Vinnie warned you about Hera before you even met her.
“She’s a princess. Just so you know.”
You’d laughed at the time, thinking he meant it in a cute way.
He didn’t.
He meant it in the “this cat thinks she owns my soul and will actively try to ruin your life” kind of way.
And he was right.
The first time you came over and sat on his couch, Hera jumped up behind you, stared at your head for a solid five seconds, and smacked your ponytail.
No hesitation. No fear.
Like, how dare you breathe near her couch and her man?
You turned around, blinking. “Did she just…?”
“She’s just saying hi,” Vinnie said casually, sitting beside you like this was normal.
Then Hera slinked across the back of the couch and sat behind Vinnie’s head, tail flicking, staring down at you like a queen assessing a peasant.
You tried to ignore it.
Until she started slowly pawing at his hoodie string. Then his hair. Then his shoulder.
You reached out to pet her.
She hissed.
At you.
Vinnie just smiled and said, “That’s her love language.”
It wasn’t.
After that, things got worse.
You weren’t allowed to cuddle him on the couch without Hera inserting herself literally, climbing onto Vinnie’s chest and wedging between your faces.
You’d be mid-conversation, knees pulled up on his lap, and Hera would leap into the space, plop down, and curl up like you were the third wheel.
She’d purr only when you weren’t touching her.
Rub her face against Vinnie’s hand, then swipe at yours when you reached over.
Once, she pushed your phone off the coffee table while staring you dead in the eyes.
Another time, you woke up to her sitting on your stomach in the dark like a shadow demon. Just staring. No purrs. No blinking.
Vinnie, of course, didn’t believe the full extent of it.
“She’s a sweetheart.”
“She clawed my sock off my foot.”
“She’s just playing.”
“She growled.”
“She’s expressive.”
You narrowed your eyes. “You raised a little villain.”
“She’s perfect.”
He said it while petting her like the most precious being in the world. Hera purred and gave you a smug look like she knew she’d won.
But then there were the cracks.
One night, you were half asleep on Vinnie’s chest while the two of you watched some late night anime rerun. Hera was curled up in her usual corner of the couch, giving you both the silent treatment.
You shifted, pulling the blanket up. Vinnie rubbed your back. You yawned, and his hand moved to your hair.
And Hera meowed.
Once.
Then again. Louder.
Vinnie looked over. “What?”
She meowed a third time, then stood, stomped across the cushions, and planted herself directly between the two of you, purring aggressively while staring at him.
He blinked. “You’re not serious.”
She pushed her head into his chin.
You stared. “Is she trying to…?”
“Shh. She’s asserting dominance.”
You rolled your eyes. “Over me?”
“She says you’ve gotten too comfortable.”
Eventually, a truce formed.
You brought her a treat once those freeze dried chicken ones she apparently considered worthy of her time.
She ate it, then sat on your thigh for exactly six seconds.
That was the day she allowed you into the kingdom. Kind of.
Now, she’ll sometimes curl up at the foot of the bed when you’re over.
But only if she gets there first.
She still gives you side eye when you kiss Vinnie in the kitchen.
Still knocks your things off the counter occasionally.
Still positions herself directly in the middle of the bed like a fluffy little wall.
But now?
If you stretch out your hand slowly… she doesn’t hiss.
She might even brush her cheek against your knuckle.
And sometimes only when she thinks no one’s watching she curls up near your hip and pretends she’s just trying to get warm.
But Vinnie knows.
And he grins every time.
Because Hera might still act like you’re stealing her man…
But even she can’t pretend you don’t belong here anymore.
No matter what, seeing him all over again feels like the inch has given you, spans the entire seas.
OLD BSF!VINNIE X FEM!READER
WARNINGS: NSFW CONTENT MINORS DNI, some angst, some fluff, unprotected sex, alcohol ment, making out praise kink, degradation kink, cheating, possessiveness, angry sex, slapping, face pushing, begging, choking, mean vinnie!!
word count: 2.5k <3
a/n: lil apology for the disappearance mls :(
Ever since that fateful day, I haven’t spoken a word to Vinnie.
It’s not like we were best friends, chatting everyday- at least not best friends in LA. But having sex whilst he had a girlfriend proved too much for me.
I ignored every text, every call, every attempt to get in contact despite what I really wanted. However I knew that any form of interaction between us would end up the same way our last one ended.
And I was very right.
It had been 2 months, it was all going good. I was starting to forget the feeling of his lips on me. Starting to forget the way he made me laugh, held my body close whispering sweet nothings.
I started spending more time at the gym, and spent more time with my friends. Went out clubbing, shopping, anything that would help me forget.
But in the back of my mind, only one thing actually made me crumble in the middle of the night, only one thing I thought of when I fell asleep, the one thing I craved.
He had given me an inch and I imagined it to be a mile- the same mistake I kept on making.
So when I heard that Vinnie was throwing his birthday and I had received the coveted invitation- I imagined it to be the world.
Vinnie’s birthday was always something I looked forward to back home. Maria’s cooking, Nate on the grill, and Reggie playing silly board games with Vinnie and I.
***
“YOU FUCKING CHEATER” I yelled, jostling Poncho in my lap.
“Oh c’mon it’s not my fault you suck at Uno” Vinnie laughs moving to pet Poncho.
“Absolutely not! I had Uno, I was about to win!” I grumble, my head falling onto the coffee table table.
Reggie’s hand rubs my back, “Hey we all know Vinnie cheats don’t worry,” He teases sticking his tongue out at his big brother.
The two boys start bickering, laughing, and yelling curses as I cradle Poncho, “Shh baby ignore em their just two stinky men” I whisper
Their words quickly turn into playful rough housing until Maria breaks them up bringing out Vinnie’s cake.
His face is illuminated by the soft glow of the candles, as the cake is set in front of him. His big signature toothy grin covers his entire face as he watches us start to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him.
One of his hands wraps around my waist and my world just stops- at least for a moment before I’m jostled by him blowing out the candles in one big huff.
“What did you wish for Vin?” Nate asks, smiling at his newly adult son
His face turns to look at me giving me a smile before turning back to his dad, “Can’t say unless I don’t want it to come true.”
My world just died right there before starting all over again.
That was a day before he left for LA.
***
I had spent the night getting ready with my friends. I was adorned in pretty jewelry complimenting my hair. I was wearing a pretty white tie-in-the-front white cropped top with long sleeves and a low-rise white mini skirt. I had matching waist chains with some strappy white heels.
Vinnie’s favourite perfume of mine sprayed on my skin in an involuntary action as I packed up my little purse with some needed essentials and some non-essentials.
I stared in the mirror, Was I really doing this?
“Babes Tyler is here!” My friend Kylie shoots in my direction.
Tyler- the only reason my friends thought I should go to this party was if I brought a guy, so Tyler had to do.
I guess I am.
My friends and I walk out to Tyler’s car, not before a shot for pure confidence, and slip into the passenger seat driving down the same way I went two months ago.
We arrive at the house around 10:30, right around when most people are trickling in. I fix my dress as we walk through the door and all of a sudden the wave of anxiousness washes over me and I want to run.
I don’t however run away, despite how much I want to, I still hold it together.
Kylie pulls me aside to check up on me and hands me a drink, telling me to ‘get some!’ Despite the fact that we both have very different people in mind.
Jordan, one of Vinnie’s friends walks up to me engaging in mindless conversation that's so clearly an attempt to find out who Tyler is or if “I’m seeing anyone.”
Despite that fact we have a pleasant conversation whilst I feel a pair of very familiar eyes burning into the back of my skull as I hug Jordan goodbye as people get ready for midnight.
Two blonde dudes come in holding a large sheet cake with 22 candles placed ever so gently on top.
Vinnie’s hand is wrapped around Allison who stares at him as if he’s the sun and the stars and his eyes stay on me, causing me to sweat. He grins as the cake is placed in front of him, straightening out his stupid little suit as everyone begins to sing.
As the song finishes everyone bursts into cheers as he blows out his candle as Allison grips onto him, his eyes leave the cake finding his girlfriend’s as she asks, “What did you wish for baby?”
He smiles, not saying a word as he looks back at me, “It’s a secret.”
That’s too much for me.
I maneuver around the drunk crowd, sprinting up the nearest stairs and into the first room, walking out onto the balcony and sitting down on the ground.
My world feels like it's out of orbit, everything just stopped. My head tips back on the glass balcony as I try to recollect my thoughts.
Stray tears fall onto my face, if he can do it for her, why couldn’t he have done it for me, is the only thought that swirls in my mind.
“Hey are you okay?” No no no.
I shut my eyes praying he’ll just go away, but he doesn’t, he never could. He sits down next to me, his body heat slipping on to me.
His hand rests on my shoulder, “Open your eyes” Vinnie’s voice whispers and like a marionette, I obliged.
My bloodshot teary eyes meet his as I turn my head as I move to wipe away my tears.
“Yes?” My voice breaks.
“Why are you crying?” He whispers, his gaze soft and his words even softer.
“Don’t do this, Vinnie.” I whisper, desperation evident in my voice.
“What pretty girl?”
And I cry all over again. I take in staggered breaths as his arms wrap around me. His hands soothe my skin as I crumble into his dumb suit.
I melt into his touch. I want to die like this, in his arms.
“I can’t do this, I don’t know why I came” I whisper as tears fall on my face and into his shirt.
“It’s my birthday… didn’t you want to be here?” He asks, his voice breaking a little as he pulls my face away, lifting up my chin to look at him.
His gaze drops to my lips for a moment as I snap out of it, immediately rising to my feet stepping into the room.
“No no we can’t do this” I whisper-yell at him, my hands crossed over my chest
“We’re not doing anything?” He looks bewildered, his eyebrows knit together
“We can’t be friends.. I-I can’t be here alone with you, your girlfriends downstairs!” My voice rises a little
His expression is the picturesque definition of pain, “Why not?”
“Because I spent years loving you and you threw it all away!” I yell my hand pointing at him
“I didn’t throw it away!” He raises his voice, stepping closer to me
“Oh yes you fucking did, and I was doing so good! I was forgetting about you!” I cry out, I step closer to him.
“I don’t want you to forget about me” His voice is expressionless, as he steps closer as we’re practically chest to chest
“I want to! You have a girlfriend” I slam my fist on his chest as his grabs my wrist
“Jesus were you always this fucking bossy when we were kids?” His eyes narrow, eyeing me
I roll my eyes and scoff, “Fuck. You.”
He has the audacity to laugh, “You can try and forget me, get with that idiot you got here with- But never, tell me I threw us away, I loved you! I love you.”
His voice softens ever so slightly, “I will never not love you, tell me to break up with Allison, I will, tell me to kick everyone out right now, I will. Whatever you want, tell me. I’m yours”
“I hate you. Leave.” I huff
He shakes his head, “Anything but that.”
“Leave me like you left me 3 years ago and 2 months ago” I whisper
“No.” His voice is harsh and commanding
“Vinnie…”
“No.” His grasp on my hand doesn't falter and in fact his other hand grasps my other wrist.
My eyes narrow, please whatever scraps of self respect I have please kick in.
His pushes me back against the wall, my hands pinned either side of me as he places a kiss on the birthmark on my neck, “I’m never leaving you”
I shut my eyes, tipping my head back, please kick in, I beg.
“Open your eyes.” His voice rough and ragged
My eyes flutter open, meeting his blown out brown eyes.
Oh no.
His lips meet mine in a desperate kiss, his hand moves to grasp my waist as mine tangles in his hair.
“We can’t” I whisper despite still kissing him back
“Just shut the fuck up” He groans as he bites down on my bottom lip
“You’re my worst addiction” He mumbles moving to kiss my neck
I whine, nails digging into his curly brown locks, “I hate you”
“I know my love” I murmurs against my skin, kissing every spot of my neck he can find before dipping down to my tits.
“Vinnie-”
“Yes.” His voice cuts mine off, his head tipping up, looking up at my eyes.
I shut my eyes, “Need you”
“What? Where? Tell me” He begs
“Need you to fuck me, rough” I whisper
He stops his kisses, moving to cup my face, “Whatever you want doll”.
He meets my lips in a rough kiss guiding me to the edge of the bed, pushing me down to sit.
“God you're so pretty, it makes me wanna ruin you sometimes” He whispers out, his voice rough as he moves a strand of my hair away from my face as he looks down at me.
He moves me further up the bed as he leans over me, pulling the buttons of his waist coat down but as he’s mid way he gets frustrated he just rips it off along with his shirt as he kisses me again.
His lips move in tandem with mine as he pulls the knot of my shirt, causing it to fall down.
“Mine” He whispers into the kiss, “Say it princess”
“Yours” I whine as he shuffles my skirt and panties off and unclasped my bra
“My perfect girl” He mumbles as he flips me over, smushing my face into the pillows
I can hear his belt clinking open and he shuffles out of his constricting dress pants and boxers
“S gonna hurt darling girl, just be good for me” He whispers as he kisses my spine as he slowly stretches me out
His hand pushes my head down into the pillow as his other hand rubs circles on my clit.
My toes curl up and my eyes roll back as he starts to slowly rut into me, “There she fucking is”
His grunts echo in the room as my muffled moans coat the pillow, “Cmon, you can take it won't you? You're just so good for me.”
His words tease me as he speeds up his pace, he pushes down my head to thrust deeper into me as his muscles flex around me.
“So fucking tight, s’ like you were made for me” He grits as he pulls my hair up as a ragged moan leaves my mouth
“Such a whore, so good for me aren’t ya?” He chuckles
I whine nodding my head as my mind is too cloudy to form words.
He slaps my ass illciting another pitchy moan from me, “Asked you a fucking question”
“Mhm all for you” I mumble biting down on my lip
“God you don’t even know what you fucking do to me darling” He groans as his hand speeds up around my clit
“M close, Vin m close” I ramble like an idiot shutting my eyes
He slaps my ass again causing me to yell, “Beg for it gorgeous girl”
“Please Vinnie” I crumble whining
He laughs at my sad attempt, “My good girl can do better than that can’t she?”
“Please please I need it so bad, need you so bad” I mewl under him
His pace speeds up, “Yeah? Take it baby”
I cum with a loud moan as my eyes screw shut. I can feel Vinnie kiss along my spine, caressing the sides of my body.
He flips me over so I’m looking at him, his flexed biceps on either side of my face and his dumb chain dangling over my face.
He sinks in again as I whimper, “Can’t Vin”
“Yes you can, you're so good, aren’t you?” His voice teases
I succumb to his words mindlessly nodding my head.
“That's right, you can take it and you fucking will.” He punctuates with a sharper thrust
The headboard slams against the wall against Vinnie’s impossible strength rutts into me.
One of my hands wraps around his bicep and the other holds onto his wrist as I pull it on to my neck.
His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.
“Please?” I whisper
He chuckles as he squeezes around my neck using the grip to pound deeper into me as my eyes roll back as my cunt clenched around him.
“M’ gonna cum, can’t hold out, you just feel too fucking good” He whispers
I whine at that cumming around him without warning as I clench around him he finishes inside me.
We take a second to catch our breaths just lying there for a second.
He pulls out maneuvering us on the bed as he kisses my neck, “Not too much my love?”
“Never” I hum
He nuzzles into my neck as my back meets his chest, “Want me to break up with Allison?”
I take a second to process his question.
“Yes… but I don’t want to date you right now” I whisper
“I'll stay alone forever if it’ll make you happy princess” He hums
“Good” I giggle
“God should've known you were heartache from the moment I met you” He chuckles as he falls asleep in the crook of my neck.
An inch? A mile? As long as it's Vinnie, for you its enough.
warnings: angst, fluff, cussing, talking about mental health
summary: Love overlooked, tempers rise, hearts mend.
You were understanding. Really understanding. You understood that Vinnie was famous, that people recognized him. You understood that he was really busy, that he didn’t have much time for the two of you.
You loved him, more than anything. And you tried. Tried really hard to be there. And to support him as he followed his dreams.
But it was hard sometimes. Mainly after he forgot your date.
You need to admit that he acted differently lately. He was more distant, he didn’t talk much anymore.
But you still thought it’d be a romantic night. Full of laughter, smiles and sweet words.
Full of Vinnie and you.
You were sitting in a restaurant, looking at the screen of your phone every second. He should’ve been there at 7pm. He promised to come right after work that came up.
The waiter was giving you looks of pity the entire time you sat there. When he brought you water and mainly when he stopped at your table for the 10th time, asking if you wanted to finally order something.
“My boyfriend will be there any second now” was your answer every time he asked.
It was almost 9pm when you paid for your four waters, realizing he wouldn’t come. Your messages unanswered, the same with your calls.
Unshed tears burned in your eyes, blurring your vision as you drove home. To the apartment you shared with Vinnie.
You remembered the fight that came after you arrived home. It was one of your biggest ones.
He was tired, you were hurt. He fell asleep before he left to the restaurant where you waited in, for more than two hours.
Apology he gave you the next day was accepted. He promised to make up for it. He promised you a romantic date at the 28th day of the month. Because that was your anniversary.
Anniversaries meant a lot to you. You loved him. And you wanted to celebrate every second you were together.
He promised to take you look at the sunset, cook you dinner and then have a movie night. And you believed him.
You always did.
Because you knew he wanted you to be happy.
What you didn’t know was that he’d forget.
That he’d forget everything he promised you. The little promises suddenly broken like a bone.
You were so excited. You even begged your manager to let you leave work earlier.
She let you.
That’s why you were walking into your shared apartment, a wide smile on your lips. You took your shoes off before walking to the kitchen, placing your bag on the kitchen island.
Hera rubbed her body against your leg, meowing as she always did when you came home. You stopped your movements for a second, realizing the loud silence in the apartment.
“Babe?” you called out, waiting for his answer. Waiting for him to come out of his streaming room.
He didn’t though. Before you could look around the apartment, your phone rang. You looked at the screen, noticing a message that popped up.
“I’m gonna be home late tonight, something came up. Don’t wait for me. I love you, baby”
Your heart dropped, you stared at the message for a while, hoping it’d disappear. You hoped you were just dreaming.
Maybe he was just joking. Maybe it was a part of a plan. Like a secret surprise.
You realized it wasn’t when you sat in the living room hours later. The sky outside was dark, stars shining. The apartment was lit up with couple of candles Vinnie bought you.
The television was on, but your focus wasn’t. You thought about Vinnie. About all the promises he made.
Dried tears were visible on your cheeks, your eyes watering as new tears begged to spill. You hated feeling like this. It was yours anniversary.
And you didn’t spend it with your lover.
That was fucked up.
Seconds later, you went to bed, your face buried in your pillow. Your tears soaking it, your whole body shaking with sobs.
The next morning, the sun shining through the curtains woke you up. You turned around, being sure to see Vinnie.
But he wasn’t there. You sat up, rubbing the tiredness off of your eyes before standing up, stretching your arms above your head.
You walked out of the room, seeing Vinnie on the couch. He was sleeping heavily, Hera cuddled up on his chest.
Shaking your head, you moved towards the kitchen without realizing Vinnie was already waking up.
“You’re awake already?”
You heard him mumbling behind you. But you didn’t turn around, still disappointed from yesterday.
His footsteps moved towards you, his silhouette coming into your view. But you didn’t look up, you didn’t want to see his eyes.
You turned your back to him, ignoring his entire existence. Like he wasn’t standing there at all.
“C’mon, talk to me. You know what we always say”
Communication is key.
And when you remembered that, you turned around. Your puffed eyes meeting his ones. And when he saw the redness of them, his face softened.
But before he could say anything, you started talking.
“You don’t remember what day was yesterday?”
You asked, your voice rasping from the crying.
Your heart was beating, your hands shaking as he stood before you. Confused from your words.
He didn’t say anything, that’s why you continued.
“You promised. You fucking promised, Vinnie”
You told him, your eyes filling with tears.
You hoped, hoped he’d understand. But he was even more lost than before.
“It was our anniversary yesterday”
You mumbled out, confessing what was bothering you.
“And you forgot, or maybe didn’t even care”
You noticed he wanted to say something, but you didn’t let him say anything. Not even a single word.
“I waited for you. Till midnight. And you were where? Drinking with your friends?”
Your hands were in the air, your cheeks drained. Your lip trembling as your breathing was uneven.
Vinnie stayed calm, he knew he fucked up.
“Look, baby-“
You shook your head, interrupting anything he wanted to say.
“No, don’t ‘baby’ me.”
You shook your head again, sniffing as you wiped your tears off your cheeks.
You wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to calm down.
“I tried really hard to be understanding, Vinnie”
You started after a while.
“I really tried, telling myself that you’re happy so I’m happy too. But it’s getting to me”
You explained, biting into your bottom lip.
“I thought a lot yesterday. About us”
He knew what was coming, he knew it too well. And he knew he didn’t want it to happen, because he didn’t want to lose you.
And when you started crying even more, taking a deep breath to continue with your speech, he shook his head, walking around the kitchen island to be closer to you.
“Hey, hey, hey”
He mumbled out so soft, you almost didn’t hear.
Your gaze moved to him, your eyes still tearing up. Even more than before.
“I know I fucked up. I fucked up bad. And I’m so sorry for that”
He explained, his voice soft as it always was when he talked to you.
“I know how you try. How you are always there for me. And I’m sorry it seems like I don’t appreciate it”
He moved closer to you, slowly placing his hands on your arms. You didn’t move away even though you wanted to.
“Why weren’t you there yesterday?”
You mumbled out again, titling your head.
He took a deep breath, clearing his throat.
“I’ve been struggling with some issues lately.“
He started.
“And I needed to get myself together. I had everything prepared yesterday. But the feeling and panic came so suddenly. I needed to be alone for a while.”
Your eyes softened, shaking your head.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
You asked softly.
“I didn’t want to burden you with my problems. I know you have a lot on your plate”
You moved your hands to his cheeks, your thumb caressing his skin.
“I’m here for you, always. And I’m sorry for reacting this way. We’re in this together. Always.”
He shook his head but you didn’t let him say anything.
“I was scared you realized I wasn’t enough. That you didn’t want to be with me anymore”
He interrupted your speech, pulling you into his arms, tucking your head under his chin.
“You’re everything I ever wanted. And I’m sorry that you think something different.”
You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face into his chest.
“But I promise you, I love you more than anything. And I’ll make sure to remind you every day from now on.”
And he didn’t break his promise ever again.
──── ୨୧ ────
Helloo.
I have something different for you.
It’s one of my first works I wrote and posted so I hope you like it.
Just so you know, there’s always someone you can talk to. And to be honest, I’m here for you all.
summary: in which Vinnie doesn’t like your boyfriend
a/n: hello, it’s been a while lol, 2023 was literally the worst year of my life but 2024 will be my year.
warnings: swearing, fighting and blood
word count: 2.4k
masterlist
Vinnie never liked him, from the moment you told him about the new guy you met, to the moment he met him face to face. He never hid it either. A grimace of disgust tainting his face when your boyfriend was around. It got to the point where everyone took notice of it and sided with Vinnie; your boyfriend sucked.
He was never on time, even on date nights and always left the bill for you to pay. When Vinnie found out, he was sure he hated the guy's guts. Every complaint to you about your boyfriend ended with a not so nonchalant shrug and “just saying,”.
It got to you, it really did, especially when the tattooed blonde distanced himself, much to your boyfriend’s enjoyment. He knew he wasn’t well liked, and it gave him an air of confidence, Vinnie would go as far as to call him borderline fucking sadistic.
He remembers the day vividly when your boyfriend waltzed into the room with you in tow and that stupid smirk on his face. Vinnie immediately disliked him, purely because of that fucking smirk that spoke a thousand words, ‘I’m better than you’, blah blah blah, Vinnie knew his façade was a pile of stinking bullshit.
“Who are you?” Vinnie snorted as he leaned back on the couch, legs spread. Although the question was directed towards your boyfriend, his eyes were glued to yours, his gaze heated.
“Uhm, guys, this is my-“ he interrupted you. Vinnie didn’t like that at all. He forced himself to take a deep breath, fidgeting in his seat to get comfortable. It didn’t work. “I’m her boyfriend,” he gloated with a nasty grin, and Vinnie was caught off guard by your soft smile directed towards your shitty boyfriend. It was a punch to the gut, seeing you with heart eyes not looking at him.
“Boyfriend?” Noah gaped at you, his eyes sneaking looks at Vinnie to gauge his reaction. He looked upset, and Noah knew why, but Vinnie himself wouldn’t admit it. He was stubborn that way, enough to break his own stubborn heart.
You smiled sheepishly, shy from the feeling of vulnerability that took over you as every pair of eyes in the room stared you and your boyfriend down. You hadn’t anticipated their negative reactions, it made you confused and disappointed, and a small tinge of embarrassment grew in your gut. Shame set your body alight, why would you be embarrassed to introduce your boyfriend?
“How long have you guys been dating?” Vinnie asked, a fake smile on his lips, it made you cringe. You knew Vinnie, both in and out, and you knew when he was genuine. He wasn’t now.
You turned to your boyfriend, tongue tied, “uhm, well we went official three days ago-“ he interrupted again. You really wanted to disappear.
“Babe,” he chuckled in a tone that Vinnie knew was condescending. “They asked when we began to date, not when we became official.” duh, you thought to yourself and quickly nodded with a small and strained smile.
You felt embarrassed, if he had let you finish your sentence then he would come to find out that you would’ve answered Vinnie’s question.
“Uhm-“ you stammered, he interrupted once again, sighing, “two months babe, two months.” Your stomach was hurting now and your face was burning as did your palms, so much so that your boyfriend let it go to wipe his palm on his jeans. ‘Oh god’ you felt mortified, hoping no one noticed the gesture despite standing on display in front of your friends.
Vinnie spoke, his eyes dark, “Maybe, you should, oh- I don’t know; let her finish speaking?” Vinnie glared at him, his posture less relaxed but he was still in the same position as earlier, though his hands twitched.
“Excuse me?” He took a threatening step forward, but you intercepted him quickly with a forced laugh, “okay,” you dragged out, “how about we stop this, and leave.” So you did.
Vinnie texted you an hour later, an apology, ending with him admitting to not wanting to lose you over a petty dick measuring fight. You reassured him that you weren't the type of person to throw away friendships for one guy.
He read the text with stinging eyes and a chewed up lip. He genuinely thought his chest was about to cave in, he saw his future, a future of which he painted with you by his side, hands intertwined with loving whispers in your shared bed, hidden from the world under the covers. It all fell apart. But he knew better than to admit his feelings to you. You were everything good in this world and he knew he wasn’t enough.
—————
Vinnie wasn’t a stranger to sarcasm, neither were you. Your new boyfriend on the other hand seemed to be.
It was supposed be a relaxed get together, celebrating summer with barbecue and drinks,
It was painful to listen to Vinnie disrespect your boyfriend whilst the boy in question unknowingly agreed to it all.
“You’re one of the nice guys, huh?” Vinnie smirked, his eyes mischievous as he stared at your boyfriend. His blood pumping the liquid courage through his body. Oblivious, he answered with a chuckle. “Yeah, totally dude, I hear it all the time.”
You went to interrupt before Vinnie took it too far, but your boyfriend quickly dismissed you with a hand on your thigh and a slurred whisper of “shh let ‘im speak, babe”
Vinnie rolled his eyes at the site, jealousy growing with each sip of alcohol. “Must be your pride and joy,” Vinnie murmured and your boyfriend huffed, “of course I pride myself in being a humble guy.”
“Vincent,” you snapped and Vinnie’s eyes went wide. “That’s enough.” You stared Vinnie down and he kept his eyes locked on yours despite your glaring, though your glaring eyes quickly turned soft the longer you stared at each other.
Your boyfriend spoke up, snapping your attention to him, though Vinnie didn’t care to remove his eyes from you. His eyebrows furrowed and a frown tugged down the corner of his lips, it looked ridiculous. “Is there something going on between you two that I should know about?” His words sounded forced as he spoke through clenched teeth.
You flinched from his words, your brows furrowed as you stared at him with a gaping mouth. “What?” Your voice shook and your face felt hot.
He rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his beer bottle. “You heard me,” he spat as he glared at you and Vinnie, though your gaze didn’t dare to meet Vinnie’s blank ones.
“I-“ you began before Vinnie interrupted you, his voice expressionless and his face equally so when you finally looked at him.
“Fuck you.” Oh god, you quickly stood up and glanced around for help to stop the fight that would inevitably follow. “Noah?” You yelled out and the boy quickly appeared with a lazy smile on his face before it quickly dropped when he saw your panicked expression.
He quickly walked up to you. “Woah, what’s wrong?” You were just about to gesture towards Vinnie and your boyfriend, but quickly stopped when your boyfriend clumsily stood up and threw the glass bottle toward Vinnie. Glass shattered on the concrete before Vinnie’s feet, beer staining his trousers and skin.
A gasp left your lips before you quickly ran forward to intercept your boyfriend who obviously wasn’t done. Vinnie had also gotten to his feet now, his eyes dark and fist clenched, his body tense as he stared your boyfriend down.
“Lil’ bitch,” your boyfriend slurred, your hand grasping his arm to hold him back. You tried to ignore him instead focusing on Vinnie who was now being held back by Noah. You took notice of the circle of which has formed around you, people curious to see what the escalation would be like.
Fingers pinched your arm tightly, almost breaking through skin. You tore your arm away from your boyfriend to see his glare directed to you now. Your arm burned from where he pinched you.
“What the fuck?” You exclaimed angrily as you gave him a light push. He wobbled a few steps back before he spat on your shoes, a disgusted expression on his face. “You’re his lil’ bitch, aren’t you?” He wiped the stray saliva from his chin with a crazed smile. “You’re his whore aren’t you?” You felt your nose burn as tears blurred your vision.
One second you were staring at your boyfriend, the next his body laid upon the ground, Vinnie straddling him, his fists flying. You could vaguely hear voices screaming, before Vinnie was quickly taken away from the bloodied man you once called your boyfriend.
Through your blurred vision you saw Vinnie being taken into the house by Noah and a couple of other guys, their faces pale.
“Hey,” a soft voice spoke. A blonde haired girl stood before you with a soft, shaky smile. “Let’s get you inside.” She didn’t wait for you to answer before she gently took your hand and walked you inside. You were grateful but your mouth felt wired shut. You wanted to know what happened to Vinnie and where he was taken to.
“Where is he?” She guided you to the plush couch and kneeled down before you, her hand still holding yours.
“Who? Vinnie?” She asked, her eyes quickly darting to the backyard where a commotion was still going on. You could only nod, a tear tickling your skin as it slid down your cheek and neck.
“They took him to the front lawn, someone called the cops.” Your heart stopped. “They’re hoping to explain the situation or something.” She gave you a reassuring smile. “He only protected you, stupidly of course,” she chuckled and you let a teary one out too.
“What’s your name?” Your voice cracked. She gave you a cheeky grin before answering you. “Phoebe, and you?” You told her your name and took a deep breath, “how bad is it?”
She sighed and chewed her button lip, “it looked worse than it is.” And it looked horrifying. You turned around to get a glimpse of your now unofficial ex boyfriend, and he was being held up by two guys, his nose bent and blood covering his lower face with splatters everywhere. Vinnie had done some proper damage in that short moment.
“Oh, don’t look,” she tugged at your hand and made you focus on her. She quickly got up and nodded to someone, whom you didn’t know.”
“She okay?” It was Noah, his hair disheveled and he looked flustered, his eyes quickly glancing outside before focusing on you again.
“Welp, she’s definitely shaken up and could definitely use a friend and some reassurance.” She gave you a small smile before walking back outside again. You wanted to thank her but you found yourself tongue tied.
Noah took a seat beside you, his body slumped against the cushions, and dragged a hand over his face before sitting straight. He looked exhausted.
“Are you okay?” You whispered shakily, your lips trembling. He snorted, “I’m fine, just tired from dealing with cops.” Oh god, your mind drew a scenario of Vinnie in the back of a patrol car.
“Is Vinnie arrested?” Your voice trembled, ‘god this shouldn’t be happening’ you thought to yourself.
Noah laughed this time, the sound loud in the quiet and tense living room. “Psst, no. They understood and they’re actually taking your man in instead for being drunk and disorderly.” Your mouth fell open before you quickly turned around in your seat again to find him again, but he was already gone. The guests back to mingling as though nothing had happened.
“Where’s Vinnie?” You asked Noah, mouth still gaping.
“Here,” another voice answered. Vinnie. He stood by the doorway with wrapped hands and a change of clothing. A sheepish smile on his blushing face. You quickly got up and wrapped your arms around his waist, your head resting on his hard chest. His arms quickly engulfed you tightly. “Thank you for standing up for me.” You sniffled .
“Meh, I always hated the guy.” You lifted your head to stare at him and a smile grew on his lips. “Just saying.”
——————
It took two months before you agreed to go out with Vinnie. He had planned the whole night, home baked pizzas with snacks and a handful of movies. You were both snuggled up under a shared blanket, hands intertwined. He rested his chin atop your head. “It feels surreal, you know?” He spoke. You moved to get a look at him. His dark eyes soft as they glanced at you under the glow of the lit candles on the living room table.
“It feels like I’m about to wake up at any moment and resent myself for this only being a dream.” He continued, he looked melancholy, as his inked hands nervously played with yours. “I never wanted to lose you, and I did anyway.” Your heart felt heavy as you listened. You wanted to say something but you could tell he wasn’t done speaking.
He sighed, forcing himself to let it all out. “I think I’m in love with you, I think I’ve been for a very long time. I don’t really know the definition of love but I know that you’re all I think about. You make me feel safe and nervous at the same time and it’s very confusing,” you both chuckled before he continued.
“I can’t see anyone else being in your place and if I had the power to, I would freeze time so I could spend an eternity here with you.” You were crying now and his warm hand lifted to grasp your wet cheek. His eyes were alight and a smile grew on his lips as he laughed.
“Fuck,” you sniffled, a smile covering your lips as your heart pounded in your chest. You felt indescribable happiness and love. The type of love written in books and wished upon falling stars. “I think I’m in love with you too.” You answered and quickly placed your lips on his.
His hands found their way to your waist before guiding your body down. He leaned over you, his lips still on yours whilst his tongue begged for entrance, and you let him. His tongue fought for dominance whilst he fit himself between your thighs. He slowly separated his tongue from yours and softly nipped on your bottom lip. A breathy laugh escaped his lips, his breath warming your swollen lips.
He quickly kissed your face, speaking between his kisses. “I” kiss “love” kiss “you” kiss.
This compilation serves a dual purpose: firstly, to impose some semblance of order upon my collection and facilitate navigation within my reading room; and secondly, to recommend these stories to anyone who comes across it. I'll update it as I continue to devour literary treasures. Please let me know if any links are broken. Happy reading 🖤
summary: your unsavory first meeting with vincent weighs on your mind more than you would like to admit. when you share the details, your best friend lends you more than just a listening ear.
˗ˏˋ a/n: hello hello! i have included the link to the first chapter above and it is also in the masterlist. please read it before this one so that everything makes more sense. long author's note at the end, i hope you enjoy reading this chapter <3
the next morning, you’re in for a rude awakening.
your alarm goes off half an hour earlier than it normally does, slicing clean through the lulling quiet of your room and the semi-deep sleep you fell into after knocking back two melatonin pills and a cup of peppermint you brewed in a rush after getting back home the night before. your head feels like it’s about to split open from the remnants of the day-long headache that had morphed into a migraine and crept over your brain soon after you left the tutoring center. a throbbing ache settles behind your eyes like an icepick chipping away at the orbital bones that makes you shut them as soon as you open them in a startle, blindly reaching around to find your phone and turn off the alarm.
your neck is tight with tension curled around it like a noose, and you can feel the cricks and knots settled deep into it, the bones popping and cracking as you gingerly tilt your head side to side, no doubt because of spending too much time bent over the lab bench or your desk, or the constant tossing and turning you do throughout the night when you’re in a fitful sleep. the dull ache in your jaw and the way you have been unconsciously tightening it tells you it’s the latter. great, you think as you rub the sore hinges with your fingers. you started grinding your teeth in your sleep again. maybe you should invest in teeth guards for real this time.
you let out an irritated, tired breath, rubbing your aching eyes with curled hands, and slump down on your back, wishing nothing more than to sleep for at least four 24 full hours without any disturbances to wake you or riddle your mind with ruminating thoughts. you want to bury yourself underneath the warmth of the heap of fresh covers you changed yesterday and close your eyes and forget about the reality waiting for you outside. as the items on the day’s to-do list start rolling down your mind like the end credits of the movie, you know you’re too awake to try to go back to sleep now. pushing the covers off, you silently thank yourself for changing into your bed socks the night before when your feet touch the ground and you feel the chill of the hardwood floors. you had gone to bed last night with what you were wearing – a set of dark sweatpants and a tight-fitting turtleneck sweater – having been too tired and angry to even consider changing out of your warm clothes and into your cold pajamas. your coat lies on the ground by your bed, which you pick up as you grab the zippered hoodie hanging on the back of your desk chair and move out of your room, ready to get the day started.
you flip on the heater switch in the hallway to melt away the morning chill in the apartment, then head to the kitchen, turning on the stove overhead hood light as you move about. you scoop out coffee from a freshly ground batch and boil water in a kettle for the coffeemaker, then grab a few mugs out of the cabinet as the coffee gets going for the rest of your flatmates who will start to wake up soon themselves.
you share an off-campus place with a few of your closest friends in an apartment complex mainly inhabited by UCLA students: thomas, a computer science and engineering major with a concentration in software engineering; mia, thomas’ girlfriend and a double major in aerospace engineering and statistics with minors in chemistry and anthropology; and larray, who is a double major in applied mathematics and cognitive science with a minor in spanish linguistics.
you all had gravitated towards each other after meeting by pure luck at a house party organized by a frat during your freshman year welcome week. at the time you had been living in the on-campus dorms. you had decided to come to the party on a whim after some people on your floor were talking excitedly over it, but you didn’t feel comfortable with asking your roommate, who already had a group of friends she seemed close with it if you could go with her, so you bit the bullet and came on your own. having nursed a cup full of fruit punch spiked with more than what you could simply call a “concoction” of the usual vodka and juice the entire night, you were you were quickly growing feeling out of place and not all that interested in the hyped-up, alcohol-fueled socialization that seemed to be going for everybody else. not that there was anything wrong with it, but you got the impression that this type of crowd was enjoyable when you were part of a group rather than braving it out solo.
okay, maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision you made in your life since you barely even knew your way around the massive campus yet - let alone the grounds outside of it - but you didn’t want to hold yourself back from having fun when you wanted to and that would have to start with forgoing your comfort for one night.
as the party progressed, just hitting the one-and-a-half hour mark, you felt a sense of disappointment that this is what everyone in high school had been gushing over. frat parties were this mystical thing that people talked about as one aspect of their college life they looked most forward to, but it was quickly dawning on you that that was the case if you were into setting yourself up to get more and more drunk as the night went on and had a group of people who would join you in the madness. it was not the case if you were here alone, not knowing anyone, one eye checking your phone watching the minutes tick by on the screen and one foot already out the door.
you consoled yourself with the fact that your resting bitch face masked the internal discomfort brewing underneath the confidence you wore in the form of your outfit and overall appearance – a sparkly, backless butterfly halter top that tied around your lower back, a pair of low cut wide-legged jeans, your favorite pair of white air forces, and a shoulder purse. your makeup – which consisted of your masterfully practiced siren eye liner with a bold wing, mascara, and berry-tinted lip oil – complimented the updo you wound your hair up in with a claw clip.
larray had found you first, appearing out of the crowd in the dimly lit room like some guardian angel (minus the glowing wings and a chorus singing an aria in the background). you were getting ready to leave just as a very drunk and very eager guy, no doubt one of the frat brothers living in the house, had stumbled over to you, caging you against the wall and the table you were standing next to. as he leaned down to say something he thought was smooth that you completely tuned out (and it wasn’t just because of the music spilling out of the bass-boosted speakers droning in your ears), you were contemplating whether throwing your drink in his face or swinging at him with your purse if he leaned in any closer would be more sensible. before you could pick the worse of two options, larray had smoothly ducked under the guy’s arm and slid his arm around you, making you almost turn on him – he wasn’t there one minute and the next he was squeezing your shoulder in what you guessed was a reassuring way, a sign to just keep going with what he was doing. you didn’t know what exactly he was planning, let alone trust him, but you weren’t about to consult every single cell in your brain to decide what to do when he seemed like the only person to help you at that moment.
standing up to his full height and lifting his chin defiantly, larray had met the guy squarely in the eyes, clenching his jaw in a way that made his entire face go sharp and dangerous, like the way he looks when he’s focused on solving a complicated practice problem in his textbook while revising for an exam or prepping for an supplemental instruction session he is leading before an exam for one of the classes he is a TA in.
“you tryna put hands on my girl?” his voice had been so deep that you felt the rumble of the air rushing into his chest throughout your body, a gravelly baritone that wiped the confident, sly smirk on the frat guy’s face off clean in one sweep. he moved away at once, standing rod straight as if he was called to attention by a drill sergeant.
“nah-nah man, i was just leaving.” he gestured with his hands up over his chest, palms facing you. “my bad, bro. didn’t know she was taken. sorry.” he said, not directly speaking to you or meeting your eyes once. you scoffed, rolling your eyes, as he scurried away as quickly as he had appeared. fucking idiots, the lot of them.
it had not escaped larray’s notice that your free hand was wrapped around the strap of your purse, the red cup in your other palm clutched tight and the dark red juice inside rippling just so.
“wow,” the shift in larray’s voice was almost instantaneous, as easy as if he had switched between languages. he had coughed a few times into the crook of his elbow before composing himself. “that was the most painful thing i had to witness tonight and i haven’t been here for an hour yet. he really needs to step up his flirting game. and his wardrobe choices, clearly. who the fuck still wears martha’s vineyards with oxfords?”
“at least his lack of fashion matches his lack of self-awareness.” you said dryly, finally taking a sip of your drink to steady your frenzied nerves, immediately spitting it back into the cup when the sharpness of the alcohol hit the back of your mouth and your brain like a sledgehammer.
“hmm,” larray nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets, as if he realized how awkward this must have been when the moment of need passed. “i’m so sorry if i scared you, i didn’t mean to get up all in your face and personal space. it’s just that i had been watching him ever since he like…radar-locked you and wouldn’t have forgiven myself if he did something and i stood on the sidelines like some fucking bystander in a movie.”
“i don’t think you would have weird intentions if you were willing to put up that impressive of a role.” you reassured him, giving a small smile. “but really, no. thank you. seriously…i thought creepy shit like that had gone extinct with his species, but i was wrong i guess.”
larray chuckled, shaking his head. “i guess he had enough brain cells left to realize it was a meteor and not a football, and that’s why he’s still here and we’re suffering – oh my god, i’m being so rude – i’m larray, by the way. i would say nice to meet you, but i wish the circumstances were better than this.”
“i’m (y/n),” you introduced yourself. “i’m guessing you’re a first year?”
“yep.” he smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners. he had a cute, bunny-like smile that was incredibly endearing and completely betraying not only the menacing front he put up not too long ago but also his height and well-built frame. “i’m not exactly here because i didn’t have anything better to do on a thursday night. my best friend and his girlfriend half-dragged-half-convinced me to come. you?”
you shrugged again. “everybody on my floor was talking about this party and i thought it wouldn’t hurt to come.” shaking your head you continued, “i don’t think i will be returning anytime soon, though.”
larray nodded sympathetically, pressing his lips together. “well, if you feel comfortable enough to stay, i’m sitting over there with my friends and some other people. they were playing spin the bottle or something but i don’t think anybody’s really paying attention anymore. do you wanna join us?”
and the rest had been history. you spent the entire night with larray and his group, which turned out to be his best friends by the names of thomas petrou and mia hayward. true to his word, there was an empty ketel one bottle on the coffee table in the middle of the L-couches placed in a U-shape around it, but nobody cared enough to spin it or keep the game going, all engaged in various levels of conversation and laughter of their own. you had fallen into conversation with the three after introductions were exchanged, nobody bothering to say their majors to delay the t-10 hours before the first day of your first quarter at university officially started. both thomas and mia were not only smart and funny, but their energy and welcoming natures calmed your still-jittery nerves and anxiety. you weren’t shy but you weren’t the most outgoing person either, preferring to keep to yourself unless someone approached you first.
larray had hit you like lightning, loud and blinding, before your brain had time to kick in place and make you keep yourself at a distance healthy enough that you didn’t feel like you were acting too buddy-buddy with a stranger you met for the first time. you wanted to place that distance with thomas and mia, but it was difficult to try to keep your guard up when they were being nothing but kind and open, happily chatting away with you and listening to larray recount the events earlier, their expressions as he went into the details mirroring each other’s so comically they were identical, making you join in without even trying and before you knew it you were doubling over in laughter as thomas started telling stories of him and larray from high school. before the end of the night, you had exchanged phone numbers and socials with the promise of meeting up after classes on the first day.
after that night, you stayed together. at the end of your first year, your group felt more like a family than just friends who had bonded over the best and worst that came with your own majors being in such grueling disciplines and the convenience of having met at a party where social interactions were more often than not fleeting. if anything, it was a testament to the value of having true, genuine connections rather than surface-level interactions many first-years had that were bound to crumble away the moment you all went your separate ways.
by the time you snap out of your thoughts, the heater had already started to run in a gentle hum, a stream of warm air hitting your ankles from the vents underneath the counter. the kettle had also finished boiling the water, bubbles jumping around the surface as the blue light illuminating the transparent screen marking the water level faded out. you pour some of the water into the teapot sitting on the stove and the rest into the coffeemaker then start it, not in a rush knowing that both will be ready by the time everybody wakes up. that’s the good thing about being an early riser, you think as you pull yourself up to sit on the opposite counter, listening to the soft sounds the coffee maker lets out as it starts to pull the water through the ground-up beans.
listening to the soft gurgles of the coffeemaker, you let yourself wander through the various thoughts building up on the back of your mind. even though it’s only october, the quarter having started not that long ago, there is already the promise of a busy year hanging in the air. although you’re used to the way things are at this point, having started your third year, the anticipation of it never fails to leave you a little nauseated. you can already picture it – the long nights spent at the desk in your room or the table in the living room, the constant refreshing of the library’s page to secure a cubicle or study room, the drafts you will undoubtedly go through with a scrupulous eye to find sections that you would want to include in the final version of your thesis, the midterms and finals and all the quizzes in between. even if one day or one week feels calmer than the other, there is no promise the next one will be the same.
you just have to go through this month you tell yourself as you let out a breath to ease the sensation of overwhelm pressing heavily down on your chest, and before you know it will be thanksgiving break. you will end up going home with thomas, mia, and larray since they all live in the same town and spend the holidays with their families. you had already met their parents, the trio having taken you with them during the christmas break of your first year, which was also the first christmas you spent with other people instead of on your own.
the memories from that time still fill you with a warmth and light nothing has come close to yet. thomas had finished his finals earlier than you, but he had waited until you were done with yours. mia and larray had left a couple days prior since they both had extended family coming to visit them: mia’s were coming from tenerife and sicily while larray’s were coming from sao paulo and santo domingo. you would all get together once you reached san diego. you drove with thomas that night after your last final in the morning was done. that car ride had been the longest two hours of your life. the invitation to come and spend the holidays with them had been a complete surprise; normally, you would have stayed back at the apartment and found something to do on your own. you couldn’t remember the last time you had spent a holiday with people. when you had mentioned in passing that you would be staying in los angeles in a conversation while studying together, they had all but refused to let you do that, especially during christmas break. no matter how much you tried to brush them off or put up a fight against their firm stance on you spending the most wonderful time of the year with them and their families, in the end you had packed a single suitcase and one backpack and sat in that seat on the plane.
the anxiety and uncertainty that had been gnawing on your insides like some feral beast that you had pushed down to hide from thomas’ all-seeing eyes had proved to be misplaced once you met mr. and mrs. petrou, or anastasios and irena as they had insisted you called them. that looming dread pooling in your stomach and gnawing at your mind incessantly had been melted away by the warm, perfume-scented embrace of irena and the deep, lumbering voice of anastasios. you didn’t know if they were so welcoming to you because you were thomas’ friend or if they were naturally just like that, but regardless of the reason behind it you had gotten to see what a proper family and household looked like during your stay with them. they gave you the guest room in the house, complete with an in-suite bathroom and fully stocked with everything you might need and more, and included you in the pre-christmas activities they traditionally did like the five course meals you ate throughout the day, wrapping remaining gifts, and visiting a traditional greek neighborhood that held a christmas market. both of them were excellent cooks, which was how you understood why thomas cooked so well, and had prepared a feast for your arrival. it had been the first time you didn’t have to hesitate to ask or wonder if you could receive a second plate before they were piling it high with food once again and encouraging you to eat until thomas had to bashfully tell them in greek that you had probably eaten more than you realistically could. you had gone to bed with a full stomach and soaring heart, chest tight with tears you bit the inside of your cheek to not shed, that night.
the next day you had gone to both mia’s and larray’s homes where you met not only their parents but extended family, having hugged and kissed more tias and tios, abuelas and abuelos, and avós and avôs – or as larray affectionately called them “vovó” and “vovô” – than you had ever done in your life. you got to try an array of delicious, rich meals that you would have never gotten to try otherwise, and listened intently as both mia and larray explained to you the significance behind each dish and what made them special and how it carried pieces of their childhood in them. despite the abundance of alcohol floating around with each meal, you hadn’t really drank any, but you felt giddy, happy as if you were drunk each night. you accompanied them on the makeshift dance floor where you danced as best as you could. larray insisted that you had to learn forró, which he taught you in beginner’s steps then put on a show with one of his older cousins who was a professional dancer; mia brought you along for bachata, which she and larray got into a playful argument over whether the tenerifian or the dominican version was the superior one; and thomas helped lead you in sirtaki that a group of his pleasantly drunk uncles had initiated. you still don’t remember another time when you had laughed and danced as much, or you feet had become numb with the pain of standing up for so long.
on christmas day, you hadn’t been able to hold back your tears anymore as you exchanged gifts with thomas, mia, and larray, only to learn that their parents had also gotten something for you to show how important you were for their sons and daughter.
you find yourself smiling at the thought of what that christmas meant for you, and as your mind ventures off to remind you of the reasons why you always look forward to going back with them during holiday breaks, it just so happens to land conveniently on the events of last night. your mood rapidly takes a downward turn – you could have gone the whole day without remembering the stand-off you had with vincent hacker and wouldn’t have even thought of it unless you purposefully pushed yourself down this rabbit hole. you were good at that, forgetting things and people you wanted to, but your mind was also good at betraying you and being cruel when it wanted to.
this was one of those times.
you would check your emails later on in the day and tomorrow, your inbox hopefully graced with the standard-issue paragraph informing you that you were no longer paired with vincent hacker. you would shut off your laptop with a satisfied smile and go about your days, not having to worry about seeing his face anywhere else other than the shiny banners the school hangs up around campus during the opening season for basketball and march madness, or the floor-to-ceiling posters that cover the columns of the athletic complex on a regular basis.
there is a small voice in the back of your head, irritatingly coy, warning you to not get your hopes up for nothing, but you choose to ignore it for the sake of your own sanity. you want to go through this weekend without thinking about vincent hacker. at least until monday – by then, you think you will be prepared to face the proverbial music. key word – you think. but you’ll cross that bridge when you get there. until then, no more thoughts about that infuriating boy who shaved off ten years from your already-reduced life thanks to your chronically high cortisol levels that will no doubt take a toll on your heart sometime in the future.
you hear footsteps coming down the hallway as you snap out of your thoughts for the second time that morning, turning your head in the direction of the kitchen entrance as you wait to see who it will be. you aren’t surprised when it turns out to be thomas, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, a shirt peeking underneath the hem, his hair sticking up wildly like a porcupine from under the hood snapped over his head. he looks absolutely exhausted, dark circles settled underneath his half-shut eyes.
you feel a pang of sadness seeing your friend so worn down in the bare, raw light of the morning, especially because he is so good at putting himself together that an outsider wouldn’t know the most amount of sleep he had gotten this week was a grand total of 14 hours. he has a lot on his plate this quarter, you think, as he told you so many times during sleepless late nights you spent together in the living room, sitting on opposite ends of the couch while taking a break from the umpteenth study session that had been going on for however many hours at that point (you stopped keeping track of it, only knew that it had been going on for obscenely long enough for your youtube history to be riddled with pomodoro videos), the dining table strewn over with a battlefield of scrap papers and textbooks and pens, crowded in between with drained mugs of stale coffee and barely empty take-out containers, anxiety and never-ending mental to-do lists tying your stomach into knots that suffocated your appetite. on top of his classwork, any free time he had was being successfully taken up by the chaos of academia including working on his honors thesis, being a TA for two lecture classes and a sophomore level lab, applying for summer internships, and taking care of his duties as a board member for the organizations he was involved in on campus (bruin consent coalition and bruin partners).
“morning, tommy,” you say softly, using his nickname as you sense that he is in a sensitive place of mind this morning and you have to thread carefully until he comes to his senses.
“morning, sparkles,” his voice is still deep with sleep, and he is slow in his movements as he rubs his hands across his face, sniffing once before leaning against the counter and shutting his eyes, his head tilted forward. he looks as if he is battling against the temptation of calling it a day and going back to his room, crawling in bed and sleeping until next week.
“is mia still sleeping?”
“yeah,” he gives a barely there nod without lifting up his head, rubbing his eyes again. “she couldn’t fall asleep last night. i think she’s coming down with a cold or something. she was tossing and turning and shaking the entire night, kept me up too.”
you grimace, knowing all too well how shitty it is to get sick so early in the quarter, barely a month in. “does she have anything for next week?”
“she had two exams for tuesday and a lab report for wednesday, but the professor let her take the exam later and she got an extension for the report.” he looks towards the hallway briefly, and you can feel him itching to go back in and check on his girlfriend. “i’m just gonna let her sleep in. she’s fucking exhausted and barely slept this entire week. we could fire a cannonball in here and she wouldn’t stir an inch.”
you chuckle, swinging your legs back and forth softly where you sit on the counter as thomas remains leaning against the counter, tipping his head back slightly. you consider turning off the overhead lights, but his hood is large enough to shield his eyes and he doesn’t make any complaints as he stays very still, arms crossed over his chest. the only sound in the house is the soft humming of the heater and the gurgling of water from the coffeemaker, which gives a final hiss and beeps for two long beats before falling silent. just in time, you think and give yourself a mental pat on the shoulder.
“thank god for (y/n),” thomas says as he opens his eyes, “what would we do without you?” he smiles softly at you while grabbing his mug from the ones you had put out earlier and moves to get milk from the fridge. you grab your mug, a stout fat one covered in traditional spanish floral designs hand-painted in bright yellows and reds and blues that thomas bought for you from madrid after going there last summer for vacation with his family, carefully removing the pot to pour yourself and thomas coffee. the steam wafting from the sides of the lid licks up your face as you twist it open, first filling up thomas’ cup and then handing it off to him in exchange for the milk. he watches you carefully as you top off your mug with the coffee and place it back so that it stays warm, going to back to where you were sitting on the counter across from him.
you don’t speak for a moment as you both take your first sips of coffee, holding it in your mouth as you take note of the sweet and earthy aromas coating over your tongue in layers. it’s hot but comforting as it moves down your throat, warming you from the inside out. you hold the mug in between your palms, pressing the pads of your finger against the radiating heat to warm up your hands and ground yourself before your thoughts pick you up and drag you into the next century.
“long night?” thomas asks, sounding more awake now as he takes a sip of his coffee. his voice is inquisitive but not unkind, bringing your attention back to him. there is an underlying tone there to tell you that you don’t have to answer in detail if you don’t want to. he has a small, coaxing smile on his face as he looks at you when your eyes slowly shift over to him.
shit, were you spacing out again?
“yeah…yeah.” your voice sounds more unsure than you actually feel as you busy yourself with placing your mug on the counter to rub your hands down your face, hot fingertips pressing over your eyes. “you have no idea.”
“anything i can help with – or we can help with?” he cocks an eyebrow, looking at your over the edge of his mug. “minus mia, i fear. i don’t think she’s gonna leave the bed anytime soon.”
you feel your shoulders sag down, then hike up close to your ears, the tension that had been lying dormant in your spine awakening in a slow crawl as you mull over his words and your thoughts. dealing with uncooperative students isn’t something you’re new to – you’ve done plenty of private tutoring through the center, logged hundreds of hours poring over the same practice exams and same textbook questions with countless students who were adamant on refusing to do outside work to solidify their understanding of the material, having no shows on days they were scheduled to meet with you, sending out one email after the other to try to get in touch with them and biting your teeth through looping their professors in as a last resort, no matter how humiliating it must feel for them because you feel responsible for them.
but not once did you tell thomas about it – outright anyways. he’s always been perceptive and quick to pick up on shifts in the air, quick to hear you let out a sigh before gritting your teeth and typing furiously on your laptop, quick to notice your eyes darting between your watch and phone screen to the clock on the wall to see which one was running behind, quick to feel your anger simmering underneath the calm you wore as you had to report an incident during a session whether it be a student walking out on you or throwing down a verbal assault. you didn’t need to tell him directly that your work sometimes wore you down, made you question if your efforts were all in vain or if it actually meant something to the other person. if you were just wasting your time when you could have been getting some much-needed sleep or a moment to breathe for yourself without feeling a hand gripping tight around your throat and squeezing down, choking your lungs as you fought to catch your breath.
“–(y/n)?” thomas’ voice feels like a distant echo in your ears, as if you are coming out of a tunnel in a vacuum. his eyes haven’t left your face, standing as if he had been calling out to you multiple times before you finally heard him, but yours had drifted away to the wall across from you, stuck on one spot. it’s a miracle you haven’t lost your grip around the mug and got whisked back out of your head by thomas calling out to you instead of the mug shattering on the ground, destroying such a precious artifact.
“y-yeah?” you shake your head quickly, tightening your hands around the still-warm but cooling mug. “i-i’m here, what were you saying?”
“that’s the third time i called your name, hon.” he says calmly, but you can hear the underlying concern slowly rising to the surface the longer you stay silent. “is everything good?”
“yeah, yeah, all is good.” you try to brush it off, gesturing with your hand as if to wave it away. “just a bit tired this morning, that’s all. i’ll wake up once i drink all of this.”
“you look too thoughtful to be just tired,” thomas says in that knowing voice of his, pinning you on the spot with a single raise of his eyebrow and an expectant look on his face.
well, there’s no use in trying to hide it or try to brush it off. no need to drag it out like some useless drama.
you sigh, leaning back so that your head rests against the cupboards behind you, one hand pushing your hair out of your face. you place your mug at a safe distance on the counter so that your hands are freed.
thomas perks up, catching on to the motions you always go through before you divulge in a piece of high-stake information. he takes his listening stance, which is placing his chin in his free hand and his elbow on his other arm that’s wrapped around his torso, mug clutched in his palm. he crosses one leg over the other and rests his back against the counter behind him, then gives you a subtle nod to show that you have his undivided attention.
thank fucking god for thomas petrou, because you didn’t realize how much you needed to talk before he opened the floor for you and became your one-man audience.
“alright,” you lick your lips, letting your palms gently fall on your thighs. “remember how i was telling you guys about the athletic director coming to the tutoring center asking dr. kwon about me?”
thomas frowns quizzically, but nods. “yeah, i remember thinking it was weird as fuck, like – wait, is this about him?”
“i wish i could say no but yeah. it is.” you scowl. “anyways, so, you know how i told you he was asking for me because apparently they were in touch with the AAC before and they told them how they needed to get in touch with the STC because that’s where all the tutors for STEM are? and i was the only tutor who had their schedule ‘open’,” you say and make air quotes around the word for emphasis, “for private tutoring even though i technically don’t because i’m not working those hours for a reason?”
thomas nods again expectantly.
“yeah, well.” you let out a bitter huff. “tell me how i decided to be a stupid fuck and say okay to taking on a student for one-on-one even though i don’t have the time for it and i’m not getting paid overtime because of the budget cuts to the center.”
his eyebrows raise just a bit, not completely taken aback because he knows that you stretch yourself out too thin for your own good, but still surprised you were willing to go to this length for a branch of the school you absolutely hate with a burning passion.
“i didn’t know about that, that’s news to me now.” he takes a sip of his coffee as you watch him, and you can hear the next question that’s about to come out of his mouth. “well, it’s only right that i ask since you set it up so nicely for me – why did your brain give an error 404 when what you should have said was no, i don’t have time for this?”
“i didn’t have a blue screen moment, tommy, i just…panicked.”
you cringe internally at how lame you sound.
“you? panicking? about a job that’s as easy as breathing for you that you can do it in your sleep? come on, (y/n), i wasn’t born on mars, you’re not gonna fool me with that.”
“okay, yeah, i know. do you think that’s not what i thought after? but like, you can’t tell me you never had a moment like that before when people literally pushed you to say yes to doing something you’re good at for them.”
“actually, i haven’t thanks to those brilliant tips you taught me on how to say no so that i don’t become a doormat to people back in freshman year.” he gives you a saccharine-sweet smile. “tips that everyone else but you use, apparently. something something about the apprentice surpassing their master and all that.”
“yeah, you’re real cute, you know that? fuck you.” you scowl, giving him the bird for good measure. then you remember you have to tell him the next part that might send him into a cardiac arrest or actually cause him to give a blue screen and malfunction for the rest of the year.
“but that’s not all.”
“that’s not all?” he cocks an eyebrow, and you can hear the intrigue spring into his voice. if he wasn’t already, he’s now awake completely, the previous traces of sleep all but erased from his body. you did tell yourself that you wouldn’t drag this out like it’s some juicy gossip when it’s one of the most boring pieces of information you have yet to share with your best friend, and yet you can’t deny the fun of giving him your non-gossip gossip when he’s eating it up the way he is right now.
“oh, no. there’s more.” you say, your voice dry as sandpaper.
“there’s more?” he echoes.
you hum for two short beats, clutching the mug tightly in your stinging palms to ground yourself before delivering the news to the unexpecting thomas.
“you know how i was supposed to meet with the student i got forced to tutor?”
“okay, i wouldn’t say forced, because you technically did say yes–”
“thomas!” you hiss, incredulous, feeling betrayed by his sudden jump of ships. “you’re supposed to be on my side. and that’s not the point! what would you do if the fucking-if the fucking dean of engineering came up to you one day and was like, “hello thomas. i want you to take on a temporary teaching position in the department while we look for a new faculty member because you’re a genius and the only student who broke the fuck all knows however long years of failing donaldson’s differential equations class streak in your major?” would you be able to say no to him so easily?”
“i mean, i guess i – well, i wouldn’t immediately – i mean, maybe, like – or –” he sighs when you deadpan him with an unimpressed look that would flatten a mountain. “nah, you’re right. i would have folded so quickly. all those tips you taught me? straight out the window. saying no? don’t know her.”
“hmm, that’s what i thought.”
“okay, yeah, yeah. you’re right, whatever.” he waves his hands in the air as if pushing your words away. “stop switching the subjects. this isn’t about me and i don’t like how you’re dragging out the mystery. i like mystery, don’t get me wrong, but it’s too damn early in the morning. so, please continue.”
“right, right. sorry,” you shake your head, letting out a sharp breath. “so, like i said, i was supposed to meet with the student last night, right?”
“yeah, that’s why you came late. i mean, i didn’t expect it to be that long for an icebreaker, but stranger things i guess, and you didn’t say anything about it either, so,” he shrugs, “i didn’t really think too much about it, either. what about it. though?”
you nod, scoffing dryly. “well, for one thing he was more than two hours late, so let’s start there.”
“two hours?” thomas says a little bit too loudly, and immediately clamps his mouth shut, looking out the other way to wait and see if you have disturbed mia and larray, who is also still sleeping in. when no indication of it comes, he continues but speaks significantly softer now. “two hours?–”
“more than two hours–”
“– fuck if he was einstein’s descendant, i would have left after the first half hour.” he shakes his head while you chuckle. “you have the patience of a saint for dealing with these adult children. the elementary kids i work with have more respect for time, hell they have a better work ethic too. none of them come without at least two freshly sharpened pencils.”
chuckling, you suck your teeth and tilt your head in a way that says you agree with him. “yeah, well. this is where it gets better.”
“i’m dying to know, please tell me. did he fly in with his scooter because he was coming from halfway across the campus and remembered it mid taking a shit?”
“very funny, but no. even better thanks to my bad luck – guess who the student was?”
thomas cocks an eyebrow again, “is this supposed to be a trick question?”
“not at all.”
“uh, no idea. care to humor me?” he takes another sip of his coffee, and the words tumble out of your mouth before you can wait for him to swallow.
“it was none other than vincent hacker–”
there is a brief moment where all is silent and thomas is enjoying his coffee, and the next moment he’s sputtering and coughing like a fish out of water as he chokes on the hot liquid in the most comical way possible, complete with his eyes going wide over the edge of his mug and a hand beating against his chest to get out the remnants of the drink. you would have laughed if this was any other time, but now you feel sorry for just dumping the news on him so unceremoniously.
“vincent hacker? – ”
“yes, vincent hacker.”
“you mean, the vincent hacker? the fucking beast of a shooting guard the basketball team and the school has seen in the last ten years? vincent a.k.a. iceman hacker?” he emphasizes the nickname with the signature move the man in question does after scoring 3-point shots, which is placing his hands, flat with the palms turned outright, behind his ears as he listens to the roar of cheers and whistles and shouts rising out of the student sections like thunder breaking across the horizon, then extending out one arm to display one half of his ridiculously wide wingspan and bringing down one hand so that his index finger presses against his lips in the universal gesture for “shh.” you find it corny, but it gets the people going, the pavilion buzzing with rogue energy for the rest of the game that makes the lights flicker in short circuit.
you roll your eyes as he continues on with the laundry list of titles you knew he would say like everybody else, but you can’t still feel but disappointed that even though he is one of your best friends, he is the complete opposite of you when it comes to participating in on the bandwagon of hype for the school’s basketball team. as in, he keeps the school spirit very much alive within himself while you have an entire graveyard dedicated to it.
all jokes aside, you’re the only person in the household who refuses to join in on the game day festivities – even larray, who doesn’t know all that much about basketball, but loves sports unequivocally because of being raised in them and running track and field in high school and having a mean fucking record to back it up with – never misses a game or homecoming tailgate at the beginning of the season. you’re the only one who doesn’t go to watch parties people organize in their dorms and houses or home games at the pauley pavilion or celebratory events to show support or just be there for fun with your friends. hell, if you were living alone, you would turn off the tv the moment you saw a live game and would do anything to avoid it at all costs – but since you love your friends too much to criticize their interest in the game much like the remaining 99% of the school, you simply leave the room and don’t come back until the game is over, usually indicated either by their celebratory cheers or down-spirited mumbling and groaning.
“yes, tommy.” you say exasperatedly as thomas grins like a maniac, unable to contain his amazement and joy over the news, expression slack in awe like he can’t believe this is real. “how many vincent hackers do you think go to UCLA and happen to be on the basketball team too?”
“oh my fucking god, this is incredible.”
“no, the correct answer should be ‘oh my god, this is fucking horrible.’ there’s nothing incredible about this, thomas.”
“correction,” he continues with the teasing, completely ignoring the stony state your face has taken, even though you would like for him to be serious and listen to you at this moment. you already have the misfortune of hearing about the almighty vincent hacker from the 32,420 other people on this campus, you would rather not hear his praises being sung so loudly by the remaining one of three people you actually care about and won’t contemplate walking into traffic to escape from.
“there are so many incredible things about this that i suddenly need a dictionary to look up as many words as possible to describe just how much it is to you.”
“tommy,” you press down on your words, meeting him square in the eyes. you want him to realize this is one thing you will not joke about, ever. you watch as thomas’ smile slowly but surely dissipates, the crinkles around his eyes melting away as he realizes how serious you are. “i’m being serious about this. this isn’t something i wanted you to be elated over.”
(it was also not the news you would have wanted to receive on an already-shit monday as you stood over the fume hood, staring at the botched experiment you had been working on for a week straight to get right and yet another batch of ruined samples over a miniscule imbalance in the titration, feeling your jaw tick not only in anger.)
“oh, c’mon (y/n),” thomas tilts his head, frowning in disbelief. “i know you hate the air the athletes breathe, but like…why are you taking your anger out on him? it’s not like he was the one who gave the green light to the board of trustees for approving the new stadium.”
yeah, well. it’s also his new set of jerseys that has taken away from your salaries. and extending resources for students who need them. and cutting down on funding. so. you would like to think you have some right to be more than just mildly bitter at the institution that is single handedly bleeding your place of employment dry.
“i’m wondering if you’re going to keep thinking this way after i tell you what happened next.”
thomas rolls his eyes in a playful manner, “enlighten me.”
you tell him about the near-scream match you and vincent had, the full extent of the argument, and the remarks exchanged between you two. while thomas does have a flair for the dramatics when time calls on it and the place is appropriate, he watches you with a near-indiscernible expression, eyes slowly blinking and head nodding, but never saying a word to make a side comment or agree with a point you make. you hate to admit that it does make a tiny vine of doubt crawl up your ribcage and wrap slightly around your throat, ready to choke you the moment you tug on it. you try to ignore the dullness creeping over thomas’ eyes, the disapproval seeping out of the walls of his face the longer you talk, divulging in the details of the prior night.
“-and that’s pretty much everything.” you say in, your voice uncharacteristically flat, considering you were making a case to justify yourself. you tug down the rolled-up sleeves of your hoodie, feeling the sweater unbunch underneath, and fold your arms over your chest, palms gripping your forearms tightly so that your knuckles turn just barely white.
when he says nothing, standing there with his head bowed and starting into his coffee mug, you feel the familiar ticking in your jaw, and you can’t stop yourself.
“well?”
thomas doesn’t look at you. “well, what?”
“well, what are you gonna say?” you say a bit out of breath, anxiety brewing inside you like a slowly morphing storm. “i’ve given you a whole dissertation and you’re just staring there silently. what am i supposed to think?”
“i’m thinking. trying to process what you said.”
you chew on the inside of your cheek thoughtfully, but steel your face so that you don’t give away the anxiety brewing inside you. “you think i was too harsh on him, don’t you? like, uncalled for so?”
he hums in agreement. “you definitely overstepped boundaries, more than you had the right to in that moment.” he tilts his head to emphasize his point. “and even though you were in the right to be upset and frustrated, i feel like you didn’t have to let it rip on him the moment he walked through the door. that put you at a disadvantage in the argument when he was the one at fault for missing out on an important meeting.”
you feel yourself bristle. “what do you mean?”
“well, for one thing, you didn’t have to insult him right off the bat. you always say that it’s not the student or the coursework, it’s the teacher who makes a difference and everyone deserves to feel capable of succeeding, but you went completely against that when you belittled him and called him straight up stupid.”
“thomas, i was mad–like–i didn’t…i wasn’t paying attention to what was coming out of my mouth in the heat of the moment.” your eardrums twinge as if you heard nails on a chalkboard when you listen to how lame your defense sounds despite the hard edge in your voice, and you have absolutely no doubts thomas feels the same way. sure enough, he gives you a deadpan expression and his brows rise up just a bit, one of them arching as if it’s personally offended by your bullshit.
“now, (y/n),” thomas says in a quiet, serious tone that makes you want to sit down and write down an apology letter to vincent hacker himself, complete with a candle-wick seal and a messenger pigeon to deliver it to his window. “i’ve seen you be an absolute patron saint to students who actually deserved to get yelled at for using fucking chatgpt on their exams instead of going back to high school and repeating algebra 2. if you didn’t lose your temper with them then and single-handedly raised their grades to god-tier levels, you had no reason to act differently to vincent hacker-”
“–but it’s not the sa– ”
“–just because he’s an athlete. yeah, maybe cares a bit more about how many 3-pointers he’ll shoot in the home game next week on friday then the midterm grade he’ll take or the lab report sitting in his google docs. but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid or incompetent,” he gives you a pointed look which would have made you shrivel up and wither into the ground if you were a lesser person. “on the contrary, i think it’s admirable that he owned up to struggling in something he’s not naturally good at and wanted to get help for it. we have a whole student athlete success program for them to use with tutors and everything, and instead it’s like this mystical thing when it’s literally a walking distance from where their campus dorms are. you would be surprised how many of them crawl their way through shit grades and don’t even know it exists.”
yeah. so not only do they get privileged access to everything other students can only get scraps of and expected to be satisfied with, they also have their own personal tutoring program and yet it gets barely used. you don’t know if you want to scream or laugh until you pass out from the sheer irony of it all.
you sigh tiredly, rubbing a hand down your face, choosing not to take on a fight over this new piece of information. “thank you for this riveting revelation, thomas. how could i not think that you would also try to save vincent hacker’s goliath ass from me?”
thomas rolls his eyes. “don’t be dense, (y/n). you didn’t let me finish. i was going to say while that’s admirable and all, it still doesn’t make up for the shitty fucking move he pulled by making you take up a perch literally the entire night and then sit in an empty city bus at some wack hour of the night and commute thirty minutes back here. what made him feel so entitled to think that you would just happen to be waiting for him to finally show up whenever he felt like it? i have no idea. truly a single-digit iq move on his part, i have to give you that.”
“you would think they would have a better sense of time management with how much it gets emphasized in their daily lives.”
“but–”
“but?”
“i think there might also be a chance that the situation came out of a misunderstanding on both your parts – he didn’t explain himself all the way and you jumped the gun too quickly.”
you do hate it when he’s right. more often than not.
“what do you think i should do then? or – i guess – what would you do in my place?”
thomas scoffs sarcastically. “if i were you, i wouldn’t be a tutor in the first place. i’m TA’ing for two professors right now and let me tell you, it’s not a hidden joy i unlocked. but it’s a rewarding experience and at the end of the day, i feel really proud of myself when i can help them somehow and the students for sticking through with it and not giving up. so, if i were you, i would do it. at least for some time – you have the option to raise up concerns you have, and they can switch out tutors for one-on-ones, no?
“yeah, they would probably pair him with someone they have in the athlete’s own program.” you frown at your own words. “i don’t know why they didn’t do that to begin with anyways.”
thomas shrugs. “you don’t have to worry about that right now, they’ll figure that out if it comes to that. right now, i think you should just focus on doing the best you can and treating him like you treat any other student who comes to you. you have a lot of experience and you’re a fucking genius – no seriously, stop playing humble about this, you’re a fucking beast – and he’ll benefit a lot from being taught by you. and it’ll be a growing experience for him too in the humility department and realizing not everyone will work for his convenience, so he has to show up outside the court.”
you let out a small breath, mulling over the words for a moment before giving him a small scowl. “i really do hate it when you are the voice of reason, you know that?”
thomas chuckles, holding your eyes warmly that feel like a hug. “one of us has to be, sparkles – and it’s not like i’m always the one who has common sense. you’ve seen me do some clown-level shit plenty of times and talked logic into me, so think of this as me returning the gesture.”
“you’re right,” you let out a small breath, wrapping your hands around your warm mug, tracing your nail over the intricate mosaic pattern on the body. “so…what do you think i should do now? wait until monday to see if he’ll come despite what i did and said, or ask dr. kwon how i can reach him to ask him myself?”
thomas ponders for a minute, busying himself by taking a sip from his coffee. “there’s a game next week, so i’m almost one hundred percent positive their coach won’t let them sit on their asses for a minute this weekend – he won’t think about checking his texts, is what i’m saying. so i doubt you’ll get any emails about him not being partnered with you either.”
“then waiting until monday is the best option i have?”
thomas tilts his head in agreement. “waiting until monday is all you can do for now. on monday check in with the center first. if there’s nothing there, go to the athletic department – i know you fucking hate that place, don’t give me the eye roll – to ask about his contact information if you don’t have it already. you can text him or if that’s too awkward ask his coach to call him and meet with you. whatever’s gonna be more comfortable for you.”
you would rather do the former, no matter how much of a hit or miss it would be to text him, than the latter and repeat the actions of the athletic director. if you reach out to him yourself, it will be more sincere, giving you the chance to at least apologize, even though thinking about the act makes you want to sink into the floor. even if you had kept on telling yourself up until this point now – as you marched out of the science center last night, as you waited for the bus, as you got home and lay down in bed, as you waited for sleep to overtake you, when you woke up this morning – that you want nothing more than to never see vincent hacker and never have a single more interaction with him, you can’t shut your consciousness screaming guilty arias at you. no matter how much you dislike the man and his entire team, deep down you know you can’t judge him based on that identity outside of the court when he is in your presence simply as a student. outside of the court, he is just like any of the other countless people who come to the science center seeking help, albeit shy and withdrawn and maybe even embarrassed for not understanding something so simple, they say as they watch you and your co-workers in quiet awe and disbelief writing away on the whiteboard the steps and solutions without a stutter. your record has been spotless, showcasing nothing but glowing reviews from students, and you’re not about to let one person tarnish that. and besides, you tell yourself, you’ll never see the man again after this year, when he will undoubtedly get drafted at the end of this year’s march maddness and instead of gracing the screens of bruins tv, he will be the new golden boy of the nba–
“–earth to (y/n)? (y/n)? are you there, hon?”
you almost slap yourself ask thomas’ voice comes back into focus, pulling you out of the tunnel you got lost inside the depths of your mind for the third time that morning. jesus fucking christ, you need to get a grip.
“yep. i’m here,” you clear your throat softly, ignoring his amused expression and drowning down the dregs of your coffee. you hand your mug to thomas, who is busy with washing his own empty one. “i’ll just text him myself. it’s too much trouble to go all the way across campus.”
thomas nods in approval, speaking over his shoulder. “plus, it’s always better to speak to him yourself and work to make amends. i’m sure it will set you guys back on a better footing when you explain your end and hear him out. i guarantee you he’ll appreciate you owning up to what you did and he’ll be more open with you too and own up to his. he might not immediately accept your apology – and don’t get me wrong you don’t have to accept his either – but at least you guys will know that you’re both starting on the same page and you made some unfortunate mistakes last night.”
thomas has a lot of faith in you, sometimes more than you have in yourself – and more faith in others than you will ever have, which has often times been a cross for him to bear. his belief in your inherent goodness, kindness, and patience is something that never ceases to amaze you. you don’t think anyone has ever believed in you this much apart from yourself, and even then there had been moments where you almost failed yourself – thomas has been the single most unwavering force of humanity you have seen so far in your life.
you manage a small smile that thomas can’t see, but feel it seep into your words and know he will sense it regardless – he’s known you for too long to not at this point. “i hope you’re right, T. i keep telling myself how much i don’t want to see him or have it become a regular occurrence…but i also don’t want part ways without apologizing if it comes down to that.”
thomas shakes his head, turning around to face you as he dries his hand with a hand towel. “i highly doubt that’ll happen,” he says, emphasizing on the word. “it’s not like he was completely faultless in the situation either, so i’m sure you guys will come to an agreement and go from there.”
“you…really think so?” you ask with a small grimace, not feeling the certainty thomas seems to be somehow feeling. how can he be so certain that the great and invincible vincent hacker will accept to work with you, much less bother to even come to see you?
“yes, (y/n). i really think so.” he crosses his arms and shrugs. “if anything – hell, if this whole thing goes belly up – you can blame me for giving you misguided encouragement and fucking it up.”
“okay,” you say, the lump of bundled nerves and anxiety sitting heavy in the middle of your chest as you think ahead about monday, but you lean on the wall of steel you worked hard to build up for yourself over the years and brace your voice against it. “but if this ends badly, i’m coming for your fucking neck.”
thomas chuckles. “duly noted, sparkles.”
just then, you hear the quiet padding of footsteps heading your way. your combined quiet laughter dies down as larray comes into view, shirtless and wearing a pair of oversized, fluffy “nightmare before christmas” themed sleep pants. he runs a hand through the mass of curls on his head, eyes still bleary with sleep, the gold chain of his cross necklace winking in the light. as he sucks in a breath, hand stilling on his head, his eyes fall on you and thomas – and flicks between the two of you to understand why you’re holding council in the kitchen at the crack of dawn.
“uh – am i missing something?”
˗ˏˋ a/n: helloooo! a VERY long chapter (10,821 words YIKES liv wtf are you doing???) i had written earlier and edited today as a way to make up for the time i was away from here and this story. this time it is a filler type one without vinnie in it but is mentioned heavily. i wanted to write this chapter to show the friendship between the reader and thomas, as well as some of the other characters important to her, and show some more character details about the reader that will fall more in place as the story goes on.
at this point in time, i have no idea how many chapters this mini series will be - ideally, i wanted it to be 10 chapters but i have a feeling it will be more than that. i am trying to keep the chapters long so that in total there is a less number of them. do you like reading longer and lesser vs shorter and more chapters? please let me know what you think about this! i hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for the love shown to the story so far. i appreciate each and every comment and interaction left on it more than i can put into words. until next time, please take care of yourselves. sending much love to all of you🤍
˗ˏˋ a/n/n: this will be the first time i will be doing this, but if you would like to be added to the tag list, please let me know and i will do so!
LOVE ON COURT 🏷️ list: @3madmax3 @ennycutie @thesebitcheslovesosadotcom
