#reverse crowe

You were a rule follower, always did what you were told, never complained, did what everyone expected of you. A straight A student. If a student wanted you to do their homework? No problem! A teacher needing you to run all over campus to give students flyers for something unimportant because the teacher didn’t want to do it? Leave the task up to you! Your coworker giving you their shifts because they didn’t want to work? More money for you!

You always did your work for your classes, then did others, making sure everyone was happy with what you can do for them, how you benefited them. It didn’t matter what they wanted, you gave it up because it was the rules, right? You were lower than them, beneath them.

If they told you to lick their shoes clean, you’d do it in a heartbeat! Because that’s what you were. Scum. Nothing important but their little pet. At least, that's what people tell you, it's what you believe.

And guess what? Your hard work has been paying off! Now you sit at a round table that wasn't by the trash cans! Still alone, but a table that doesn't smell of garbage is a step up in your book. At least the smell wouldn't distract you from your and other students' homework.

You had hoped that when the popular girl came up to you that she'd tell you that you have been invited to one of their parties, but you'll take whatever they can give you. It's a step up in this society.

When you got your tray of food from the cafeteria, it only took you a few steps to your table to realize that someone was at your table. You stopped in your tracks, blinking.

No one had dared to even set foot at your table because everyone knew that the popular students gave you that table. All for you. So why was there a person there? At YOUR table, nonetheless!

You gripped your tray tightly, annoyed that someone could even do that. You couldn't see their face. Was it a girl? A boy? It didn't matter, that was your table! You let out a soft sigh before starting to walk to your table.

Once you were at your designated table, you slammed your tray down, rattling your food and the person's. They didn't even look up from their food, too busy chewing on their cold mashed potatoes.

You cleared your throat, which then made them look up at you, finally giving them your attention.

You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. You were taken aback from their appearance. It was a guy! A really… handsome and attractive guy.

His skin looked like he had been kissed from the Sun, attractively tan. His brown hair was long and messy, with a piece of it in a small braid on the side of his face, his ears had been adorned with different piercings, some looked like they hurt more than others, along with an eyebrow piercing at the edge of his eyebrow. His lips had piercings too, or well, only two that made it look like he had fangs on his bottom lip. His eyes were a deep azure blue, they were beautiful. His outfit contained only the color black and gray, with a necklace that was an upside down cross.

He really was attractive. And this attractive guy was at your table! He raised an eyebrow, seeing how you were staring too hard at him. You shook your head, trying to not think about how hot this guy was and to go back to your original objective. Getting him away from your table!

You cleared your throat, readying yourself to speak. “You're sitting at the wrong table.”

He stared at you for a long moment, long enough to make you feel squeamish. He pushed his tray away, his arms crossed on the table, clearly not wanting to move. He tilted his head slightly to you, his braid moving as he did.

“There's right and wrong tables now?” He asked, his voice sounded like a soft angel talking to you. You swallowed, trying to not think too much about it as you nodded.

“Y-Yes, you're sitting at the wrong table. Please move to a different one.” You said, asking nicely for him to move. But he didn't. He leaned back in the chair, tilting his head to the other side now, keeping his arms crossed over his chest now.

“And who says that there's a right and wrong table to sit at?” He asked, clearly amused by how you were trying to get him to leave. You felt your face twitch, trying to not show how annoyed you were getting. His questions were getting on your nerves. Why couldn't he just move and leave you alone? You didn't have time for his games.

You sighed, claiming defeat as you pulled out your chair across from him to sit down. He clicked his tongue, pouting but unable to hide the corners of his lips from twitching upwards.

“Awe, tired of bantering with me now?” He asked, his tone playful and amused, but you ignored him, unzipping your bag to take out a textbook and a few pages of other students' homework that was due after lunch.

He leaned in now, leaning in close to read the names of the people of the papers, his tray pushed aside.

“Are those yours?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, reading the names. You covered them with your arm, keeping him from reading them.

“Yes.” You said, a simple answer, right? But it didn't satisfy him. His eyes trailed up your face, his expression unamused now than it was a few seconds ago.

“So you have three different names?” He pressed on, his crossed arms on the table again. God, you wished he'd look away.

“Does it matter to you?” You asked, taking out a pen to get to work, hoping that the conversation would end. But it didn't.

“Yes.”

You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow at him. “Yes? How could something like a name be interesting to you?” You asked, becoming curious by his insistence to talk to you about names.

He shrugged, looking at your untouched food then back at you. “It could be because you're doing other students' homework when you aren't supposed to. Or maybe… I just want to know your name.”

You blinked at him, setting your pen down on the papers. “You want to know my name?”

He nodded, looking at you with those blue eyes of his, the same eyes you could get lost in if you're not careful when looking into them. You scoffed and rolled your eyes at him, picking up your pencil to go back to finishing others' work. 

“Why would anyone want to know my name?” You asked, more like muttering to yourself as you wrote things down for a student. But he heard it, his eyes reading the words that fell from your lips, tracking each connection your lips made when you spoke.

“What if I give you a name?” He asked, unfolding his arms now, stretching them on the table. You stopped for a moment to look at him, your brows furrowing in confusion.

“Give me a name? Like a nickname?” He nodded, placing his hand on his cheek, his elbow on the table, his blue eyes twinkling with new amusement.

“Yes, if you don't want me to know your name, then I'll give you a nickname. How's that?” He asked, giving you a small smile that was less assuring than anything, like he was messing with you.

You sighed, waving a hand at him, looking at the paper again. “Whatever gets you to stop talking and to let me do my work.” You said, not sparing him anymore of your attention.

“Alright, Starlight.” He said softly, his arms crossed on the table again, laying his head on his arms. Your hand stuttered for a second, your eyes snapping back to his, seeing the mischief in his eyes.

“Starlight?” You repeated the nickname softly, which he nodded his head on his arms, his teasing smile widening.

“Yes. It's perfect for you, no?” He asked, not elaborating on the name or why he even suggested it. You sighed, giving in and telling your name to him softly. It was better than hearing him call you the nickname he picked out.

He repeated your name softly, as if testing it out with his own voice. But the way he said it… it made your stomach do a little flip on itself. He looked up at you again, tilting his head slightly to see you better, a small happy smile on his lips now, still teasing but happy.

“It's perfect for you.” He whispered softly, too softly for your taste. You felt your face get hot and looked away from him, clearing your throat once more.

“W-What’s yours.. since you know mine now.” You said, your fingers fidgeting with the pen, suddenly feeling nervous now.

He didn't say anything at first, as if seeing how uncomfortable you'd get before he spoke. “Jericho, but… I'd rather you call me Crowe instead.” He said, his eyes averting away from you for a moment.

You looked at him again, repeating his name in your head. Crowe.. it sounded familiar to you, but you couldn't place the name anywhere. You shrugged it off and gave him a small smile, holding out your hand now to shake his.

“Well, Crowe, you can stay as long as you let me do the rest of my work.” You said, a small compromise that you slightly hoped that he'd accept. He looked at your hand, then at you, then back at your hand, hesitating before moving his hand to wrap around yours, shaking it a little. His hand felt oddly warm around yours, and slightly wet like he was sweating. His touch lingered more than necessary, his looking into yours.

“Ok then.”

And that was the beginning of a somewhat good friendship, or at least that is what you started to believe. Crowe would sit with you the rest of that week, watching you as you finished other students’ homework. He'd always sit across from you, occasionally striking up conversations that you'd comply in, talking to him as you did your work. He was becoming your one and, seemingly, only good friend.

You never knew how much you had in common with Crowe! Like how you both love the stars and the night, the smell of books, everything peaceful instead of the chaos of the world. You both even love blueberry pie! You’ve debated on whether or not to make some for the both of you, as a little “thank you” for him being your friend. But why would you thank someone for being your friend? Is it because he hasn’t made fun of you yet? Or maybe it’s because he actually listens to what you have to say, no matter how dumb or ignorant you sound? You may have to ask him…

On the fifth day of your newfound friendship, today, Crowe had decided to sit closer to you, not right beside you, but just an arms length away. You were talking to him about this astronomy book you had recently found in the school’s library near the back of the library.

You were interrupted by someone roughly tugging on your hair, making you wince in pain, looking over to see who it was. Jeremy. The school’s top football player, who often plays with a guy named Deryl, who also happens to be the school’s top football player. But Jeremy was the total opposite of Deryl, mean and ruthless. Also the top bully to pick on you and make you do his work.

“Hey there, lil’ doggy. I’ve been lookin’ for ya.” Jeremy said with a smirk playing on his lips. He still hadn’t let go of your hair. Your eye twitched but you stayed calm, your hands ruffling the ends of your shirt. His friends’ snickered behind him at the new nickname he had come up with for you. Always a new nickname.

“What is it that you need, Jeremy?” You asked, your voice soft, avoiding his gaze.

Jeremy lets go of your hair to reach into his bag, taking out some papers and slamming it on the table, making you flinch a little. Jeremy smirked at that, seeing how he can make you flinch without even touching you. He leaned down close to your face, but you made sure to not look at him, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing the fear in your eyes. If Jeremy was a bloodhound, he’d definitely be able to smell the fear coming off of you, hell, he might even smell it now from how close his face was to yours.

“I need you to do these math problems for me. And this time, dumb it down for the teacher, yes? He doesn’t need to know that I’m not doing the work, and he’s getting suspicious on why I sound so smart on paper—” He tapped on the paper with his index finger, keeping his face close to yours. His breath smelled of beef jerky and mountain dew. Gross. “—and not smart off paper. Can you do that for me, lil’ doggy?”

You nodded, hoping that he would just go away and leave you alone. But he didn’t go away, not yet at least. He reached up, patting the top of your head slowly, like he would a dog.

“Good girl. You listen so well.” He whispered softly to you, his fingers running through your hair now. He touched the ends of your hair, twisting them between his thumb and index finger. “I wonder how well you’ll listen to me for… other things.”

Suddenly, a chair scraped back beside you, startling you to look over to find Crowe had stood up from his seat, glaring at Jeremy. Seemingly to take notice of your friend, Jeremy looked away from you to look at Crowe, raising an eyebrow, clearly uninterested in him.

“That’s enough.” Crowe’s voice was stern and cold, his eyes dark with something you didn’t want to know what. But it has scared you. Just a little. 

“Who the hell are you?” Jeremy asked, standing up slowly from leaning over, still holding your hair in his fingers. He had no intent on letting go just yet.

“Let go of her.” Crose dismissed the question, his eyes narrowing while looking at the jock. “You gave her your papers. Just go away now.”

The jock scoffed, as if baffled that anyone would stand up for you. He tugged on your hair again, hard enough to make you wince and make a small sound of pain. Crowe took a step forward, as if he was going to stop him, but Jeremy spoke, stopping Crowe. 

“You’re standing up for this little shit?” He pointed to you with his free hand, still gripping your hair. “Why would anyone wanna do that? You got a lil’ crush on her or something?” He asked condescendingly, chuckling as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

“Let go of her and leave her alone.” Crowe restated. You looked down at Crowe’s hand to find it curled into a ball, his knuckles white from how tightly he was holding his fist, as if fighting himself back on throwing a punch.

“Hey… you know, you look familiar. Where have I seen you before?” Jeremy asked, finally letting go of your hair, raising his hand up to cup his chin, as if he was thinking. He moved around your chair, moving to get closer to Crowe, getting a better look at him.

Crowe didn’t back down, though, he seemed to stand up slightly straighter, as if letting him take a good look at him, daring him to look closer.

Jeremy tilted his head a little, contemplating where he had seen Crowe before. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, as if finally figuring it out. “Oh, that’s right! I remember now.” He started, placing a hand on your shoulder, making you jump a little from the sudden feeling of his hard grip there. He pointed to Crowe, a knowing smile on his face.

“I remember you from last year. You’re the freak who was outside the girls restroom. The freak trying to take pictures of–” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when Crowe had enough and threw a punch at the jocks face hard, earning a loud wet crunch. Hard enough to make the jock stumble backwards, letting go of you as he groaned.

You jumped up out of your seat, gasping, watching Jeremy holding his nose with his hand. Droplets of blood poured out of his hand and onto the once white floor. He moved his hand from his nose, which made you let out another terrified gasp, along with a few other students’ gasps when they heard some commotion happening.

Jeremy’s nose looked twisted, dark red liquid dripping down his nose and onto his chin and shirt, then on the floor. You looked over to Crowe’s hand, seeing it unclenched and slightly bloody from where he had hit the jock. Jeremy cupped his nose again, glaring at Crowe.

“You- You sick fuck! You broke my nose! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Then he pointed at you, making you take a step backwards to the table, trembling. “You! You knew he was going to do this, didn’t you?! You fucking freak!”

You stuttered on your words, tears stinging your eyes, threatening to fall if you didn’t stop them.

No. No, I would never! I didn’t know! The words clammed up in your throat, unable to escape you as the tears you tried to hold back started to fall, a lump building in your throat. You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but only a few small gasps came out.

You felt someone grab your hand, pulling you to start running in the opposite direction of the chaos that was starting to unfold. You look to see Crowe dragging you away from them, your vision blurry from your tears.

“Stop them! Get those fuckers!” You heard Jeremy call out, but no one made a move to stop you two as Crowe pulled you away, his hand wrapped around your wrist.

Crowe kept pulling you until he pushed open an emergency stairs exit door, opening it just enough to get you inside. He ran down a few flights of stairs before stopping, letting you two catch your breath. He didn't let go of your hand as he leaned against the cool wall, both of you panting heavily from running.

Your lungs felt like they were on fire. Maybe you should do a little more exercising more often.

You looked down at his hand still holding your wrist, staring at it before yanking your hand away from him, making him jerk forward a little.

“Hey, what-”

“What's your problem?!” You yelled at him, keeping a somewhat good distance away from him, holding your wrist with your hand now. He shushed you, in case there were still students around. There probably wasn't, but neither of you could know that.

“Keep your voice down, you'll get us caught if you keep yelling.” He whispered-spoke to you.

But you didn't care. You didn't care if someone heard you, you didn't care if someone caught you and him. You were angry at Crowe for what he had done, angry that you let him hit Jeremy, angry at yourself for not stopping it when you knew something bad was going to happen.

“Why did you do that?!” You continued, glaring at him through your watery eyes, tears threatening to fall once again. He blinked, taken aback by the tears in your eyes. 

“Do you know what you have done? Do you know what you just cost me?” You asked him, tears starting to fall down your cheeks to your chin. You were an ugly cryer, but you didn't care at this moment, you didn't care if you let him see past your broken facade of a perfect student, the perfect target for people.

His brows furrowed, watching you as you try to keep yourself together, but failing. He reached out and grabbed your shoulders, shaking you a little.

“Did you hear what he was saying? Were you listening when he was basically asking what you’d do for him in bed?” He asked, his hands gripping your shoulders tightly, not enough to hurt but enough to let you know that he was there, trying to get some sense into you.

You batted his hands away, wiping your tear-stained face. “It doesn’t matter what he was insinuating. You shouldn’t have done what you did.” You told him, sniffling. You crossed your arms over your chest, not looking at him.

He bit his inner cheek, as if contemplating something. He sighed softly, reaching out to place his hand back on your shoulder, his touch gentler and softer now.

“Look, I’m sorry if what I did had ruined.. whatever you had with them. But I am not sorry that I did it. He deserved it for being such a dick.” Crowe gently turned you enough to make you look at him. He looked sincere, like he was actually sorry that he might’ve ruined your reputation.

You hesitated before speaking, your voice soft. “It’s.. ok. I forgive you… just don’t do it again.”

He smiled a little and nodded, finally letting go of your shoulder. Now that you thought about it, you couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped you as you wiped your face again with your sleeve.

“It was kind of funny how he looked after you punched him.”

Crowe chuckled, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Yea? Well, now he looks ten times better than he did before.” You sort of laughed at that, though, you couldn’t help the little feeling you had when he wrapped his arm around you.

You looked at his hand from the corner of your eyes, seeing his hand still a little bloody and bruised from when he punched Jeremy. It scared you a little, seeing how Crowe had easily broken his nose.

“We should probably get your hand cleaned and to the nurse.” You finally said, looking away from his hand. He shrugged, seemingly unbothered by his small injury.

“It’s fine. It’ll heal over. I’ve had worse ones than that.”

Worse ones? What does that mean? Before you could question him, Crowe started to walk down the stairs. Since he had his arm around you, you began walking with him as well, startled by it.

“We should go, before they catch us. We can go to my place, it’s close by.” He said, not waiting for your response as you two went down the stairs.

“But our things-”

“They’ll still be here when we come back on Monday.” He interrupted you, and that was that.

You walked with him out of the school, his arm still around your shoulders. Whenever you tried to move his arm, his grip would tighten slightly, as if he didn’t want you to move away from him, so instead you let him hold you like that.

But, if you were being honest, it felt a little… strange. It might’ve seemed like you two were a couple instead of friends. But it didn’t seem to bother Crowe, in fact, he seemed to pull you slightly closer to him when other people looked at the two of you. Strange indeed.

When you arrive at a large house, he finally lets go of you to head up the white porch. You blinked, looking up. It was a two story house that looked well cared for. The house was painted a pastel blue with white trims around it. It looked… nice. The porch was white, along with a white porch swing with a few throw pillows on it.

You looked back at him, his back facing you as he reached down, moving the corner of the door mat and picking up something that you could have guessed to be a key.

“This is your house?” You asked, stepping up to the porch. He turned back to look at you, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Well, sort of. It’s my Aunt’s place. But she’s not here right now, so I’m just staying here alone for a while.” He turned back, unlocking the door and opening it for you. You climbed up the stairs of his porch and went inside, making sure to take your shoes off at the door. He did the same, closing the door behind him.

You looked around, seeing how spacious and clean the house was. It looked bigger on the inside than it did on the outside.

His house looked like it could be in a magazine!

Noticing your gaze, he couldn't help but chuckle, gently grabbing your hand. The sudden warmth of his hand on yours made your heart stutter. For whatever reason.

“C'mon, I'll show you to my room.” He started dragging you along up the stairs, not waiting to hear your protests. Not that you had any, anyways, you were a little curious to see what his room had looked like.

He opened a door to one of the upstairs bedrooms, letting you enter first. You let go of his hand, though he reached out to grab it again, he stopped himself, keeping his hands to himself.

You entered the room, surprised to find everything clean and not so… dark. Was that the right word? 

His room was spacious, his bed against the middle of the wall, a nightstand on each side of his bed, his dresser on the other side of the wall by his bathroom, facing the bed, burnt orange colored curtains covered the windows, not letting any sun in, but some of the rays had snuck past the curtains, lighting up his wood floors.

There were a few posters hanging up, a few bands you had heard before but don't listen to frequently. Bookshelves full of different types of books, none that you could read from afar. There was a desk near the corner of his room, covered in papers and books that were either closed or open to a certain page. A mirror hung above the dresser and above his bed.

Your brows furrowed at the sight of a mirror above his bed. Why would he need that there? Does he like to watch himself sleep or something?

Noticing your glance, he waved a hand dismissively, not even explaining why he had it in the first place. “Just decoration.”

Right. Decoration.

You didn't question him, despite some part screaming at you to, as you took a seat on his bed, trying to not glance up at the mirror. He sat down at his desk, facing you.

Neither of you spoke, but the more you looked at him, the more he seemed a little nervous. He kept his hands in his lap, his eyes avoiding yours. He didn't look nervous, but you can still tell.

You glanced down at his hand, remembering his bruises and bloody hand. The blood was dried now, but it still made you queasy just from looking at it. You shot up from his bed, startling him in the process.

“First aid kit. Do you have one?” You asked, needing something to do other than to sit in awkward silence.

He pointed to his bathroom, which you immediately headed to. You opened a few cabinets before finding the mini first aid kit. You came back to the bedroom with it, walking to the desk he was at, setting the first aid kit down and opening it.

He watched you, his eyes lingering on your face as you gently picked up his hand, holding it in yours. You didn't seem to notice the longing in his eyes as you got an alcohol wipe from the mini box.

You dabbed it gently on his knuckles, an attempt to clean the blood, which earned a soft hiss from him, his hand twitching slightly in yours. Seems like he got a few cuts just from punching a guy.

“Sorry.” You muttered softly, continuing to gently dab the wipe on his knuckles.

He didn't even notice the pain anymore as he kept looking up at you, his lips parted slightly as he watched you focus on treating his wounds. His heart began to race a little from how close you were now, how you stood between his legs. He could wrap his arms and legs around you if he wanted to.

He did want to. But he didn't, he stayed still. Just for you.

You set the now bloody wipe down on the desk, getting a good look at his hand. His knuckles were red and bruised, a few cuts had appeared on them as well. It didn't really make any sense, how cuts can just form after punching someone. They must be old wounds.

You didn't question him as you grabbed a few bandages, opening them to place them on his knuckles.

You remembered what Jeremy had said, or tried to. You didn't look at him when you spoke up, as if you were a little afraid of what Crowe would say. “Jeremy had said something, before you had harmed him. That you… were looking in the girls bathroom. Is that true?” You didn't look at him, you couldn't, not when your face burned when you thought about him peeking and taking pictures of the girls in the bathroom.

His hand tightened in yours again, but he didn't say anything, not for a long beat. “He's full of shit.” He finally said, his voice low. His words had eased something inside you, glad to know that he hadn't done that last year.

Instead, you placed the second bandage on his knuckle, your thumb brushing over them.

“You have to be careful and not do things like that.” You said softly to him, referring to hurting others like before. He watched your mouth move, but he wasn't really listening to the words you were saying anymore.

You looked at him, finally noticing how he was looking at you, noticing how close you two were suddenly. You kept a hold of his hand, though you felt him squeeze your hand gently, as if seeing if you were really there in front of him, like his eyes were deceiving him. They weren't.

You looked down at his now clean and bandaged hand, seeing how his fingers curled around yours. You didn't know why or what compelled you to do such a thing, but you raised your hand up to place a soft kiss to his knuckles.

Your lips lingered on his hand before pulling away, looking at him. His blue eyes were wide and his cheeks darker than before, his mouth slightly wider than it had been moments ago. He hadn't expected you to kiss his wound.

He swallowed hard and looked away, using his hair as an attempt to hide his face. “I'm not.. a child.” He muttered out softly.

Seeing him so shy than he usually is, it did something to your heart, and you didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. You smiled softly nonetheless.

“But did it feel good?” 

He didn't answer, but he squeezed your hand again, as if that was answer enough.

You let go of his hand and moved back to his bed, plopping yourself down on it, laying back fully and looking up at the ceiling, staring at yourself in his mirror.

Today has been troublesome. You don't even know if you should go back to school after the events that happened today. Sure, Jeremy did deserve what he got. If you were being honest, he deserved a lot more than just that. A hell of a lot more. But still…

“Hey,” Crowe started, standing up from the chair he was sitting at, the chair making a soft groaning sound when he removed his weight from it.

"Wanna do something?" He asked, heading to his dresser. You sat up, looking at him with a curious eyebrow raised, a little confused by his sudden question.

"Do what?"

"Something fun." 

You watched as he opened a drawer in his dresser, taking something out. You blinked.

"A.. crowbar?" You asked softly, confused that he even had that. "What do you need that for?" You asked, sitting fully upright on his bed now. He turned to you, looking at the crowbar in his hands before looking up at you, a devilish grin on his face.

"We are going to scare those people." He said, admitting what this "fun" was going to be. Your brows shot up in surprise by his idea, looking at the crowbar in his hands. You knew what he had meant by "those people." The bullies who constantly harass you, tormented you since you started going to that college.

Those who thought less of you. Who called you scum and pet. Those who used you for their own personal needs.

Those people.

"With a crowbar?"

He nodded, walking over to you, lowering the crowbar to his side. "Yes. Those... 'friends' of yours are having a little party tonight. And they invited us." He said, his voice becoming dangerously low yet still soft. You looked up at him as he towered over you, your hands in your lap.

"They did? Even after what.. you did?" You asked, becoming more confused on why they did that. When did they do that? He nodded again, raising his free hand to gently place it on your head, looking down at you with soft eyes.

"Well, they don't know that they had invited us. And we are going to go there and scare them. Like a fun little surprise. Doesn't that sound like fun?" He asked, leaning down enough to be eye to eye with you now, his hand still in your hair, slightly ruffling it.

"I don't know, Crowe... Isn't the crowbar a little.. much?" You asked, looking back down at the crowbar he still had. He moved it behind his leg, as if that was enough to keep you from looking at it.

"Didn't they do something similar to you last year? They used, oh what did they use?" He pondered for a moment, raising his hand from your head to tap his chin lightly. "Oh, that's right, they used a baseball bat to scare you. What did they do with it?" He asked, placing his hand on your head again, tilting your head back to make you look up at him. "Didn't they smash it against your locker with all your things in it? The bat came close to your head, didn't it?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side as he looked at you, his eyes dangerously dark.

Your brows furrowed.

"I never told you that they did that."

His hand tightened slightly in your hair, but his fingers slowly dragged down your head to your cheek, gently cupping your face.

"Well... still, they did do that, right?" He asked again, this time, you nodded. He continued. "And today? When Jeremy called you a little dog? How he had made such a… suggestive comment to you." He gripped the crowbar tightly until his knuckles were white behind his leg, his eyes darkening at the memory.

He stood up suddenly, removing his hand from your face. "This will just be.. payback, for what they did to you. What all of them did. Ok?"

You stared at him, your heart starting to race from the thought of scaring those jerks who had scared you many times over. Maybe scaring them one time wouldn't be so bad...

You stood up from his bed, your hands clenched into fists as you looked at him, a smirk forming on your lips.

"Ok then, let's scare the shit out of them.”

His smile returned, his smile devilish like it had been before when he brought up the idea. He held his free hand out to you, urging you to take it. When you did, he pulled you closer to him, just enough for you to collide with his chest, his hand letting go of yours so his arm could snake around your waist.

“Then let's go out tonight and hunt, shall we?”

You probably should have changed your clothes that night as you walked quietly behind Crowe in the dark, the only light being the moonlight as your shoes softly stepped on the leaves under you, holding Crowe's hand as he led you further into the woods.

Crowe hadn't said anything about what his plan was, or how he was going to scare them, or how he knew where they would be. All you knew is that they were somewhere in the woods close to the campus and that Crowe needed to bring the crowbar with him. You didn't question it.

You trusted Crowe enough to not hurt you with it, trusted him enough to not hurt anyone with it. But something inside you told you that this “fun” idea of his was wrong and was about to get bad.

Suddenly, Crowe stopped, which made you stop suddenly, accidentally bumping into his back.

“Wha-”

“Shh.”

You peaked over his shoulder, seeing a few of the other football players around a small circle of fire that they had made. Your breath got caught in your throat. Jeremy was there.

He had gauze and a stint wrapped on his nose, holding his once broken nose straight in place. He must've gotten it done during school today. He was sitting on a tree trunk, the tree itself had been tossed on the other side of the fire, his friends were sitting on it, laughing at whatever Jeremy had said. It probably wasn't even that funny.

Crowe turned back to look at you, a wide smile across his face. You wanted to ask him what his plan was, but you didn't get a chance to when you felt his lips pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, his hand on your shoulder.

Suddenly, you felt yourself being pushed towards the three jocks, stumbling forward until you fell on your hands and knees. Sticks dug into your palms and knees when you fell, dirt clinging to your skin.

The three guys stopped laughing, turning their heads to look at you, shocked to see what had stumbled upon their little secret meet up.

You scrambled to get up off the ground, looking behind you to find Crowe had vanished. Did he leave you here alone?

“Well, well. Look who it is. It's lil’ doggy!” Jeremy called out, standing up from the tree trunk.

You turned back to face them, all three of them standing now. Jeremy slowly made his way to you, which made you take a few steps back.

“Well, isn't this such a surprise? I thought that after what you and your little friend pulled today, you wouldn't have the guts to show yourself.” He announced, taking another step to you. You stepped back.

“I did nothing today.” You said, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter if you did something or not. It was the fact that you were there. The fact that you were with Crowe when he did it, that you didn't stop him when he broke his nose. That you let it happen.

“Exactly. Now my question is, why are you here right now? Were you stalking us?” He asked, amusement evident in his voice. 

You looked back around, your eyes scanning in the dark for Crowe. That was a mistake.

Jeremy grabbed your wrist hard, making you wince from the pain as he pulled you closer to his chest, his other hand going up to your arm to hold you in place. He smelled like cheap booze.

“It doesn't matter. But now that you're here, why don't we have a little fun?~”

Fun? You didn't want to have fun anymore, you didn't want to be here, to be in the arms of someone who groped you and made suggestive comments to you, the same person who yanked you by your hair when you tried ignoring him, who'd pin you against the lockers in an attempt to seduce you.

You started to struggle against him, trying to break free of his hold. But he held you too tight, his fingernails digging into your skin through your shirt, hard enough to make you cry out in pain.

“If you keep struggling, it'll only get worse for you.” He said, leaning in close to your ear, whispering to you. “I think I'll have my fun first. Then my friends can have the rest of ya.”

He flicked his tongue out and licked up from your cheek to your temple, making you whine and shudder from the gross feeling of his wet tongue dragging on your skin.

His friends chuckled behind him, seeing how uncomfortable you were becoming. Not that they cared. They only cared about what you might be hiding under your baggy clothes.

As adrenaline and fear started coursing through your veins, you lifted your knee high and fast enough to kick him in between his legs. Hard.

He groaned out in pain, tossing you on the ground to grab his crotch in pain. You landed on your side, your bones groaning in pain from the fall.

You rushed to get up, feeling dizzy from being thrown down so hard. You stumbled a little when you started running into the woods, but you caught yourself, running like your life depended on it. It kind of did.

You heard yelling behind you as you tried to navigate your way through the darkness, your eyes slowly adjusting to the dark as you ran further from the light and the guys.

Sweat was running down your face and back, breathing heavily as you tried to get to safety. Where was Crowe? Why did he leave you there with them? Why didn't he help you?

Tears pricked the corner of your eyes as you ran, thin tree branches occasionally whacked your face, leaving a few small cuts in their wake. You heard footsteps chasing after you, making you scream and panic.

Where the fuck was Crowe?!

Suddenly, you felt something hard hit the back of your head, making you trip and fall on your face. A rock had been thrown at you.

You groaned into the dirt, slowly turning to look behind you, finding Jeremy had caught up with you. He stopped just above you, panting heavily. He looked pissed.

He then kicked your side, making you help in pain, clutching your side.

“Fucking bitch. I thought you knew better than to disobey me.” He leaned down to push you on your back, stepping over you, his legs on either side of you. He lowered himself until he was sitting on top of you, making you groan and wince from the weight of him on you.

“Now, you'll fucking listen to me and start to obey.” He gripped your shirt, ripping it like it was nothing but paper to him.

You screamed, thrashing against him, kicking your feet under him. It was no use. He was much stronger than you, bigger than you.

“No, no, stop! Please, I'm sorry!” You pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears as Jeremy ripped off your bra, causing you to scream louder, trying to push him off of you as he kept you pinned to the ground.

“Crowe! Crowe, please! Help me!” You called out, calling for Crowe, for anyone to come and save you.

You felt a hand slap your face, your scream cut short.

“Shut the fuck up and take it you fucking bitch.” Jeremy reached down and started unzipping his pants.

Tears fell down your face as you tried to push him off you, sobbing as you pleaded with him to stop.

Why won't anyone help you?

Then, as if some God had answered your sobbing prayers, a wet crunch had hit the back of Jeremy’s head, making him cry out and fall off of you, landing beside you.

Crowe had the crowbar raised high as he stepped over to where Jeremy was laying. There was blood already on his skin and clothes.

He swung the crowbar, landing on Jeremy’s head, a wet crunch was made from the contact.

He swung again.

Crunch.

Again.

Crunch.

Swing.

Crunch.

Swing.

Crunch.

Crowe kept swinging the crowbar over and over, blood spraying on him and you. You hastily sat up, covering yourself with what little bit of your shirt you had, unable to look away as Crowe bashed in his head over and over.

“You—” Swing. “piece—” Crunch. “of—” Swing. “shit!” Crunch.

It wasn't until Jeremy’s face was unrecognizable and bloody that Crowe had stopped, seemingly satisfied at the work he had done on Jeremy. His face was bashed into his skull, his brains flung out all over the ground and some on Crowe. He didn't care.

He didn't care as he looked at you, panting heavily. His gaze softened at the sight of you, at how terrified you were, how you held your shirt against you to cover yourself. He dropped the crowbar on the ground with a soft thud, moving closer to you.

“Starlight-”

“Why did you leave me?!” You yelled at him, finally snapping out of your trance, looking up at him with teary eyes.

He stopped, his hands out to you. Stopping when you yelled at him.

“You left me! He was— he did—” You couldn't finish what you were going to say, tears falling down your face as you stared up at him.

Crowe slowly got down on his knees, crawling to you, his eyes never straying from yours as he got close enough to wrap his arms around you, pulling you close to his chest. You tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let you, laying his head on top of yours.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left you alone. It was the only way I could get to them.” He whispered softly against your head, his bloody hands gently stroking your hair, his touch gentle than it had been moments ago when he was bashing Jeremy's face in.

“You left me.” You sobbed against his chest, finally giving in to his touch, your hand clutching his shirt.

He kept stroking your hair, his other hand around your chest, keeping you covered by his arm.

“I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I didn't think it was going to take me this long to get to you.” He said softly to you, kissing your head and temple.

He moved his hand from your chest to cup your face, making you tilt your head up so you can look at him. He placed gentle kisses all over your face, your forehead, your temple, your nose, cheeks, your jaw. Littering apologetic kisses all over.

You closed your eyes as he kissed your eyelids, kissing away your salty tears. Then he kissed your lips, his lips warm and wet against yours, wet from your tears.

Your hand on his black button up tightened as he kissed you. His hand moved from your cheek to the back of your head, keeping you in place as he kissed you tenderly and passionately.

He tilted his head slightly as he kissed you, parting your lips to kiss deeper, his tongue sweeping in your mouth, groaning softly at the taste of you.

When he finally pulled away, he placed more soft kisses on your jaw down to your neck, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Please, my Starlight. Forgive me.” He muttered softly to you, his hot breath fanning against your skin when he spoke.

You looked over to where Jeremy’s dead body was, seeing his face bashed into the ground. Crowe saved you. He heard your cries and saved you, even if his method was… unethical.

He helped you up after a few moments of just sitting on the ground, having enough time to process everything. He took off the jacket he had around his waist to place on your shoulders, covering you as he led you out of the woods, passing the little camp Jeremy had on the way out. 

You couldn’t stop yourself from looking at the sight before you.

One of the students was laying in the fire, burning his body and clothes. The other guy was slumped against the tree trunk, his leg crooked in a way that wasn’t possible for a human to do with their bones in the way. And the smell of a burning body and blood stung the air around you. You held in a gag.

How could one person do something like this?

Crowe walked along, not paying any mind to the bodies on the ground, trying to make sure that you kept walking instead. He led you in the shadows, making sure to stay out of the street lights as he led you back to his house.

It felt longer on the walk over there than it had on the way to the woods. Your legs felt numb and aching as you walked. You hadn’t even noticed that your knee was bleeding, though the blood had dried on the walk.

Once you were safely in his house, Crowe helped you go up the stairs to his room, letting you take a shirt of his to go take a shower. You were in desperate need of one, but Crowe wouldn’t tell you that. 

You stood in the shower, staring down at the drain, watching as the dirt and blood swirled around and went down the drain. It felt strange taking a shower in someone else’s house. It felt like someone, or something, was watching you. You shivered at the thought.

You finally finished with your shower, drying off with a towel Crowe had left you on the counter sink.

You didn’t have any clean underwear, so you just decided to not worry about it, sliding the shirt over your head. It felt nice on you, soft and slightly warm from the warm air from the shower.

You stepped out of the bathroom, your hair still damp after drying it. You found Crowe sitting on his bed, staring at his hands. Did he regret what he did? Did he feel guilty or sick from murdering people? They were bad people, but people nonetheless.

He looked up, taking notice of you. Your face became hot as you felt his gaze linger longer than necessarily on your legs. His gaze went up to your face, seeming relieved that you seemed somewhat ok.

He opened his arms for you, wanting you to come closer to him. You hesitated. Why wouldn’t you? After what he had done? And yet, your legs moved before your brain could process, moving towards him. He reached out to you when you were close enough, pulling you gently closer to him.

He pressed his face against your stomach, his arms wrapping around you tightly as he held you, holding you in between his legs.

You hesitated before your fingers gently started to stroke his hair, soothing him. Why? You weren't entirely sure. You should be scared of him, but... you weren't. Far from it. You didn’t feel scared at least.

He nuzzled his face against your stomach, his fingers tightening on the shirt he gave you.

"I really am sorry. I didn't mean to make you wait for so long." He whispered softly against you, one of his hands sliding down to your thigh, his fingers lightly stroking up and down on your skin.

You felt your face get hot, your fingers stopping in his hair. Why was this making your heart race? You weren't scared. Maybe you liked the way he was touching you. How he was sorry for making you wait for him, how his gentle touches send chills through your spine, but you weren't scared. Not of him. At least you didn't think so.

Maybe you were, just a small amount. But your trust weighed more than your fear.

"It's.. ok, Crowe." You whispered to him,.your fingers going back to playing with his hair.

His fingers stopped on your thigh, staying still for a moment as he thought of something.

"Would you let me?" He asked softly against his shirt. "Prove to you that I'm sorry. That my touch would be different than how... he had done it. Would you let me? I promise to make you feel wonderful..."

His question hung in the air between you two, his voice softer than you've heard it before, almost vulnerable. You swallowed hard before answering.

"Yes... please, Crowe."

He looked up at you, smiling softly to himself as he pulled you closer, his hand moved from your thigh to your cheek, leaning in to kiss you like he did in the forest, but this time gentler, sweeter.

You closed your eyes, leaning in this time as you kissed.

His lips moved slowly against yours, his tongue grazing your bottom lip, silently asking for permission. You opened your mouth for him, letting his tongue explore you again, his tongue swirling around yours, muffling your soft sweet moans.

He slid his hands to your waist, swiftly moving you to lay down on his bed, careful when placing your head on the pillows.

He sucked on your tongue gently before breaking the kiss, a string of saliva connecting to your lips. He broke it with a soft kiss to your lips before burying his face in your neck, nibbling on your soft skin there, leaving marks in their wake.

His hand moved from your waist down to the end of your shirt, lifting it just enough to feel in between your legs, feeling your bare pussy. Feeling how wet you were. He let out a soft noise of approval against your neck, sucking on the spot just below your ear.

"W-Wait—hhnn.." Your voice faltered when he pushed his middle finger slightly into you, your fists clinging onto his shirt like a lifeline. It was starting to get intense for you. He hummed softly into your neck, his finger stopping.

"Would you like me to stop?" He asked softly, pressing another kiss to your neck, this time softer than before.

You swallowed hard, trying to catch your breath. Your body was trembling under him, trembling with need and fear. Fear of what? Maybe of him, maybe of what he could do, what he can do, what his hands are capable of. You shook your head, opening your eyes slowly, your hands still clenched around his shirt.

"N-no.. please... keep going." You whispered softly to him, your voice shaking slightly when you spoke. He smiled against your neck, placing a kiss on your shoulder before pulling back slightly to look at you, to see your flustered face, how beautiful you were against his pillows. Suddenly, he pushed his finger in you without warning, hearing you make another noise that was between a whimper and a gasp.

He gently took your face in his other hand, cupping your chin to make you look at him. "Kiss me, my Starlight." He whispered softly against your lips. Without hesitating, you leaned in, kissing him deeply as he thrust his finger in you again, making you moan in the kiss.

He added another finger, stretching you out as he pushed his tongue in your mouth, tasting you, exploring your mouth thoroughly once more. He curled his fingers in you, finding that right spot in you that made your thighs tremble.

His bottom piercings nicked on your bottom lip, enough to draw a little blood, but you didn't care, not when he was making you feel this good.

You arched your back against his fingers, feeling your pussy clench around his fingers, getting closer to the edge.

"C-Crowe, please.. I'm so close.." You moaned softly to him, pleading him.. for what? What were you begging for? To cum? For more than just his fingers?

He chuckled softly against your lips, pushing his fingers fully in your cunt, enough to make you squirm under him. "You're going to what, sweetheart?" He asked teasingly against your lips, kissing them softly as he pulled his fingers out slowly just to push them back in ever so slowly. You moaned under him, your thighs trembling hard. 

Suddenly, he pulled his fingers out of you, making you whimper at the loss.

Slowly, his hands moved to your knees, opening them wider for him. The corners of his lips twitched upwards at the sight of your bare pussy, how wet you've become from his touch.

He leaned down, leaning closer to your core, feeling his lips trace your inner thigh, his hands moving from your knees to the back of your thighs, keeping your legs open for him.

"My Starlight. So wonderful and bright. I wonder how sweet you are." He hummed softly, then he bit down on a sensitive part of your inner thigh, making you whimper from his teeth.

He flicked his tongue out and licked up your slit, making you let out a shuddering moan, your hand finding its way into his hair, gripping tightly.

He chuckled softly against you, his tongue licking up again, pushing a little past your folds. You leaned your head back on his pillow, moaning softly from his tongue.

His hands gripped your thighs more, holding them still as he pushed his tongue inside you, tasting you fully.

The feeling of his tongue inside you was too much for you to bear. Your thighs close around his head as you grind against his tongue, feeling yourself coming in his mouth and face.

He groaned as he tasted you, feeling your body arching against his face. His fingernails dug slightly into your skin, making sure you didn't close your legs too much.

"You taste..." He muttered softly against you, his tongue licking up once more, getting another taste of you. "...so sweet. So delicious."

You shuddered softly against his words, feeling him start to kiss your inner thigh once more before sitting fully up on his bed, looking down at you.

God, you looked so beautiful and flushed. So perfect.

Slowly, he reached up to unbutton his shirt, watching as your eyes looked over at him, watching him take off his shirt as you tried to catch your breath.

"You're so pretty." He muttered softly to you. Always that damn muttering. It felt like he was teasing you with his muttering.

He let his shirt fall, letting you get a good look at him.

Dear God.

You had never thought of what he could possibly look like underneath his clothes.

He looked like he had been sculpted by the stars themselves. It was the best you could describe him. Lean and defined.

His hands moved to the shirt you wore, but he didn't take it off, cautious with the idea of taking your shirt off.

You swallowed hard, nodding to him. "You can take it off... I don't mind."

His eyes looked at your shirt then back at you, hesitating before slowly lifting your shirt up, taking it off for you. You raised your arms, helping him take the shirt off you.

Once it was off and on the floor, his gaze lingered on your exposed breasts, his eyes roaming your entire naked body.

"You're so beautiful." He looked back at your face, letting you see the desperation and yearning in his eyes. It makes your face hot.

You never thought someone could yearn for you like the way Crowe does.

He leaned in, kissing you again softly as he reached down to take off his belt and jeans, getting closer to you as he took them off fully, moving closer to get on top of you, being gentle and careful.

You felt him press himself against you, your face flushed from the feeling of his hard length. You hadn’t realized that he was already hard, despite his earlier service to you.

He chuckled softly against your lips, pulling back to look at you, seeing your flustered beautiful face.

“You feel it?” He asked softly, one of his hands moving up to cup your face. “Do you feel what you do to me? Everything about you… your touch, your voice, hell, even when you look at me. It does things to me.”

You didn’t know what he had meant by that, but you were barely listening, your head fuzzy with lust and desire. He gazed down at you, noticing the desire in your eyes, the need and want and longing.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead, positioning himself at your entrance, his hands moving to your thighs again. “I want to feel you. To hear you gasp and moan for me again.” He whispered softly to you as he slowly moved his hips, entering in your aching pussy.

You let out a gasping moan, feeling exactly how hard he was. How big he was. How the fuck did his jeans contain all of him?

He buried his face in your neck as he pushed his cock fully inside you, settling. Waiting. Letting you adjust to his size. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your fingers digging into his back. It hurt a little, but it was more pleasurable than painful.

“My Starlight. My wonderful, beautiful Starlight.” He muttered against your neck, placing soft kisses along the side of your neck, each one lasting longer than the last.

Then he started moving. You hadn’t mentally prepared for it.

You whimpered against his shoulder, gripping him tightly as he slowly thrusted into you, moving in and out of you slowly, tenderly, lovingly. You closed your eyes, moaning softly as he moved one of his hands to intertwine your hands together, holding your hand as he made love to you.

“You feel so amazing. You fit so perfectly around me. Like you were made for me.” He muttered softly against your neck, letting out a few moans of his own from the feeling of you.

You opened your eyes and looked up at the ceiling, only to find the mirror giving you a full view of Crowe making love to you, letting you see everything.

You gasped softly, having forgotten that he had that mirror. He pulled back, worried that he might’ve hurt you from hearing your sudden gasp, only to find you staring up at the mirror, unable to look away from the sight.

The corner of his mouth tilted upwards at the realization, leaning in close to your ear.

“Do you like what you see? Do you see how well you’re taking me?” He placed a soft kiss on the shell of your ear, making your face beet red, which you can see in the mirror.

“You take me so well, so wonderful.”

He rolled his hips, making you moan, this time a little louder than before.

Oh, how Crowe tortured you with his touch, his words, his longing. It was torture.

He started to thrust faster, harder, hearing the sounds you were making under him, hearing how they were getting a little louder with each thrust.

“You sing so beautifully for me.” He muttered against your neck, placing open-mouthed kisses to your neck and shoulder.

He kept muttering soft words and praises to you, hearing your moans and whimpers, how you moaned his name when he hit that particular spot inside you.

It wasn’t until he thrusted once more that your body shuddered, your release crashing through you as you came on his cock.

You clenched around him, making him groan. It was too much for him. You felt too much for him, too much around him.

He let out a pathetic moan, spilling himself inside you, his hips stuttering as he came. He moved his hips slightly, slowing down, making sure to keep all of his cum inside you, not wanting a drop to come out.

Your thighs trembled as he moved slowly until he stopped, but he made no move to pull out of you.

He nuzzled against your neck, placing soft and loving kisses along your neck and jaw.

It wasn’t until he had pulled out of you, it wasn’t even until he held you close to his chest that the weight of everything came down on you.

What did this mean? Everything was confusing to you, but you were too tired to even think properly, too tired to ask him anything, leaning into his touch as he held you.

“My Starlight.” He muttered softly to you, placing a soft kiss on your hair.

“I’ll always be there when you need me. No one else could ever take you from me.”

You didn’t understand what he had meant, but it didn’t matter. Not anymore.

“𝕀’𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕓𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕞𝕪 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥.”

˜”°•.˜”°• ~~ •°”˜.•°”˜

You slammed your hand against your alarm clock for what seemed like the 100th time this morning. It was really starting to piss you off; all you wanted was another 5 minutes to yourself. What time was it anyway? You finally cracked your eyes open to stare at the flashing red alarm clock in front of you. 8:00 am . Great. You could sleep for another- 

WAIT

8:00 AM!? 

SHIT SHIT SHIT

You needed to leave. now. You bolted out of bed, you had no time to decide on something nice to wear, you threw on a hoodie and didn’t bother changing out of the sweatpants you had slept in. You had no time to do anything! You quickly pulled your hoodie up to apply deodorant before grabbing your bag and rushing out the door. You of course took a moment to lock it behind you, before sprinting down the hallway of your apartment building. 

You practically flew down the stairs as you glanced at your phone for the time. 8:15am it was a 30 minute walk to your university, but you were sure you could make it if you sprinted all the way there. You basically burst through the door to your building before slamming into something, rather someone. You quickly looked up, your eyes meeting azure blue ones, and a handsome face to boot. Wait.. you Swore you had seen him before- Whatever, that didn't matter right now. You had to leave. 

“I’m so sorry!” you let out what was essentially a yelp before turning on your heel and bolting. The man didn’t have time to reply, you were already all the way down the block, ready to round the corner. He let out a chuckle and a small grin pulled across his features.

Whether it had been your bag flailing off one arm as you ran, or the fact you hadn’t remembered to zip it up before leaving your apartment. You hadn’t even noticed that when you bumped into him that you lost a quarter of the contents of your bag. That didn’t matter though, he knew where to return them. In fact, maybe it was a twist of fate, opening an opportunity for him. His grin remained as he picked up your long discarded items. He really couldn’t help but smile, he had been wrong after all, he hadn’t missed you this morning. 

You slammed the door to your classroom open, quickly making your way to your seat. As soon as you felt the chair below you, you slumped in it, breathing heavily. You had 3 minutes before class officially started. 

You slowly began to take in your surroundings, along with noticing the puzzled stares you were receiving.  You let out a deep sigh before noticing there was someone in front of you. 

Your eyes trailed up the pale green t-shirt, to the white turtleneck, and finally to his face.

 Sol. the tension in your shoulders visibly released as your eyes met. He stood in front of you smiling, the blonde tips of his hair swept slightly to the side, and his ruby eyes solely focused on your figure. You could feel your cheeks starting to flush. To say he was the object of your affection would be… an understatement. You were most definitely In love with the man who stood before you.

“Here, I got this- for you.” His smile didn’t change as he held out a small brown paper bag with a ‘thank you’ sticker holding it closed. You looked at him confused, he had got you something?

“Well, seeing as the last text I received from you was at 3am, I kind of figured you might be running a bit late this morning.” he placed it gently on the desk in front of you.

“I - Oh, thank you.” you smiled up at him. He returned the gesture before turning on his heel and returning to his own seat. With that, class was supposed to have started. Yet it didn’t, after about 10 minutes students had begun to leave. You sat and waited, you supposed your professor was running late as well. 

After another 5 minutes the door lazily swung open, That must be him- No that wasn’t- who was- Uh oh. The man who had come through the door was indeed not your professor. No, In fact it was someone you had already, quite literally, ran into this morning. 

You shrunk in your seat, you could feel your cheeks heating up, this was mortifying. His Azure eyes scanned across the room lazily until they landed on you. Shit. Getting a better look at him now, you were sure you were about to get your ass beat. He began to approach, you shrunk further into your seat. Maybe it was the multiple piercings, or the fact he was jacked, or maybe it was the fact that his eyes bore into your soul with an unreadable emotion. You felt yourself begin to sweat as he came to a stop in front of your desk. You tried to smile, you still couldn’t read him, but you were silently praying for yourself. ‘Are you there god? it’s me, (y/n)-’

Your thought process was hastily cut off as he dropped two notebooks on your desk. Two very familiar notebooks at that- those- Those were yours. You frantically looked over to your bag, and yeah, they were missing, you looked back up at the beautiful man before you- He had a soft smile gracing his features. 

“You dropped these, Starlight.” With that he turned and left.

Now you felt bad. You had definitely misjudged that guy- wait- STARLIGHT? You once again could feel your cheeks begin to redden. Where did he get off calling you a pet name- just who did he think he was!? You were quickly warped back to reality when your eyes met with Sol’s. Oh, he wasn’t the only one looking at you questioningly. 

You groaned and buried your head into your hands, becoming more flustered than you already had been.

How long had it been? You had no idea. You heard more shuffling around and you assumed more students were leaving. You kept your face covered, this morning was certainly eventful, to say the least.

You let out another sigh, rubbing at your eyes as you felt a light tap on your shoulder.

 You peaked through your fingers, to see your friend- really your only friend- the apple of your eye- the man you were in love with, so on and so forth. Sol was there, smiling, you were sure he was gonna ask questions and, you honestly weren’t sure how to answer. He pulled out the chair of the desk in front of yours, sitting on it backwards, so he was facing you. His soft smile quickly brightened your sour mood. How could anyone be in a bad mood when Solivan Brugmansia was sitting there smiling at them. Certainly not you. You let a small smile grace your features, and let out yet another sigh. 

“You should eat.” He mentioned, pointing toward the small paper bag in front of you. Oh. You had totally forgotten. You opened the bag and looked inside, another smaller pastry bag was inside.

“Thank you again. You really didn’t have to get me this.” you kept your eyes on the pastry bag as you felt your face start to flush. You opened the smaller pastry bag and there was a Chocolate eclair. You smiled. He definitely knew you well. 

“I know I didn't have to, I wanted to.” His grin grew, and you swore you could see a slight pink dusted across his cheeks. 

Nothing compared to your face though, you knew you were bright red, you could feel the heat reaching the tips of your ears. You nodded and took your time to enjoy the sweet pastry. You knew the questioning would come as soon as you were finished. It didn’t take long before your poor eclair had been devoured, and you were left defenseless. 

“So…” he looked over at you, and you averted your gaze. “Who was that?” he pointed over his shoulder at the door. You knew entirely who he had meant, but you weren’t quite sure yourself.

“I-” your voice came out in a squeak and you quickly cleared your throat. “I don’t really know…” you tried to smile, but it came out half-heartedly. 

Sol looked surprised as you answered. You didn’t know? But the guy had called you by a pet name. You were just as confused as he was, there really was no answer to this mystery man. At least, not at the moment. “But he called you-”

“I know.”

“And you don’t know who he is??” 

“No Idea.”

You both stared at each other for a moment before Sol began to laugh, and that, of course, caused you to grin. Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation, more than likely, but there was also the fact that this morning had been more than ridiculous.

For the rest of what had remained of your class, you and Sol sat and talked. He was easy to talk to, but the end came all too soon. Your professor never did arrive, you received an email about 15 minutes before class was supposed to end that he had slept through his alarms. You were gathering your things, making sure to actually zip your bag closed this time. You would probably die of embarrassment if something like this morning ever happened again. 

“Hey Starlight-” You heard Sol’s voice come out teasingly. You groaned at the mention of the new nickname. “Looks like someone’s waiting for you.” you felt him nudge you and then nod towards the door.

WHAT?

Your head whipped around to the door. There he was. Mystery man in all his glory. You felt your eye twitch ever so slightly. You turned back to your bag 

“This isn’t funny” you stated plainly, you sighed. 

Sol looked at you with concern, but took a moment before saying anything.

“I could chase him off if you want. If he’s been bothering you, you need to tell me.” you could feel the change in mood. You put your hands up in surrender.

“No- no, I can handle it, it’s just… embarrassing.” You ran a hand down your face and put on your best customer service smile. Sol rolled his eyes at your antics, waving a small goodbye before leaving himself. You were stalling. You didn't need to face this man for a third time today, but you would have to, so, better to put your best foot forward right? 

You kept your customer service smile on before turning towards the door and making your way out. This was not going to be fun. 

There he was, now in front of you. You looked up at him.

“Was there something else?” You tilted your head, this would be like any other interaction you had to deal with at your part time job. Except you weren’t at your part time job. You saw him look down at you, the same unreadable expression on his face as earlier. Maybe he was waiting to beat you up.

“Well, I got to thinking…” a devious smirk formed across his features. You did not like where this was going. “Since I did you such a HUGE favor,” he lowered himself slightly, to be at your eye level.

”I’ve decided you owe me one.” His smirk remained.

…HE WHAT?!?

You could feel your irritation rise, but kept that plastic smile on your face.

“And if I don't agree?” There was no way you were doing anything with this… this… CREEP!

You felt smug. He couldn’t force you to do anything, he had nothing. 

“I’m glad you asked.” His smirk remained as he pulled something out from behind him- that was- Oh god it was your journal. You could feel the color drain from your face. There were sticky notes sticking out from the pages that hadn't been there before. He- he had been READING IT?!?!? 

You felt rage pulse through you, but he wasn’t done. He cleared his throat- loudly before flipping to a marked page and he began to read out loud.

 “I don’t know what attracts me to him like this- he’s just so… Kind? Maybe it was when he defended me from those jerks-” you froze. 

There was no way this was happening. This couldn’t be real! Then you noticed people looking and beginning to listen, so you had cut him off by slapping your hand over his mouth. You could feel him smirk under it. He could make you do anything… He had… He had everything. All of your secrets, your thoughts, feelings, and dreams in his hands. Oh you despised this man.

 You didn’t care how good-looking he was. He had to be the devil. That had to be it! He was the devil, and you were in Hell. It made total sense. 

He cleared his throat again, and you noticed that you were still clasping a hand over his mouth, to any outsider, the scene probably looked… rather intimate. You felt your face flush as you pulled your hand away and wiped it on your sweatshirt. You swore you could see his cheeks were a rather pretty shade of pink as well. You shook your head at the thought. You would not let this demon infest your head with such things.

“So, Starlight- about that favor?” He looked down at you, with an eyebrow raised. You buried your head in your hands and let out a loud frustrated groan.

“First- don’t call me THAT.” you stated plainly, poking a finger into his chest. you looked like a parent giving their child a scolding. You sighed before crossing your arms across your chest. “What do you want?” you looked away from him, a frown on your lips. 

It had worked. It had really worked? Crowe couldn’t help but feel like picking you up and spinning you around. He wouldn’t- but the grin on his features was… certainly telling. He had to be realistic in what he asked he knew- getting you to marry him then and there wouldn’t work, not over your journal. 

This certainly hadn’t been his first time reading it, every time he did he felt his hatred for Brugmansia grow, but this time- this time, it had placed you in the palms of his hands. You hadn’t even dropped it this morning- you had forgotten it at home, but when you had run into him and dropped your things it had given him an idea. So he swung back and checked. You really needed to get that busted window lock fixed. 

Not that he would mention it, and secretly he hoped you never would, He really didn’t want to have to break it again. The stupid grin on his face didn’t falter when he turned his attention back to you.

“Well, first things first- what do you want me to call you?” He raised an eyebrow, his grin became more of a smirk. Of course he knew who you were- he knew your name, where you lived, where you worked, he knew about your dumb crush on Brugmansia- He knew everything about you. He had for years. He had dedicated his life to you the very first time he had seen you. 

THIS- THIS JERK DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME AND HE WAS BLACKMAILING YOU!?!

You felt your fists clench. You wanted to hit him, HARD. However you were not very strong and he could probably kill you with his bare hands- so you decided against it. 

“(y/n).” you stated plainly. That was your name, he had better learn it. 

You could see the smile break across his features, you glared at him. He was definitely getting on your nerves. 

“(Y/n).” He smiled again after saying it. He looked down at you, as you continued to glare.

“And you are?” you questioned. You weren’t really curious. This guy was pissing you off. Bad. 

“You’re future husband” his grin grew, you hadn’t quite caught that. He saw your confused look and cleared his throat. “Jericho Ichabod.” he nodded “Though I just go by Crowe.”

His name sounded… familiar. You couldn’t quite place it. You quit ruminating and turned back to your blackmailer.

“So… what, exactly, do you want from me? I don’t have a lot to give, and I’m broke- so if you’re asking for money you might as well give up now.”

“A date.” 

Your face immediately flushed

“WHAT!?” You nearly screeched, the halls had started to clear, but that didn't stop the few people who remained from giving you nasty looks. Crowe's smirk grew. You had always been feisty, it might have been what attracted him initially. 

“You know - or I could give this to Brugmansia-” He dangled the journal above his head, that same stupid smirk playing at his features. He wouldn't do that. That wasn’t something you needed to know though. 

You felt yourself freeze. Sol. He would give the journal with all your thoughts and feelings including those about Sol, to the man himself. That’s what he was saying. Sol couldn’t find out. Not like that. You doubted he’d even read it, but what if he did? He would see how plainly you wrote about being in love with him- and- and- what if he didn’t feel the same? What if he found out and he avoided you from then on? What would you do? 

You had started to get so lost in your own head you forgot about the man in front of you. He saw the way your face faltered. Ah, you were going to cry, and he knew it. Maybe he had taken this too far. You hadn’t said anything before turning on your heel and taking off. You didn’t need HIM to see you cry. 

God this was all so stupid. 

You were running, to where? Who knows. You basically vaulted down the stairs of the school, and continued on your invisible track, through the front of the school and out the doors. You just needed to get away from there. You felt the tears that had welled up in your eyes begin to fall, and you finally stopped, you were about a block from the college itself and you just stopped.

You wiped your eyes and began to look around- you had been on your usual route, but at some point you took a wrong turn. You took a deep breath, you needed to calm down and retrace your steps- plus you didn’t need any more weird stares today. You jumped as you felt something brush over your shoulder, your head snapped to look over it. It was just HIM. You internalized your groan, and took a deep breath.

You put on your plastic smile and turned to face him.

“Hey! What’s up?”  you did your best not to falter. It was very obvious you had been crying.

“I-” He cleared his throat as his eyes trailed over your face. He sighed, maybe his plan wasn’t that great. He slowly pulled out your journal and held it out towards you. “Here.”

You stared at him, your smile wavering, it turned into a frown, and you slowly took the journal from his hands. “I may have gone a bit too far back there.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. You stared at him. Yeah, no shit. 

You also noticed he almost seemed- well for lack of better words- deflated.

You started to kind of feel bad for the- what!? No! screw him! You shook your head, trying to rid yourself of the pitying thoughts, but, well- he did look like a kicked puppy. You took a deep breath, you hoped you weren’t about to regret your next decision.

“Fine.” you resigned yourself to this - whatever it may be, fate? I mean a handsome man- though he wasn’t what- rather who you had pictured for your first ‘date’ - had asked you on a date, he at least deserved an answer. Even if he was a giant Jackass. You saw him look at you, a brow raised.

“I’ll go on a date with you-” you weren’t even able to finish your sentence when he had shot upright, it startled you. His face flushed, he turned to look away from you quickly and took a deep breath.

“You don’t have to do that.” He started to deflate again- fuck why would he say that? You had actually agreed but- “ I don’t want to force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with, Starlight.” 

Your face flushed after hearing him call you the pet name again. You shook your head. Now he had thought about that? Or was he just becoming timid? Maybe you weren’t actually his type and he was just trying to embarrass you earlier. That thought pissed you off.

“What? am I suddenly not your type?” you asked pointedly

“No that’s- that’s not it-” he had started to explain himself, but then he just stared at you, watching you tap your foot impatiently. 

“Then let’s get going, better to get this over with sooner than later.” Where had this burst of confidence come from? It was uncharacteristic of you for sure. Maybe he had just pissed you off just enough, and you were both already late  for your classes. You might as well get this done now. You turned your back to him and began walking, fully expecting him to follow, which he did.

Crowe felt his phone buzz and took a moment to glance at it.

‘How did it go? I’m assuming well- since you’re not here.’

He stared at the message for a moment and then looked up at your back, leading him to your ‘date’.

‘Mission failed successfully’

You woke up to your alarm clock, the same as always. You glance over to see the time, 7:00am.

Perfect, you weren’t late for the day everything was going to change. Everything was destined to start going your way! You had a gut feeling. Everything was turning around for you. 

Or, maybe, more realistically, you were being a bit delusional. That didn't matter though! Sol had said he loved you last night. You knew that much. Well, actually, you knew he said your name, and something along the lines of ‘I L-’ before your phone died. However, that didn't matter! You knew it in your heart. 

You hurriedly got ready, you didn't want to be too early, however, you didn't want to have to wait to see Sol. you were basically on cloud 9. You grabbed all your stuff and made sure your bag was zipped- as much as it could be at this point and headed for the door- you reached it and heard a knock. 

You were slightly taken aback, and cracked it open to see who was there. Oh god- not this jackass.

You groaned. What could he want now? 

“How can I help you?” you stared at the brunette man before you. He looked up and let a soft smile grace his features.

“Good morning, (Y/n). How are you?” He looked past you and around your apartment, nothing new to him, but he had to at least seem curious. 

“It was going great- and then you arrived.” you said, rolling your eyes at him. This guy was certainly... Something. 

“Well, since we’re headed the same way- I’ll walk you to school.” He smiled at you again. He also had made it a statement, again. You rolled your eyes and adjusted your bag before stepping out and closing your door behind you. You turned and inserted the key into the knob, and locked it. After that you were off! You had still left 15 minutes early, which was your plan. You kept quiet on your walk. “So…” Crowe started, glancing over at you.

“So…?” you gazed at him from the corner of your eye. You didn't know where this was going, nor did you care. You had your focus set, you needed to see Sol ASAP. He had definitely confessed to you when your phone died. You just knew it. 

“Would you wanna go on another date?” he said it so… confidently. You whipped around to see him grinning at you. He was teasing you again. It was not something you were fond of.

“OF COURSE NOT!” You shouted quickly. You turned your head away from him, not only to hide your blush, but so you wouldn't have to look at him. You heard him chuckle beside you and you felt your ears go red as well. Why was he teasing you like this anyway? It wasn’t funny. Not to you. 

Your walk returned to silence as you approached the university. You didn't say goodbye when you parted ways, though Crowe had. You didn't really care all that much. You hurried off to your classroom, letting out a small ‘yes’ when you saw Sol was already there. You approached him, not at a rapid pace- but a rather quick one. He turned and saw you coming, a small smile met his features.

“Hey,” His smile was contagious. You couldn't help but feel Giddy all over again. You hadn’t realized you had begun spacing out as he was talking- you were too excited. You watched as his lips began to move, but nothing really made its way to your ears. 

You continued to watch his lips, ah, you wanted to kiss him. Could you kiss him? Would that be alright? You blinked several times, shaking your head to clear the thoughts. Your face felt like it had been lit on fire. Sol’s smile slowly grew to a look of concern, and he raised a hand to your forehead. “Are you alright? Your face is flushed-” You took a deep breath and nodded. You grabbed his wrist and slowly removed his hand from your forehead. 

“So about yesterday-” You saw his pale cheeks begin to turn a rosy pink at your words, He shifted his gaze away from you. 

“About yesterday?” He had phrased it as a question. Like he had no idea what you were talking about. You felt yourself begin to deflate. Was he seriously gonna act like nothing had changed? Like he wasn’t about to say the words you had longed to hear for YEARS now? No, you were not going to let that slide- not that easily. 

“You were about to say something- you know, when my phone died.” you saw his cheeks turn a deeper shade of red, and he continued to keep his eyes anywhere but on you. You hadn’t realized, but you were still holding onto him, and your grip had tightened- ever so slightly.

“Ah- yes- Well- I was going to say-” you could feel Hope swell inside you. This was it! It was really happening!

“SOL!” you felt yourself twitch slightly. Of course the Blue haired menace would make his appearance now. He had yet to do so this morning anyway. There were many times you cursed the universe for creating Hyugo Sugimoto, but this time, this time was different. Sol’s attention had immediately been pulled away, and you finally dropped his arm. 

You felt yourself turn- ever so slowly. You scowled at the man who smiled at the two of you brightly. If you were ever to commit murder- now would have been the time, you absolutely felt like you could strangle this blue haired gremlin. “Woah- you look mad (y/n)!” he continued to smile, as he approached you both. “You know you really shouldn’t look at people like that-” he grinned and leaned towards you placing a finger between both of your eyebrows “It’ll give you frown lines.” 

You felt your lip twitch, Oh how you despised him in this moment. In most moments- actually. Hyugo was a funny guy, sure- but he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now was one of those times. As if finally picking up on the vibe- he looked between you and Sol. Both of your faces were still flushed, and you… you looked like you could kill him at that moment. 

“Am I interrupting something?” He said- almost teasingly, no definitely teasingly- as you saw the smirk grow on his face.

“Actually-” you sighed- the man meant no harm, he would probably let you have your moment if you just told him.

“No, it’s nothing.” Sol said, with a smile and tilt of his head. WHAT!?! You felt your heart shatter right then and there. You deflated immediately, like a popped balloon. How could he say that- how could he act like you weren't talking about something of the utmost importance!?!?! The change in your mood was- palpable. You hadn’t bothered to say anything else, you didn't even bother to look at either man before you just… left. You just walked away. It was whatever, apparently it didn’t matter- at this point did anything? You had heard them call after you as you left- but at that moment you hadn’t cared. Right now you didn’t really care about anything. 

Hyugo grimaced as he watched you walk through the door- So he was interrupting. He wasn’t clueless, no, far from it in fact- not that he’d let you know that. He looked back at his friend, whose eyes stayed on the door that had closed behind you. A mixture of worry- and sorrow filled his features. 

“What- exactly was I interrupting?” Hyugo asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

“Ah- well-.” Sol deflated. He walked over to his chair and slumped into it. Had he really just done that? It wasn’t an outright rejection- no but he had dropped the subject given the chance- and that was probably how you saw it. He looked back up at his friend, who now stood in front of his desk. “Last night- (Y/n) video called me-” he shook his head at the memory, how could he be this stupid? 

Hyugo leaned in, waiting for the rest of the story to come. “And we were talking, and well- she had started flirting with me-” a brow was raised, had you actually grown a pair?  Sol’s cheeks grew rosy at the memory of what came next. “I went to tell her I love her- but her phone died.” and with that he slumped over on the desk. Hyugo stared at the back of his friend's head as he groaned into the desk. Sol was finally telling you how he felt- and he let his friend interrupt it.

“Are you an idiot?” The question was blunt, sure. However it did get the point across.

You were leaving through the front doors, when you had heard your name called out, you didn’t stop though. You continued walking, wiping at your eyes- yes, you had started crying, why wouldn’t you? 

“(Y/n)!... Starlight! Wait up!” you could hear the rushed footsteps behind you, as you continued walking. The man was tall and buff- there was no reason for you to ‘wait up’ he would catch up quickly. You honestly hoped he would just give up, but did reality ever live up to your hopes? Soon he was at your side, the braid on the side of his head bobbing as he fell into step with you. It was then he noticed your appearance, you were crying.

He felt anger rise inside him- who had made you cry? Now wasn’t the time for that-

You stopped walking and turned to him, he had been staring at you- hell he was following you and he had no idea where you were going!

“What?” Your voice came out more hateful than intended. You grimaced at the sound, it sounded hoarse- broken even. You took a deep breath and decided to rephrase your question. “What do you want?” It came out softer, less venomous than before. You didn't look at the man in front of you, keeping your eyes glued to the pavement. You really wanted to be alone right now- but that didn’t seem to be an option. 

“Are- are you alright?” His voice was soft, laced with concern. You wiped your eyes again before slowly meeting his gaze. Your face flushed as your eyes met his. His face was full of concern and adoration and - something you couldn’t quite place. Has anyone ever looked at you like that before? Why was he looking at you like that? You quickly glanced away, his stare far too intense for you to deal with right now. 

Then his question finally hit you. Were you alright? No you were not- your heart felt like it had been pulled out and trampled on. Your resolve began to crumble- you felt your knees begin to buckle under you, and a sob escaped your throat. You fully expected to feel your knees meet the ground but they never did. You were enveloped in warmth and the smell of cedar and bourbon took over your senses. It was… comforting, familiar almost. Your fists slowly clenched around the fabric of Crowe’s shirt as you continued to cry into his chest. This was ridiculous. There you were, crying in the arms of a man- who was practically a stranger, about another man who was definitely not a stranger. You felt silly. You felt stupid. Had you really expected things to suddenly turn around for you? What a stupid thought. 

You were too busy crying in the arms of this strange man- to realize he wasn’t the only one who had followed you. You felt Crowe shift one of his arms- but you really didn’t care, what you couldn't see was the smirk that graced his features as he gave a small wave to your other suitor. 

You weren’t aware of Sol being a witness of this small intimate scene between you and Crowe, but Crowe was. Oh and he was relishing in it. It was as if he was marking his territory, laying his claim on you. You were his after all. At least in his mind, and he would make sure nobody stood in his way. 

It had taken you a while to calm down. You hated how stupid you felt, had all that really meant nothing to Sol? Were you just another Hyugo to him? You didn’t know- at this point should you even care? Of course you did care- but should you? That was the real question. You let out a sigh, you really didn't want to think about this right now. What else was there to think about though? You let your head lean forward and come to a resting position against Crowe’s chest. You took another deep breath and his scent filled your senses once again.

It then hit you, the intimate position you had been in with a man who was not only practically a stranger- He was a stranger! You had met him YESTERDAY. You shot straight out of his grip- nearly headbutting him in the process. You quickly turned your back to him and buried your face in your hands. That was more than embarrassing, it was mortifying- what if someone had seen you two like that? 

They would definitely get the wrong idea- what if Sol had seen you like that? What did that matter anyway? You couldn’t help but let your mind race- this was too much! You heard shuffling next to you and Crowe was by your side again, a stupid grin on his face. You could see him in the corner of your eyes- His rosy cheeks were cute. CUTE? You felt yourself start to gag at your own thoughts. Sure- he was attractive, was he your type? Physically? Definitely. More than yes. But you didn't know him! You knew little-to-nothing about the man standing at your side. You knew his name. That was about it. Sure he was handsome- you could admit that- that was nothing- but you were in love with someone else! The man you were in love with he- well- you didn’t exactly know how he felt about you. You faltered. You could see Crowe watching you in your peripheral, and the way he was looking at you made your heart flutter. Your face had just returned to its normal color- and now it was flushing again. Why was he looking at you like that? Like you were the only thing that mattered in all the world. You finally pulled your hands away from your face, your newer blush still very prominent. 

“Stop looking at me like that…” your voice was hushed and you didn't bother to look at him when you spoke. You couldn’t hold his gaze while he looked at you with such… adoration in his eyes. You felt his touch ghost against your skin as he tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear. He was still staring- you could feel it, but refused to meet his eyes.

“Sorry, I can’t help it- not while I’m looking at such a beautiful woman.” His voice was soft. Oh he was SMOOTH. You could feel your blush reach the tips of your ears. You turned your back to him. You did not enjoy him teasing you like this. It wasn’t funny! What was he gonna do if you fell in love with him- which wasn’t going to happen. Ever. Would he just brush it off like it was one of his dumb jokes? That wouldn’t help- and you could feel your heart start to ache again. Or would he be like Sol? Just act like it didn’t happen. 

Well- It didn’t matter! It wasn’t going to happen anyway. You released the breath you had unconsciously been holding in. You crossed your arms and began walking away- again. “S-starlight!” he had been surprised by your reaction, but continued to follow after you. You continued on your way- you were going home. You walked in a comfortable silence yet again- the man beside you stealing not so sneaky glances in your direction. You were startled at a sudden weight on your shoulders. You turned to look at Crowe- who was much closer than he had been previously. Oh. The weight was his arm- you felt your face flush- not just out of embarrassment. The gall this guy had was starting to piss you off.  You tried to shrug his arm off- but he moved it from around your shoulders- to around your waist. You turned to glare at him when you noticed a couple guys glaring in your direction. You would have assumed they were his friends- but by the looks on their faces- that was not the answer. Once you had rounded the corner onto the next street he let go of you. 

“Sorry (y/n).” he said, the look on his face was a weak smile. “I didn’t like the way they were looking at you.” So he was being protective? You didn’t understand why. You barely knew the guy- you really didn’t understand much about him. He had gone out of his way for you multiple times in the 24 hours you had known him- was there some kind of catch? You could remember the way he looked at you- Hell, you assumed most people would think he was in love with you- you would- had you not known any better. You nodded, accepting his apology. You began walking again, you were passing by the shops from yesterday, at least you weren’t far from home. 

“Hey- uh- hold on a second, ok?” Crowe had grabbed your wrist, making you stop. You looked at him, obviously questioning his intentions. 

“I need to grab something from this shop- would you mind waiting for just a minute?” you groaned inwardly. What did this have to do with you? You really wanted to get home- you sighed and nodded again, with that he grinned and trekked back over entering the shop. You leaned against the brick wall of the building. Why did you agree to wait for him? Not that you would admit it to yourself- but you were enjoying his company. Maybe you also liked the attention- a handsome guy was spending his time with you- of his own volition. He was also… nice. Not that you would ever tell him that. It wasn't long before you heard the bell of the small shop jingle and Crowe had made his way back out. You glanced over at him, he had a large paper bag. He trekked over to you and held it out. What? He was gonna make you carry his purchase? You were gonna scoff but Crowe had begun to speak. “Here, it’s for you..” what? He wasn't looking at you as he held out the bag. You slowly took it from his hands. He had gotten something.. For you? Why had he gotten you something? He still wasn’t looking at you- you noticed the tips of his ears had become rosy. Oh- so he could be bashful? Good to know. You unfolded the top of the bag and peeked inside. You felt your heart stop. Your cheeks began to grow hot.

“I- I can’t accept this.” You quickly pushed the bag against his chest. There was no way- all you had done was look at it! He had not bought you that stupid bag. It was $150 for fuck’s sake! You couldn't take that- you couldn’t afford groceries- let alone having to owe someone $150 or a favor worth $150. 

He grabbed your wrists and pulled them- and the bag away from his chest. What the hell was he thinking!?!

“Well I'm not gonna use it- so you should take it.” He started to come up with a tactic to make you take the damn gift. You might be stubborn- but he was more so. You again fumbled with the bag trying to give it back to him.

“I really can’t- I won’t be able to pay you back-” you were quickly cut off

“Who said you had to pay me back?” he looked at you, his eyes narrowed. There was no harsh emotion held in his gaze. He was just trying to be intimidating which would not work- his resolve softening anytime he looked at you. 

“Crowe- This bag- it's nice but it was $150! That’s not pocket change! Plus my bag is perfectly-” you were cut off by the sound of your stuff clattering to the ground. OK. Maybe your bag wasn’t perfectly fine. You looked down at the seam you had reinforced- it had finally given out. Your bag was old- sure- hell it was second hand when you got it! But there was no way you were accepting a gift this large from someone you had met the previous day. You crouched to the ground and began to gather your things that had scattered across the sidewalk. Crowe crouched and  helped you, you started to sort them in your arms. He took the paper bag from you- pulling the messenger bag out and began putting your things inside it. “I told you I’m not accepting-” he took the rest of your things from your arms without a word- and placed them in a bag before tossing it over his shoulder. He stood and looked down at you, holding out his hand to help you up. You took it. You stood and brushed yourself off before glaring at him. 

“Well, now you’ll have to accept it- that is if you want your stuff back.” He smirked. You couldn’t stop yourself this time- you punched his arm. Hard. Well what you would assume was hard- all your knuckles popped when you had done so- it felt like you had punched a brick wall. What was he!?! Solid muscle!?

You held your hand close to your chest as he chuckled at your attempt to hurt him. Was strangling him an option? You both began to walk again. You held your aching hand close to your chest and kept your gaze elsewhere. Eventually you reached your apartment building- you stopped outside the door. Crowe turned to you, he had not only walked you home again- he had carried your stuff- in a new bag that he had bought you. You had to at least be appreciative. He shifted to take the bag off his shoulder and held it out to you. You accepted graciously, well as graciously as you could. You stood there for a moment, before meeting his eyes.

“Thank you… for everything today really. If there’s any way I could repay you-” you stopped yourself. You didn't know how to finish your statement. Maybe that was it.

“You could always join me on another date.” His cheeky grin made your eye twitch. You did not like this teasing he had fallen back into. You rolled your eyes before turning to your apartment complex’s door.

“Yeah, sure, maybe when pigs fly.” You saw his smile shift in your peripheral. Whatever. If he wasn’t gonna give you a real answer- you’d figure out another way to make it up to him.

It had been 2 weeks since you had met Crowe- and the man had made his presence in your life known. You had interacted daily since meeting- he continued to tease you, despite your protests. Things with Sol were… Complicated? You weren’t really sure how to describe it, at first you felt tense- and awkward- but Sol had remained his normal self. Things were, essentially, back to the way they were- With the addition of Crowe. The two men had a strained -to put it lightly- relationship. Because of that you were usually with one or the other- not both. Today you were having lunch with Crowe- on the roof of the school. Somewhere you were certain you weren’t allowed. You didn’t care much, it was still very different though. You sat next to him on a bench- ranting about the problems of your love life in between bites of your sandwich. 

Now was Crowe exactly thrilled to hear about your feelings for Brugmansia? No. not at all- in fact his grip on the bench was so tight his knuckles had turned white long ago- honestly it was surprising the piece of wood hadn’t cracked under his grip. But hey! Here you were- with him- during lunch- on the roof-  alone. His tight lipped smile loosened just a bit at the thought. Not for Long- because you were off ranting again.

“I MEAN- SERIOUSLY-SERIOUSLY I SWEAR HE WAS ABOUT TO TELL ME HE FELT THE SAME WAY- AND THEN BOOM! MY PHONE DIES- WAS IT MY FAULT? PROBABLY! BUT THE UNIVERSE COULDN'T GIVE ME THIS ONE THING?!” You covered your face with your hands and groaned exasperatedly. “And- then- OH DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED-” you felt like if a person could emit steam- you would be. “I get to class the next day- and ask him about it- and he just starts- and then BOOM that blue haired DEMON appears and ruins everything! And of course he bats his stupid eyelashes and asks ‘am i interrupting?’ I MEAN YEAH- OBVIOUSLY-” Ah. that’s what Geo had meant when he had texted him that day. He smiled to himself- he would need to thank the ‘blue haired demon’ personally sometime. “AND THEN- THAT- THAT STUPID IDIOT SAYS ‘No, it’s nothing.’ NOTHING!? IT’S NOTHING!?” You let yourself slouch on the bench- remembering everything that day. It was…  A lot to say the least. You sighed and felt the ache in your chest. “I wish… I just wish he would tell me how he felt.” Your face was pink again. You rested your chin on your hand and closed your eyes hoping to have some time to think.

“I think you deserve someone who is clear about their intentions with you.” Crowe smiled, looking over at your pouting face. You could feel eyes roll, it was almost instinctive.

“What? Someone who jokingly flirts with me all the time like you?” you let your eyes trail in his direction and felt the mood take a sharp turn.

“You thought I was joking?” His voice was stern, his gaze resting on your face. It wasn’t cold- but it was… indescribable. Wait. He wasn’t joking? You felt your cheeks become warmer than they had been previously. Crowe had sat up straighter, and the distance between you and him had become less and less. You felt his hand slowly brush some hair behind your ear before cupping your cheek. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest as he leaned in slowly. You let your eyes flutter closed as his lips met yours. You felt his breath against your face as he kissed you, it tickled. You felt like you were melting into him- when he finally pulled away. Your eyes shot open and you jumped from your seat grabbing your bag. 

You sat in your favorite cafe, across from the man who somehow achieved his end goal. You looked at him as he looked over the small menu, taking in his features. He was handsome, there was no denying that, you couldn’t say he wasn’t your type either- the piercings did up that factor though. 

He had lip piercings- several, along with several ear piercings, in fact he wore a cross earring just like Sol- SHIT. Sol was probably worried about where you were. You took out your phone, unlocking it quickly. You had 3 missed messages. 

‘Hey where are you? 11am’

‘Are you alright? 12:30pm’

‘Call me when you can please. 1pm’

The last message had been sent… 30 minutes ago!? You had skipped class and hadn’t checked your phone- god knows what he was thinking.

“Hey, I’ll be right back- I need to make a phone call.” you started to stand from your seat, looking over at your, well, date. He glanced up at you- he had been watching you the whole time really, but there was no need for you to know that. 

“Brugmansia?” His voice was cold when he said it, his eyes flicking back to the menu, then to you as you failed to answer. It was as he thought- he could tell from the blush that spread to your ears.

“Am I that readable?” you sighed looking away from him. You had a small pout on your face, though you could feel your cheeks were still very flushed. He looked back at you, there was something still frigid about his demeanor but it seemed to melt instantly. He nodded towards the door as an indication to get it over with. You nodded and hurried to the door of the cafe, looking at your phone as soon as you stepped outside. You pulled Up Sol’s contact and quickly hit the ‘call’ button. You pulled your phone to your ear listening to it ring. 

“Hey, I was about to ask you where you were- But Well-” he started and you saw something moving towards you, you turned to meet eyes with the man you were on the phone with. OH. he was here.

A smile formed on your lips as he took the last few steps to be in front of you. He was sweaty, and breathing heavily- had he been running? Wait- was he looking for you? Your eyes met again as he smiled at you, it was a weary one, but, one none the less. 

“Hey.” You spoke softly, staring at the man in front of you. You could feel your face flushing. Had he actually been looking for you?

“Hey,” he took another deep breath before continuing “I figured you got held up when you were late to class- but when you didn’t show up at all, I started to get worried.” He had been looking for you.

You reached out to touch him, but it suddenly felt far too intimate. You wanted to kiss his stupid face. The Blonde ends of his hair were sticking to his sweaty forehead, how long was he looking for you exactly? 

You felt your heart pounding in your chest- maybe now was the time to tell him, he had been searching for you for- who knows how long. That had to mean something right? Maybe he did feel the way you felt. 

“Sol I- I lo-” you were cut off by the cafe door opening, a familiar brunette popping out with a smile. “Hey, you’ve been out here a while- I wanted to make sure you were alright.” Oh yeah. You were on a date. Maybe now wasn't the time, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath through your nose. You turned to face Crowe, waving him off. You were irritated at his interruption. 

“Everything is fine, peachy, even.” you felt a pout forming on your face, but turned back to look at Sol, He stared at you, his concern long dissipated; a softer emotion in its place. He smiled, looking over to your- companion. 

“Hi, I’m Sol, (Y/n)’s friend.” He held a hand out to Crowe. Ah, yes, friends, that’s what you were. Nothing more, nothing less. You looked over at Crowe, who was looking at Sol’s hand. You couldn’t quite read his expression- It wasn’t a pleasant one though. He noticed you looking at him in his peripheral, and softened ever so slightly. He took Sol’s hand firmly.

“I’m Crowe.” He stated blandly. His gaze shifted towards you, and he was unreadable to you once again, a smirk tugging at his lips. “(Y/n)’s future boyfriend.” YOUR WHAT!?! Your face flushed red and your fists clenched. He had not just said that- He HAD NOT- IN FRONT OF SOL OF ALL PEOPLE?!?!

He knew how you felt about Sol, and he had the audacity to- you swear you could strangle this man. 

You heard Sol chuckle, and your eyes shot back over towards him, was he laughing at you!?! This traitorous man. 

“Well,” You could see his grip on Crowe’s hand tighten, making the handshake more firm. “May the best man win.” TRAITOR! That’s the only thought that ran through your head. He was joining in on teasing you?!? You despised them both in this moment. You might as well just leave and let them have the date to themselves- it seemed more fitting since they got along SO well. 

“I plan to.” Crowe spoke flatly. He retracted his hand from the shake. He wasn’t here to play ‘friends' with Brumansia after all. It was your first official date, and he was interrupting it. He glanced back over toward you, he smirked at the pout on your face; it did nothing to cover the blush that had spread to your ears.

It was cute. You were cute, and he was sure your so-called ‘friend’ was thinking the same thing. 

He could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at you. Quite frankly it was pissing him off. “Well, ‘Sol’ , (y/n) and I should really get back to our date. Before someone takes our table.” He pointed to the door behind him and snaked an arm around your shoulders. He noticed the way Sol faltered slightly. 

“How about you go sit back down and I’ll come back in when I’m ready.” you made a valid counter point. You needed to talk to Sol, and then you needed a moment away from both of them to breathe. Crowe’s eyes locked on yours and then he glanced over at Sol, you could see the distaste contort his features. You began to scowl at him, he decided to do as told. Good boy. You chuckled at your thought. He was starting to remind you of a dog. Once you heard the cafe door click you turned back to Sol.

“Date?” He looked at you questioningly, and you sighed, rolling your eyes. 

“To him maybe. I did it to get my journal back.” You crossed your arms at the memory. That wasn’t exactly the truth though, was it? Not like you needed to admit that to yourself, let alone Sol. You wouldn’t admit that you were attracted to the jackass in the cafe. Not anytime soon at least. 

“He blackmailed you?” Sol’s face grew concerned and you waved it off. “(Y/n) that’s-” 

“You don’t gotta worry, I don’t think he’s that stupid.” you huffed “And I’m definitely not that stupid.” Sol nodded. He did trust you, but he also worried. More than you could ever know. You consumed most of his thoughts- not that he was ready to tell you that. I mean, you did feel the same way- at least he thought so- but here you were on a ‘date’ with another man. He felt his own cheeks start to flush as he realized he had been staring at you, not speaking. 

“S-sorry. I kind of got lost in my thoughts there for a second.” He smiled, his lip ring glimmered in the sunlight. It made your own mind wander. What would it be like to kiss him? Would the lip ring be noticeable? Or would you be so lost in feeling that you wouldn’t- THIS WAS NOT THE TIME TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS (Y/N)! You sighed and rubbed your eyes, you knew your cheeks were flushed again, but there was not much you could do about that, was there? 

“I’ll call you when I get home ok?” you looked at Sol and he grinned. He nodded and then gave a small wave before he began to walk presumably, back to your shared university.  You watched as he disappeared around the corner at the end of the street. Now you had something… no rather Someone to deal with. You slowly turned and entered the cafe. 

You made your way back to your table, the anger inside you stirring. Oh you were gonna give him a piece of your mind- you stared at your table that now had drinks and pastries sitting at it. He had ordered for you. Great. You approached the man from behind and watched as he slowly placed down his drink, and then you struck. Literally. Your hand made contact with the back of his head rather harshly, and he jumped. He reached back and rubbed where you had slapped him.

“What was that for?” He continued rubbing the spot, a smirk slowly working its way on to his features, he knew all too well.

“Why the HELL did you say that?!?” your voice was hushed but stern. You were glaring at him, though your cheeks had began to flush again remembering what all had been said.

“I was making my intentions clear.” He stated, the smirk still playing on his lips. He was teasing you again. You could hit him again; but you doubt it would do anything. You sighed and made your way to your seat across from him. He watched as you sat with your arms crossed, slouching in the seat. 

You shifted your focus to the window, looking at the park across the street. It was a nice day, you could be out doing something with Sol, but here you were, with this, quite literal, stranger. You let your mind wander for a while, just watching people pass by the window. Eventually your attention was pulled back to the man in front of you when he had cleared his throat. You wished he hadn’t reminded you he was here. You slowly turned to scowl at him and he motioned the items in front of you. You had forgotten he had ordered for you. You were sure he had gotten something stupid- because he was stupid. You then noticed what was in front of you. Oh. Ok he wasn’t the dumbest man on earth after all. Your eyes took in the treat placed before you. A chocolate eclair, that was your favorite pastry from this shop. You cursed at yourself internally, and felt a small blush rising to your cheeks. 

“How did you-” You had begun but he answered earnestly.

“It was in your journal,” Someone give this man an oscar! His lie was told so easily. It’s not like he followed you to and from school everyday. Not like he knew every stop you made, and what you would order at your favorite restaurants. No- no it hadn’t been that at all.

You nodded at his answer and thanked him before indulging in your treat. It was delicious! You couldn't help but a little smile grace your lips. It didn't take you long to finish your treat, your drink not far behind. You thanked Crowe once again, and he began to get up. 

“I already paid, so we can head out.” Oh. he had paid for you. That was not something you expected. You watched him, he cleaned up after himself and stacked the dishes so it would be easier for the staff. So he wasn’t a total jackass after all. He slowly scooted in his chair when he was finished, and looked over at you. He shifted his gaze elsewhere and his cheeks turned a light pink. Oh. you had been staring. You shook your head to snap yourself out of your trance, and stood, slowly grabbing your bag and pulling it to rest over one shoulder. “You really need a new one of those.” he said nodding towards your tattered bag. He wasn’t wrong, but you didn’t really have a lot of money to spend on something like that. Not that he needed to know that. 

“I like my bag.” It wasn’t a lie, but you weren’t necessarily telling the truth either. With that, you both exited the cafe. 

“I’ll walk you home.” He hadn’t asked. It was a statement. Well it didn't seem like you had much of a choice. “It seems like we live in the same direction anyway.” That was also not the truth, but who was gonna tell you that? You nodded and fell into step with him, The sun was starting to set after all, and walking with him would be safer than walking alone. 

You both walked in silence, it was comfortable, mostly because he wasn’t teasing you anymore. You looked as you passed several shops, most of them beginning to close. You looked through the windows as you passed, observing the items within each, You hadn’t realized that you had stopped walking to look at a nice messenger bag. It was black and had a few white star patches on the top. Your eyes glanced down at the price tag, and you shook your head. 

$150. You didn't have that kind of money to spend on anything- let alone a bag. Even if it was for school. SCHOOL. SHIT. you had been so lost in your own head all day you forgot why you were even here in the first place. You were supposed to be focusing on school. Not Guys- not anything else- Your school was being paid for by a loan shark. You had to prove yourself and pay off that debt. 

You groaned, loudly. Crowe, who was about half a store front down waiting for you, looked over. “(Y/n)?” his eyes held both curiosity and worry, it didn’t matter, not to you, this was your problem.

“I’m- I’m fine, I just have a lot on my mind.” You lied, not well at that. Crowe frowned, but he wasn’t gonna push you any further. He had done that more than enough today. You fell back into step with him, and soon enough you were in front of your apartment building. You turned and gave a small, but genuine smile, though you still had thought the guy was a total jerk- you didn’t mind being around him. He was definitely tolerable. “Thank you for walking me home- Be safe.” He stopped and looked as you opened the door to your apartment building, and as it fell shut behind you. 

A grin spread across his features, today had not gone as expected- not at all. Yet it still worked out in his favor! He pumped a fist in the air victoriously, not knowing you could see him from the front window of your apartment. 

You let out a small laugh at his antics, before closing your curtain and collapsing on your couch. You still needed to eat an actual meal. You had yet to do so today- but you weren’t particularly hungry. You had something else you needed to do first though.

You fished your phone out of your pocket and unlocked it. You scrolled through your contacts before finding the correct one. ‘❤Sol❤’ you stared at the photo of the man you had chosen for his contact. You felt your cheeks heat up ever so slightly. You really needed to call- but you couldn't help but think about what exactly you were going to talk about.

You spoke every night, sometimes you would fall asleep with Sol still on the other line. He never seemed bothered by it, but what if he was? You sighed and decided to video call him. You said you would call- not how you would call. It rung twice before he answered, the screen lighting up instantly, you saw him, his face in full view- 

“Sorry- hold on- I was just-” he didn't finish his statement. He sat his phone, presumably, on his desk;  before he walked over to his bed. His shirt was up and over- and oh. He was shirtless. Your eyes were wide, taking in every detail of your screen, your face beet red. His body was toned, and though he was very small and your phone was very pixelated, you thought you saw the beginning of a happy trail. You could die Content now. He then picked up a different shirt and tugged it over his head. You weren't going to lie- you had definitely looked, maybe a bit more than looked. 

He returned to his phone and picked it up, his beautiful face now taking up the screen. You could see yourself in the small rectangle in the corner, you were still very VERY red. “So I'm guessing you got home alright? Considering that’s when you said you’d call.” WAS HE SERIOUSLY ACTING LIKE THAT HADN’T JUST HAPPENED!? You nodded to answer his question, trying to focus on something other than your bright red face- or his gorgeous smile on the screen. You felt yourself fading away from this realm, was it possible to die of embarrassment? 

 “Yeah, anyways Sol-” you had started- you still wanted to tell him how you felt. That thought had stayed in the back of your mind all day, but unfortunately he interrupted.

“How was your date?” He asked, maybe he interrupted you on purpose? Maybe he knew what you were trying to say and didn't want to hear it? You sighed, you’d let it go for now. Your face turned even more red- if possible, at the question. 

“I told you it wasn’t really a date.” You rolled your eyes as he chuckled.

“Did you have fun at least?” he looked at you, an unreadable emotion in his eyes now. Were you just not good at reading people? Maybe these men were just good at hiding their feelings. Who knows?

“Yeah, kind of.” you saw him falter, it was the slightest drop in his smile but you had definitely seen it. “You know, this really cute guy showed up and interrupted the middle of it. I should have got his number. What a shame.” you shook your head dramatically, You could see his cheeks turn red. You had made him blush!  YOU. You would take this small victory for now. He smiled at you, and you smiled back.

“Oh, really?” you could see him visibly swallow, you took that as a sign to keep going. 

“Yeah, He had these beautiful ruby eyes, I swear- I could have stared at them forever.” Ok, you were flirting with Sol. He knew this. You knew this. God knew it. You could see his blush turn a deeper shade of red. You smiled.

Ok!

Scores: Universe: 1253 | (y/n) : 2

You could live with these wins. You needed them. You saw him look away from the screen bashfully, you loved him so much, you felt like your heart would just explode. Your smile continued to grow, just watching him process your words. 

“I also met a cute girl today.” Oh. you felt your heart stop in your chest. Of course he had. you felt your smile wobble but kept it pasted on your face. 

“Really?” your voice cracked slightly. You weren’t going to cry- shit. You couldn't. Not now. Maybe you could hang up and lie saying your phone died. Genius idea! Your finger went to hit the button, very slyly, he couldn’t see you do it- but before you could reach it he continued speaking. 

“Yeah, I had been running all over town, looking for something- god I cant remember what- and she was just standing there, and it was like some miracle- I was suddenly on the phone speaking to her.” Oh. he was talking about you. You shot upright on your couch. You hadn’t expected him to flirt with you. Your face had turned bright red all over again. You stared at him on your phone screen and his cheeky grin. You couldn't believe he was teasing you!

“That’s not fair!” your voice cracked again as you yelled at your phone. There was no way Sol didn’t know how you felt about him. Especially after you had almost confessed to him earlier.

“All’s fair in love and war, pumpkin.” he continued to grin, he had gotten the reaction he wanted out of you. That was for sure. Wait- you stared at him and blinked. 

“So are we in love, or at war?” you spoke softly, your face still beet red. And you saw him process your words. His face flushed as well. The answer was obvious, to everyone, except maybe you. You saw Sol take a deep breath, and then open his mouth- he shut it again and then did the same thing probably another two more times before he spoke.

“(y/n)- I L-” AND… Your screen went black. wait. What. WHAT?!? You let out a frustrated scream and threw your phone at the other end of the couch. Your phone had died. But your face grew hot again. He was definitely gonna say love. Right? He was totally about to tell you he was in love with you!! You squealed and fell flat on your back. 

You grabbed one of your throw pillows and screamed into it. Your feet kicked around happily. Were you assuming too much? Maybe- but you were certain. You couldn’t help but feel giddy all over. He loved you. He loved you!! At least you thought so. Did this mean you were dating? No- no you knew that wasn’t the case. But everything was definitely different now right? Tomorrow you would see him and he would tell you the rest of what he was gonna say and you would live happily ever after. 

That's exactly what would happen. At least in your own head. You looked at the time, it was getting late, and you still hadn’t eaten. Whatever- you swore to yourself you would have a larger breakfast to accommodate. You grabbed your phone from the other end of your couch and made your way to your bedroom. You plugged in your phone, and set your alarm clock before stripping out of your clothes for the day. You changed into a pair of your pajamas and got comfy in your bed. You thought about the events of the day. It hadn’t started off great but, yet it still went your way. 

It wasn't long before you were drifting off to sleep. You were overcome with the scent of cedar and bourbon. You felt a warmth spread across your back and you snuggled into it, finally drifting off to dreamland. 

Crowe stared down at you, you were cuddled into his chest, and he smiled. He placed a soft kiss on top of your head, holding you against him. This was a normal routine for him, and he was happy to not have this aspect of his day change.