≽^•⩊•^≼

It’s been a little awkward, for sure, but you don’t think James or Amelia are the wiser. Schlatt spends all his time with them, while you and Ted try to make your own fun. (Amelia is convinced you and Ted are actively falling in love, no matter how much you try to tell her otherwise. You spot James eyeing the two of you suspiciously every so often.)

The good thing, though, is that the rest of the wedding party is due to arrive at the hotel any minute, which means you will have plenty of people to talk to, to act as buffers so it’s not just you and Ted vs Schlatt anymore.

You’re just chilling in a chair in the lobby when you hear Amelia let out an excited squeal, and you react nearly identically when you see the rest of the party walk through the doors.

Hugs are shared between everyone, and with such a big party, it takes a minute for you to greet everyone. All of the bridesmaids find you first.

You greet your other best friend Kelsey first. (You and Kelsey have known each other since sophomore year of high school, when you both discovered you were dating the same guy. The two of you got together and confronted the loser, and Kelsey made your duo with Amelia into a trio.)

After you say hello to Kelsey, you greet Jasper, with Ethan close behind her. (They got married last year — another wedding you were a part of. You met Jasper at a party Ted threw in college and formed an immediate and everlasting bond after duetting Potential Breakup Song by Aly & AJ during karaoke. Funnily enough, it was the same night she met Ethan, due to some matchmaking schemes you and Ted ran together.)

Maple comes up to you next, and you give them a big hug. They’re joined by their boyfriend Eddy, who is also a groomsman, but he’s too busy greeting the rest of the groomsmen at the moment. (You met Maple through Amelia, who met Maple through Eddy back in college — another couple that’s been together since college. You sense a proposal potentially coming soon.)

While Natalie is in the groom’s party, it doesn’t mean you two aren’t also friends. When you go to say hello to her, you watch Ted notice her for the first time, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. She doesn’t see this, of course, but you make a mental note of it. (You and Natalie met through work, and were shocked to realize you both knew James. Natalie and James grew up together. Small world.)

With everyone finally here, it means the party can really get started, but not before you run through the wedding rehearsal this afternoon.

It’s the first time you’re seeing the venue. It’s stunning, and seeing it in all its glory has you buzzing about Amelia and James’s big day. It’s a little empty at the moment, not yet decorated for the wedding, so you can only imagine how gorgeous it will be once everything is finished.

“Okay, guys,” Amelia claps her hands to get everyone’s attention, “We’re gonna get started real quick so we can get back to partying,” Everyone whoops and Amelia laughs, “I’m gonna get you guys paired up and then we’ll go from there.”

Your heart rate skyrockets as you realize who you’ll be paired with. Obviously you knew that as the maid of honor, you’d be walking down the aisle with the best man, but you hadn’t been thinking about that until now.

“Ethan, you can go wait up front and practice your lines or whatever,” Amelia grins at him.

(James and Amelia have never been particularly religious, so getting a minister for the wedding was a hard no. When they brought up that they were looking for someone to be the officiant months ago, Ethan volunteered. “I got ordained online just for fun, once. Legally, I could do it.”)

Amelia assesses the group. “Well, obviously, Maple and Eddy, you’ll be walking down together… Kelsey, let’s pair you up with Natalie, and then Jasper, you’ll be with Ted. At the end will be (Y/N) and Schlatt. Then James will walk in, and then me. Cool?”

Everyone nods in agreement and Amelia claps her hands together again. “Okay, let’s do this thing!”

All of you file out into the lobby of the venue, and everyone pairs off. Schlatt comes to stand next to you, but stays silent as he offers for you to take his arm. You do so, hesitantly, looping your arm through his. It feels weird to be so close to him again.

Soft music starts to play over the sound system and Amelia nods at the two workers at the doors.“Okay, Maple, Eddy. Go.” She says, as the double doors swing open.

Maple and Eddy start to head down the aisle, just beaming at each other. You look up at Schlatt, who is just staring straight ahead.

A moment later, Kelsey and Natalie go.

You wonder if you should at least try to say something to Schlatt. Sure, maybe you did mean to hurt Schlatt’s feelings with the situation with Ted, but the longer he hurts, the less satisfaction you feel. Maybe he’d feel better if he heard the truth about what happened between you and Ted from you.

Jasper and Ted head in next.

Amelia nods at you and Schlatt, and you both start walking.

“Nothing happened, you know. Between me and Ted.” You mumble under your breath. “I know Ted already told you, but I thought you should hear it from me, too.”

You feel Schlatt relax beside you, his shoulders dropping. You sigh inwardly in relief.

He still doesn’t look at you, but he opens his mouth to say, “Jus’ don’t kiss any more of my friends.” before splitting from you at the altar.

After the rehearsal, Amelia announces that the rest of the day has been designated as a group beach day. Once you all get back to the hotel, you all go to your rooms to change into your beach attire.

The rest of the party is staying on the same floor as you and Schlatt, so now neither of you have to worry about the awkwardness of being alone in the elevator or on the short walk to your rooms.

When you get to your room, you change into your bikini, pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts over it. You’re about to leave your room when your phone pings with a text.

> from: J. Schlatt

>> Balcony

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion, but you walk out onto your balcony, to find Schlatt already standing on his.

“Look,” He starts, crossing his arms over his chest, “I don’t want this to be a whole fuckin’ thing, but I wanted to say I’m sorry about all the Ted shit. Regardless of how I feel about you, it wasn’t cool.”

Schlatt? Apologizing? Who is this guy?

The last sentence is what sticks with you. It’s what you’ve been trying to figure out for months. Before you have a chance to register it, you say, “And how do you feel about me?”

Wrong thing to say. Schlatt’s face goes stoney. “I don’t,” He says, “I’m jus’ tired of makin’ shit awkward for everyone. I’m willing to play nice if you are too, and then we can go our separate ways.”

You ponder what he says for a moment. With the rest of the party here, you don’t want it to be awkward either, and, knowing your friends, they’ll be poking and prodding for information about what’s going on between you and Schlatt. You don’t know for sure if Schlatt is capable of being normal with you, but after how shitty the last four and a half days have been, you’d love a reprieve.

So you agree.

“Okay.” You say, and Schlatt gives you a curt nod, before stepping back into his room.

The sand is warm beneath your feet as you find a chair beside all of your friends. It’s such a gorgeous day, and you can’t imagine a better way to spend it than hanging out with the people you love most in such a beautiful place.

“What d’you guys think?” You ask the group as you sit down, gesturing at the scenery.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Maple answers, leaning back in their chair, “I honestly can’t believe we’re here.”

“Literally,” Kelsey agrees, “This is, like, the perfect vacation.”

“So unfair you’ve gotten to be here longer than us,” Jasper fake pouts. “I’m sure you’ve had such a good time.”

You give her a fake smile, nodding slowly. “Yeah, it’s been… great, for sure.”

“Okay, so you’re lying,” Jasper clocks, and you roll your eyes playfully at her. “Has Schlatt been an asshole?”

“Not any more than usual,” You want to say, but reel it in after the conversation with Schlatt on the balcony. “No, it’s been fine. I think I’m just tired. We’ve already done so much.”

Jasper doesn’t look all that convinced — she knows how you and Schlatt can get when you’re around each other — so you change the subject, craning your neck to look over at Natalie, before checking to see where Ted is. He’s busy trying to show off on a surfboard he no doubt rented from the hotel. He keeps checking to see if Natalie is watching him.

“Noticed Ted hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you since you got here, Nat,” You remark casually, and Natalie waves a hand dismissively.

“He’s just being nice,” Natalie says, and you grin mischievously.

“Oh, God, she’s doing it again.” Jasper laughs, and you snap your head back in her direction.

“What? What am I doing?”

“You’re trying to play matchmaker again.”

You reach your leg down and kick a little sand at her gently. “Yeah, and it got you a husband, didn’t it?”

“Touche.” Jasper concedes, tipping an invisible hat to you.

“You really think he’s into me?” Natalie asks, smiling softly. You nod furiously.

“Oh, yeah,” You tell her, “He’s got it bad for sure.”

As if on cue, Ted notices everyone looking at him, and he waves. He gestures for Natalie to join him, and she looks over at you, before getting up with a grin.

James runs up to your little group, his hair dripping all over the place. “Yo, we’re thinkin’ about starting up a volleyball tournament. You guys in?”

“Hell yeah,” You nod along with everyone else, “How are we playing?”

“2v2,” James says, “Teams are who you’re walking down the aisle with. Ethan’s keeping score.”

“He doesn’t wanna play?” You ask, as soon as you learn that Schlatt will be your teammate. You don’t mind giving up a spot in the tournament. You and Schlatt are both so competitive, it would just be easier to let Ethan play with Schlatt.

“Nah, he’s a little jetlagged.”

James smiles at you sneakily, and you can’t help but wonder what he’s up to. He’s been so weird since the club.

“Alright, whatever.” You say, and James pumps his fist in victory.

James draws out the brackets in the sand. “First up, we have Jasper and Ted vs Kelsey and Natalie. Next bracket is me and Amelia vs Maple and Eddy. Whoever wins the first bracket will face Schlatt and (Y/N), and then we’ll have the finals. Whoever wins it all gets to pick where we eat for dinner tonight! First to ten points wins.”

As the first match starts, you stand on the sidelines, watching closely. You can’t help it — like you said earlier, you’re competitive. You’re watching everyone’s different play styles, pinpointing weaknesses and signature moves to watch out for.

Kelsey and Natalie give Ted and Jasper a run for their money. Ted’s a little distracted, and misses the ball several times. Jasper groans, grabbing Ted by the shoulders and shaking him. “Get it together, Nivison!”

“You tell him, baby!” Ethan calls out, and Kelsey frowns at him. “Hey! No favoring the other team!”

Ethan holds his hands up in surrender with a laugh.

Kelsey and Natalie end up winning, giving each other a high ten, before putting L-shaped fingers up against their foreheads at Ted and Jasper.

“Next game!” Ethan yells, and James and Amelia jog over to the net. James runs around the perimeter of their side of the “court,” hyping everybody up. Maple and Eddy take their positions on their side.

It’s a tight game that you watch intently. Both teams are so equally matched that you have no idea who will take this one.

Ethan calls out match point as both teams are tied. “Next point wins!”

Everyone looks tense as James sets up his serve. Maple and Eddy volley it back, and Amelia sets James up for a spike. James jumps up, spiking the ball just out of Maple’s reach.

“James and Amelia win!”

James grins over at you and Schlatt. “See y’all in the finals.”

“What the fuck, James.” Kelsey scowls at him. “Natalie and I are right here.”

“Hate to break it to you, but y’all don’t stand a chance against those two.” Amelia smirks at Kelsey. “They’re competitive.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Kelsey cracks her knuckles, making her way back onto the court with Natalie.

You and Schlatt share a quick look, almost like an unspoken truce of sorts, now that both of your prides are on the line. You could both use a win.

The two of you move like a well-oiled machine, fully in tune with what each of you are going to do next. Schlatt gives you the space to hit your own shots, and you do the same. Kelsey and Natalie try to keep up, but you keep setting Schlatt up for perfect spikes. Sand flies everywhere, over and over again, as Schlatt spikes and spikes and spikes.

“Match point!” Ethan hollers, more tuned into the game than he has been with any other matchup.

You look over at Schlatt, holding the ball out to him for him to serve, but he shakes his head.

“You’ve got this.” He says, and you feel a fluttering in your chest at his words.

You serve the ball, and Kelsey and Natalie manage to save a couple dirty shots, but in the end, Schlatt sets you up for a perfect shot just far enough out of Kelsey and Natalie’s reach. You smack the ball as hard as you can, solidifying the win for you and Schlatt as it thuds in the sand right on the edge of what you’d all discussed was in bounds.

“Fuck yeah!” Schlatt pumps his fist, before offering you a high five. It’s the first time he’s actually, genuinely smiled at you in days.

You give him a high five, and as soon as you come in contact with him, he pulls back, a sheepish look on his face.

Before you have even a second to dwell on that, James is calling for the final match to start.

“You losers are going down!” James drags out the word ‘down,’ grinning pridefully, as Amelia points down at the ground behind him.

“In your dreams, punk!” Schlatt flips him off, and James scoffs, feigning offense.

“Alright, alright!” Ethan yells, crossing his arms over his chest, “Enough shit talking. I want a clean match, ya hear?”

James salutes Ethan, while Schlatt rolls his eyes, looking over at you. He gives you a confident nod, and you nod back at him. You’ve got this.

You serve first, sending the ball over the net in a perfect arc that Amelia almost struggles to reach.

“Nice,” Schlatt praises you, reaching over to tap you on the arm as he gets in position to hit the ball as it comes back over the net. He hits it over to you, and you volley it back to him, setting him up for another Schlatt Spike. He whacks the ball full force, but James counters the spike easily, sending it back over the net. Schlatt didn’t expect that, so he fumbles, missing the ball completely, resulting in James and Amelia scoring the first point.

The game goes on for a while, the four of you racking up points until you’re both tied with nine points each.

“It’s anybody’s game!” Ethan yells. Everyone erupts, cheering for both teams, as James starts his serve.

“Mine!” You yell, rushing for the ball. You get it over the net in one hit.

“Fuck yeah, (Y/N)!”

Amelia hits the ball to James, who ends up sending the ball over the net at Schlatt, just barely out of his reach. Schlatt dives for the ball, sand spewing everywhere, and you find yourself shouting, “Nice one!” as he hits the ball to you.

Schlatt scrambles to his feet as you send the ball flying over the net again. He shoots you a look, and you’ve been playing with him long enough to know that means he’s going to try to set you up for the last point.

You nod in acknowledgement of his silent plan, and as the ball comes back over the net, you nearly fumble trying to reach for it. You hit in at an odd angle, but Schlatt recovers it easily, sending the ball flying up into the air. You take a deep breath, jumping as high as you can to spike the ball.

It feels like everything moves in slow motion as both Amelia and James dive for the ball, but they’re not fast enough. The ball drops to the ground, and your small crowd roars as Ethan calls out that you and Schlatt have won.

Schlatt lets out what can only be described as a battle cry as he all but tackles you from behind, his arms wrapping around your waist. He hoists you up with ease, spinning you around and around, laughing heartily as you giggle along with him.

When he sets you back down in the sand, you turn to look at him, taken aback as you realize what just happened. His face is red, and you don’t know if it’s because he’s been playing so hard or if he’s blushing. He clears his throat, but a hint of a smile lingers on his face.

“Uh. Good game, dude.” He says, patting you once on the shoulder before walking away to celebrate with the rest of the group.

You feel your eyebrows furrow just slightly.

Dude?

After a long day at the beach, everyone heads back to their rooms to get ready for dinner. James and Amelia hang back to ask you and Schlatt what you guys have decided.

In a shocking turn of events, you and Schlatt actually agree on where to eat for the night. You guys choose a restaurant down the street that you’d had the first night on the island that you’ve been smitten with ever since.

James looks up the number for the restaurant on his phone to get a reservation, and Amelia stays by his side, letting you and Schlatt go back up to your rooms to get ready as well.

Schlatt presses the button for the elevator, and the two of you stand in silence for a minute, before Schlatt looks down at you.

“I know I said it already, but, uh, good game today.”

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling. “Yeah, we, uh… we make a good team.”

Schlatt nods slowly, as the elevator dings, alerting the two of you to its arrival. He gestures for you to get in first, and your eyebrows raise at this sudden show of politeness. You step into the elevator, and he gets in after you.

You push the button for your floor, and the doors close. The silence that settles over you and Schlatt this time is almost comfortable, which feels so foreign to both of you. The two of you seem to have come a long way today, and you open your mouth to point this out, but suddenly, the lights of the elevator flicker.

“What the fuck?” Schlatt murmurs, looking up at the ceiling.

It happens again, just before the elevator lurches, coming to a full stop in between floors.

Schlatt’s eyes go wide as he looks at you.

Oh, fuck.

ted didn't know that you and schlatt had been hooking up - it was nothing serious, both of you not having enough time for a real relationship. so schlatt wasn't exactly sure why his face was getting hot when he saw you in ted's clothes, his fist curling into a ball and his teeth clenching. you gazed at him softly as ted tested the audio, a hand on his knee. "you ok?" you asked. he just nodded wordlessly.

the episode went off without a hitch, other than schlatt being a little quieter than usual. ted and schlatt started to pack up the equipment as you said goodbye, going to pull off the hoodie from your body to give back to ted. he put his hand out, signalling that you were ok to keep it on. "we're still all on for breakfast tomorrow right? just give it back then, it's cold out."

when you arrived at schlatt's hotel room later that evening, you were still wearing ted's sweater. schlatt immediately noticed when he opened the door, his eyes following down your body and ending with a huff. "hey..." you pushed past him lightly, sitting down on the comfy bed and leaning back. "this is a nice room."

"so do you like wearing ted's hoodie around me?" there was a bite in his voice as he stood before you, already pulling his own sweater over his head. you felt your cheeks blush lightly, looking down at the outfit you had on. "i was cold." "don't play dumb. you like wearing his clothes? making me jealous?"

you looked up at him, feeling the heat pool between your legs. "maybe i do. does that bother you? not like we're together or anything." his jaw clenched, pushing his shorts down to reveal his thick, hard cock. he pumped it in his hand a few times, before putting his hand on the back of your head, leading you to shove his length in your mouth with surprise.

"take it, slut," he growled, as you felt his punishing pace in your throat. "you knew i'd get mad, and now you get to suck my cock." you moaned as he filled you up, only pulling you off when you started to choke. his hand had a firm grip on your hair as he tilted your head back, spit pooling at the corners of your lips. you were dazed looking up at him, smile across your lips, teasing him. "turn around."

you moved to all fours on the bed, feeling his strong arms rip your shorts down your legs, exposing yourself to him. you sat up to pull the hoodie off with the rest of your clothes, but he simply pushed you down onto the soft mattress, cheek hitting the comforter. "keep it on," you felt the tip of his cock against your pussy lips. "you can wear it while i fuck you, since you wanted to wear it so bad."

he doesn't give you time to adjust, slamming his thick cock deep inside of you with one long thrust. he groaned as his hand came down to slap your ass, as you let out a pathetic whimper. he was filling you up so well, your knees parting slightly to accommodate his length. "taking it so good," he cooed, as your pussy squeezed around him. "like a good slut, i knew you would."

your hand came down to your clit to rub the sensitive bud, whimpering at his pace. his hips slapping against yours, explicit sounds filling the room as you felt him speed up. you knew him well enough to know that meant he was close, hand coming down in a firm slap on your ass once more.

"apologize," he demanded, his hands gripping your hips. "you wanna come, don't you? say sorry to me for being such a slut for ted."

you gulped down air as the strokes got faster, and you knew you wouldn't last long. the pressure was building as you felt the familiar shakes in your knees, your ass bruised from his firm slaps. "i'm sorry," you choked out, your voice weak. "hm, what did you say?"

"i'm sorry!" you said louder, eyes squeezing shut. "i'm sorry for being such a slut baby, i'm y-yours, fuck, i'm yours. you know i'm yours."

that was enough for him to cum, you following not long after. you pulsed around him as he exploded inside of your gushing pussy, coming harder than you ever had before. his thrusts slowed as he moaned, deep and gutteral, fucking his cum deeper and deeper inside.

It’s Saturday night, your favorite night of the week. Saturdays mean rest, sure, but, more importantly, Saturdays mean movie night with Schlatt. It’s something to look forward to, something that never fails to put you in a good mood, no matter how rough the week has been.

You take turns choosing what to watch, and this week, it’s your pick. You’ve been on a bit of a musical kick lately, and it continues with this evening’s selection: Little Shop of Horrors. You even have the original (superior) ending queued up to watch afterwards.

“Another musical?” Schlatt had groaned when you told him your choice.

“It’s a classic!” you’d insisted.

“You say that about all of them!” he’d argued, and, well, he wasn’t wrong.

You smile at the memory. You knew that, as much as he complained, Schlatt actually liked the musicals you showed him, even creating a Spotify playlist with his favorite songs from each one.

“How was your day?” you ask once you’ve both joined the call.

“Long,” Schlatt groans. “Glad it’s over.”

You can hear the tiredness in his voice. “We can watch this another time, if you want.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” he insists, voice softening. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

“Me, too.” You smile. “Okay, ready?”

“Ready,” he confirms.

“Three…two…one!” At the end of the countdown, you and Schlatt both hit “play,” and the movie begins.

It’s going well, you think. You’ve gotten Schlatt to admit that “Skid Row (Downtown)” is a banger (he didn’t really need any convincing). He seems to be enjoying it overall, though you notice that he’s a bit quieter than normal.

It’s during Steve Martin’s “Dentist” number that you hear a yawn.

“Aw, is someone sleepy?” you ask, your voice taking on the same sweet, high-pitched tone you use to talk to the cats.

“‘M not,” Schlatt grumbles.

“Sure,” you say, not at all convinced.

At Schlatt’s insistence, you keep watching.

A few minutes later, you make some stupid comment about what’s happening on screen, but you’re met with silence.

“Schlatt?” you call out.

No response.

You pause the movie, and it’s then that you can hear Schlatt’s soft snores coming through your headphones.

You can almost picture him, still sitting up in bed, his head lolled to the side (he's definitely going to bitch about his neck being sore tomorrow). You can’t help but smile fondly at your computer.

“Good night, my love,” you say softly before ending the call.

It’s Saturday night, your favorite night of the week. Saturdays mean rest, sure, but, more importantly, Saturdays mean movie night with Schlatt. It’s something to look forward to, something that never fails to put you in a good mood, no matter how rough the week has been.

You take turns choosing what to watch, and this week, it’s your pick. You’ve been on a bit of a musical kick lately, and it continues with this evening’s selection: Little Shop of Horrors. You even have the original (superior) ending queued up to watch afterwards.

“Another musical?” Schlatt had groaned when you told him your choice.

“It’s a classic!” you’d insisted.

“You say that about all of them!” he’d argued, and, well, he wasn’t wrong.

You smile at the memory. You knew that, as much as he complained, Schlatt actually liked the musicals you showed him, even creating a Spotify playlist with his favorite songs from each one.

“How was your day?” you ask once you’ve both joined the call.

“Long,” Schlatt groans. “Glad it’s over.”

You can hear the tiredness in his voice. “We can watch this another time, if you want.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” he insists, voice softening. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

“Me, too.” You smile. “Okay, ready?”

“Ready,” he confirms.

“Three…two…one!” At the end of the countdown, you and Schlatt both hit “play,” and the movie begins.

It’s going well, you think. You’ve gotten Schlatt to admit that “Skid Row (Downtown)” is a banger (he didn’t really need any convincing). He seems to be enjoying it overall, though you notice that he’s a bit quieter than normal.

It’s during Steve Martin’s “Dentist” number that you hear a yawn.

“Aw, is someone sleepy?” you ask, your voice taking on the same sweet, high-pitched tone you use to talk to the cats.

“‘M not,” Schlatt grumbles.

“Sure,” you say, not at all convinced.

At Schlatt’s insistence, you keep watching.

A few minutes later, you make some stupid comment about what’s happening on screen, but you’re met with silence.

“Schlatt?” you call out.

No response.

You pause the movie, and it’s then that you can hear Schlatt’s soft snores coming through your headphones.

You can almost picture him, still sitting up in bed, his head lolled to the side (he's definitely going to bitch about his neck being sore tomorrow). You can’t help but smile fondly at your computer.

“Good night, my love,” you say softly before ending the call.

you find yourself talking to schlatt a lot more often now that your relationship with ted circles the drain. (the two of you are trying to make it work, but you’re kidding yourselves.) schlatt’s much more receptive than a few months ago. he sends you messages out of the blue, completely unprompted, and it’s rare that you’re texting him first anymore. saw this and thought of you. hey, have you ever seen this movie? i’m bored, wanna hop on minecraft or somethin’?

about two weeks later, you and ted call it quits. it was inevitable, really. there’s no bad blood, the two of you splitting pretty amicably, promising to remain friends through tears. of course it hurts — you loved ted, truly. he was a good boyfriend (until he wasn’t, you suppose) and it’s a big change. you have to find somewhere else to live, and while ted says you’re free to stay at his place until you find something, it feels a little weird while the breakup is still fresh, and you have no idea how long it will take before you find another place.

that night, schlatt hits you up to play something with him, but you politely decline, saying you’re just not feeling up for it tonight. your phone rings just moments later.

“you okay?” schlatt’s voice comes through your phone speaker.

“yeah, i’m good,” you tell him, though the crack in your voice betrays you. realizing there’s no use pretending, you just let it all come out, trying to stay quiet so ted doesn’t hear you from the other room. you tell schlatt about the breakup and how you need to find somewhere else to be asap.

“you can come stay with me.” schlatt suggests, before he can stop it. in truth, he knows it’s so fucking selfish and more for his own benefit than yours, and it makes him feel a little sick. here you are hurting, and all he can think is, here’s my chance.

“really?” you ask, biting your lip in contemplation. sure, he lives in new york, but you work from home anyway, so it’s not like it would matter if you just up and left LA. it could be a good change of scenery.

schlatt should say no. he should say, “no, (y/n), i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have offered.” but he knows he can’t. it was shitty to offer in the first place, but it would be even shittier to go back on his offer.

“yeah,” schlatt responds instead, silently cursing himself, “could be fun. and we could find ya somethin’ up here, some cute lil apartment or somethin’.”

“okay.” you nod slowly, still weighing the option. it’s so spontaneous, something you’d usually give a little more thought, but as you hear ted padding around the place you used to call home, you decide to take schlatt up on his offer. “okay, yeah. when do you want me?”

now. forever. schlatt finds himself thinking. “how fast can you get packed?”

“i’m already halfway done.” you tell him. you’ve been slowly getting your stuff together for the last few hours.

“how long d’ya think it’ll take you to finish?”

“maybe a day, maybe less.”

“i’ll hire some movers to come get your stuff in two days and book ya a flight.”

“schlatt, no. i can move my own stuff. i’ll just rent a u-haul.”

“just lemme do somethin’ nice for ya, would ya, angel?” the pet name falls from his lips so fast that he doesn’t even register he’s said it. you feel your face heat up.

you’re already letting me live with you, you want to say, but you know there’s no arguing with him.

“fine,” you concede, “i’ll see you in a few days.”

“great.”

“…thanks, schlatt. this really means a lot to me, you know.”

“just trynna help out a friend.” schlatt responds.

helping out a friend is the farthest thing from what he’s doing, but maybe if he says it enough, he’ll believe it.