Even now that you work and have enough books at home to basically open your own library, you still can't part from your little paradise. Everyone knows you here and a few months ago the owners of the library even adopted a cat that seemed to really like you. So chances of moving on from here had definitely been ruined.

You loved reading all kinds of story based books, but spending so much time here made you curious, so you also picked up a few skill based ones. you had read a few gardening and science books but the ones you would actually start applying were the books that had to-do with art. Autobiographies of different artists and painters, different studies and research on colour and brushes. You became almost a bit obsessed at some point. So you started sketching and drawing things around you based on the knowledge you'd gathered from your extensive research. you would draw people around the library after work or before meeting friends in the nearby café. You'd never claim to be an artist but you were proud of your drawings nonetheless. for the past few weeks you had started to draw one very specific person. You saw them for the first time a bit over a month ago…

It was a rainy day and you'd just finished lunch with a friend. You said goodbye and you decided to head to the library to continue on with your sketches of the cute ginger kitten. After saying hello to the owners and giving the kitten a treat, you made your way to your usual corner in the back. Since the library wasn't very big you had a good view of the entrance and a few tables. you'd been sitting and drawing for about ten minutes when you noticed the kitten smelling your coat pocket in search of more treats. You smiled down at her 'hiiii kitty!' you picked her up and placed her on your little round table. 'you want another treat huh?' She looked back with big shiny eyes 'alright alright...there you go'. She happily chewed on the fish-shaped cookie while you continued drawing her. 

The familiar noise of the door opening caught your attention....a man came in, he was wearing a brown flat-cap which was obscuring your vision of his face. He reached to take it off with a gloved hand and pushed his black curls back to reveal the face, of what you could only describe, a Greek god. He had strong and angular features, a sharp jawline and a beautiful slightly crooked nose which you felt the need to trace over with your finger. He had crows feet decorating his eyes, you'd assume he had them from laughing but seeing his resting facial expression, smiling almost seemed to be a foreign task to him. He brushed the remaining rain off his shoulders and made his way to the history section. When he disappeared behind a shelf you were brought back from your trance and took the first breath in what seemed like minutes. 

You wondered what he would be looking for in the history section of this old library. You were in London, a place with alot of people, then again this library was old and in a secluded part of town so it was usually the same people walking in and out. You would definitely remember his face if you had seen it before. Whatever it was that he was looking for he had apparently found since he was making his way to the register with a thick leather bound book in his glove covered hand. You had a bit of a thing for hands and you knew you'd be sketching hands for the next few hours because of this stranger. He hastily left the library and was gone as fast and suddenly as he appeared. After that day you couldn't stop drawing that pretty stranger, you'd given him multiple names during this time. His name had been Jack, Edward, Steve, Malcom and many more. you'd started just drawing his gloved hands and his forearms but quickly you would switch to drawing his intense gaze and soft curls. The amount of times you fantasised about running your fingers through them and tugging slightly had you embarrassed. It had been weeks since you'd seen him and you wouldn't stop imagining him in your apartment just sitting next to you, sometimes you would also imagine him a bit closer and wearing a little less clothing…

A month had passed since you'd seen him and you finally managed to stop drawing him and went back to drawing people around the library. Though you still looked up when the door opened and a new customer came in hoping for your handsome stranger to come in and maybe stay a little this time so you could find out more about him and his movements, for drawing references of course...nothing else. It seemed the universe wanted to help you out, because the next time the bell chimed and a customer walked in, the familiar brown flat-cap wearing stranger entered. This time it was warm and sunny outside so he wasn't wearing any gloves and wore a white fitted polo. His muscles were visibly moving underneath the fabric of his sleeves when he reached up to take off his hat and ruffle through his hair with the same intention as last time. He was also holding the same thick leather bound book from his last visit to the library.

 According to the owners he couldn't buy that one since it was rare literature, so he got to borrow it for a month...you knew this because you may have asked about him and his purchase after he left. This was also when you found out that the book he borrowed was about an Egyptian god. During your time in this library you have read books on Egyptian history and it did peak your interest. All this time you’d never even noticed that book before? Recently, you’d been spending a lot more time studying in that part of the library, so overseeing such a unique looking book was very strange of you.

You see him talking to the owners, it was quiet enough to make out parts of the conversation. It was 10am on a Tuesday so you were pretty much the only customer here. He had a pretty strong Latin accent and you were pretty sure he was from mexico. part of your family is from south America so you grew up learning Spanish and you remember hearing them speak English with that exact same accent. 

He was thanking them for the book and asking if he could take a look around the library again. The owners kindly told him to go ahead and that he didn't even need to ask. He briefly nodded his head mumbling a quick 'gracias' and went over to the history section. You watched intently and spontaneously decided to head in the same direction. You felt a bit creepy lurking on this man but you were sure you wouldn't get caught since you were rarely a very visible person. it's not that you didn't have a strong presence but you know how to blend in really well and when to use that to your advantage. You hid behind the shelf of the history section facing his profile. He really was a pretty man, his eyes were squinting and his bold eyebrows furrowed. There was a stray curl hanging over them and you badly wanted to brush it back and feel his thick hair between your fingers...you couldn't of course, since you were too preoccupied drawing him at the moment. The window was creating beautiful shadows beneath his hooded eyes and high cheekbones. His jaw looked sharper than ever and his neck extremely kissable. His lips needed an honourable mention, they were like two squishy pillows that were begging to be bitten. You've been paying special interest to them and trying to get the details just right, so you didn't notice that he had moved from his previous spot. 

You couldn't see him anywhere and were actually kind of disappointed to think he probably left. you were about to turn around and go back to your discarded belongings when you accidentally bumped into someone while moving backwards. 'ohssshit! i- i am so so sorry um- i didn't mean to wal-'

you had managed to pick up your pencil, sketchbook, and hopefully all of the scattered pages- when you finally looked up just to be faced with the god-like looking man you had been fawning over for a month now. he was practically towering over you and… was that a smirk? If you weren't already kneeling on the floor right now you would've probably lost your balance. 'hola~ I don't mind this view but do you need help standing up, muñeca?' This is when you realised that you were on your knees in front of the most attractive man you have ever seen and you quickly scrambled to your feet 'nono um thank you-' 

'Jake, my name's Jake' he stuck out his hand and you introduced yourself after thanking him again. So his name was jake...huh pretty basic for a man like him. You were kind of joking when you temporarily gave him very basic names but you guess his parents weren't much more creative than you are. 

You realised you were staring when he raised his left eyebrow and started grinning.

 'So...why were you spying on me?' He asked cockily and it had you word-vomiting all over the place 'what? i wasn't-? I-I was just…drawing-?' pretty hard to sound convincing when finishing every statement with a question mark... 'yeah I know-' he looked you up and down and coming a bit closer 'I saw you get lost in your notebook and I just had to come see what you are drawing that garnered all of your precious attention, hermosa' 

The nicknames were really starting to get to you, making you feel all sweaty and nervous. you were clenching the book to your chest accidentally pushing up your breasts and making your cleavage much more noticeable. you saw him glancing down, taking his time in bringing his eyes back up your neck and finally to your face. This entire time you were basically pressed into his chest, you were leaning on the shelf and he didn't seem like he wanted to move anytime soon 'h-how long were you looking over my shoulder exactly?'

 'Long enough to see what had you so...como se dice...transfixed' Your breath hitched and he answered with a toothy grin. 

'I am flattered, preciosa. I really am, didn't think someone as pretty as you would follow me around the library just to draw my hands and ass' 

You push him back- 'I did NOT draw your ass! I-' You were interrupted by his chuckle and him moving closer again and grabbing your chin between his fingers and caging you in with his other arm. 'I know muñeca , I just like seeing you flustered...toda nerviosilla...it's cute.' At this point you’ve decided it's best if you just don't speak. '...maybe next time you can draw me shirtless? I would love to see you solely focused on my abs for half an hour.' He flashes you a toothy grin. Oh he’s getting too cocky…somehow you manage to move away from the bookshelf, momentarily getting even closer to him. After seeing his eyes flicker with surprise you move to the side, backing away from him. Turn around finally being able to take a breath of normal air that wasn't deliciously tinted with his aftershave. 

'Sure, next time you can waltz into the library without a shirt on and we will see how far you get before being kicked out' you say while looking over your shoulder. 

 'Seeing your reaction would be worth it, nena' he called after you, not even registering your feet carrying you back to your corner. you took a deep breath replaying what just happened. He should not have this effect on you, it's almost embarrassing how easily he got so close to you. You are a grown woman, damnit! How did you not shove him away and get mad at his advances? You should be creeped out but you notice how you’re wishing to bump into him again soon...you hear the doorbell ring and see him walk out. He takes one look back and holds up a piece of paper. ‘Oh fuck me’ you feel your feet glued to the floor when you see what it is…its a drawing you made of him. It was a closeup of his torso upwards. You had drawn him from above and he was laying in your bed with heavy lidded eyes and parted lips. you were absolutely mortified- he was grinning like an idiot and winked at you before storing the drawing in his back pocket, crossing the street and vanishing from your eye-line. leaving you in the library, plagued by his stupid masculine scent and his dumb pretty face.

a/n: I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I've got a few already locked and loaded sooo the next one should be posted soon. Pls like and reblog if you liked it<3 it would mean the world!

‘He's here’ you mutter to yourself, running to the door making sure it's him and pushing the button to the intercom. ‘Yes, hello?’

The sweet voice rips him from his worry that he might’ve rang the wrong door despite checking the name and address for the millionth time. ‘..hello?’ you repeat unsurely into the intercom. ‘YES- uh i- yes hello, it’s Steven?’ he almost slaps himself mentally at his awkwardness but doesn't, when he hears your lively giggle easing him out of self-doubt. You buzz him in and he quickly pushes the door open. Making his way into the older looking building and going in the elevator. You quickly check your reflection in the hall mirror and apply the last layer of your favourite lipgloss when you hear the elevator doors creak open at the end of the hall. ‘You can do this- just be yourself!’ your reflection cringes at the self-pep-talk and you turn away from the mirror finally opening the door. You peek your head out the door and see Steven cautiously walking down the hall looking at all the nametags on the Apartments, before finally spotting you waiting at your entrance. He hurries towards you, you smile warmly at him and he returns the gesture with a flushed boyish grin. You stand in front of each other and you decide to break the silence ‘are these for me?’ you point to the flowers in his right hand. They were beautiful white flowers with red edges. ‘Yes, I- they’re carnations. I hope you like them’ he makes swift eye contact and rests his eyes back on the flowers, almost making you melt at his shy smile. ‘I love them, thank you Steven. Come in! I’ll quickly put them in a Vase before we leave.’ you step back into your apartment and wait for him to come in to close the door behind him.

He steps in and is immediately enveloped in your sweet scent. The Lighting is a warm yellow-y tone, the apartment is definitely not modern and looked rather old, but your personal furniture and decor gave it a youthful and warm ambience. All of it was very you. He loved it. ‘Did you have a hard time finding the apartment? I remember how I used to get lost easily in the first few weeks after I'd moved here.’ you ask him while picking out a vase from the cupboard. ‘Oh no, it was fairly easy to find- I think I've actually passed through here a few times before.’ he says pensively, still standing by the door not really knowing where to move. ‘I really like your home’ Steven says while looking around your open-plan apartment. He could even catch a glance of your bedroom from here, he wondered what it looked like in there…if he would ever get to see it personally…before he can fall down that rabbit hole he hears you answer. ‘Oh, um- thanks’ he catches you smiling and notices how you bite the inside of your bottom lip. He tries to not get caught up in the way you look while flustered like this- it was definitely doing something to him…he just wasn't sure what exactly, or rather he didn’t want to think about it too hard right now. Maybe later when he was back home…’So! Is the restaurant within walking distance or do we have to take the bus? Cuz if we have to take the bus I'll bring my bus-card.’ Steven blankly stares at you with a shocked expression ‘oh bugger, i totally forgot to tell you’ he mutters and avoids eye-contact but continues ‘all the restaurants are closed tonight-’ ‘oh-’ he sees your face fall but continues ‘yeah, I-i noticed a few hours ago and totally forgot to mention it to you since I was so busy buying and preparing the dinner, I am so sorry love- I- i understand if you don’t feel comfortable with going to my place-’ Stevens rambling is interrupted by your hands grasping his left hand, which had been resting on the countertop. Steven just stares at his hand enveloped in yours ‘you cooked for me?’ He snaps his head up and sees your soft smile and warm eyes. He can almost feel his knees give out at the sight in front of him, just now noticing what you're wearing and how beautiful you look in that too-big sweater. ‘Well…yes. Admittedly it might not be amazing but i-’ ‘I’m sure it's great steven, I can't wait to try it.’ you let go of his hand and he watches you grab your long coat and bag. You both head out the door and make your way out the building, on the way down he notices how his hand had somehow ended up back in yours, he feels his brain going fuzzy at the feeling of your hand enveloping his.

Your POV

Okay well yes, going to a guys place on the first date was something you wouldn't do on a usual date. But this isn't a usual date, is it? This is Steven, and well; Marc and Jake…can't really compare this to a regular dinner with some stranger. In the elevator you catch him looking at you from the corner of your eye. He notices you looking and turns a pretty shade of red, immediately moving his glance back towards the door. You have to bite back a giggle and make a move to take his hand back in yours. as soon as your fingers touch you feel your fingers tingle again. Just like when you were in the kitchen you get this tingling sensation and feel his heartbeat in your palm. As if you were holding his heart in your hand. As cheesy as it sounds, it's almost like you’ve felt this in another lifetime or like this has happened before…

You opt to walk to his place and stroll along the busy London street and talk about casual things like his work in the museum. Apparently he just got a job as a tour-guide in the museum of history and did tours of the different exhibits. His favourite being the Egyptian one. He seems fascinated by your interest in Egyptology and immediately basks in your attention, explaining tons of things to you and almost exploding with energy anytime you ask a question. Answering with “that's such an interesting question-“ or “many historians have speculated and cant seem to agree but I think-“. You can’t help but be almost entranced by his huge urge to teach you about something he clearly loves so much. You have hyper-fixations of your own so you feel very lucky that he's comfortable enough to indulge in his, so freely.  

He slows you both down and steers you towards an old looking apartment building in an okay part of town. It's very central but has the older charm just like your place. you let go of his hand and watch him fumble with his keys. He seems distracted and you hear him mumbling something. You assume he’s talking to Marc and don't feel like it’s your place to butt into their quick exchange. You head in and he closes the door behind you walking you toward the elevator. ‘My favourite god? Oh well that's a hard one-’ ‘Steven, you haven't asked her shit about her interests, shut up for a minute and let her talk!’ ‘bollocks, you’re right- so um, ‘nough about me…you like drawing, eh?’

flustered at the sudden switch of topic you answer quickly ‘yes- I-I love drawing, have loved to draw all my life basically’ ‘oh so you’re a proper artist then! I’d love to see some of your work’ Steven smiles eyes shining with interest ‘well- you’ve seen some before…remember?’ you say and giggle when you notice Stevens face change from fascinated and sweet to shock and somehow…blushing fear? His mouth agape, while staring into your eyes ‘how could I forget’ standing very close once again, you'd moved really close during the too-long elevator ride. Standing toe to toe, staring longingly into eachothers eyes. Marc is pretty sure Steven has never kept eye-contact for this long consecutively. 

But the spell breaks when the old elevator doors creak open and a dim ‘ding’ is emitted from the lift speaker. Steven clears his throat, the first to break the tension and turns away from you walking ahead to his apartment. You manage to unstick your feet from the floor and follow him.

You walk towards a deep navy blue door with the number 502 on it in gold metal letters. Even just the door looks homey and perfectly favours Stevens characteristics. The dark blue representing his shy nature but abundance in knowledge and love to give, the latter you haven't experienced first hand but you’ve felt it each time you touched him and held his hands.

The gold letters shining like his intense passionate nature, the one he exhibited when he told you all about egypt and the ennead. You may have known a lot of what he told you already, but it was so much nicer to hear it in his voice than it was to read it in those dusty forgotten books in the library. 

‘Here we are, welcome to my humble abode’ Steven chuckles and opens the door for you. You return his remark with a roll of your eyes accompanied by a stifled giggle and walk in. If the door of the apartment already told you so much about him, his flat was as if you’d held up a mirror in front of his mind.

It looked exactly like what you’d expect- except for the tidiness…with the little information you’ve gathered on Steven, he certainly didn't seem like a very organised guy. Even just the way he holds a conversation can be all over the place (which admittedly you kinda love), you just assumed his place would reflect that. You leave that thought and look over to Steven, only to realise he’d finished taking the dish out of the oven and had been watching you. He looks back down at the dish quickly,

‘I- well we made a lasagna, well two actually- one vegan and one with meat. Realised I never asked ya which you prefer so we made both’ he says while taking out the meat lasagna out of the oven and placing it on the wooden counter. You can't believe he made two lasagnas instead of just calling and asking. He doesnt stop being adorable and that makes you crave his closeness even more. Once again your mind is reeling with the question you keep asking yourself…”why do i feel so connected to him…” Jake you understand…then again, even he had you in a trance much too quickly. You aren't one to fall in love or even find many non-ficitonal people attractive and captivating. Recognising their beauty, yes. You are an artist so of course you can appreciate someone's beauty, but getting up to follow someone through the library, that was definitely a one-time thing you did only with Jake. He- well they had like a pulling energy around them that felt like it was tugging you closer to them.

You realise that you might’ve been staring at Steven for a bit too long since he started shifting and fidgeting uncomfortably. His face, a deep shade of red. ‘I-is there something wrong?- d’do you not like lasagna? I-I could ask Marc to whip up something el-’ Steven is already cursing himself out mentally for not asking you what you like to eat when he feels your hand around his arm. You tug him closer and pull him into a hug, squeezing him close as if he were to disappear in the next few seconds. You thread your fingers into his curls and tug him even closer. Hearing his breath hitch you feel him melt into your touch and nuzzle his nose into the crook of your neck, calming down by your touch once again. You feel his heartbeat but this time it resonates through your entire body, your hearts beating in unison.

He takes a deep breath and you blush at his content sighing. You hear him mumble something into your shoulder. ‘Hmm?’ ‘So the lasagna is okay then?’ you laugh and keep petting his head softly ‘I love lasagna’ you both pull back and you look into his eyes teasingly ‘and I'd love to try both of em’ you part from your hug completely and shoot him a wink. He blushes and he continues setting everything up while you take a stroll through his open-plan flat. 

You hear clanking in the kitchen and low mumbling, you’re sure Marc and Steven are discussing the previous moment. You give them their space and blend out the noise while looking through the impressive book collection. You assume it’s Stevens with all the egyptology and history titles, you find a few Greek mythology books that you’ve also read yourself before, you love to take a dive into that world regularly and can’t wait to discuss it with Steven. Just at the thought of him, you can feel his heartbeat against your ribcage again, it feels so calming and almost entrancing.

You continue walking along the bookshelf, when you walk past a large fish-tank. It was pretty much situated in the middle of the open flat. In it were two goldfish swimming calmly, merely floating peacefully in the water. In the reflection of the glass you could see Steven zooming from one side to the other gathering the last few things to complete the dinner “presentation”. A fond smile graces your lips when you notice the postcards and quotes around the tank. Some were handwritten post-it notes with french phrases written on them. You move on and keep wandering through the apartment.

You are brought back from your thoughts, when you step into…sand? You notice a ring of sand around Stevens bed, this reminds you once again of the fact that no one knows of your location or these boys. You are in the midst of contemplating a text to your friends when you hear Steven shout- ‘Love, dinner is ready!’ You quickly put your phone back into your bag. You shuffle towards the living room table and try not to fold over at the domestic image before you. Steven is wearing a cute white apron with red strawberries printed on it. In one hand he is holding a bottle of wine, you bite back a smile when you notice he is trying to open the bottle and is visibly struggling.

It’s probably because he forgot to take off the right oven-mitt and the corkscrew keeps slipping out between the fabric. You make your way over to him and envelope his mitt-covered hand with yours slipping the corkscrew out of his limp hand easily. After opening the bottle you sniff at it, checking for the scent and humming at the familiar smell of red wine. ‘Next time, maybe try it without the oven-mitts’ you say with a teasing lilt in your voice and look up at him.

You’d taken off your shoes when you had entered the flat, leaving you in only your wool socks. You have to slightly look up at him only to see him…gazing. He looks at you with a content and loving expression, his eyes shiny and his cheeks flushed. He is breathing steadily and you can feel the warmth radiating off of him and you want to reach out again and smother him in affection that is definitely too early to be giving at this point of your relationship.

You’d moved between him and the table, leaving you wedged in between. You feel yourself getting lost in his eyes, the never ending deep essence in them seemingly carrying so much weight. The eyes, surrounded by tired and reddened skin, made him look that much more vulnerable, making your heart flutter even further for him. You break your eye-contact when you look down at the bottle, and move to hold it up to Steven. ‘Will you do the honours?’ you say with a cheeky smile. ‘Oh, it would be my absolute pleasure darling.’ he says while taking the bottle out of your hand, lingering more than necessary, making the tingle in your fingertips return once again. You keep watching him as he fills up both of your glasses.

‘Alright, I think everything is ready. Take a seat.’ Steven takes off the apron, gestures at the chair in front of him and pulls it out for you, motioning at you to take a seat. You hate how much the gentleman spiel is working on you, but there is a reason why it was established so long ago isn’t there. People doing things specifically to make your life easier, to protect and to impress you has got to be one of the hottest things anyone could ever do. You give in and take a seat on the comfy wooden chair and place the napkin on your lap, watching Steven as he makes his way around the table to take a seat himself. It's a small round table, it has a white table-cloth on it and two candles on a little plate placed at the centre of it. You even hear faint music playing in the back, they had clearly put effort into impressing you and it made your heart almost beat out of your chest.

‘Thank you both so much for cooking, I’m so excited to try this.’ you offer them a thankful smile and Steven returns it with a quick blush and nervous gaze. You look down at your portion of lasagna, Steven had served you half a piece of each dish so you could try them both simultaneously. You pick up your fork and dig in and it's- delicious ‘mhh this is so good omg’ you all but moan at the flavours collecting and mingling in your mouth. You look up when you don't hear any response or even soft acknowledgement toward your statement. You see Steven sitting there in front of his barely eaten vegan lasagna, staring nervously onto the plate. ‘Steven?’

Before Marc can stop it, he is teleported into fronting. It's been a long time since he was so quickly shoved into control and can’t help but feel bad for Steven for being stuck in the back in such an anticipated moment. Before he can even try and apologise to him he makes note of his surroundings realising quickly what the trigger must’ve been. Steven had taken but one bite of the vegan lasagna and had probably remembered the taste of the lasagna their dad made Marc for his birthday…the one before…before Marc can think any further about his troubling childhood memories, he hears you. ‘Steven?’ you say cautiously. shit - this is so awkward, he has to save himself and he tries to do it in the only way that comes to mind; pretending to be Steven. ‘I-i am olroight luv-oll good’ he puts on an uncomfortable grin and is admittedly kind of impressed with himself. He had previously pretended to be Steven when he used to work in the gift-shop. No-one used to talk to him there though so he just had to continue working to save face. He continues eating and pretends to take a sip of wine, trying to behave and move like Steven does.

You’re a bit confused… Just moments before, Steven seemed really happy and comfortable, now he kinda looked all stiff and was acting really strange. You wonder if they might’ve switched again because he seemed so abruptly different, or maybe one of the other guys had said something to make him nervous. Trying to take his mind off it, you distract him with friendly and curious conversation. ‘So Steven, what made you choose the lasagna as the perfect dish for tonight?’ you ask genuinely curious, already almost finished with your plate. ‘It’s an old famly recepey- o-our dad um I mean father used to make it..’ too focused on the switch of emotion in his eyes, you forget to keep looking for anything that might lead to an explanation to his strange behaviour. He looked kind of sentimental and you feel him wanting to hold things back, before you can tell him that he doesn’t have to tell you anything he’s uncomfortable with, he continues. ‘It’s one of the best memories I have with him, making this lasagna for my birthday…back when everything felt so…right…’ you sit there awestruck by the raw emotion on his face. The warm candle-light reflecting in his tear-welled eyes and casting beautiful shadows on his face, you’re mesmerised. He huffs out a deep breath and clears his throat, lifting his head back up to meet your gaze, smiling at you softly. ‘It’s basically the only thing I know how to make properly’. You don’t notice his accent changing from a bad british, to a chicagen one and instead compliment him on the great job he did.  ‘Well, it’s very delicious.’ you say contentedly and faintly see his face turn a soft pink at your praise. 

‘Oi! So you’re allowed to tell her all about our business but I'm not? That’s very rich of you Marc, you...you hypocrite!’ Steven exclaims into Marc's consciousness, entirely pissed at the fact that Marc basically stole his date from him. ‘Shut up, Steven-’ Marc says through gritted teeth, trying to hide his slip up with a badly timed fake cough. Despite Marc's effort, you hear him, finally putting all the pieces together and notice that you might be facing Marc right now and not Steven. You feel a sense of excitement at meeting this new alter and can’t wait to find out more about him. It did bug you a little that he was trying to pretend to be Steven instead of just telling you, but still, you understood his apprehension since this wasn’t a regular situation for either of you. You hear Marc clear his throat and bring your attention back to him. ‘I’m so glad you loike it dahrlin we really did ouah behst’ now that you had connected the dots to this man being Marc, you had a really hard time trying to ignore the terrible british accent. You hold your breath slightly, keeping back a bubble of laughter and continue eating after smiling at him politely. ‘Marc you’re making me sound like a complete knobhead. I’m an academic for christs-sake, you could at least pretend to have some semblance of respect for me.’ Steven is a petty man, entirely unhappy with his situation, he finds it in his right to make Marc's life a bit harder right now. Another cough is heard from Marc when you hear him mutter something into his napkin. ‘Are you okay? Would you like some water?’ 

‘hmm?? No no alls good, sweets’ he quickly disputes. Now, that you can’t ignore. Despite your biggest efforts you burst into laughter, your stomach hurting from it. You feel tears forming at the corners of your eyes and see Marc gradually joining you, surely laughing just as hard as you, pressing his palms into his eye-sockets. ‘Sweets??? Really?? Steven has never called me sweets- ever’ you trail off into another fit of laughter. Marc calms down and catches his breath. 

‘Dammit- I really thought i’ve heard him say that one before’ you’re laughter dying down, you look at each other, the smiles still glued to your faces and they don’t seem to diminish even after a few minutes. ‘So…what gave me away?’ he asks curiously. ‘You have by far the worst english accent i have ever heard.’ ‘what! That was my best performance by far!’ He puts up an offended act, making you giggle and you try your best to look serious. ‘I'm so sorry to telly you, but you were terrible’ you can't keep a straight face and once again the laughter returns into the room and you wipe your eyes. He extends his hand across the table and you reach out and shake it.

‘I’m Marc’ He says, looking relieved to be able to speak in his own voice and accent once more. You introduce yourself to him and eventually, you both continue eating the lasagna and move into casual conversation. Marc tells you about how he reminded Steven of the fact that every restaurant was closed and how turbulent their day had been. How he cleaned up the apartment and tried to organise Stevens books only to give up after 2 hours and just shoving them under the bed. Cooking for you and making sure that they looked presentable, forcing Steven to use a hair-product and to put on a proper, nice shirt. At the mention of  his shirt, you trail your eyes over him. Noticing how comfortable he looked. He had folded his sleeves up to his elbow, exposing his forearms. He looked so good like this, you felt your mouth watering at the sight of him. You’d stopped listening and at some point he had stopped talking, looking at you smugly and analysing your reaction towards him. He slightly moved his hand, clenching and unclenching it. He sees you biting the inside of your lip and hears Steven in his head ‘Gods she is so beautiful like this’ ‘mmhm, she is…’

the sound of Marc's gravelly voice rips you out of your daydreams, feeling your ears heating up violently. ‘You havin’ fun there, sweetheart?’ Marc says while raising his left eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest, making them look even thicker. ‘I-oh heh…sorry’ you scratch an invisible itch on the side of your neck, and look away from him, averting your gaze from his playful smirk. You felt his gaze staying on you and can’t keep yourself from turning your head back towards him and feeling your entire body buzzing with electricity. Marc was much more intense than Steven, looked intimidating, in the best way.

He looked like he could protect anyone from anything, like he’d do anything for those he loved. His gaze, steady and confident, sure of himself but also guarded, like he wasn’t gonna show you everything right away. He wasn’t Steven afterall, who was the exception, the only man to expose himself completely to everyone without even trying to hide his genuine feelings and intentions. They were so different, all of them so unique and so unlike the other. You feel warmth spread through your body like a warm current passing from your head to your toes. ‘Nono, don’t apologise’ he leans on the table and reaches for your other hand resting on the table, holding it gingerly in his, making circles with his thumb over your hand. 

You watch the movement and look at his hand caressing yours, revelling in the returning fuzzy feeling in your mind and the tingles emitting from his touch. You feel his heartbeat again, slow and steady, like a confident but soft stomp. You feel his calloused thumb making soothing circles and close your eyes at the different sensations, humming contentedly. ‘Hmm’ you humm with the familiar song playing in the back, it was a track from Natalia Lafourcade ‘Caminar bonito, my favourite-’ before you can finish the thought, you hear the chair before you slide backwards over the floor. You look up and see Marc, standing next to you and he tugs you upwards to stand with you.

Now you’re both standing and he tugs you towards the open space in front of the huge archway that they had made into Stevens' bookcase. You’re standing flush against him, chests close together and he takes your left hand in his, intertwining your fingers and moves his other hand to your waist.

His thumb continues soothing you and you place your other hand on his shoulder. You start swaying to the beat of the song, easing into each other's movements. You rest your head on his shoulder and he moves his hand, which was resting on your waist, to the middle of your lower back. You move your intertwined hands closer to you, hugging them towards you and move your other hand from his shoulder to the nape of his neck, softly petting his grown out locks at the back of his neck. Gently swaying from side to side you continue humming to the record. Several minutes later you look up at him and see him already looking at you. Feeling and hearing your heart-beats synced up and the soft beat of the music was making your vision almost blurry. Both of you softly sway to the music, pattering your sock-covered feet on the hardwood floor. He untangles your fingers and holds your hand in his, you feel his hand on your lower back lead you to make a twirl. You both smile and you successfully make the twirl and end up that much closer to him.  Your noses brushing and his, grazing your left cheek.

You let out a soft wavering breath and you look into his eyes. They were darker than before, you would recognise that look from any distance and you know that this wasn’t Marc nor was it Steven, you were certain of it. 

He speaks up, only confirming your suspicion. ‘¿Me dejas besarte, hermosa?’

a/n: This one is alot longer lmao but i promised the date so here it issss. In the next part Jake ensures that you get home safely and drives you back in his pretty car. Get ready for a cliche rain-kiss and a mysterious cliffhanger ;)

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910

 ‘¿Me dejas besarte, hermosa?’ he lowly asks you for a kiss. Without answering you almost magnetically move towards him. Your noses craze each-others and both of your hands move towards his face, cupping it gingerly. Jake watches you, mouth slightly agape, awaiting your move. ‘Humanidad’ playing in the back, the moment was utterly perfect. Finally, your lips touch, making a flame erupt in your heart. You part away after a soft loving peck and see him waiting with his eyes closed, his lips ready for another as you exhale amusedly and press your lips to his once more. This time a bit less patient, your hands tug him toward you, you feel his hands cover yours at the sides of his face. He then moves his hands to your face, cupping yours and caressing your cheekbones with his thumbs. You move yours to the back of his head and you thread your fingers through his beautiful curls.

He feels your tongue brushing over his lower lip, asking for entrance and he eagerly grants it. Your tongues meet in a soft dance, not unlike the one you’d just shared moments before. He pulls away regrettably, needing to catch a breath. You both keep your hands in the same position as before, you’re leaning on him completely and he stands as steadily as ever, completely unfazed as you rest your body against his. ‘Hi Jake’ you practically whisper, afraid to break the peaceful atmosphere. ‘Hola amor’ He speaks as if he were holding back a burst of emotion. ‘Didn’t think you’d show tonight’ you say while brushing stray curls back, behind his ears. His hands move to clutch you toward him by your back, caressing the middle of it softly. ‘Ay bebé i’m always watching, could’t let them have all the fun. Been waiting for you for too long to sit back and watch as they make you giggle and fluster.’ you suddenly remember something very important and back away abruptly from the loving embrace ‘Them! Marc and Steven- Y-you have to explain- you’re fronting right now. They’re gonna know you were here- I can’t- won’t lie to them. I can’t stand lying and even less so to them.’

After pacing, you stand your ground and look at him intensely, making sure he understands you are very serious about this. He moves toward you, with his hand extended to you, inviting you to take it and you do. He holds your hand in his and leads you towards the sofa. You sit down together, facing each other, grabbing a pillow to hug, grounding yourself. ‘I’m gonna tell them, I'll talk to them tonight. I didn’t plan on it happening like this, I was going to wait a little longer to be completely sure everything was taken care of and they’d be safe…but well-’ ‘well what?’ ‘I- I really couldn’t let either of them beat me to it.’ he says and you see his chest and ears flush red as he looks at you. ‘Beat you to what, Jake’ He moves closer so your legs touch and he cups your face once again. ‘to kissing you, cariño’ his proximity makes it hard to really comprehend what he’s saying. You move in to join your lips again but before yours can touch his, you pull away, placing your hand in the middle of his chest. ‘You’re telling me you are possibly putting them in danger because you wanted to ‘kiss me first?’’ you ask incredulously. You don’t know what kind of danger this could be, but from what little you knew about Jake it couldn't be good. Jake always seemed very secretive and there was a certain urgency towards his actions. So this danger must be pretty severe if it’s kept him from meeting his brothers for so long just to protect them. ‘Nena, don’t say it like that- you make me sound like an idiot.’ ‘well- maybe you are!’ you exclaim and try hard to look stern when you feel a slight smile tug at the corners of your lips. He really risked all that…just to kiss you? Your heart skipped a beat at the thought and you pause when he smiles at you, as if amused that you’d d insulted him. ‘Tesoro, I promise they're going to be fine, I’ll fix it. I always do…’ You want him to elaborate but you trust him. You know that this is all insane and complicated. You haven’t known them for long but you’ve had intense encounters with each of them. Feeling closer to them than you have to anyone ever before, getting to know them little by little felt like a treasure hunt, filled with happy moments you were meant to find on your way to the long awaited treasure. 

Realising that it was already after midnight, Jake makes quick work of the dishes while you tell him more about the library, things like how long you’ve gone there and what it means to you. He can’t help but smile while listening to you talk about something you love as much as the library. You tell him many stories which include the orange cat “barry” the library owners had bought not too long ago.

Clearly you love that kitten, making Jake wonder if you wanted one of your own…maybe he could buy one for you one day. But what colour should he get? Would you also want an orange one or maybe a black one…oh black ones are cool, so mysterious- ‘Jake..? what are you thinking about?’ you have stood up from your chair on the other side of the kitchen island, watching him wash the dishes. The way his back moved and his folded up sleeves stretching over his arms was already enough to get your motor running but the mere fact that he was washing the dishes and drying each dish as he went…had you almost shaking with desire. ‘Oh nothin', chula- just thinking…’ he finishes drying the lasagna-dish and dries his hands on the towel. He leans back against the sink and tosses the towel on the kitchen island.

‘...are you thinking about Marc and Steven? About what you’re gonna tell them?’ you ask hoping to find out more about what's gonna happen as soon as you leave. He already explained that he can’t let any of the other two front right now, because they’d probably freak out and want you to explain. He needs to explain it by himself to be fully honest with them. ‘Ya sabes, I'll tell em' about…well, me…I think that would be a good start.’ you watch as his lips move into a tense line and you decide not to pry any further. It's their business after all…you pride yourself in not being nosy or very into gossip…although, admittedly it always was fun to talk shit about people.

You glance at the clock behind Jake and notice the large pointer nearing two AM. ‘I really should get going- I think there’s a bus-stop not too far from here I ca-’ he puts his hand on your waist and you stop your scrambling and stay put. ‘Muñeca, you don’t seriously think I’ll let you walk home at two in the morning do you?’ before you can start talking he answers his own question ‘-no. No you won’t. I’m drivin’ you home in my car.’ He places a quick kiss to your lips and lets go of your waist, grabs his cap, keys and leather gloves. Meanwhile you stand there still dazed from the casual quick kiss and watch him slide on the stretchy leather over his thick fingers and apply your entire concentration, to not climb him like a tree. He looks up and sees you staring, he chuckles to himself and turns around to collect your bag and coat. ‘Put on your pretty shoes and let's get a move on’. You do as he says, only partially annoyed by how easy it was to follow his orders.

You slip on your boots and put on your coat. He opens the door for you and locks it behind you, that’s when you notice he is still carrying your purse and doesn't intend to let it go anytime soon. You smile to yourself, and head down to the main entrance. It's raining outside and he moves you away from the street, keeping you underneath the partially covered part of the street, as he gets entirely soaked. You walk a few blocks when he takes a turn and unlocks a garage attached to a pretty unassuming building. He opens it to reveal the sexiest car you’ve ever laid eyes on. It was black and shiny and absolutely spotless. 

He can’t help himself, you look so beautiful ogling his car and standing there soaked…your tights were completely see-through and the beige sweater clung to your body like second skin. He feels saliva gathering at the corners of his mouth when he snaps out of it and takes your hand, leading you into the garage. You slowly walk into the dimly lit, grey room and he opens the door for you.

Jake was very particular about his car and who got to be in it, he insisted on them being clean and without question, dry. At least usually he‘d care abt that, not right now though. All he needed to know was that you were safe. He drives out of the garage and makes quick work of locking it before driving to your place. You’re driving for a bit when you realise something, ‘Wait, I haven’t told you where I live…h-how are you going the right way?’ you ask in a distressed tone. 

Now this was a fair question, since there really was kind of a bad reason as to why he knew where to drive…He had already once visited your apartment building. Not in a creepy, stalkery way…but also not, not in a creepy way? Ever since he first met you in the library, he would sometimes drive there and smoke a cigarette between clients. He would see your lights on and feel a sense of calm. That's how he knew that you were safe. He didn’t know why he cared so much about you…he just knew that you needed to be safe, that you were important somehow. So he kept you safe, in the only ways he knew. He rasps his throat ‘I-I read the message you sent Steven, where you mentioned your address.’ he lied. He had to, to make sure everyone was safe. He can’t tell you, at least not yet, not until you know more…

‘Oh, right, right- I forgot about that.’ he comes to a halt and you look outside to see your building. ‘Oh wow, th-that was so fast.’ Jake chuckles at your astonishment and exits the vehicle, making his way over to your side. He opens your door and holds out his hand for you, to help you get out of the car. He pulls you out and you end up pressed against him, your wet clothes stick to each other and you feel breathless at the smell of him and how close he is. ‘I hope you had a good time tonight, tesoro’ He strokes your jaw and palms your cheek softly. You nuzzle his hand and open your mouth to answer ‘I- I did…I enjoyed all of it, all of you. Please tell them that tonight, tell them th-that my heart grew like ten sizes because of tonight. I don’t know much about you all…but I know you have one thing in common’ you say while stroking the nape of his neck. ‘What's that hermosa?’ he says leaning closer ‘you all care so much, I feel so safe with all of you...thank you’ you say with a flushed face and watch his face harden. Jake doesn’t think he deserves your sweet words, as you said, you don’t know him. He doesn’t react to your compliments and opts for something sweeter than awkward silence and leans into you, capturing your lips in a long and tender kiss.

You moan into his mouth and he grabs your hips tighter, pulling you closer, moving you between his thighs, fully resting his weight on the hood of his car. Somehow you don't feel the uncomfortable sensation of the wet clothes sticking to you. Purely enjoying his lips and tongue moving against yours, practically savouring you like an expensive wine. He moves his hand to grab your ass and pulls you further towards him, making you very aware of his growing arousal when you feel it poking your thigh. You're brought back from your daze when you feel yourself wanting to grind against him on the streets of London. You pull back and he follows your lips with his, pulling you even further towards him. You turn your head away and giggle ‘Ja-Jake stop it’ you keep laughing as he kisses your neck teasingly.

He stops and softly holds onto your elbows as he sits back down on the hood of his car. Your breathing calms down and you look into his eyes leaning into him again, hugging him and giving him a quick peck. ‘Would you consider giving me my purse back now?’ ‘Of course, chiquita...But what will I get in return, ah?’ he brushes his nose against your neck and kisses it once, wetly. You shudder and pull away completely feeling your face burn under his watchful gaze. You open his side of the car and grab your purse, which was placed neatly on the driver's seat. You put on your bag and walk towards your front door, he follows you and you both come to a halt at the top of the short flight of stairs. ‘Thank you for driving me home, Jake.’ you lean up and give him a soft, slow kiss on the lips. You pull away to see him with his eyes closed, opening them slowly. ‘...Best reward there is’ he swoons, referring to his previous comment. He takes a step backwards, going down the stairs but keeps his eyes glued to you. Watching as you make your way into your building and he feels content once again, knowing you're safe. 

You make your way into your apartment, not noticing your clothes dripping all over the floor. You replay all of the moments from this evening in your head and can’t stop yourself from breaking into a huge grin. You chuckle to yourself and feel your heart almost beat out of your chest at the memories flooding your head in huge waves. All the spots they touched on your body flaring up with heat. All of it comes to a stop when you see a white blur from the corner of your eye. Your breath hitches when you hear music playing and see the window open, suddenly very aware that you‘re not alone…

-

a/n: uh-ohh who is in your apartment and what do they want with you? In the next chapter you find out the true plot of this story and how important the reader actually is in said plot...I hope ya'll liked this chapter and as alwaysw if you did enjoy it, please like / comment / reblog / follow.

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910 @sunnycl0ver @its-me-mila @urlocalgeek @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

Giving the kitty one last treat before stepping out the door, you turn around to wave the cat goodbye ‘byeee barry! See you again soo-’ you stumble backwards over the sidewalk landing on someone. You’re about to apologise when-

‘we really gotta stop meetin’ like this, nena’ Like in any bad romance you meet him again by literally falling into Jake's lap. You look over your shoulder and see him smirking while resting his chin on your shoulder, making his face be much closer than you had expected. You scramble to your feet and dust off your sweater. Leaving him sitting on the floor. ‘Not even gonna help me up?? ay…que mala’ he tutted. He stands up swiftly, looking very pleased with himself. 

‘Hello to you too Jake, i-if you could excuse me I really need to go get my coffee’ you say while you push past him, walking two steps but stopping when he stands in your way looking almost panicked.

‘W-wait wait darling, let me buy you a coffee…please?’ 

You almost make a comment about the very british nickname but are taken aback by his uncharacteristic pleading eyes. It seemed very unlike him but you weren't about to refuse the pretty man you’ve been pining over. ‘Alright- Sure Jake, let's get coffee’ you say smiling but feeling like something's off. You walk slightly ahead, leading him to the nearby cafe. You can see Jake in your peripheral vision, he looked really nervous, seemed to be twitching weirdly and muttering some intelligible things. Maybe he was just in his head about something...you didnt wanna pay it any mind. You entered the „Moonbean “ café. It was this cute and cosy place with lots of natural light and many plants. After you get your ice coffee and Jake (to your surprise) buys himself a black tea with oat milk and honey, you sit down at a corner booth.

‘Ssso, ahem Jake. Is there anything you wanted to tell me or..?’ you ask, trying to make this situation seem like a normal sircumstance. ‘um yes! Or well no…it's kinda hard to explain but I need to know how you know…well- me..?’ he says while glancing into your eyes intently. ‘...okay, Jake I don't follow..’ you laugh awkwardly. ‘Okay so here's the deal' he rubs his hand over his face distressedly, 'I have DID, also known as dissociative identity disorder a-and we are two people in this system. Marc and Steven- well me! Steven' he takes a deep breath and keeps going. 'So, I wanted to have a coffee with you because we have been feeling like there might be a third consciousness, sharing our body that we don't know about...’ Steven says just a smidge too fast ‘...okay…Steven…what makes you think I have got any information on this third consciousness?’ you ask genuinely curious. You have read about DID but you have never actually talked to anybody that lived with it. 

‘Well…you did call me Jake about five times which leads me to think that erm- you might know a thing or two about him.’ just now you noticed how his entire presence was completely different from Jakes. Jake led with his chest and had a confident smirk practically glued on his face. Steven on the other hand looked tired and like he wanted to hide from any discomfort around him. His shoulders were rounded and his eyes looked like those of a lost puppy in need of a hug, which you were very inclined to give him. Unfortunately for you, his lack of confidence did not make him any less attractive. Which meant you still couldn't tear your eyes away from his features and had to work hard on not embarrassing yourself like last time. Remembering you had to answer him you perked up ‘right, well- I only know him in passing. How come you knew he was at the library?’ you say trying to redirect his attention away from your potentially…strange connection to Jake, don’t really wanna out yourself as a stalker…‘Funny story actually- erm I found this wood-panel in my floor that had a burner phone, gloves, a flat-cap and a small notebook with a folded piece of paper hidden inside. These items confirmed mine and Marc's belief that there might be a third. What surprised us more tho, is what we saw when we unfolded the paper…let me..’ he clears his throat and reaches into his satchel, he hands you the paper but looks to the side, avoiding eye-contact. You unfold it…and immediately want to die. ’oh fuck me- so um- w-what made you think it had anything todo with the- um, library?’ You try to keep your composure but it's very hard when the drawing was of course the sketch he’d taken from your collection two weeks ago. Naturally, he’d gotten his hands on one of the more "racey" drawings you’d drawn of him, you weren't entirely surprised that stalking a handsome stranger could ever come back to haunt you. 

‘So the paper has a footnote printed on it with an address…see? Right here a-above my- well Jakes bound wrists- ahem well yes so then w-we came here and bumped into you…’ his sentence died out and he shyly looked away while blushing. Steven was an adorable man, you were finding it hard to really focus on this serious conversation when all you could think about was how his hair was so unruly this time and his curls were bouncing above his eyebrows, making him look even prettier. How he wears his clothes two sizes too big, hiding his broad shoulders beneath 4 different layers of fabric. You snap out of it ‘so um- any idea who drew it?’ you ask while feeling a warm sensation crawl up your back and your heart-beat increasing ever so slightly. ‘Well- since it’s more…intimate in nature we assume he is perhaps seeing someone..?’ Inhaling sharply you try to stay calm. You really didn't want to tell them that you, a stranger, drew this but seeing Steven so exhausted and distressed convinced you to do the right thing. ‘ um- so..ahhh well…I drew that…’ You closed your eyes and squinted, opening one eye to see Stevens reaction. He was frozen, you swallow strenuously ‘um- Steven..? Everything okay…?’ you ask reluctantly.

 He stares into your eyes and is blushing intensely, looking like a red traffic-light. He's so cute. ‘Yes! I am fine- sorry love, I-I just did not exp-’

 ‘not expect that a total stranger would draw a lewd picture of you? Well, yes I definitely understand that notion’ you laugh. Funnily enough, Steven's nervousness was helping you calm down a bit and not feel as awkward. But something tells you that having this conversation with Jake would've absolutely killed you. ‘Yeah, I also did not expect to immediately run into the artist behind our one and only clue about…Jake, is his name?’

 ‘Y-yes his name is Jake..’ even just saying his name made you feel flustered. Steven noticed your change of demeanour and found it pretty interesting, choosing to interrogate a bit further. ‘Darling- you were saying you know Jake in passing. Would you mind telling us more about the times you saw him? ’

 Were all of this man's personalities into giving you heart-melting nicknames? Maybe someday you’d get to meet Marc well enough to find out… you can’t stop your mind from conjuring up a rom-com-like sequence with them…baking together and going grocery shopping, getting caught making out in your paradise library and going home to keep climbing him like- a hand waving in front of your face interrupts your intriguing daydream. 'Are you okay, love? I know this is a lot to process- if you need a break just tell me, yeah?’

 ‘oh! Yes! I mean no- I am fine. Sure Steven, I'll tell you about Jake.’ You sit up in your chair and begin to tell him about seeing Jake for the first time. He puts his elbows on the table leaning in, not wanting to miss a single detail of your story. 

‘-so yeah then he walked out with this thick leather bound book. It had some Moons carved onto it's cover, that's all I can remember. Then I didn't see him for about a month, until he came back last week to return the book.’ You notice Steven's eyes light up at your mention of the moon-details.

‘he didn't buy the book?’ 

‘he couldn't, the book is a unique scripture and can only be loaned for a maximum of 30 days.’  

‘okay…but something still confuses me. When did you meet him, if he only came back to return the book- and how did he even get the drawing you made of him?’  God, you really didnt wanna talk about this. Maybe you could find a way around actually telling him about what happened, to avoid the embarrassment. ‘Well- he came in and gave back the book. Then he went to look around …and we accidentally bumped into each other. I dropped all my things and he picked up the drawing and kept it without me knowing. We introduced ourselves to each other aand…that's it! Then he left!’ 

‘huh…are you sure that's all that happened?’ He says, his eyes turning darker. you were starting to sweat. You never were a very good liar, especially if attractive people were the ones asking the questions. ‘Mhm! Yeah. That's all’ you haven’t been looking him in the eyes. Jake might have intense and hooded eyes but Steven had impossibly earnest and rounded eyes. You could never lie while looking into such an adorable face. only you hadn’t noticed that the man before you wasn't Steven anymore- ‘hola hermosa. You miss me?’ your head whips back towards him at the familiar nickname. In the short amount of time he had somehow, slid over to your side of the booth. ‘Chiquita…why don't you wanna tell him the truth, ah? You scared he might leave when you tell him about your...stalkerish tendencies? Steven is a smart man, he won't leave such a gorgeous woman behind...’ he winks at you moving closer so your thighs touch.

‘Jake- what is going on. Why aren't you talking to Steven? He’s saying he doesn't know anything about you- fuck me this is all too much’ You say exasperated. You jolt up feeling his breath on your neck. ‘mmh querida i’d love too but I think this cafe might not be the best place for such…improper activities…’ by now he's long moved into your personal space and started caressing you right above your knee, still breathig over your neck. ‘Jake- i-i am being serious I-’ His hand moves up your thigh gingerly and he starts grazing his nose over the spot under your ear. You’ve already forgotten what you were even talking about and why you were even in this coffee-shop to begin with. Your eyes were fluttering and you were breathing deeply trying to stay calm, feeling his hot breath fan over your neck. Once again, trapped between his chest and wooden furniture. He smelled so good, like dark coffee and vanilla, mirroring the bitter sweet smell of Stevens black tea perfectly. If you could buy his smell as a laundry detergent you would douse your linens in it. He circles his arm around your back and waist and lets it rest on your hip. You expose your neck further to him, inviting him in to keep going. You hear him chuckle and wait for him to start kissing your neck. Just as his lips are about to touch you, you feel his hand twitch on your hip, causing your eyes to snap open. You were surprised to see a pair of round and frantic eyes staring right back at yours. 

‘Oh Jesus christ! I am SO sorry, love. I don't know what came over me! P-please I promise. I really can’t contro-’ you cut in before he could continue his panicked rambling. 

‘Steven, it's okay! Don't worry, I-I understand this isn't really something you can control. No need to panic.’ you give him a warm smile which he returns with a blush. Putting your hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him with your gentle touch. His rather dreamy expression gets interrupted by a tense and pensive one. He shakes his head, seemingly shaking off his serious expression. You let go of his shoulder, placing your hand back in your lap.

‘so- just- just based on observations I-I just feel like you might be closer to Jake than you first led us to believe…?’ It wasn't as much a question as it was a statement. You really needed to come clean, even though this would most probably leave you a blubbering, flustered mess.

‘Alright, yes. But it’s not what you think- we never actually did anything intimate…we-we just came a bit close to it like twice or something…’

‘close to what exactly? Darling, i-i don't mean to be rude but we are still talking about things that happened with my body here, so I’d really like to know what happened...?’ You understand why he is getting frustrated but this was really hard to tell someone. Especially because this someone looked exactly like the person who you were just pressed against mere moments ago-

he interrupted your train of thought by calling out your name ‘sweetheart- please. I'm begging you to just tell me what happened’ he takes your hands in his making your arms tingle ‘yes! sorry Steven- this is just a lot to process. Okay i’ll tell you…’ You finally told him about the second “meet-cute”, when you dropped your things because you bumped into Jake after being too focused on his features and had lost sight of him. How he got closer and closer to you and you were trapped between him and the bookshelf. How you, just as before, brushed noses and almost kissed before being forced out of your bubble. After relaying the past events between you and Jake, you looked up from your twiddling fingers and were greeted by a glowing red Steven. He was tugging on the loose skin around his fingernails and had his hands barely peeking out of his too-long sweater, looking right past you. He had a sheen covering his face and couldn’t stop fidgeting. 

‘Steven i am really sorry if i made you feel uncomfortable, if I’d known…I just- I- I don’t think you understand-’ 

Now he refocused his gaze on your eyes and looked even more stunned than before. ‘Sorry to be so forward but- ugh just look at you! How the hell was I not supposed to study you?! You are every artist's dream, with those angular facial features and the inky black curls adorning your head I just can't believe you are this unaware of the effect you have on a room. I know I sound like an absolute cree-’ before you can keep going he cuts you off ‘Would you like to go on a date with me?’

You stopped talking, mouth open without a sound coming out of it. Did he just ask you out?

‘I- if you don’t want too I unde-‘

‘NOno! I mean YES- yes I’d love to go on a date with you, Steven…’ you bit your lip, trying to contain your grin and saw that Steven was doing the same.

You gave him your number and left him alone in the coffee shop. After turning around to wave goodbye one last time you cross the street and walk home. ‘Oh my god’ you giggle to yourself and make your way home.

a/n: I am so happy you guys liked the first chapter of this fic and hope you like this one aswell!! more chapters are comin' with more tension and plot-twists aaand maybe even a certain marc...

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910

You clasp your bag to your chest and hold your breath, not daring to move a muscle in your body. Too scared that you might make your presence known to the intruder. ‘Now, there you are!! I’ve been waiting for you to come back darling. I’m in the living room-’ a sweet honeyed voice calls you over there and you follow it cautiously. You stand on the threshold to your living room and stop to breathe at the sight before you. A beautiful, tall woman stands in the middle of the room. But this is no regular woman, she has long braided black hair and dark, gold shimmering skin. Like her deep, black skin were to have been covered by a tasteful dusting of gold glitter. She was wearing a prettily draped white dress and...were those cow ears and horns on her head?? Who is this, swaying so calmly in your apartment? Before you can even ask she opens her eyes to reveal beautiful magenta colour and smiles at you brightly, easing your tense muscles and finally letting your lungs take their much needed dose of oxygen. She looks at you and an expression of concern washes over her face. ‘Sweetie what happened to you? Why are your clothes so wet? Come, sit sit’ she beckons you over to her and pats your couch, inviting you to sit down on your own furniture, like it was hers, but despite generally needing to be afraid you can’t help but feel a sense of trust and motherly energy radiating off of her, you could never imagine to feel threatened by her presence. 

‘Alright, tell me about what had you so giddy when you came in. I could sense those butterflies from miles away’ She winks at you and speaks to you like you know each other, while draping a fluffy blanket over you gingerly. As you’re about to tell her of the boys you feel a certain amount of clarity rushing back into your body when you glance over at the flowers standing on the dining-table.

They had been only a medium-sized bouquet mere hours ago, and now they had become a huge bush of carnations. They looked like they could barely squeeze into the glass vase you had previously put them in. You rushed to the kitchen counter and carefully pried them out of the tight space, searching the cabinets for a more suitable vase. The cow-like woman only watched you as you scrambled for a more suitable object, as you finally take a big pasta pot and fill it up to a third with water, before putting the abundance of carnations in it. Now…onto your much more pressing issue. ‘Who the hell are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my house, lady?’ you ask sternly while raising your eyebrows seriously, looking intimidating even while wearing a fluffy white blanket and simultaneously dripping all over the kitchen floor. You watch the tall woman stand up gracefully and she all but floats over to you. ‘I’m very pleased to finally meet you. My name is Hathor.’ She says this as if it were the most casual introduction, when really, she had just introduced herself as a member of the egyptian Ennead. She had just introduced herself as the goddess of love and beauty, aka. the mother of all. 

What the actual fuck is happening. ‘H-hathor..? As in- the goddess of love and beauty- o-of music and pleasure and, and-’ you hear a melodic laughter and she responds ‘oh my- child please, I am but a woman- although a very powerful one.’ She smiles and touches the beads of her turquoise necklace, stroking it as if in thought and you see her cow-ear flick swiftly. ‘May I ask, goddess Hath-Hathor. What exactly are you doing in my apartment?’ You try your hardest to not freak out. And yes, you believed her. How were you not supposed to believe her when she is literally shimmering gold, with magenta eyes and has literal fucking cow-horns attached to her head?

‘Oh! Right! I’m so sorry, I forget that you can’t hear my thoughts. I am trying to employ you as my new Avatar, child. I have been watching you for a few months and I think you would fit into the role perfectly.’ Hathor beamed with confidence and touched the carnations, as if rearranging them, and you see about a dozen more pop up in between the others. ‘Avatar? You mean like a prophet? Am I supposed to spread your word like-like Moses?? Am I your Moses???’

You feel yourself hyperventilating. Your breaths become shorter and the air around you hotter. The feeling of running out of air to breathe and you’re about to cover your eyes when a warm tingle runs up your arm. The tingle feels almost exactly like the one you’d feel whenever you had touched the boys. Like when you and Marc were dancing or when you held Stevens hand and wh-when Jake had his hand on your thigh when he drove you home- Hathor hugs you and all your thoughts come to a halt. She smells sweet like honey, warming up your entire body with her radiating comfort. ‘Calm down, you’re not my prophet- well, not really. At least that’s not how I look at it. I’d say you’re more like my messenger…my voice if you will.’ She parts from your embrace and looks at you warmly, while still holding on to both of your hands. ‘I want you to help me help humanity. I truly believe that we can achieve wonders together for communities all over the world. We could help further equality in your society and I could help you encourage much needed change. You kids have not come as far as we gods have hoped…The ennead has finally agreed for me to step in, and after convening with my council I chose you.’ She steps away from you and makes her way over to the kitchen. She opens your fridge, carefully lowering her head to look into it, mindful of the Solar-disc sitting between her long horns.

‘Not to disagree with a literal goddess, you know but um- well a prophet literally is the voice and messenger of god so…You really do want me to be your moses…But everything you said, it does sound really nice. I would love to help my society, always have…May I ask, what happened to your previous avatar?’ you ask cautiously not wanting to disturb her focus as she is now rummaging through your cabinets. She interrupts her search and turns to you with her hands on her waist, her black manicured fingers beautifully contrasting against the ivory white gown she was wearing. ‘She had found her true calling as a teacher and felt it was time for her to move on from her role as my ‘moses’ as you so wonderfully put it’ she turns and opens a top cabinet taking out a glass. ‘Other gods have previously forced their Avatars into servitude but I really don’t enjoy forcing anyone to do anything they don't enjoy. Being the goddess of pleasure really speaks for itself doesn’t it.’ She opens your tap and lets out water, as soon as it enters her glass it turns to milk. She takes a few sips of it and sets the half full glass on the counter and walks back over to you. ‘My cows are certain that you’re perfect for this role and after watching your for a while i can’t help but agree with their judgement…as always’ she says with her arabic accented voice- wait a second- did she just refer to her council as her cows?? ‘Excuse me, your cows?’ you ask trying to keep it respectful as you did previously asked the goddess of love “what the fuck” she was doing in your house. ‘Yes! You’re going to love them. They are my prophets, I trust them completely, they’ve been by my side for five millenia and they are like my sisters.’ She responds smiling ‘huh, ookay…cool.” so much information has been spilled onto you in the past minutes that your brain has probably suffered from an overload. You don’t question her any further and just watch her sit down on your couch, checking the bounce of it. ‘Do you have any blankets or cushions I could use?’ She is sitting down but her face is at the height of your own, reminding you of how large the goddess actually is. ‘Oh yes I d- wait, no y-your Hi- Hathor I will not make you sleep on the couch, you can take my bed I’ll sleep here’ you insist, not wanting to be the idiot who made a literal goddess sleep on a two-seater couch. ‘Nonsense sweety, I don't really need to  sleep at all, I just like to close my eyes and rest in a comfy place sometimes. You stay in your bed, you need to rest, it has  been a long day.’ ‘but I-’ ‘I insist’ you freeze at the sight of her serious eyes and stern voice. The serious expression quickly melts into her regular soft yet commanding demeanour. ‘Alright, I think it's time you go to sleep, tomorrow is a big day afterall.’ She says while settling into the little nest she’d built with your extra cushions and fluffy blankets. 

You cross your arms and stifle a yawn when you see the glowing white five on your digital clock resting on the side-table of the couch ‘what is happening tomorrow?’ your eyes are now glossy and your eyebags heavy, you barely manage to keep your eyes open when she answers. ‘I am going to test you.’ she says, eyes closed and sighing into the pillow, perfectly mimicking the demeanour of tiredness. You hear her but don’t really register her words. The only thing you can focus on is how perfectly comfy she looks, all snuggled into the couch, having made herself small to fit beneath the fluffy blanket. ‘Oh and don't think I forgot about you avoiding my question earlier. Tomorrow, I wanna know what made you so smiley when you came home at almost four in the morning.’ Your attention is now back on her words and you feel your face burn at the memories rushing to mind... His lips softly nibbling on yours and your tongue stroking his languidly and hearing him whimper at th- ‘hey! Your ‘excited’ energy is disturbing my rest. Go sleep-’ you startle at her interruption, clutching the now damp blanket more tightly and head to your bedroom murmuring a quick good night on your way out. Only to hear her yell after you. ‘Just know that now I am even more curious to know who you met up with.’ You bite your lip and quickly close your door letting out a heavy sigh. Somehow you get yourself ready for bed, even managing to take off your make-up…at least partially. Your mascara smudged on the pillow and your jewellery still on, you fall asleep within seconds.

‘Wakey-wakey sweetie!!’ you wake up to the large elegant woman ripping your blanket off of you. You shriek when you see the goddess hathor standing in your room. So meeting her hadn’t been a dream then…yeah that checks out. Hathor reaches for your curtains and pulls them back, opening the windows and letting in the cold, London spring air. ‘Noooooo- whyyyyyyyy?’ you pull your knees to your chest and drop to your side pathetically. ‘Stop whining and get up, human! We have a lot to-do before I can bring you before my beloved council.’ She glides out of your room and you hear her continuing something in the kitchen. You get up with a huff and rush to close the window. You look back at your bed, all comfy and still warm from your body-warmth, incredibly inviting…you could just lie down and catch a few minutes of sleep, lord knows you need them. Just as you reach for your bed you hear the melodious humming come to a stop ‘you better be getting ready right now! Otherwise I’ll eat these blueberry pancakes myself.'

Your eyes widen when you remember that an Egyptian deity is in your house and waiting for you with a freshly cooked breakfast. You find some sweatpants and a comfy sweater (which definitely doesn't have a hole in the left pit) and make your way to the kitchen. 

Saliva gathers in your mouth when you see the pancakes and cut up fruit perfectly arranged in your nicest plates. To be fair they weren't that fancy but just slightly nicer plates, you only used when you had company over. ‘Sit, we have a busy day ahead and it’s already noon. I let you sleep in because you need as much energy for today as possible, if we are to find out if this life is what you need and want.’ she sticks half a pancake into her mouth and continues talking ‘now…before we start with all that though, I have got to know about this person that’s got you all…transfixed.’ your eyes widen when she uses the same word Jake uttered that first time you talked. That word that has echoed in your head in his low seductive voice. The voice which fuels many of your not so child-friendly thoughts each night. Thoughts that cause those intense feelings...though pleasurable, also never quite enough to quench the thirst you feel for- ‘see this is what I am talking about. It’s truly remarkable, this has to be someone important. Please human, you have got to tell me, I am practically begging you.’ She looks at you with a mischievous glint in her magenta pools, you couldn’t say no to a goddess could you? Especially since you’ve been dying to tell someone about the boys and now you’ve got the perfect opportunity to-do so. ‘Yeah, okay- I’ll tell you.’ you say while chewing the perfect pancakes, not questioning how she made them, when you haven’t even had eggs in your fridge for about a week. She scoots closer to the edge on her chair and leans in with a grin, urging you to go on. 

‘Okay so um- there’s this guy I met in the library. He is- oh you should see him. He is gorgeous, just absolutely breathtaking.’ ‘don’t you have a picture or something? You humans have those portable cameras now, no?’ ‘Yes- yes we do…but no I don’t have a picture, that would be weird…I do have drawings though…’ you don’t know why you’re telling her that. It’s just impossible to hold back and you wanna show someone the pretty guy you’d made out with. ‘They still do portraits of people? is he famous?’ ‘well no…I drew him a few times…for character studies of course, nothing creepy or anything...’ you chuckle awkwardly. ‘Mhm riiight, cuz drawing a stranger isn’t weird.’ she arches her left eyebrow upwards and smirks a little bit, completely looking through your innocent ploy. ‘Right- lemme go get them.’ you stand up in a hurry and leave the goddess to eat her pancakes. Opening the drawer in your bedside-table you come up empty. ‘I can’t find them!’ you shout at no-one in particular. ‘What do they look like?’ you hear her call back from the kitchen. ‘They’re all in a navy notebook-’ ‘Oh- you mean these??’ you dart to the kitchen quickly and see her standing over your open sketchbook. ‘Wh-’ ‘I found it yesterday in your bag, and before you say anything. I got here early okay? I thought you’d be home so I had to keep busy. I gotta say…some of these drawings are…very enticing, human. Almost a bit too indulgent, but really they only affirm why you'd fit perfectly into the role as my avatar. I understand your fixation, sweetie… he is certainly easy on the eyes.’ You watch her stare at your drawings, her large and long fingers flipping through the pages. She looks up happily and you watch her face brighten further when she spots your flushed face. Making you turn away to look out the window, the sun shining through the clouds, lighting up the otherwise grey part of town. 

‘Okay, that's enough-’ you quickly reach for your notebook and pull it away from the gold shimmering goddess. She lets you keep some of your dignity and doesn't prod any further. ‘Alright honey, let’s get to work then!’ She stands up swiftly and turns around to store away the clean plates. Wait a minute…the clean plates? When the fuck did she clean those? Her powers seem pretty limitless and if there’s a possibility that the powers she gives you will magically make your dirty dishes clean..?- then you’re gonna sign the fuck up to being her knight or whatever it is you’ll need to be. Right as you’re thinking that she turns around and conjures up a tiny little clock that looks like a winged solar disk. It doesn’t appear to show the time though, at least it didn’t look like a regular watch. ‘Oh! We are running late. We have to meet the council tonight and I've got lots to tell ya before we can go there.’ The “clock” disappears and a tiny parchment takes its place. She reads it carefully, mumbling her notes back to herself. ‘Okay so what are we gonna do? Are you gonna train me in martial arts and give me nun-chucks? Or are we gonna go save some people like that mysterious Moonknight guy on the news?’ you hadn’t realised before this moment how exciting this all actually was. You’ve mostly just been focused on not freaking out over the actual goddess, Hathor standing in your kitchen and havent had the chance to be excited over being a literal “chosen one”. ‘Actually- It’s good that you mention this Moonknight…The reason the Ennead has allowed me to interfere with a new avatar is actually because of a recent “altercation'' caused by the god who created said knight.’ She looks up from the parchment and turns around making her way to the couch. You follow her, intrigued by the mentioned importance of the vigilante you’ve watched jump over the roofs and bridges on TV. ‘Why? What did he do?’ you watch her sit down and she lets out a deflated breath ‘It's a long story…I might find the time to tell you some time but right now, is not that time. What you need to know is that he is unpredictable and extremely dangerous. And to be sure you should apply the same caution towards the knight.’ She says seriously, and fluffs the pillows behind her, trying her best to make the old couch meet her godly standards. 

‘Hathor, may I ask you something?’ your voice sounds unsure and timid. ‘Of course honey, what is it?’ she says, averting her eyes from the parchment and shifting her attention completely to you. Her eyes are glittering with intention and she makes you feel safe and comfortable once more. ‘I-i’ you exhale exasperatedly ‘How do you know that I am the right person to be your “voice”- like what makes you think I fit into that passionate, pleasurable or I don’t know- like…fertile image..?’ you don’t even look her in the eyes. You’re a person who's had many crushes but never actually got to love anyone…not genuinely. Maybe you just had said “I loved you” to people because you wanted to feel the feeling, not entirely because you really felt it. So Hathor choosing you, a woman who has never actually loved anyone romantically or really felt loved and cherished in that way…that women should become the messenger of pleasure, fertility and motherhood? ‘I told you about how I’ve been watching you right?’ she pauses and you nod ‘well, I’ll tell you about the time I was sure I’d found the perfect candidate, maybe that’ll make you see where my values really lie.’ 

She sits back on the recently fluffed pillows and begins to tell you about how she watched you for months, how you would draw people and what she discovered while watching you do that. ‘You would go to parks and coffees to draw people going about their day. They’d be doing their homework or mabe crying on a bench, some of them out of laughter and some in despair. You would capture their emotions and take a- a little glimpse into them. Putting yourself in their shoes and empathising with them and their state of mind. I was blown away by the raw emotion and true magic I was able to witness while watching you. In a time where you humans have managed to become such a secluded lonely people…you still found a way to follow your innate feeling to relate and cherish other people. You give them space in your world, and even if they don’t know it, you care for them. That is what is the most important thing, you care. Care for people and how they are doing. About what they need and how you can help. Once in a while I’d give you little nudges and see which paths you would choose. And every time, you chose to help instead of ignoring the troubled people or animals. Like that time I blocked off the mainstreet and you had to take a detour through a…less fortunate part of town. It was freezing and you weren’t really moving due to traffic. You were bored and were looking out the windo-’

‘The shelter- I-I saw the shelter, The doors where only open for a second and I saw all those people inside and I knew there was a big chance that there weren’t enough volunteers working there to help out all those in need…’

‘So you went in, even after the long shift you had and those stupid costumers had yelled at you, you still parked your car and went into the shelter. Spending the rest of the evening serving them soups and mashed potatoes an-and handing out blankets. Child, I am the goddess of love and beauty and all of that…but first of all I am the mother, the mother of all. I am here to take care of people who need help and I think you want to do the same thing. That calling is inside of you. And I need you to help me take care of people because too many are suffering. I can no longer standby and watch like the rest of the Ennead. That's the one thing me and Konshu have in common.’

Hathor gets interrupted by your phone buzzing on the coffee table. Its facing up and you see the caller ID and feel your heartbeat accelerating. In all low-cap letters the name ‘steven<3’ is glaring at you, taunting you to pick up and you look at Hathor when she swiftly swipes over your phone to pick up the call. ‘What the fu- what are you doing?!’ you whisper almost inaudibly at her. She arches her left brow and crosses her arms, sitting back she watches you smugly. ‘He-Hello? Love, are you there?’

a/n:I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter and that it was worth the wait! as i have said before I have had to work alot more bcs a bunch of people are falling out due to sickness and holidays. I am so sorry that i can't post as frequently but i do wanna write other things besides this story aswell. I hope i can keep up a somewhat regular updating schedule but if i don't post for a bit don't think I've given up on this story cuz I love writing it!! I hope you stick around for more(❁´◡`❁)

If you enjoyed as always consider liking/ reblogging/ sharing or commenting! thanks lovies<3

I have done extensive research on Hathor and the ennead, i hope i am not offending anyone with what i have written. If theres anything that should be changed or seems insensitive please do not hesitate to reach out and just know that i would never disrespect anyone on purpose.

Also the thing about the cows being her council and her having cow-like features are very much factual. The turqoise necklace was smth she was pictured wearing and she was usually depicted with gold skin but i thought that might be a bit weird to imagine. Like in my head they would look like those golden clones in 'guardians of the galaxy 2' lol. So i made her black with gold shimmering skin. If yall ever want me to explain what went into her character design and want to know more lore please tell me! I'd love to share hehe. (<- current hyperfixation lol)

The next chapter will feature the boys again and maybe even in their full moonknight glory? who knows hehe (me either i haven't written it yet so we shall see)

The lovely people in my taglist: @lilladyblink14 @lemongirl5910 @sunnycl0ver @its-me-mila @urlocalgeek @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @mangoslushcrush