to focus on your favorite part of the movie. You laughed over one of Joe's stupid puns. You muffled your giggles when some drunken party people tried their luck at your locked door handle. You marveled the colors Joe was made up of and he traced every shape of you, with focused eyes and a smile you could have gazed at forever. After the deed was done, and done again, you ended up wearing Joe's sweater, polishing off the last of the wine from the bottle. Joe had somehow found that stupid Valentine's day themed headband (the one with the cartoon hearts) and wore it a little crooked while he snacked on those cookies he'd stolen from the party earlier. He actually ate the last cookie, even as you protested. You were actually kind of hungry, by now.
So once you noted that the music from the living room had been turned off for a while, and noticing the clock on your wall ready somewhere around 2 in the morning, you had no qualms with sneaking to the kitchen for a midnight snack. You collected all the trash you'd accumulated and skipped out of your bedroom door as quiet as a mouse, really hoping some of the fruit skewers were left. There were a couple of guys passed out in the frame of the hallway entry, and you had to maneuver around a few more sleeping beauties in the living room. By the time you rid your arms of two empty wine bottles and an empty tin of cookies, someone else pushed open the kitchen door.
"Holy shit, I thought everyone was asleep." You gasped with a hand on your chest, watching Tilly groggily shuffling toward the refrigerator.
"Fuck!" She cursed weakly. "Someone stole my Gatorade."
"Take one of my coconut smoothies from the back." You shrugged, knowing your roommate only sought to prevent feeling like shite in the morning.
"God, you're an angel." Tilly croaked as you snagged the last skewer of cherries and kiwis from the fruit stained cutting board. Tonight had really turned out in your favor.
"But you look like hell." Tilly went on, shutting the fridge and moving to make her exit. But before she could leave she kept an eye on you while you snacked on the leftover fruit. And the look in your roommate's eye shifted as she gave you a once over.
"Care to explain in explicit detail why you're wearing Joe's sweater?" She asked with a grin and a look in her eye that made you believe the girl would have acted far more excited if she wasn't so partied out.
"You don't need to know everything..." You turned slightly to hide the blush on your cheeks, even in the dark kitchen. But Tilly already knew everything, even what you weren't telling her. "Yet."
After you shared a hardy laugh, Tilly sulked back to her room with one of your favorite smoothies in hand. But not before she said, "I told you there was nothing to worry about."
Of course, she had been right all along. You wondered how Tilly could have been so sure all this time as you walked back to your bedroom. There you found Joe had tidied up the colossal mess you'd made of the sheets and was in the middle of queuing up one of your favorite shows. You performed the ritual of locking the door and throwing yourself on to your bed, and into Joe's arms. He engulfed you in a familiar hold and chuckled as something on the television. As much as you enjoyed being with him, you couldn't get over the fact that he was here with you. You laid next to Joe in the stillness of your bedroom, considering the whirlwind your day had been, reveling in how everything ended up.
You used to only like the day after Valentine's day, when all the chocolates went on sale. It was three in the morning on the fifteenth, and you had a whole lot more too look forward too, now.
