#sebstantrash

“Sebby!!” You shout, holding him tightly as he, too, wraps his own arms around you. He lifts you for a moment, making you squeal, before placing you on the floor, grabbing the bags he’d dumped either side of him.

“Mind if I crash?” He grinned and you barely had enough time to agree before he was walking into your apartment. You didn’t complain, that’s usually how it was with him. You followed him through the apartment to the living room, where he dumped his bags before throwing himself onto the couch.

“Just make yourself at home, then,” You giggle as you grab two soda cans from the fridge before joining him on the couch, handing him one. Sebastian stretched out, placing his legs on your lap before stealing a slice of pizza, asking for you to flick through the channels.

Sebastian was your best friend, and you constantly felt super happy to be able to call yourself that. He was the greatest friend you could have ever hoped for, knowing that if there was anything bugging you, you could go to him.

He’d been away for filming for six months, so you hadn’t seen him. Of course, you both kept in contact, barely a week going by where you didn’t talk or send memes. But you missed him terribly, and knew that the next few months would be mostly dedicated to spending time with him.

“You’ve got the spare room, but I think I’ve stacked a few of Derek’s clothes in there,” You say nonchalantly. Sebastian resisted the urge to groan or make a negative motion at the mention of your boyfriend.

Derek was, as bluntly as could be put, an asshole. Seb didn’t know why you couldn’t see it. It was obvious that he was using you, turning up whenever he was horny and only being nice to you when the situation suited him.

He forgot anniversaries, special dates; even birthdays! Sebastian made to never forget your birthday, even going as far as to memorise your parent’s birthdays including some other special dates. Of course, you’d do the same for him, but this was different.

Sebastian was completely and utterly in love with you.

And, oh, how he planned on telling you. It was right before you met Derek. Seb had taken you out to a local party, introducing you to a few people he knew before you were both introduced into others you didn’t.

He’d been psyching himself up the whole night, preparing to pull you aside at any point in the night to tell you how he felt. But then you met Derek, and that put everything out of whack.

It hurt, seeing how happy you were with him. To be fair, Derek was an incredible boyfriend at first. Sebastian was always first priority, so he’d hear all about him from you. He heard about the dates and the presents and the surprises.

And all the while, Sebastian couldn’t help but think that he could’ve given it to you. All the wonderful memories you were getting, he wasn’t in any of them. And, just when he was about to move on, about to let his crush go, he realised just how cruel Derek was.

And Sebastian couldn’t leave you to this-this animal.

So he stuck around; for two years. Two years, is how long that bastard had been dragging you around. Sebastian knew you could start to see something, that something was constantly off with Derek, but he had a suspicion detector.

So, whenever you’d have doubts, he’d be the greatest boyfriend again for a week, tops. But Derek knew, he knew Sebastian didn’t like him. But he knew that Seb wouldn’t say anything. He didn’t want to compromise your happiness.

As long as you were happy, he was happy.

“Has Derek moved in yet?” Sebastian wondered, although he didn’t really much care. You sigh as you lean forwards, swiping a pizza slice from the box.

“No. We haven’t really talked about that kind of stuff yet,” You say, although, you were lying. You had mentioned, on several occasions that you wanted to move in with Derek. Clearly, he had other opinions.

“Wha—You guys have been dating for two years! You want to live with him, right?” Sebastian asked, sitting up from the couch a little.

“You… well yeah, but—Sebastian,” You sigh but he calms a little, shaking his head as he rolled slightly on the couch, opening his arms. With a soft smile, you take up his offer and slide down the couch until you rested amongst his strong arms.

“You know I’m just tryna look out for you,” He sighed, holding you gently, but close.

“I know,”

The doorbell rang. “Oh, that’ll be Derek!” You pipe up, standing from the couch and running to the door. Sebastian tried to bite back his annoyed look as you throw open the door. He watches as Derek half-hugged you before walking inside, not bothering to wipe his shoes.

“Derek, you remember Sebastian?” You offer, following behind your boyfriend to the living room. As soon as his name was mentioned, the Romanian stood from the couch, tensing his muscles and thanking his tough workout regime for Marvel.

Derek was taken aback for a moment, clearly remembering Sebastian being a little smaller. Sebastian grinned as politely as he could without looking smug, pleased that he was being successful at intimidating him.

“Oh, yeah. The actor guy. When did you get jacked?” Derek asked, shaking Sebastian’s hand slowly.

“Recently for a film. I had to play a soldier so I can shoot a gun and everything,” He grinned, unnerving the man further. You laugh, thinking that your best friend was making a joke before shaking your head

“Alright, boys, let’s go!”

There was a party on that night, that you, of course, invited Sebastian along to last minute. He wasn’t up to much partying, especially when he didn’t know a lot of people, but you were going and super excited for it so he couldn’t turn you down.

Besides, you’d spent six months apart; he was more than willing to take any chance he could get to hang out with you.

The venue was a relatively big one, and for good measure. There were plenty of people. Not enough to chase him away, but enough to get him slightly nervous. And Derek would try and keep you as far away from Sebastian at all times, so he’d have to try and entertain himself as best he could.

He found himself watching you a lot from the bar. He slipped away a while ago, counting the seconds until you figured out he was gone. Which you did quite quickly, but Derek made quick work of distracting you, ignoring your questions and introducing you to his friends.

Sebastian watched closely as you were all but ignored from then on. You attempted conversation, trying to get along with Derek and his friends, but nothing seemed to be working. After a solid half hour, you finally found Sebastian standing near the bar.

You slipped away, smiling with your best friend as you sat at the bar next to him. “Great party,” Sebastian smirked sarcastically as you order yourself a cocktail. You give him a pointed, mocking look before receiving your drink.

“It was Derek’s idea. It’s his mate’s cousins something party,” You reply, not completely sure of the true host of the party. Just as you were starting a conversation, Derek appeared, dragging you onto the dance floor.

He gave Sebastian a warning look over your shoulder whenever you weren’t paying attention as he danced with you through about three songs before he got distracted with other females. And, just like that, you rejoined Sebastian, pretending to look tired, even though, you could dance for another several hours.

As you sat back in the barstool, rescuing your drink from your best friend, you look up to find Derek already trying to surround a few other girls. Your smile faded before taking a big sip of your drink. He did this often; way to often for you to count.

You don’t know why you didn’t just leave him. You knew Derek was an asshole, that he was a terrible boyfriend. But you just couldn’t leave him, you couldn’t find the confidence just to shut the door on him.

You looked to Sebastian, catching him when he least expected it. He was drinking his own beer, and glaring in the direction of Derek. He knew. He knew exactly how bad Derek treated you, and yet he never said anything. You shared almost everything; why stay silent?

“You don’t like Derek, don’t you?” You asked, catching him off-guard as he looked up at you.

“What? Why would you say that?” He laughed, playing off his previous scold.

“Seb. How long?”

“Since you met him,” Sebastian said after a sigh, placing his beer to the bar counter.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you were happy! Because you loved him. I couldn’t ruin that for you,” Sebastian sighed, looking away. There was more he wasn’t telling you, but you didn’t want to pry. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it.

“Do you want to dance?” You ask, smiling at him as you place your cocktail on the table. Sebastian looked up at you, cocking an eyebrow before smiling and nodding, taking your hand and leading you onto the dance floor.

You couldn’t help your laughter when Sebastian started pulling out all these horrible moves. He did them on purpose, trying to hear your laugh. It was among many things he missed about you while filming.

Someone pushed you from behind and you tipped, managing to collapse into Seb’s arms. You giggled as he held you, brushing hair out of your eyes before looking up at him.

A explosion of emotions rippled through you, shocking even yourself. All these repressed emotions, feelings you’d had for years but ignored came spiralling through you, unbalancing you. Sebastian wasn’t saying a damn thing, and yet your mind was filled with his voice.

Kiss me.

You couldn’t tell if he said that or if it was just your imagination, but you didn’t hesitate for a second. You ran your hands up his chest before dragging them through his hair, pulling him down slightly so you could meet his lips with yours.

Sebastian was shocked for a moment, surprised that he was kissing the absolute love of his life. But he leaned into it, seizing a gentle control as he pulled you tighter to him, drawing a moan from the back of your throat.

This was perfect. Everything about this was perfect. Your fingers in his hair, your lips against his, his arms securing you to his chest; it was everything he could have hoped for. He wanted to stay in that moment forever, to never leave this point in time.

But then reality came crashing down around him.

“What the fuck?” Derek’s crude voice snapped in over the top of the music and Sebastian could feel a clamping arm on his shoulder before he was thrown away from you. Derek wasn’t strong enough to pull him to the ground, only staggering him slightly.

“That’s my girl you’re kissing!” Derek growled angrily.

“I’m sure I’m allowed to, considering you’ll kiss any other girl in the state,” Sebastian retaliated.

“Derek, leave him alone, it was my fault,”

“You shut your whore mouth! I’m gonna teach this two-faced, communist, fuckwit a lesson,”

“Excuse me?” You scream at him, surprising both men and the few people around you. You’d never yelled at Derek before, or anyone for that matter.

“What did you call me?” Sebastian growled dangerously, but didn’t fight back when you took his hand, dragging him away from Derek.

“We’re leaving,” You announced but the horrible boyfriend attempted to stop you.

“You can’t just leave a party! You’re still my girlfriend, and you’ll do as I say,”

With a fearfully dangerous expression on your face, you picked up your cocktail and threw it at Derek, letting the alcohol and cordial splash against his face. “Consider that our breakup!”

With a humph, you storm past him, dragging a surprised and ecstatic Sebastian. “And for the record, you’re thinking Russian, not Romanian, prick!” He shouted over his shoulder before you left the venue all together.

You let out the frustrated growl once you’re outside before letting Sebastian go, expertly kicking a nearby pole so you didn’t hurt your foot.

“So stupid! How dare he treat you like that. We’ll never see him again, I’m changing the locks,” You threaten, still fuming. Sebastian turned to you, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

“You dumped Derek, because of me?”

“Are you kidding? No one insults my best friend and secret crush in front or behind my back,” You say, not realising just exactly what you said. Sebastian’s cheeks flushed but the smile only widened.

He stepped forwards while you were distracted and took your cheeks in his hands, pressing his lips up against yours. He couldn’t believe he was kissing you for a second time this night, but he wasn’t about to stop now.

“I don’t think you understand how long I’ve wanted to do that,”

“Then shut up and kiss me again,”

Don beamed as he opened the door to the gym, offering you in first. As soon as the smell of overused B.O buster, sweat and testosterone filled your nose, you couldn’t help the soft smile on your face.

It somehow soothed you, being around body builders and fitness trainers gave you a sense of security. Besides, even if you don’t know Don and how much of a cuddle bear he is, you wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.

Don grinned at the few regulars and you waved politely, not knowing really anyone. He mentioned he would be training a few people today and offered to bring you to the gym. You’d been working flat out at your job the last few weeks, so you were grateful for the chance to get away.

Don kept introducing you to people, names you knew you’d forget almost instantly. But you smiled politely, accepting the usual responses people had when they realised you and Don were siblings. Some people just couldn’t see it.

You had to admit, you’d inherited some ancient ancestor’s genes while Don looked like a better mixture of your parents, but you didn’t honestly mind. It said Saladino on your birth certificate and you weren’t going to argue with that.

“We’re gonna lift some weights, first,” Don spoke, surprising you as your mind had been adrift. You nodded your head, mumbling something about going to the treadmills. You weren’t a “lifts” kinda person, you were more running and cycling.

With headphones in your ears and your favourite playlist blaring, you walked up to one of the treadmills and sorted yourself out before starting with a walk, allowing yourself to stretch before you started a jog.

You controlled your breathing as Don had taught you years before as you kept upping the speed on the treadmill, until you were going at a fast-ish pace. You let the music influence your running as you sang the words in your head, getting slightly lost in both the exercise and the songs.

You looked up from your feet – you’d been trying to see if there was a hole in your sneakers without having to stop and take a look – when you saw you were being spied on from across the gym. After being caught, the guy blushed slightly and turned away, rubbing the back of his neck.

But you’d been caught off guard yourself, and you felt your pace go inconsistent. You stumbled a moment before grabbing either side of the console, using your upper body strength to lift you from the treadmill and place your feet either side of the moving tread.

Your heart beat was going at a million miles an hour when the guy slowly approached you, looking a little guilty. You jumped when you saw him appear before you, a hesitant smile on his face. You slowly lowered the earphones from your ears, giving him a very nervous smile.

“Uh, hey,” He grinned as you stepped down from the treadmill after turning it off, realising just how much taller he was. “Hi,” You squeaked. The guy seemed to sense your increasing anxiety and took a step back before clasping his hands behind his back, tilting his head with a soft smile.

“I didn’t mean to be watching you,” He smiled. He was broad shouldered but quite toned with a sharp jawline hidden by a forest of scruff. His hair wasn’t falling to his collar, but it was long enough to have to be swept behind his ears, which he had.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, either,” He added, almost as if it was necessary. “It’s okay,” You managed to mumble out, easing into the conversation a little. He was giving off a very relaxing aura and the smile you had on your face wasn’t forced.

“I’m Sebastian,” He said, offering his hand. You take it gently, feeling his slightly calloused fingers. You wondered briefly what his job was to get his hands like that. But butterflies swam in your stomach at the touch and you wanted his hand holding yours a little longer than a handshake.

“(Y/N),” You offered with another smile, trying to not look disappointed when he retracted his hand. You both stood there a little awkwardly, not too sure on how to continue the conversation without making it weird or creepy.

The way Sebastian was biting his lip, he looked like he was trying to find his words carefully.

“I-uh, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before,” You mumbled, trying to remember where you’d seen those cerulean eyes before. You definitely knew him, the forest of facial hair unable to hide his identity.

You could see the blush on his cheeks. Maybe he was a friend of Don’s? “Do you know Don Saladino?” You asked, going with your first guess. Sebastian paused for a moment. “Yeah, he’s, uh, he’s my, well, personal trainer,”

“How do you know him?” He retaliated, the twinkling in his eyes telling you he was being polite, not stalkerish. Now it was your turn to hesitate. “Oh, well, he’s… uh, he’s my older brother,” You mumble, scratching at a non-existent itch on your forearm.

Sebastian’s eyes widened for a moment before he narrowed, deep in thought and evaluating this new information. “(Y/N) Saladino,” He mumbled and it sent shivers up your spine, listening to him recite your name like an exotic painting.

“Oh, yeah,” He mumbled, eyes blowing wide again. “Yeah, I have heard of you. Don talks about you all the time,” He laughed and it was severely contagious, making yourself laugh too. “Uh oh,” You giggle, letting the smile rest on your face as you fiddled with your drink bottle.

“All good things,” Sebastian assured. You giggled again, making his smile brighten for a moment. “Are you looking for Don?” You asked. “Uh, yeah, I was, actually,” He nodded his head, eyes scanning the room again.

“He’s over by the weights, I can walk you, if you want?” You offer. Sebastian smiled and nodded his head, letting you lead the way to Don’s location. You smiled up at him, confidence beaming inside of you at making a brand-new friend, on your own, without much interference from your anxiety.

“Boo!” You cried, jumping on Seb’s back slightly and covering his eyes. Sebastian beamed, rising from the bench he was sitting at before shuffling you further onto his back, giving you a piggyback ride.

“Ah! No!” You squeal, lowering your hands from his eyes, only to clasp them around his neck loosely, so to not choke him but tight enough to hold on. “Don, help! Your gym is haunted!” Seb called dramatically, letting go of your legs long enough to flail his arms about.

Don laughed, along with his other clients that day as Seb shuffled about the gym, you squealing and squeaking at him to put you back down. “You’re both not five! Come on, Seb, just a few more reps to go,” Don encouraged.

Seb laughed as he gently placed you to the ground, sure that you weren’t going to fall over before stepping out of your grasp. You felt your skin tingle and get cold as he separated from you but the smile he gave you banished everything else.

You were crushing on the actor for the few months you’d known him, hard. It wasn’t like you intended it to happen. How could anyone resist his charming smiles, love of pizza and hilarious humour? He was also pretty amazing to look at, don’t deny it.

But the trouble was, he had never shown any sort of romantic interest in you.

Never once had you spotted him staring at you from the corner of his eye, or offer a compliment without some cheesy comment on the side. Your texting included memes, movie updates and the occasional late night philosophical pondering.

You loved every minute of it. Sebastian was the greatest best friend anyone could have hoped for. He supported you and was completely in tune with your anxiety, knowing what to do and when. It was like he had a (Y/N) Stress Radar and the perfect countermeasures.

But, even after all that, you couldn’t help but want more. More time with him, alone. More dates that were actual dates. More lingering glances. More accidental touches. More tight hugs where you hold on for more than necessary. Just, more.

And while you were a little stress balls of anxiety and rainbows, you knew when you weren’t seen that way. So you stuck to grinning and baring it, keeping up the best friend façade until another guy came along and swept you off your feet. This guy needed to get here fast.

“I watched Red Doors the other day,” You smiled as you sat cross legged on the floor next to the bench, watching as Seb lifted the weights with a tight groan and a mixture of exhausted strength on his face.

“Yeah? What did ya think?” He asked, the sentence coming out between huffs as he did he reps Don asked him to do, the action clearly straining him a little bit. “A little odd, but quite enjoyable. You had, like, two lines of dialogue.”

You laugh, slowly joined by Seb who lowered his weights, his chest rising and falling with pants. You watched the sweat stick his hair to his forehead and you had to restrain yourself from pushing his gorgeous locks aside.

Since meeting you, Seb had begun to keep his beard in better condition, usually shaving before he was to meet you. You honestly didn’t mind; bearded or clean-shaven Sebastian looked heavenly. But he had to anyway, for his role in an upcoming movie Logan Lucky.

“How’s the new movie coming?” You ask, rising with him as he moved over to his duffle bag, pulling out his water bottle and towel. “All finished. From what I hear, new movie looks great. Just building up for Infinity War now.”

You squealed, having been a massive fan of the Marvel universe. That was, coincidently, how you originally knew Sebastian. You recognised him as Bucky Barnes, Steve Roger’s best mate. “Ah, I can’t wait for Infinity War! Have you seen the script?”

“Even if I did, cățeluș, I wouldn’t be able to tell you,” You pouted, before his Romanian nickname for you rolled around your head. Puppy. He liked to call you a puppy, but that was Seb. As weird as a pumpkin carving on Christmas.

“Teaser,” You stuck your tongue out at him and he laughed before shaking his head, threatening to dump his water bottle all over you. You yielded, with a promise of revenge. With an ‘aw’, Sebastian stood and walked over to you, pulling you into a headlock.

“Looks who’s acting like the baby sister,” he teased, ruffling your hair a little. With a squeal, you tackled his sides with your fingers, tickling him until he released you. With a booming laugh, Seb backed away as best he could.

As he backed off, he failed to realise that there was a bench behind him. The obstruction knocked his knees, sending him flying with wide eyes over it and landed with a thump on the ground on the other side. With an airy gasp, you race around the bench with worry in your eyes.

You rested on your knees on the floor beside him as he groaned, a hand going under his back. “Are you okay?” You asked, the scene replaying in your head and you bit your lip from laughing. Seb could really be hurt, so it was safer to see if he was okay before laughing.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Seb smiled, his own laughter filled the room before yours joined. You smiled down at him once the laughter died down and admired him. You admired the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled and the light twinkle of blue in his eyes.

And then you realised, he was admiring you, too.

His tongue darted out from his mouth and ran across his bottom lip before trapping it between his teeth, eyes running over your smiling features. It was like a window opened, and you gained this whole new perspective on the way Seb watched you, the way he viewed you.

But, in a flash, the window closed and Sebastian turned his head away, blinking his eyes as if to rid himself of a trance or spell. He lifted himself from the ground, making you wonder if what you saw really was him admiring you.

Seb stuck his hand out towards you, silently offering you a helping hand. You took it, smiling slightly as you let him help you to your feet. He went to retract his hand but I couldn’t help but hold onto it a few moments longer, making him look back down at you.

You moved your eyes elsewhere as you let his hand go, almost ashamed of yourself for letting a piece of your true feelings shine for just a second. Seb was watching you carefully, his features knotted with concern and worry. He went to say something, but Don called him over.

Four pushups seemed to be enough for a few months, you agreed, as you laid motionless on the mat, breath evening out. You had music playing through your headphones as your eyes lazily watched the ceiling.

As soon as Seb was called away, you moved over to a more secluded section of the gym, a nagging feeling of wanting to be alone in the back of your mind. You’d been tempted for some time now to pull out some tape and have a go at the punching bags.

But the music and stillness had won.

So, there you lay, eyes unfocused as you paid more attention to the music than you did to your surroundings. Until a voice cut through them music, calling your name. You furrowed your eyebrows, not remembering your name appearing in the song.

Sebastian called again, and you realised he wasn’t exactly the artist. You turn your head, spotting his shadow and shoes approaching you before you sat up on the mat. “Over here,” You offer, slowly pulling the earphones out, cutting off the music.

Seb rounded the corner, his hair slightly tousled and his eyes desperately searching for something; until they landed on you. “(Y/N),” He smiled, his lips wanting to beam but he appeared to go against the action.

You knitted your eyebrows, confused on what was making him act so strange. You rose, about to ask him what was going on as he approached you, feet set on their destination. “Seb, what’s wro--”

You were immediately surprised by his lips against yours, hands holding you face gently in place. You couldn’t help but melt against his touch, raising your hands to hold onto his as he gently pulled away. You didn’t want him to, you wanted him to stay.

“I don’t think you realise how long I’ve wanted to do that,” He grinned, minty breath fanning across your cheeks. Your own flushed a deep red as his hands ran down your arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake before they held your waist, hold him close to you.

You pressed your hands against his chest, feeling his strong muscles beneath his shirt. “You… wait, d-do you, uh, l-like me?” You asked, unable to stop stuttering after being winded slightly by his breathtakingly soft lips and even gentler kiss.

“Since the first second I saw you.” He grinned, voice slightly low as he watched you. “B-But… why didn’t you ever… you never…” You kept losing your words, unable to believe he was confessing, that he was holding you in his arms.

“Honestly, your brother scared me a little,” he said, his own blush tinting his cheeks. You couldn’t help your laugh, leaning into him a little as you felt your worries begin to pass. You forgot how others can perceive Don as intimidating.

But that didn’t matter. Sebastian liked you back. All your stresses about not being his type, or not being able to jump that hurdle from friendship to relationship just flew away.

“I know I’ve been a bit of twit, but would you consider going on a date with me? To the movies maybe, or a nice dinner?” Sebastian offered, his blush deepening. You smiled moving your arms up his chest to loop around his neck. “Sounds amazing, I’d love to,”

Sebastian grinned before bending down a little, wrapping you up and a beautiful, breathtaking kiss that made all the silent suffering, all the sneaky glances and 2am worries just melt away. “Did Don say he was cool with it?” You wondered for a moment. “Why’d you think he called me away?”

There were three places in the world that you felt the safest.

In your room, under the covers at night, looking up constellations and the like.

The gym, surrounded by body builders and trainers.

It had been a constant year of filming for Captain America: Civil War and finally everything was done. All the interviews, all the cast meet-ups, all the Cons and live signings, all of it. It was all finished. And after months of debate, you had managed to convince Sebastian to take a week with you to the homeland.

You and Sebastian have been dating for almost two years now. And while most of that time was spent filming, considering the pair of you were actors, you had yet to take the Romanian down to outback country.

After so long, that dream had finally become a success.

And to say you were excited was an understatement.

You couldn’t wait to show Sebastian your old street you grew up in, and the University you attended. You were excited to be on a property with him, sleeping in a bungalow you hadn’t used since you start Uni.

You wanted to give him the full experience of Australia. That meant visiting Melbourne and eating parmas from the local pub. Watching a few movies in the local cinema, but only paying for one. Surfing in the waves, eating ice cream and chips on the beach. Everything.

And eventually, you got Sebastian excited too.

He attempted to do his research. He looked up as many things about Australian stereotypes as he could, occasionally running a few of the more absurd ones by you. You’d laugh at most of them, having already been aware of their existence.

You’d kept silent about some of the things he could only experience by actually attending Australia. Like shortening words and eating vegemite on toast. And when he tried to ask about it, you’d just giggle with a shake of your head, refusing to say.

So, like you, he was ecstatic when you both climbed off the plane.

He was amazed by the not-so-stereotypical accents of some of the locals and workers in the airport. He would stare at the airport as if it was significantly different to every other airport he’d ever seen.

But you couldn’t take your eyes off him, not while he looked like a kid at Christmas.

He loved all the Australian merchandise, the stuffed roos and dot painted boomerangs. You almost regretted explaining to him that boomerangs aren’t actually designed to return to the owner, much like most people believe.

After collecting your bags, you and Seb walk hand in hand to the pickup bays, where you expected to find either your Mum or Dad. You didn’t expect to see the old Toyota bomb sitting, restored, in one of the parking spaces.

Both your parents greeted you with a smile and a hug, before they did the same ritual to Seb. He had met your parents during the first year of dating. It had taken him a while, but he finally managed to relax around them, finding common ground.

You were excited to be driving the yellow Toyota. You dad had been working on it for a few years now, being that it wasn’t a priority on his list of things to do.

With your glee, you drove Sebastian out to the rolling hills and big properties of Pakenham, referring to it mainly as ‘Paky’. He was extremely nervous that you had been ‘driving on the wrong side of the road’, but it came easily to you, like riding a bike.

You pointed the old suburb you used to live in and a few fun facts about Australia as you drove, listening to the radio and eating supplied chips.

Sebastian asked constant questions, some of which you weren’t too sure on the answer. You were happy he was taking such a strong interest in your home country, and you soon couldn’t wait for the day he takes you to Romania, as was another item on your bucket list.

Parking outside the bungalow about ten metres from the main house on your parent’s property, you shouldered your way into the old place, realising that your mum had cleaned her way through the place.

You sorted out your bags and organised sleeping arrangements before noticing you’ll have to food shopping sometime soon. Your mum had only stocked up on the necessities in the kitchen and bathroom.

But you already had dinner plans.

With a quick tour of the property and a small sit down with your parents to say hello, you and Sebastian were eventually on the road again. You drove to the nearest lively pub in Paky, thankful that the AFL weren’t on that night.

In fact, the pub wasn’t too busy for it being close to the usual dinner time. After sitting down and taking one look at the menu, you were ready to order. Sebastian took a little longer to decide before handing his own menu back.

After ordering a parma with chips, Sebastian looked like he had a change of heart, and asked for two of them. You grinned as you ordered your drinks as well, chinking them across the table before smiling and settling into a pleasant conversation.

“So, what slang do I have to look out for?” Sebastian asked sometime during your meal. You look up at him, pausing for a moment to swallow your mouthful.

“Uh, well, G’day is the main one. Fair dinkum, bloody oath; we use fuck and fucking a lot in our sentences as well,” You laugh, slowly joined in by your boyfriend.

“Autumn instead of fall. Crocs, roos, thongs, stubbie, dunny, though, that last one isn’t used as often now. Arvo, barbie, bathers, bloke, mate, we also end most words with -o, shortening them,”

“Thongs?” You laugh, realising they use the word thong differently in America.

“Flip flops, not g-strings,”

“Arvo?”

“Afternoon,”

“Barbie?”

“BBQ,”

“What was the thing after stubbie?”

“Dunny?”

“Yeah, that,”

“Bathroom, usually one outside.”

Seb couldn’t help his laughter at the new words and phrases he was learning, shaking his head. You were more than happy to teach him, considering you’d grown up around the slang.

“How would you shorten my name?”

“Sebbo,” You laughed and he did too, earning the attention of the waitress near the bar.

“I’ve heard ‘fair dinkum’ before,”

“Means that something is true or genuine,”

“Ah, right,” You both fell into silence again, finishing off the last of your meal before ordering another round of drinks.

“What’s the phrase for when you’re in the middle of somewhere?”

“Timbuktoo?”

“No, there was an Australian version,”

“Oh, Woop Woop,” You laugh.

“You shorten McDonald’s, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Maccas,” You hum, nodding your head.

“Walkabout is one of my favourites, one I use often,”

“What’s that one?”

“Means somethings gone missing. Kinda like, ‘my phone’s gone walkabout’,” You both laugh again.

“I’ll probably start using ‘mate’ again, as well as swearing a little more,”

“Well, I welcome it,” Sebastian smiled softly, tilting his head slightly. You smile back up at him before having to remind yourself that you were in Paky, having just finished eating a pub meal with him in an Australian pub.