âOh, this is different,â the new voice in his head says.
Cub blinks, registering the flickering effects of blindness and night vision. The faint ringing in his ears, the whispers from below arenât as prominent as before, but noticeable enough.
He takes an experimental step. Hmm. Heâs still in control. No slowness, no enhanced abilities, just him.
âI seem to notice that while youâre definitely in my head, Sparrow, youâre not⌠really possessing me. Am I right in that assumption?â
âOhâŚâ He can hear Sparrow smile, somehow. âNo, I canât do much, but I do have to be very careful.â
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ANOTHER PROMPT EVENT??! You are incredible, your SamBucky drabbles are my favorite thing under the sun. Could you please do #9 "I had a dream about you."??? AND CONGRATS FOR 300 SUBSCRIBERS. You deserve way more though, just saying.
@allcolorsoftherainbow, you had the last prompt in my last event, and now you've got the first haha I hope you're cool with an infinity war fic and I hope you enjoy the drabble! đĽ°
Prompt 1: "I had a dream about you."
| Prompts | 2 |
"I had a dream about you."
Sam should be back in Birnin Zana. He should be in his guest room in the Citadel or wandering around Three Step Town with Nat and Steve trying that Zouma Bowa stand they saw a few weeks back.
Sam found himself drawn, though, to a little cabin in the middle of nowhere where a goat herder lived a quiet life away from mostly everyone.
Sam found himself craving the roasted lake trout Bucky learned how to cook out on his own and the bissap spritz Bucky's neighbor a few acres away would sometimes send over to Bucky.
He found himself wanting to read How Long 'Til Black Future Month? and The Fellowship of the Ring and Ravensong and The Descent of Monsters and A Study in Honor as Bucky lost himself in painting. He yearned to find Bucky laying in the long grass of a field, to join him there on a hot and relaxed afternoon as they watched clouds pass by.
So, Sam was in Bucky's small cabin. Laying in bed. Staring at Bucky as Bucky whispered the words, "I had a dream about you."
"What sort of dream?" asked Sam in a hushed murmur.
Their hands were close. Only millimeters apart. Sam could move closer, if he wanted to. Inch at a snail's pace until his pinky touched Bucky's. Sam wondered what that would feel like. That nothing of a touch.
"I was at a cafe," said Bucky, his eyes distant as his mind went elsewhere, "One of the ones in Europe. Maybe in Patrai. Or Ankara. It could have been the one in Podgorica. I was sitting there, drinking an Americano until... until the street collapsed within itself. And everything fell apart. And I was falling through the sky."
Bucky was the one who grabbed Sam's hand. Bucky's hand felt less rough than the last time he touched it. That had to have been a year ago. There were still callouses, but they were shrinking.
"You... feel like a little dry. It feels like you need some lotion," said Bucky, breaking Sam's train of thought.
"What?" asked Sam before Bucky moved to his nightstand and pulled a lotion bottle out.
"May I?" asked Bucky as he gestured to Sam's hands.
Sam slowly nodded.
"Bucky. Do I want to know why you have nightstand lotion?" asked Sam.
"It's for my hand. I forget to do it in the bathroom," grumbled Bucky as he began massaging lotion into Sam's right hand.
"So, I was in your dream?" Sam said as Bucky nodded, his intense stare focused on Sam's hand now.
"I was falling through the sky. And I was panicking. I kept thinking about falling off that train," said Bucky, his voice cracking, "But then... then I felt your arms. Reaching out and pulling me close to your chest. I felt your hands hold me tightly."
Bucky smiled. Sam couldn't help but smile too.
"You had these wings, Sam. Not the wing pack. Wings. Beautiful, gorgeous, breathtaking wings that were red like the accents on your suit," said Bucky warmly, "And I couldn't take my eyes off of you. You were radiant. And for some reason, you saved me. At some point, you turned your gaze down to me and you said, 'You good?'. And Sam. Sam, I said the most embarrassing thing."
Sam's smile grew as he watched a blush creep up Bucky.
"What was it?" asked Sam as Bucky moved on to Sam's left hand.
"I blurted out 'Marry me'," said Bucky and Sam laughed, "I know, that you in the dream laughed in my face too. You said 'You might want to take a guy on a date before proposing'. So then I asked you out. Right there. In your arms. I'm surprised you didn't drop me."
Sam thought about that as Bucky focused his massage on Sam's ring finger.
"I heard somewhere that dreams are windows to other lives," mused Sam, "Maybe somewhere out there, you're taking a winged me out to a dinner and a movie."
"Maybe. But it got me thinking - maybe next time you're in town, I'll meet you in Birnin Zana. We could walk Cage Park," said Bucky, his face turning crimson, "If you'd want that."
"There's something happening with Wanda - I don't know the details, but we need to pick her up. So, maybe after that?" asked Sam as his eyes locked with Bucky's.
Bucky melted.
"I'd love that," said Bucky as he held Sam's hand.
Sam could have this. After they're done helping Wanda with whatever the next world-ending event was happening, he could have this. Sam smiled as he thought of some Sam out there already out on his own date with his Bucky and wondered if that Sam dreamed of this.
*****
This is for my 300 Followers Event! If you want to submit a prompt, check out the list and send in an ask!
Disclaimer: This piece is purely a work of fiction and does not represent Kim Seungmin in any way. This is nothing but mere fiction and fantasy. Browse at your own risk. Contains smut under the cut.
Prompt: Your Dom boyfriend Seungmin punishes you for failing a test.
Warning(s): Spanking, idk sadist boyfriend!Seungmin, humiliation, fingering, cum sucking, older!reader, power play, possessive!Seungmin, tsundere!Seungmin, manhandling, denial, sir kink, light slapping, degradation, humiliation, begging.
June 13, 1996.
05:45pmâŚ
Y/n was far too distracted to care about her surroundings as she yelled at the arcade game in front of her, furiously tapping away at the controls while arguing with her friend about how he was going to lose this one, much too engrossed to notice the figure approaching her from behind.
Seungmin's eyes narrowed in on the short shorts his girlfriend's perky ass was adorning tightly to beat the summer heat, hips swaying side to side as she violently hit at the controls to win, tits jiggling in the tight tank top whenever she moved. The younger male shook his head at the sight, sighing to himself.
"H- HEY! HEY! WHO THE FUCK- LET GO!" The older bellowed when Seungmin pulled her back and out of the arcade station by her nape too quick for anyone to even notice. "HEY! THAT IS NOT COOL, DUDE!" Y/n grunted and pushed at his chest when he pressed her back flat against the concrete wall of the alley next to the station, almost succeeding since both were the same height. "I WAS ABOUT TO WIN!"
Seungmin didn't respond to her bratty antics and quietly fished out a piece of paper before grabbing one of her hands that were surprisingly smaller as compared to his regardless of the fact that they were the same height, roughly thrusting it in her hand before flipping her on her stomach against a closed dumpster can after manhandling her to it.
"Dude!" Y/n groaned as she looked around in panic. "We have to be secretive about this! You can't just drag me like this in an alley! What will my friends think?! That I am dating a sophomore while being in my senior year?!" He rolled his eyes at her never stopping mouth. "Just how many times-" her words faded into a gasp when he harshly tugged the older's shorts off along her underwear in one go.
"Read."
It wasn't like Seungmin was a guy of too many words anyways but the tone that he used made it clear to Y/n that she was in deep today.
"W- What is it?" She nervously laughed, glancing down at the paper as she mentally recalled everything wrong she'd done since her last punishment.
"I said⌠read" Y/n's knees buckled in defense when a harsh spank landed on one of her ass cheeks, the throb coming almost right after.
"W- Where did you get this?" Shaking his head, the male dropped his own bag on the floor, pulling his wooden ruler out.
"You're not helping anyone here" Seungmin sternly responded, holding her lower back firmly against the plastic can to restrict movement when she yelped and tried to move away from the spanks he was landing now. "Especially not yourself."
"Fine! Fine! I am sorry! Hold on!" Y/n cried out, whining as she hurriedly started ready. "Y/n, senior year, section C, physics- OWWW!" One of her feet kicked the floor as she groaned when the male didn't stop, spanking her with every word she said. "12 o- out of 100" she was softly crying at this point, face hot in embarrassment.
"What was it that you did wrong?"
The girl kept whining with each hit miserably, closing her eyes each time before the spank even landed, the quiet alley providing her perfect sound of the ruler whipping through the air each time. "I- I didn't study and l- lied to my boyfriend about it" a soft whimper escaped her as she continued. "I- I wasted my time on a- arcades and c- comics even when he had warned me about f- failing- AAHH!"
"And what are you now?"
"A sorry little dummmmmmyy~" Y/n buried her face in the paper as she whined out, legs shaking slightly as she felt the air nip at her sex. "I am sorry s- sir! I won't do it a- again! I promise! Please, sir!"
Seungmin only stopped when he was satisfied, handing her the ruler as he caressed her burning ass soothingly, watching her as she carefully examined the wooden object. It was a thing to him. Whenever he punished her, he'd hand her the object he'd used after, making her look at it and think about her actions as well as the alternative way she would have gone and avoided the punishment altogether.
"Come on up" gently pulling her back up, the male turned her around to face him only to find her biting her lip while staring at the ground, cheeks red in embarrasment. "I need to figure out new punishments for you" pushing her on her burning ass against the dumpster, Seungmin sat her on it, hands gently nudging her thighs apart.
"Because it is not a punishment if it is making you wet, right?" Y/n's mouth fell open as her back arched in response to the male's fingers making contact with the flesh of her dripping cunt. "Tsk. I'd be so ashamed of myself if I were you, Y/n-ah" he softly slapped her with the back of his free hand, other slowly teasing her folds. "Getting this wet to being bent over a dumpster and spanked with a ruler like a little kid. Tsk. Are you sure you're the older one here?"
"S- Sorry, sir! I am sorry~" the girl shuddered, droplets of sweat running down her forehead as she whimpered at the knots forming in her stomach. "You're j- just soooo goooood~" a frustrated cry escaped her when he continued to tease her torturously slow.
But she knew better than to whine about it. Knowing Seungmin, he'd chastise her for at least a week for being impatient.
"If I were to finger fuck you right nowâŚ" Y/n's eyes snapped open in excitement, hopefully watching his cold expression. "Will you tell me when you're close?"
"Y- Yes, yes sir! Yes, please sir! Please!" The girl softly pouted needly, rolling her eyes to the back of her head and inaudibly thanking Seungmin when he picked up pace, slowly nearing her leaking entrance before pushing in with a plop, making Y/n arch her back as she grabbed the edge of the dumpster lid for support.
"I don't get why you even bother with trying to keep up this big bad image of yourself when you love to get put in your place by me, a younger guy, so much that you don't even care if it's a shady alley as I make you sit on top of a dumpster against your burning ass," he was always relentless with his words and degradation. "While you have no choice but to take what I give you while thanking me for it." Her pussy clenched around his finger, signalling that he was doing a good job.
"Ah! Sir! Sir! Please, I am close, sir! Please, sir!" Y/n cried out when he started toying with her clit at the same time, slapping her cheek with the back of his hand again.
Seungmin snickered when the girl cried out in despair upon the loss of all stimulation when he suddenly pulled his fingers out of her, enjoying the devastated expression on her face.
"What?"
"SIRâŚ!" Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she protestingly looked up at him, one fist balled.
"Tsk, did you forget?" Shoving his cum coated fingers in her mouth without a second thought, Seungmin grinned as he soft slapped her again. "This is a punishment." Her nostrils flared for air as she whined loudly around his fingers, pouting a little. "Only good girls get rewards, remember? Not disobedient little ungrateful brats."
Pulling out his fingers out of her mouth with a loud plop when they were clean, Seungmin teasingly hit one of her cheeks with the back of his hand again, making her whimper in respone. "And which one are you?"
Y/n's eyes and head lowered. "A disobedient little ungrateful brat, sir."
The male hummed in satisfaction as he nodded, cupping one of her cheeks and making her look up at him before caressing her lips with the pad of his thumb. "Now here is what's going to happen. You will go in there and get your bag along with some lemonade for the both of us and then we will go home, yes?"
"Yes, sir" after carefully helping her down on her feet, Seungmin fixed Y/n's clothes, taking off his flannel that he wore atop a t-shirt before wrapping it around her exposed legs, giving her the money for the beverages because he liked to pay for the both of them, waiting outside the arcade in a corner so he wasn't too noticeable, respecting his girlfriend's wish for the relationship to stay private until she felt comfortable.
"And don't you dare skip school without permission ever again" Y/n whimpered at his stern tone before curling in his arm, burying her face in his shoulder after she had handed him his drink along with her bag that he insisted to carry, intertwining her fingers with his as she sipped on her drink. "I got so worried when I couldn't find you for the whole day after we entered together this morning."
"Sorry, sir. I won't do it againnn~" the couple slowly walked to Seungmin's house, enjoying the sunset as they laughed about how they stank, the male deciding they needed a shower the minute they got home.
And they took that shower, Seungmin cleaning the both of them thoroughly to get rid of any and all germs before fucking Y/n numb after she promised she'd always obey him from now on, both of them already knowing she was bound to stumble again.
1. Yes, Ben. Comfort does exist, and his name is Klaus.
From a gif by @salvador-daley | More Ded & Gonne by @firstpersonnarrator
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AN: Iâve decided that there are too many silly one-off ideas taking up space in my brain, so hereâs the first of the D&G Drabbles. Read this one in full right here, tumblr-only. Letâs do this. TWs: None.
<<âââ>>
âCome over here and hug your brother.â Klaus spreads his arms to welcome Ben back with a big, goofy smile.
âNo.â
âBummer, but ok.â Klaus turns away and immediately turns back. âCome over here and hug your brother.â
âNo.â
âK.â Klaus itches his chin then spreads his arms wide once again, but without the grin. He figures maybe the grin was the problem. âCome over here and hug your brother.â
âNo!â
âKlaus and Benny, sittin in a tree-â
âShut UP, Klaus.â
âThatâs no way to thank me for wanting to hug you, you big meanie.â Klaus pauses. âCome over here and hug your brother.â
âWhen have I ever said yes?â
âIs this a trick question?â
Ben does not respond.
âCuz I have a trick answer! You said yes at the wedding, ha-ha ha-ha haaah-haaaah,â says Klaus, pulling out more schoolyard taunts. Which heâs certain he would have been good at had he ever been to a schoolyard. He sure got good at taunting back in the academyâs courtyard. Courtyard, schoolyard. Same thing.
âI did not say yes to hugging my not-brother.â
âYou can try and deny it now, but you and I both know that youâre a snuggler. Who loves to snug.â Oh. Ouch, Klaus. That might have been a little too far.
Yep. It was a little too far. Or a lot. Point is, Ben has set his jaw, and is standing rigidly with his hands balled into fists.
âNow-now, Benji-â
Oh yikes no.
âNow donât look so angry. Unless youâre hangry. You can look hangry if you want. But thatâs beside the point.â
Maybe the way to amp this up a little higher is to keep talking, Klaus.
Oh God. Heâs moving toward Ben, instead of slowly backing away. Dying probably kills lots of brain cells. Thatâs a compelling explanation. Otherwise itâs just Klaus being Klaus, which is also a compelling explanation.
Can an immortal person have a death wish? Cuz Klaus seems to have one. Heâs taking one of Benâs balled-up fists in his hands, and is now trying to smooth out Benâs fingers. âThere, there, Ben. Itâs ok.â
This is odd. Ben has not flinched. Neither has he threatened, nor bellowed in any way, shape, or form of bellowing. This is wyrd. Really wyrd. Ben is just standing there, staring at his fist being smoothed out on Klausâs palm. Itâs possible that Ben is feeling âcomfort.â Which is a word heâs never believed applies to anything that actually exists in the world. Not once in his life.
Never until Klaus, who has just picked up Benâs other fist and is relaxing the fingers there, as well. He watches in fascination. Comfort exists? Yes, Ben. Comfort does exist, and his name is Klaus.
Welcome to the first of many drabbles! I created a playlist of all the songs that were chosen, and Iâve put them on shuffle. That is the order these will come in.
This particular request was sent in anonymously, and I stan. Great song choice for our Geralt!
Enjoy, my smutty beauties!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fire and ice.
Geralt had paid for the whoreâs room for five days. He was always famished after a hunt, and after this exceptionally difficult job, he was left particularly insatiable. Their feverish bodies released blazing temperatures into the air as he consumed her, combining with the heat of the fireplace flames to create a sweltering atmosphere of passion, a fierce juxtaposition to the cold snow outside. Some of which Geralt had conveniently requested be brought to the room.
The womanâs breasts heaved again as Geralt trailed the frozen water down her sternum to pool in the concave of her belly. He lapped it up eagerly as it melted, his tongue dipping into her button to collect the remains of the tiny snowball in his mouth, spreading the frigid ice throughout the inner crevices of his jaw. He licked a line back up her sternum, the salt of her sweat and the sharp spike of the snow a heady trail of flavor.Â
Taking one of her nipples in his mouth, Geralt pressed his cold tongue against it. The woman keened and arched her back at the contrast of his crisp mouth against her searing skin, allowing Geralt to wrap his arm beneath her and hold her in the position. Every cell in her being had been given pleasure, and every nerve underneath the translucent flesh of her body was on fire, with was no end in sight to the talented torture of the beast that hovered above her. She inhaled violently as Geralt spread fresh snow over her other nipple, the languid strokes of his tongue on her first now warm and vastly opposite to the new sensation.
The woman huffed in sexual frustration, tugging on the leather straps binding her to the bedposts and Geralt raised his head, his cold fingers traveling down to the beautifully exposed folds between her tightly spread legs. She glared at him in wanton desire, silently pleading with him for more.
âCome now, donât be like that,â he crooned as he traced her clit with a chilly fingerpad. The woman closed her eyes and threw her head back as her ass clenched, her pelvis trembling and constricting at the erotic feel of his arctic digits. Geralt smiled sinfully, popping more of the wet flakes into his mouth.
âItâs only day two, my âladyâ, and Iâve got plans for you.â
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Peeta sometimes forget. So he writes down things he remembers. He got several lists now - a list of recipes from their bakery, a list of the names of his people, a list of flowers he started planting in the garden. But there is one list he keeps coming back to. One he always looks for when the shadows creep up on him.Â
A list of the little things that made him fall in love with Katniss.
One: when she sings the mockingjays stop to listen. Two: when she comes home from a good hunt and her eyes light up. Three: when she tells him all about her day in the forest - the birds, the squirrels, the deer, even though sometimes he can barely keep up. Four: when she smiles knowing that he baked cheese buns in the morning. Five: when she kisses him, lips trembling, and chases away the shadows because she too gets them at night.Â
There is not enough paper in the world to complete that list.Â
A/N: Epic line given to me by @contrarily-me. Hope I do it justice!
...
She didnât know what she was thinking, hiding away like this. Surely Barry would find her eventually and demand an explanation for her sudden disappearance. She had perfected the art of lying and making it sound believable, but somehow she didnât think he would fall for it this time.
The way those girls had been all over the Flash though... It made her blood boil!
He was probably used to being flirted with as the superhero of Central City, but for the first time Iris was not okay with it. He was hers, damn it, and she hated that she couldnât claim him. At least not as the Flash.
âIris?â
His face peeked around the corner where she was hiding, and then a gentle smile and laugh accompanied it.
âWhat are you doing here?â
âI needed time to think.â
His eyebrows raised, amused.
Iâm glad he thinks this is so funny, she thought.
âAbout what?â He crouched down in front of her and reached for her hand. She refused the olive branch, and he frowned. âI thought we were having a good time on our walk.â
She huffed, accepting the inevitable. She would have to tell him what was wrong.
âI was. We were.â
âBut?â
âBut then you had to go flash off, and-â
âThose girls were being robbed, Iris. I couldnât just stand there, and-â
âCouldnât help being flirted with either, I suppose,â she muttered under her breath.
Suddenly the dots connected.
âIris, are you... Are you jealous?â
She huffed, then got up onto her knees and took his hands in her own. His teasing smirk faltered, and he searched her eyes, concerned and soft.
âYou make me feel...right, Barry.â
His brows furrowed.
âNo one has ever made me feel that way. Not Eddie, not anyone. Only you.â
âYou make me feel right, too, Iris.â He smiled, then lifted her hands to his lips to kiss. Her heart fluttered.
âI hate not being able to tell people Iâm the Flashâs girl,â she finally admitted.
That made him smirk. âThe Flashâs girl, huh?â
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
âDonât let it go to your head.â
He laughed. âHard not to.â He pulled her close and then brought them both to their feet. He kissed her lips, and she didnât resist. âYou are the Flashâs girl,â he said quietly. âMy girl. And everyone knows it.â
âNo one knows it.â She pouted.
âEveryone knows who his favorite reporter is though.â
Her lips parted. She hadnât thought of that.
âThatâs pretty close, right?â He winked.
The tension left her shoulders, and she relaxed.
âYeah, I guess.â She took a breath. âOkay.â
âOkay.â
He intertwined their fingers and flashed them back to the street. They continued their walk, and every so often, he stopped to kiss her for all to see.
I wrote a drabble thatâs angsty like Iâve been recently.Â
Andrew doesnât wish often for things. He prides himself on being reasonable. Pragmatic. Heâs meticulously organized and often not caught up in frivolous thoughts that would have him desiring for something he could just create with a well-thought-out plan to achieve. He lived very much by the notion of âif you want it, go for itâ and liked that about himself. It kept him grounded, kept him level headed. Made it so he could breathe easier when he was anxious. If he stayed far away from wishing then he had less to add to his mix of doubt and insecurities. But right now, very out of character, he found himself sitting alone at two oâclock in the morning wishing.
Ryland had stopped filming hours ago and Shane had retreated to the editing room to work. Andrew had declined working in the same room as him feeling squicked by the copious amount of lip gloss Shane had been smearing across his mouth. He was left to his own devices in the spare bedroom when a picture had appeared across his twitter feed that had stopped him in his tracks. It was an old photo of him and Garrett, something someone had screen grabbed from a video where Garrettâs eyes are twinkling and Andrewâs got a soft smile as he stares at the boy. The person had tagged them both and added a message of âsoft boisâ with a bunch of emoji hearts. It had been shared and liked a good number of times but it wasnât the picture itself that had him stopping. Heâd seen it so many times that at this point it didnât surprise him to see the way he was watching Garrett in it.
No, what had him stopping was the top tweet underneath it that read, âIm sad they donât seem to hang anymoreâŚused to ship but now I hope Garrett finds people who can appreciate him. The squad definitely doesnâtâ That tweet had almost as many likes as the original, a list of people agreeing. He hesitates to click the profile and then decides against it, exiting Twitter completely and then opening his messages and scrolling to find the conversation with Garrett. It had been a few weeks since theyâd texted and Andrew feels a bubble of guilt building in his stomach fluttering amidst something else that Andrew realizes is desire. He misses Garrett. He could easily admit that to anyone who asked. He didnât to see him as much now that Shane had moved and Andrew spent the majority of his time here. But what he wasnât sure that he was so readily able to admit would be the fact that, even though itâs just a brief moment, he wishes more than anything that Garrett was there with him.
Looking around the guest room it feels lonely and isolating with the glow of his phone and computer screen the only lights. Biting the corner of his thumb nail he hesitates as he figures out what to send. It was late and though he knew Garrett was awake he found himself, for one of the first times in their friendship, unsure of how to start a conversation with him. Thinking back to the horoscope Shane had read him he blushes despite being alone with his intrusive thoughts. He knew he adored Garrett. Had always done so from the moment theyâd met in person and Garrett had shared his cold brew and spoke excitedly about a puppy heâd seen on the way to meet him.
Garrett was his go to guy for any anxieties he might have, his favorite person to get lost with in conversations, but he seemed so far away as of late. He hadnât wanted to be a part of the series this time. Had explained it softly to them back in February that heâd rather take time for himself and to be with his family. It had felt like a slow bandaid being pulled achingly from Andrewâs side; the comfort of laughter and ease not being present in the long days of filming for the past nine months. He was tired.
Bypassing the messaging all together he bites the bullet and hits the call button, the screen enlarging with buttons and âcalling Gâ scrolling across the top. Heâs about ready to hang up and send an apology text with each uwhen all of a sudden Garrett picks up. Itâs loud in the background of wherever he is. Andrew hates that he doesnât know.
âHey!â Garrettâs voice shouts loudly. âGive me a minute, Iâm trying to go outside.â Thereâs clinking of glasses and someone shouting as music suddenly blares and then it all fades into a quiet hum like something pulled from a movie. âSorry!â Garrett sounds breathless and laughs a little. âItâs wild in there. Whatâs up? Are you okay?â His voice going from laughter to concern, the volume lowering into a normal speaking tone with Garrettâs quick pacing sprinkled into the tone.
âIâm good.â Andrew already feels the constricting in his chest lightening some. âWhere are you?â A nervous laugh bubbling over and spilling between his lips as he says, âitâs likeâŚway past a Garrett Watts approved party time.â Garrett lets out a manic laugh and Andrew finds himself craving to see the reaction in person.
âOh I know! Itâs so silly. I really did want to leave like three hours ago but now Iâm kind of stuck because I got too drunk to drive back home.â Andrew can detect a hint of slurring to confirm the statement. A drunk Garrett was one of his favorite versions; overly tactile and honest with whoever he was with. Andrew could do with a hug.
âAre you okay? You want a ride?â Being forty minutes away was a stretch of an offer but Andrew found that he was up and walking towards his shoes. Heâd drive it if it meant spending one night with Garrett.
âOh Andrew thatâs so sweet!â Garrett coos, âIâm really okay, itâs fine. Youâre probably at Shaneâs anyways?â Andrew hates that heâs so predictable now. Misses when he was only down the street.
âYeah I am.â He sighs. From his window he can see one of the driveways with his car in it. âI donât mind, Garrett. I can come.â He presses further. Garrett makes a booing sound and laughs again.
âItâs fine!â Then he drops his voice. âActually, can I tell you something?â He trails off like heâs to giddy to contain the giggles that erupt. âItâs so crazy, Andrew. But oh!â He lets out another nervous laughter. âI kind ofâŚmaybe met someone.â Heâs breathless, slurring together the last of his words into one quick session.
âWhat?â Andrew feels blank. Garrett had met someone. It wasnât like this was different. Garrett had met so many people and Andrew had picked him up from countless of dates that hadnât gone well but the last heâd heard; Garrett wasnât interested in dating anyone. âLikeâŚa someone?â His throat feels painfully scratchy like if he speaks any louder his hammering heart might claw its way up it and out through his mouth. Pitiful. The best way to describe himself in the moment.
âYeah!â Garrett is whispering. âHis name is Ron. We didnât even meet through Tinder I just like⌠kept seeing him at the same diner as me at the same time and we ended up eating together a few times. I thought we were just friends but it turns out he thought we were on a few dates!â Garrett laughs. âI pretty much suck at this.â He admits but he doesnât sound as despondent as he normally would with the statement. In fact, he sounds more amused.
âWow.â Heâs stilted in his commentary. The hopeful feeling that had warmed his body was slowly drained and replaced with something akin to regret. âHowâŚuh.â He clears his throat annoyed that he feels like crying. âHow long?â He wants Garrett to say a week. Wants him to say that he doesnât think itâll go anywhere.
âA few months,â Garrett says hastily. âI dunno. We arenât likeâŚitâs not super serious. But I really like him.â Heâs enraptured as he says it.
Nine months of almost no time together save the odd weekday coffee now and then had Garrett in a relationship with someone for more than just a week. Andrew is definitely going to be sick.
âThatâs great,â It isnât. Nothing feels great. Andrew wants to hang up the phone. âHey, actually, I have to go.â He tries to not let his disappointment seep through his gritted teeth. Garrett doesnât deserve to be on the receiving end of his regret.
âOh.â Garrett's disappointed. âAre you sure?â Andrew doesnât want to. Wants to stay on the phone with him for hours. Wants to lay on his brown leather couch and watch an obscure western Garrett had found on Vimeo. Wants to drink English breakfast tea as they watch the sun rise because theyâd stayed up too late make stupid videos heâd saved into a special file on his hard drive.
âYeah man, I didnât know you were out and stuff.â He doesnât want to be that guy, unsure if he means the one who keeps a friend on the phone during a party or the one who is desperate for that friend to pity him enough to do it anyways. Heâs not sure he cares that heâs both.
âI donât mind, Andrew.â Garrett sounds surprisingly sober all of a sudden. âAre you sure youâre okay?â Andrew nods then remembers that Garrett canât see him through the phone.
âYeah.â He lets out a breath to loosen the constricting around his throat. Please stay with me threatens to pour out but he manages to keep it contained. Theyâre quiet.
âMegan Batoon get another boyfriend?â He knows Garrett is joking but itâs that comment that has him realizing why Garrett had gone and found someone knew. The slight under bite coupled with the reminder that Andrew wasnât supposed to be interested in Garrett like that.
âNo boyfriend.â He canât bring the joke to life either. âNot her at least.â It falls flat. The noise from the background is completely gone now and Andrew wishes for the distraction of it back. He can hear Garrettâs breathing through the phone, heavy puffs like heâs starting up to say something then thinking better of it. Before Andrew can continue and apologize for whatever weird, standoffish twist their conversation had taken he hears someone calling Garrettâs name in the background. Thereâs a shuffle and then hushed tones before Garrett is back on the phone.
âHey man.â He clicks his tongue disappointed. âI gotta go but maybe we can meet up for coffee sometime soon? Catch up.â He doesnât sound like he had before. Sounds like heâs making an obligation to save whatever it is they have.
âYeah.â Andrew wants so badly for that to happen and for them to climb back into each otherâs space. âI really want to.â He knows itâs just a formality at this point. He only has a few weeks before the first episode drops. Coffee soon was looking like November if they both really tried.
âCool! Yeah, thatâd be good. Talk to you later,â Garrett doesnât hang up quite yet, like heâs waiting. âLove you.â He tacks on as if heâs embarrassed to be saying it. Itâs rushed.
âLove you.â Andrewâs slides out easily as if it was simple. A phrase both of them accustomed to saying. It shouldnât be so hard. The phone goes quiet and when Andrew finally grows the will to pull it down from his ear itâs just his home screen. His heart sinks at the lack of Garrett.
Sadness envelops him like a blanket as he curls deep into the crevice of the bed with his hood pulled tightly up. Steering clear of Twitter he opens up Netflix on his phone and tries to fall asleep to an episode of The Office, Michael Scottâs antics soothing his mind. His dreams filled with images he canât recall being real or not, Garrettâs name on the edge of his tongue; a sloshing wave of regret in his stomach. He makes a promise to himself then- no more wishing allowed, developing a plan to fix them before the year was up. It was what he did.