blair

keep it ⟡ bf! chris x gf! reader

Chris comes out of the bathroom, still rubbing his hair dry with a towel, and you glance up from your phone.

Then you actually look at him. You blink. He's got a little more facial hair than usual—his goatee grown in, jawline scruffy in that annoyingly attractive way that makes him look a little older, a little rougher.

Your eyes trail over his face. You slowly lower your phone.

"Damn, baby…" Chris pauses. You look him directly in the eyes.

"Damn."

He immediately starts laughing.

"What?"

You point at his face. "The beard."

"What about it?"

"You—" You gesture vaguely at him. "You look good."

Chris's eyebrows lift as a smug little smile spreads across his face. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Like… good good?"

You roll your eyes. "Don't make me say it twice."

He drops the towel onto the bed and walks toward you, clearly enjoying himself now. "Oh, no, no, no. I need clarification."

"Chris."

"What?" He grins. "I'm just trying to understand."

"You know exactly what I'm saying." He stops right in front of you, looking down with that stupidly pleased expression.

"So you like my beard?"

You stare at him. "Baby."

"Yeah?"

"You look really good."

Chris laughs again, reaching down to pull you closer by the waist.

"That's all I needed to hear."

"Don't get cocky."

"Too late."

You run your fingers along his jaw, lightly scratching at the short beard. And suddenly his teasing smile softens.

"Yeah?" he murmurs.

You nod, still inspecting his face, and without really thinking about it your arms find their way up around his neck, fingers linking loosely behind him. From here you can see it better-the way the scruff catches the light, a little darker right along his jaw.

"Keep it," you say, thumb brushing over his goatee.

Chris's eyes flicker down to your lips.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm." You tilt your head, still not done looking at him, like you're committing it to memory. "Really good on you."

He then he leans in, his beard brushing your cheek.

"Anything for you, baby."

『 ˚୨୧ Hello Kitty ˚ʚ ᗢ₊ || C.S 』

content: bf!chris, fluff, no warnings at all.

"chrisss, look at this cute hello kitty mug i bought from walmart!" you squealed in excitement and slightly jumped up and down as you show your boyfriend the cute thing that you bought. your facial expression changed when he just hummed in response.

"that's cute, baby." he finally replied, still scrolling through his phone, but his tone is too dry. normally—he'd be amazed and really look at it with a soft smile on his face whenever you bought something, but now? he just took a glance on it and responded coldly.

you're not dramatic or anything, you're just not used to your boyfriend's reaction being like this.

"oh um.. okay." your smile slowly faded as you lowered your hand with the mug. chris' eyes flickered over your figure walking towards the bedroom—the hello kitty mug placed on the kitchen counter as your posture slumped a little bit as you closed the door behind you. "maybe he was just tired?" you thought to yourself.

──

a few moments has passed, and chris couldn't get your change of expression out of his mind. he entered you and his shared bedroom and saw you curled up in bed—sleeping like a baby. he quietly closed the door and carefully lied down beside you, wrapping an arm around your waist as he buried his face on the crook of your neck.

"mhm.." you gently stirred. "baby, im sorry." chris murmured through your skin. "sorry for what?" you asked, then you immediately remembered the scene from earlier.

"y'know, the um— the hello kitty mug you showed me? that was so adorable, ma. where did you buy it?"

"from walmart. nothing so special about it tho." you responded back, as if you're playfully guilt tripping him. "baby, it's really cute i promise, but not as cute as you though" he teased, his lips curling up to form a cocky grin.

you tried to keep an angry face, but immediately failed when your smile betrayed you. your head is now tilting and facing away from him to hide your smile "there she is." he gently made you face him by tilting your chin.

"oh shut up. you weren't that excited earlier." you rolled your eyes and pouted on purpose, wanting to be babied by your boyfriend.

"i know, and im sorry."

"nextime, i don't want you to act cold or any of that. do you understand?"

"yeah yeah, whatever." he lazily responded and nuzzled more deeply on the crook of your neck.

"chris." you stated more seriously.

"yes— yes ma'am."

a/n: first time writing fluff, omggg

chris sturniolo x reader | fluff, friends to lovers

The sun was already brutal by noon.

You'd been on the water for maybe two hours, and your shoulders were starting to feel it; that slow, creeping warmth that would turn into regret by tomorrow morning. You should've reapplied. God... you knew you should've reapplied.

"You're burning," Chris said, appearing beside you out of nowhere the way he always did. Like he materialized.

"I'm not burning."

"Your nose is literally red."

"It's the sun."

"That's what burning is."

You squinted at him. He was already grinning, sunglasses pushed up into his hair, looking annoyingly unbothered by the heat. You held out your hand without another word. He passed you the sunscreen without being asked.

That was the thing about Chris. He just knew. Where you were. What you needed. It used to feel normal. Lately, it felt like something else entirely, and you hadn't quite figured out what to do with that yet.

The yacht wasn't huge, but it was enough. Nick had claimed a spot at the front with his phone and a playlist nobody else got a vote on. Matt was somewhere below deck, raiding the snack situation. Chris had been orbiting you all afternoon in that low-key, easy way of his, close enough to talk, never quite far enough away.

"This is the best fourth I've ever had," Nick announced, not looking up.

"You say that every year," Chris called back.

"And I'm right every year."

Matt resurfaced with an armful of stuff: chips, sparkling water, something wrapped in foil that looked questionable. He dropped everything on the little table near the stern and started distributing like he was running a charity operation.

"We eating or not?"

You laughed. You couldn't help it. Chris bumped your shoulder lightly.

The afternoon bled into early evening the way summer days do, slow and golden and all at once. The light changed; the air cooled. Someone had strung up little lights along the railing, and you weren't sure when that happened, but it looked good.

Nick fell asleep with his hat over his face. Matt had his headphones in, legs dangling off the side, completely unbothered.

Chris found you at the bow. You were sitting with your back against the railing, knees pulled up, watching the horizon go pink. He dropped down beside you without asking if the spot was taken. You shifted to give him room anyway.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

Neither of you said anything for a minute. You were used to that with him; the quiet that didn't need filling. The kind you could actually breathe in.

"Thanks for coming," he said eventually.

You looked at him. "You literally told me I had to."

"I asked nicely."

"You sent a voice memo at eleven at night."

"That's me asking nicely."

You smiled despite yourself. He was watching you when you did it, and something about the way he looked, open, soft around the edges in a way he wasn't always, made your chest do something inconvenient.

"I'm glad I'm here," you said quietly.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The first firework went off somewhere in the distance before either of you could say anything else. Just one, a test, maybe. warning shot. It bloomed pink and white over the water and disappeared.

"Here we go," Chris murmured.

They started properly after that. Blues and golds and reds reflecting off the surface in long, shivering streaks. You could feel the low boom of the bigger ones in your sternum. Nick woke up. Matt pulled a headphone out. But somehow, inexplicably, you were only really aware of Chris. The inch of space between your arms, the way he'd tilted toward you incrementally without seeming to notice.

"Can I tell you something?" he said, still looking at the sky.

"Yeah."

He was quiet for a second. A big gold burst lit up his face and then faded.

"I've been trying to figure out how to say this for like three months."

Your heart did something stupid. "Okay."

"I don't want to make it weird."

"Chris."

"I just—" He finally looked at you. Full on, eyes steady in a way that made it hard to look away. "I think about you a lot. Like, a lot a lot. And I don't think that's a friend thing anymore."

The fireworks kept going. Somewhere behind you Matt said something to Nick. Neither of you heard it.

"It's not," you said. "For me either."

The smile that broke across his face was slow and a little disbelieving and completely him. He laughed quietly, under his breath, like he didn't know what to do with the relief.

"Yeah?"

"You already asked me that."

"I know, I just—" He shook his head. "Okay."

He leaned in, and you met him halfway. It was soft, brief, and just enough to seal true feelings.

When you pulled back, the sky was still going, all color and noise and light, and Chris was looking at you like the fireworks were the least interesting thing in view.

Behind you, Matt's voice: "finally."

Nick, immediately: "I'm not saying anything."

"You just said something—"

"I said I'm not saying anything—"

Chris dropped his head and laughed, and you laughed too, and it felt easy. It felt like something that had always been coming, just waiting for the right night to arrive.

immaqulate's notes ✎ᝰ.ᐟ.. happy 4th to those who celebrate! fuck trump and fuck ice! i plan to write more fics and get through the requests sitting in my inbox hehe love you all so much <33

POV: After catching her boyfriend cheating during a Fourth of July beach bonfire, Y/N finds comfort in the last person she ever expected, his best friend, Chris.

TW: Infidelity, alcohol consumption, kissing, strong language, and friendship betrayal.

Y/N’S POV:

The beach smelled like smoke, salt, and sunscreen that had long since worn off.

Someone at the bonfire yelled as another firework exploded overhead.

Red.

Blue.

Gold.

Everyone clapped.

Everyone except you.

You sat far enough down the shoreline that the voices blurred into the crashing waves. Your knees were pulled to your chest, your phone lying face down in the sand.

A didn’t need to look at it again.

The picture was burned into my mind already.

Nate.

His arm around another girl.

Kissing her.

Tonight.

At the same party he’d kissed you goodbye before disappearing.

A laugh escaped you, humorless.

“Happy Fourth of July.”

Footsteps crunched softly through the sand.

You didn’t bother looking up.

“You disappeared.”

His voice.

Chris.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you guys to notice,” I murmured.

He let out a quiet huff, settling beside you.

A cold bottle lightly tapped my arm.

I glanced over.

Beer.

He lifted it slightly.

“Peace offering.”

I stared at it for a second before taking it.

“Thanks.”

He leaned back on his hands, looking out at the ocean instead of me.

Another firework burst across the sky.

“You know…” he said after a moment, taking a sip from his own bottle.

“…he’s an idiot.”

I looked at him.

“You know?”

Chris nodded once.

“Nick told me.”

“So everyone knows.”

“No.”

“Feels like everyone does.”

“Nah they don’t.”

I swallowed hard.

“I just…” My voice cracked before i could stop it. “I don’t get it.”

Chris stayed quiet.

“I wasn’t perfect, but…” I laughed bitterly. “Was I really that easy to replace?”

His jaw tightened.

“No.”

“I keep thinking maybe if I—”

“No.”

The firmness in his voice made you stop.

“You don’t get to blame yourself for somebody else’s decision.”

Silence settled between you again.

The sky flashed white.

Boom.

Then blue.

Boom.

The reflection danced across the water.

Chris took another drink before speaking.

“He lost someone who would’ve done anything for him.”

I looked over.

“And you know what’s worse?”

“What?”

“He’ll figure that out.”

“When it’s too late.”

My lips curled into the smallest smile.

“There she is.”

“Hm?”

“That smile.”

“I wasn’t smiling.”

“Bullshit.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You literally were.”

I nudged his shoulder.

“You’re annoying.”

“So I’ve been told.”

For the first time all night…

I laughed.

A real one.

It was small.

But it was real.

Chris smiled to himself, hiding it behind another sip of his beer.

“I missed that all night.”

My heart skipped.

“You missed what?”

“You laughing.”

The words hung between us.

Too honest.

Too dangerous.

Another firework exploded above you, painting the ocean gold.

Without thinking, i rested my head against his shoulder.

He froze.

Not because he wanted to move.

Because he didn’t.

Slowly, carefully, he leaned his head against mine.

Neither of us spoke.

The waves filled the silence.

My fingers brushed against his in the sand.

He didn’t pull away.

Instead…

He intertwined them.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I looked down.

Then up at him.

His eyes were already on me.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” I whispered.

A crooked smile tugged at his lips.

“Probably.”

“This is the beer talking.”

“No.”

“It has to be.”

“It isn’t.”

His thumb traced gently across my knuckles.

“I’ve wanted to do this way before tonight.”

My breath caught.

“Chris…”

“I know.”

“Nate’s your best friend.”

“I know.”

“Nick’s my best friend.”

“I know.”

“This could ruin everything.”

His eyes searched mine.

“I think he already ruined everything.”

The words hit harder than you expected.

My heartbeat pounded louder than the fireworks.

I should’ve stood up.

I should’ve walked away.

Instead…

I whispered, “This is a bad idea.”

Chris’s gaze flickered to my lips.

“I know.”

“We shouldn’t.”

“I know.”

“So why aren’t you stopping?”

He let out the smallest, almost sad smile.

“Because I don’t want to.”

Another firework lit the sky.

For a second, everything around us disappeared.

The beach.

The bonfire.

The music.

The people.

There was only him.

Only the warmth of his hand on mine.

Only the way he looked at me like he’d been holding something in for far too long.

I closed the distance first.

The kiss was hesitant.

Soft.

Like both of us were waiting for the other to pull away.

Neither of us did.

When we finally separated, our foreheads stayed pressed together.

My breathing uneven.

“Oh my God…” i whispered.

Chris let out a quiet laugh that held no humor.

“Yeah.”

“We really just did that.”

“Yeah.”

“Nate’s going to hate us.”

A beat passed.

Then Chris looked at me with that stubborn expression i knew all too well.

“I don’t give a fuck.”

I searched his face.

“You’ll give a fuck tomorrow.”

“Probably.”

“But-”

His hand squeezed mine.

“But tonight…”

He glanced up as another firework burst across the sky, showering the ocean in red and silver.

“…tonight I’m done pretending I don’t feel anything.”

My heart lurched.

Back at the bonfire, someone shouted for Chris.

Neither of us answered.

For one more minute, we stayed where we were, shoulder to shoulder beneath the fireworks, knowing that when the sun came up, nothing between the five of us would ever be the same.

AUTHORS NOTE: happy Fourth of July in the Lana Del Rey way 🎆