Dreaming Of You - Adam Stanheight / Reader

Dreaming of You - Adam Stanheight / Reader

A/N I've been inspired to write this for a long time. Water Fountain - Alec Benjamin - inspired it.

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The hot wind blew into your face and blistered your skin. It was one hundred and six degrees this summer but you didn’t mind, not now that your emotions were so laid back. The past year was over, and you didn’t feel good about it at all; all you felt was numb. Your heart was heavy, your stomach was sick, and your head hurt painfully. You gazed at the beautiful water fountain in front of you. The water rose and fell methodically, flaring out prettily at the top and splashing a little over the edge.

You closed your eyes, trying to clear your head, when you felt a soft, gentle, hand on your shoulder. The scent of tart, metallic, smoke came from behind you. You grit your teeth in frustration, trying to center yourself. The voice that spoke out was calm, and familiar. Just a little higher in pitch than you would expect for such a man. “Hey, Y/N.”

You couldn’t keep your feet planted in one place, even though you knew you should. “Adam!” You exclaimed brightly, spinning around quickly. You flung your arms around his shoulders despite yourself. You really couldn’t help it, you needed this right now. Reality was just too harsh at the moment.

“Hey, baby!” Adam smiled at you warmly, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You rested your head on his chest, letting the softness of his white tee sooth you. You let out a deep sigh. “Adam…” you breathed. “I was wondering when you’d come find me.”

Adam lifted his hands up, and brushed his fingers through your hair. “Darling, of course I’d find you. I’d never leave you.”

You gazed up at him sadly, not feeling secure. You hadn’t felt secure for the last twelve months. “I thought I’d lost you forever, remember? Sometimes, I still feel that.”

Adam looked at the fountain solemnly. “Yeah. I do, too. But it’s over now. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I love you, and that’s all that matters. Why don’t we go home?”

You shook your head. Somehow, you weren’t ready to leave this place yet. “No. Not quite. I… need a little more time… I miss you…”

“ ‘Miss’ me?” Adam asked you skeptically. “Baby, I’ve been here the whole time. You went to look at the fountain, remember?”

“Oh…” you grumbled dishearteningly. “Y-Yeah. I do now.”

“Oh, sweet-pea, please cheer up. It’s like you’ve lost a puppy, or something. Come on. Come here.” Adam plopped you on the edge of the water fountain, and sat on your lap. He cupped your cheeks with both hands. They were soft and warm, and his breath traveled down your neck and gave you goosebumps. You leaned your head back, allowing Adam to start kissing you. You smiled at the clear sky and sighed heavily. Holy shit, this was what you had needed during that last year. “Where were you?” You murmured.

“What do you mean?” Adam asked you in annoyance, his lips barely removing themselves from your skin. “I’VE BEEN HERE. I DIDN’T GO ANYWHERE.” He emphasized every word.

You looked at him happily. “Mmmh. I know. It just feels… like… We’ve been away for a long time… I don’t know…”

Adam lifted his mouth up to yours. “Now where have you been getting those ideas? You’re always allowed into my dark room, you know. I’d love your company, baby. Just don’t touch anything, please. I put a lot of work into those photos.”

Your heart melted. You pressed yourself closer to him. “Of course. I’m sorry. I should have thought of that. Of course that’s why I feel so lonely.”

Adam rubbed your head, and then wrapped his hands around your waist. He pulled your hips forward, brought your head in real close and kissed you. “You don’t deserve that loneliness, darling,” he whispered in your ear. “Come produce photos with me one day.”

You felt so light and overwhelmed. You were giddy, and very much at a loss for words. You gaped at him. “Just kiss me,” you begged him longingly.

“There’s the Y/N I know. Finally coming back to yourself, I see? Let’s keep it that way, yeah? No more dosage of depression, please. I just want my baby back…”

His words struck your nerves. You could feel heat rising in your cheeks, and butterflies flying in your stomach. You reached out your arms and wound them around Adam’s shoulders. “I love you,” you whispered. It was all you could think of to say.

“I love you, too.”

Adam kissed you again, harder this time, with much more passion.

More heat.

More excitement.

More lust.

You felt like an angel floating through heaven, Adam’s way of pleasing you was just so perfect. You wrapped your legs around his waist, Adam adjusted himself on your lap. “You like this?” He questioned softly in your ear.

So much!

There were no words to explain how you felt right now. You felt… Happy… That was the most important thing right now, not feeling sad anymore.

You felt safe.

You felt glad.

You felt… hmmm… perhaps that one wasn’t meant for public ears…

“Baby,” you practically whimpered out in desperation. “I-I…” your voice trailed off as you spoke. Shyly, you forced yourself to finish the sentence you started; there was no turning back now. “...Want you.”

Adam only looked at you smugly. One eyebrow was raised, and there was a crooked smirk on his face, as his villainous gaze observed you thoughtfully. But he didn’t say anything. Not a single word. He didn’t make a move, either. You both sat there in silence.

“Adam,” you broke the silence eventually. You were confused. What had you said to make him zone out like that? “Did I do something?”

“No!” Adam objected immediately. “You did nothing wrong… but I’m just wondering how long you plan on staying here. Your ass is nearly falling off the fountain.”

“No, it’s not!” You exclaimed. It was true. You were sitting firmly on the edge of the water fountain. “Oh… Sorry…” Adam mumbled awkwardly. “The angle looked weird from here.” He laughed , but it was forced.

“This is the fountain, isn’t it?” You asked, abruptly changing the subject. “You said, if you could have a water fountain in our house, this would be the one. Didn’t you?"

Adam peered past you to the fountain. “Yeah. I think it would be cool if we could have a water fountain in the yard, or something like that. I’m still not sure about all the details.”

You smiled to yourself. “It’s okay. I like the idea. Just keep fantasizing, we’ll figure it out.”

“I think it’s time we left. It’s getting dark, doesn’t that worry you?”

“Nah,” you said casually. “I’m just… here. I’m… happy.”

Adam looked at you miserably for a moment. “Y-Yeah. Yeah. I’m glad to see you happy.”

“You don’t look like it.”

Adam kissed you once more. “It’s not that at all. I’M worried about being out late. But we can stay since you want to so badly.”

You beamed up at him, eyes gleaming. “Thanks, Adam.”

Adam pulled his fingers through your hair. “I should’ve built a home with a fountain for us,” he hummed out quietly. “The moment that you told me that you were in love.”

Adam started to flicker and fade. It alarmed you because you could still hear his voice in your ears and feel his touch on your body. It was a rare collision of flickering, but still you were beginning to see through him like a foggy window. The real world was breaking through your illusion.

Your eyes kept fluttering open and closed over and over again, until finally you woke up for good. Your back hurt, your head hurt, your butt also hurt; and you realized then that you were nearly falling off the edge of the water fountain.

The streetlamps were on all along the sidewalk, illuminating the darkness slightly. Sunset had passed a long time ago, obviously.

To the side, there was music playing. A quiet melody that no one but you could hear. However, now that there were no more people around to bring sound to counter it, the entire cemetery was filled with your music. “Now I’m grabbing her hips, and pulling her in. Kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear and I know that it’s only a wish. And that we’re not standing by the water fountain.”

How long have I been listening to the same song? You wondered. I didn’t know it was on repeat! I think my favorite song is after this… No wait, you realized. That can’t be right. If my favorite song was after this, I would have skipped this one completely!

You looked around the gloomy cemetery one last time. While you had been unable to assign the water fountain to Adam, you had been able to get the cemetery to put it in as a memorial for ALL of its occupants. It still stung. “I’m sorry,” you said.

Lifting yourself from the fountain, you found yourself unsteady. You stumbled down the hill, and looked back up at the water fountain. Your heart was heavy and sore. You didn’t want to leave this place, not when it gave you so much comfort.

So much relief.

You stared at the gravestone closest to the fountain. You couldn’t read it from this distance, but you knew what was on it. Your boyfriend’s full name. It tore you apart, it really did. You didn’t know how you could manage this all on your own. You didn’t know how you could SURVIVE. You didn’t want to leave Adam behind. You simply wanted to be with him one more time. “I just…” you stammered out loud. You tripped over your words for a short moment.

Frustrated you blurted out your thoughts honestly. The truth always hurt more the longer you held it in. Your words were cold, and blew away in the frost, up towards Adam’s resting place, but sometimes telling the truth was all one needed to feel better. Standing in the chill, as the clock struck twelve, you muttered to yourself dejectedly,

Horridly,

Depressingly,

“I still love you, baby.”

Love Me - Adam Stanheight / Reader

A/N So, another song-inspired fanfic, lol, someone help.

We Found Love - by Rihanna.

Yellow, orange, and purple black light, laser-beams fanned the entire room, making the crowd scream in excitement. The walls had some kind of glow in the dark paint or wallpaper on them - you couldn't tell which - but sure enough they were glowing pink and blue, and yellow diamonds flashed wildly across the ceiling and floor. People surrounded you on all sides, noise blasted you from every direction, smoke filled your nose, alcohol stung your throat and caused you nausea, your eyes were wet, your jeans were sticky, and your palms and forehead were sweaty. You stared into the dark, spacious, room drunkenly. The moon cast its light directly behind you, casting your shadow onto the dark floor. You watched as a second shadow - taller, thinner - moved across yours. Your companion came up beside you casually, his walking clumsy; he'd been drinking. You laced your fingers in with your companion's. He tightened his grip on your hand. Outside, it was raining, and the wind howled and gave you chills, you pressed yourself closer to him; he had his arm around your waist. Your head hurt from all the alcohol you'd been pounding earlier.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you both huddled next to each other, shielding one another from the pouring rain. The heat wafting from inside reached you and helped to keep you warm. Your emotions were so laid back at the moment that you felt very underwhelmed, though at the same time, everything pulsed through you. You could barely form a single coherent thought. Was it the alcohol or was it HIS presence causing the blockage? You wanted to say something, but no words could be found; your mind was just blank. You allowed yourself to relax into your partner's caress. You were too nervous to be worried, all you wanted was to enjoy this. If only you didn't feel like you were walking on a tight rope above broken shards of glass; fragile, exposed. You clutched him closer and felt relief at the action; you waited to do this your whole life - or what seemed like it. Letting out a heavy sigh, you decided to come to terms with these feelings. There was no denying this.

You were head-over-heels for Adam Faulkner Stanheight.

Adam let out a long breath before leaning away. He stared into the sky and let the rain fall on his face. It was silent between you, but you didn't mind. Your voice would surely break from all the shrieking earlier. But the quietness was welcome; you liked it, wanted it. Eventually, you spot someone exiting. They looked familiar, an ex perhaps? As they approached, they greeted you wholeheartedly. "Y/N." The newcomer didn't even cast one look at Adam. "What are you doing all by yourself? I thought you weren't one for partying."

You glanced at Adam and shrugged happily. You'd attend anything if you were with him, even if it meant breaking the law. Still you didn't speak.

"Come on. Don't leave me all alone here." They stretched their arm out to you invitingly, and started to tread back into the building. "Join me. Don't spend it sadly looking in."

You turned your head away. "I don't need you," you found your voice. "I have-" You stopped yourself, suddenly aware of Adam watching you closely. There was a knowing, amused, glint in his eyes. You could feel your emotions spike dramatically with just one look from him. Your heart melted, and started to beat faster, harder, louder; you could almost feel it in your chest, hear it in your ears. A sliver of slithering adrenaline scalded you on the inside stirring up your stomach even more. You made eye contact with Faulkner, and held it for a long time. It was the best moment ever.

You couldn't stop yourself from drawing nearer, despite already being too close. You could feel heat rising in your cheeks, or was it the hot temperature coming from inside? It was definitely not the coolness from outside! Either way, the intoxicant was beginning to hit you hard now. You were losing control of yourself and your actions; being so close to Adam was probably not a good thing. You leaned in hesitantly, grabbing Adam's cheeks gently between your two hands and turning his head towards you. In an unconsciousness, you pulled Adam in. Your lips quivered, but not out of nervousness just out of bravery. It was like watching yourself from third view. Your body was moving for you, your mind was simply following along.

In a matter of seconds his thin, soft, lips, were on yours. They were tentative and unsure, but you kissed strongly, confidently; like you had nothing to lose. You found yourself pinning Adam up against the wall, shoving your hands in his hair and pulling his head back a little bit. As Adam wrapped his arms around your neck, you pressed closer. Now you could feel Adam's heartbeat against your chest. It was moving fast. So was yours.

Emotions weren't even thrilling through you anymore. All you could keep track of were your thoughts, which were spiraling wildly into chaos; pretty soon you wouldn't even have those to restrict yourself.

Love me, you thought. Love me, please. I need you.

Adam pulled away. "That won't be hard."

Panic pulsed through you immensely, realizing that you had spoken out loud. You blushed deeply and backed away, feeling super insecure suddenly. Adam pulled you back. "Where are you going?" Adam wondered.

You started kissing him again, unable to believe your situation. Holy hell, were you making out with Adam!? Your long-time friend? Maybe you were more than friends now? Maybe. Maybe.

If only you had the confidence to ask...

You pulled back as the laser beams started fanning the room again. You gazed at them tiredly, and let yourself rest your head on Adam's shoulder. Adam held you there and watched then lights flash with you. The yellow diamonds presented themselves once more. They spun, dove, and crashed into things right in front of your eyes, making you dizzy - or was it the alcohol? You sighed out happily, humming along to the song on the radio.

"I think I really like you," Adam mumbled.

"I think I love you," you responded almost instantaneously. You were far too gone now to care about your word choices. But it didn't matter, Adam was as well.

Adam's voice was so quiet you had to strain to hear him, but his words made you feel warm and fuzzy. You clutched his hand desperately. "Me too," he said seriously.

You leaned into him slowly, cautiously, and warily you began another make-out session. You were excited. It would be different this time knowing now that you both felt the same way. The beat started up, the lights flashed, and the diamonds spun crazily, but you couldn't care less about any of it. In fact, neither of you should even be here right now, seeing as you weren't even partying anymore. The alcohol was taking over your mind completely now, and you careened into Adam. The rush was overwhelming! You gasped then dove in; promptly, resolutely, with a strong amount of passion, you kissed Adam again. And this time, it was definitely more than just a kiss.

Figmentary Feelings - Adam Stanheight / Reader

A/N Another one of Melanie Martinez’s songs, called Haunted, inspired this. Omg, I think I need help with this addiction.

Spirals spun in the walls, the air smelled smokey, the atmosphere was crisp, and the scenery was foggy. You sat in Adam’s apartment dazedly, not fully awake, and tried to solve the crossword puzzle that was displayed on your phone. You had found three words.

It had been a month since you had gotten proper sleep. Tiredness tugged at your eyes, but you kept them open. You didn’t want to sleep, but you were lucky; you couldn’t sleep - not anymore.

Adam Faulkner Stanheight was supposed to come home four weeks ago. The newspapers had announced him dead two weeks ago, but you didn’t want to believe it. Adam’s belongings were still situated in their proper places, it was as if he was still here. There couldn’t have been a way that he wasn’t ALIVE anymore. You refused to believe it.

But alas, four weeks was a long time. Adam still hadn’t come home, something that occurs when a person dies, the evidence couldn’t have been more clear.

You ignored the bright lights flashing in your eyes, or the ringing in your ears, and focused on finding the next word. It was ‘lightbulb,’ and you discovered this after about twenty failed attempts.

You put the phone in your pocket. You had a visitor coming over today. You didn’t know who it was, the landlady only said you had someone coming over. You wondered why the said ‘visitor’ hadn’t given you a heads up on their supposed arrival.

You got to your feet numbly. Immediately you spotted the black couch in the living room, and your heart sank low. You could remember when you would watch horror movies with Adam on Friday nights. You could remember when you would come home and find Adam smoking a cigarette after a shitty day ATTEMPTING to take good pictures of his clients but his camera’s lens had been dusty or misty, making it difficult. This was a common case.

There were also the moments when you would find yourselves laughing and joking with one another on the couch. Sometimes it would lead to tickling, other times it would lead to making-out. The mood decided it.

You turned harshly, hearing Adam’s voice in your ears. You flinched, but you could hear his words so clearly, so… real. You groaned in agony. “I love you.” But your words were met with silence.

You turned around and made for the kitchen, but this was also a bad idea. Adam’s presence was here, too. You could sense him standing by the oven, leaning on it with his back, and gazing at you while you tied an apron around your waist and walked over. There were many times when you would bake together. Adam had never liked cooking or baking but he seemed to have fun when he was with you.

Usually you made pies or cakes, but sometimes you would make dinner together. Those were the best nights. It was always inspired by the thought that you would play a game together. You had plenty of cards and boards in the gaming cabinet, it was more thrilling to cook dinner together first though. It helped to ripen the mood.

Right now you swore you could almost smell a baking pumpkin pie, but you knew that couldn’t be true. The oven was off, and you hadn’t gone to the store in at least two weeks.

You left the kitchen then, hurriedly, and headed for the bedroom. It was dark, and though most of your time spent here was sleeping, you still got a lot of memories. Memories you would have preferred to have left untouched. This was not because they were bad memories. In fact every memory you had with Adam was beautiful, even the bad ones, but that only spelled out the problem. You didn’t want to remember them because they were good, way too fucking good. And you couldn’t stand that.

The first thing that came to your mind was the time when you got locked out of the bedroom. The lights were off, and all you had was the sunlight shining in from the living room window. It was bright enough, but now that you thought of it, why hadn’t you turned on the lights? In the end, you ended up having to take the door off its hinges because you couldn’t find the key. But because neither of you could reach the last hinge on the top, you had to stand on Adam’s shoulders and use the screwdriver to undo it. You had felt really unsteady in that moment. The noise the door made when it fell to the floor was so loud, it was memorable. You shuttered.

You stumbled forward a little as a barrage of more images went through your mind. They were different from the last one. All of them were of Adam sitting patiently for you on the bed. Either he was sitting or laying but in some way or another there was something quite risque about his positioning. You grit your teeth hard, trying not to feel…

Well that was just it. You didn’t want to feel. You were trying not to. The statement was fine as it was, but… what you had been thinking was more like: ‘I don’t want to feel sad anymore.’

Both sentences were true.

Those weren’t the only things you recalled. You could still see Adam by the dresser as he picked out a dress for you to wear. And you could see him reaching for his camera on the bedside table.

He was staying up all night with you when you couldn’t sleep.

He was holding you tightly as you cried into his shoulder in the dark.

He was stroking your hair after a long, late, night.

He was pushing you to the mattress very dominantly - it wouldn’t have lasted very long though.

He was kissing you.

He was caressing you.

He was making you feel something, you know the kind.

And he was touching you, feeling you.

Your eyes stretched wide at the recollections. You backed away tensely, not even glancing at the master bathroom, and slammed the door closed. You were cursed to feel Adam’s hands and mouth on your body. Desperately, but failingly, you tried to ignore it.

You ran out the door, but it felt wrong. It was like Adam was still inside calling you to come back. And you clasped your hands together tightly. What the hell were you still doing here? You should have left long ago, like your therapist had told you.

You began to make moving plans. Hopefully you would be out of here by next week.

I’m sorry, Adam. I’m leaving you here. But just know that I will always love you. I would never stop. I just… need to get away from here, you thought miserably. It was about time you moved out anyway.

You got into the car and started driving. All you needed was some fresh air, and a long drive with the windows down. This was your escape.

When Adam had been with you he had always insisted on driving. But you hadn’t seen his car since he went missing. You only had yours now.

You connected your phone to the blue-tooth speaker. Your car speakers had died a long time ago, so you had bought a blue-tooth speaker. It worked well enough but it wasn’t like the car speakers, unfortunately.

You shuffled the playlist, and let it play. You didn’t have the energy to care about listening to your favorite songs first; whatever song played, played.

This was one of those times. The first song that played was a song you had forgotten about. It was Melanie Martinez’s song, “Haunted,” and you listened to it intently. Your heartbeat started hammering anxiously once you heard the lyrics again. It made you feel cold on the inside, and a little bit daunted by the real world. You wanted to crawl into your bed and feel nothing ever again.

This song was depressing! You realized it morbidly as the lyrics started.

“I could pull the sheets over my head and never get out of this bed. But what would that do?”

You rounded a corner quickly, but not too sharply.

“I avoid all mirrors ‘cause I’m scared to look into my eyes when I only see you.”

You inhaled painfully.

“It’s like you're always creeping on the walls and in my feelings. All those stories about ghosts are really true.”

You slammed on the brakes suddenly as the light changed red. You didn’t know where you were going.

“I put one foot in front of the other, in front of the other.”

You gazed around. There were people walking with their families on the sidewalks, there were cars with people laughing in them, there were stores with happy customers, there were children waiting at the bus stop together. But your life seemed so excruciatingly low right now, you didn’t even know how to comprehend it.

“Slowly, I turn every corner, turn every corner. Even when you’re nowhere in the room, I’m haunted by you.”

You tried not to relate, but the deeper meaning was too pressuring.

“I light all my candles, light all my candles. The darkness is too hard to handle, too hard to handle.”

You were losing your mind, listening to this. What the fuck, this song hit way too close to home, you needed out of here.

“Sleeping is just something I can’t do. I’m haunted by you.”

You were crying by the time the light turned green.

“I can hear your talking in the distance, your persistence is so cruel. And all your words pull at my feet and I fall back in love with you.”

Your hands trembling, you crashed them against the dashboard, thrashing and searching for the volume. You found it and twisted it violently to the right. The music got louder, and you screamed in shock. You could feel Adam’s arms around you still as you tried to breathe. Honking erupted from behind you, and other drivers started going around. You fumbled with the volume again, after your shock had worn away, and turned it off completely. That was enough for today. Now it was time to go home, and try to get some sleep.

You made a U-Turn at the intersection, and drove home in the silence. Your heart was the only sound you could hear, or even concentrate on. It was so loud you thought everyone could hear it.

Once safely inside the apartment, you grabbed a blanket, and a hot cider, and laid down on the couch. You had made it about a quarter of the way through your cider when you rested your head on the pillow. It was soft and squishy, and perfect. The spirals in your vision disappeared finally, and the atmosphere warmed up. Your mind was getting the sleep it needed at last.

Hopefully in the morning you’d be able to round the corner to the bathroom without getting lost in memory lane. That was something you had yet to accomplish, but right now you had achieved sleeping. Your therapist would be thrilled.

Laser Tag - Adam Stanheight / Dominant Reader

A/N There was an online prompt that inspired this. I wanted to write two, one where there was a sub reader, and one where there was a dom reader. I posted the sub one yesterday. Thank you, please enjoy.

The sun was shining outside, slanting through the oval windows at the top of the walls. You felt relaxed, and totally in control as you thought about HOW you got into these circumstances. Earlier, you and your boyfriend had been out swimming in the nearby lake. It was on your long walk back with Faulkner, that you passed the laser tag sign in bright letters, inviting you to it’s doors. You couldn’t stop yourself from checking it out.

You dragged Adam with you, a playful look in your eyes. You had an idea as soon as you saw the sign. Stanheight didn’t like to go too far out of his comfort zone, which was something you could empathize with; you’d been like that too at one point in your life. But this wasn’t about getting him out of his comfort zone. It was about using his comfort zone against him. He’d have to step out of it, if he wanted to win. Not to mention, he was really adorable when he got all… ‘warmed up’...

You loved seeing Adam Stanheight get flustered. It was really cute! It tended to happen when he was under some kind of stress, which usually came from being out of his comfort zone. This was a good way to get him agitated, not to mention it would just be a great way to spend the day.

However, playing had been harder to do because you needed a team of fourteen people; seven on each team. You weren’t really sure how you’d done it. All it took was some mention of extra money for a private game, and the owner was all about that. He allowed you inside very, very, rapidly.

Thinking about it now, you had realized that Adam did seem slightly reluctant to step inside, but he kept his composure. He was really good at doing that. You were trying to get him to be more open with you. You wanted him to talk to you about his feelings. It had yet to happen, unfortunately. But hope never ran out.

Now though, you couldn’t wait to begin. The game had started a few minutes ago, and you were sure that Adam was probably overthinking, and trying to strategize. For being an overthinker, he was pretty skilled at strategy games. You crept into the laser tag arena, your eyes stretched wide, scanning for any kind of movement. It was hard to see in here due to the lack of light, but that was the point, wasn’t it?

Around your wrist was a watch, displaying all of your lives to you, and on your head was a band displaying the same thing to the other players. A laser gun was supplied for a weapon, of course.

You felt secure that you could win this. Most likely you would, seeing as how well you could keep your cool under pressure. The same could not be said for your boyfriend.

You turned a sharp right corner into a dark hallway and followed it around in a long twisty loop until you found yourself on the other side of the arena. The arena itself was in the middle of the branching hallways. This whole place was made to hold ten or fourteen people, so finding anyone in here would be difficult with only two. But you liked a challenge.

The floors and walls were black and shiny, reflecting the sunlight that shone through the high windows. From your place inside the hallway, you could make out the arena. It was a large circular space in the middle of the room, surrounded by half walls all the way around. Platforms were scattered all about, none of them were connected to each other. You could climb on some of them with ladders, and others with stairs, but all of them were above the main arena in some way. There were half walls on the platforms as well, to suffice as some kind of shelter.

You considered your options. Higher ground seemed like an iffy course of action, even if you could hide behind the walls. Your opponent wouldn’t be ABLE to find you, at least that was the hope, but then again there was only one way down. And if you found yourself trapped with the opponent, you’d be easy prey, especially if they were blocking the escape route. You decided it was best to stay on the floor, where your mobility wouldn’t be limited; there could always come a time when running became the better choice.

Now was the tricky part. Did you present yourself or not? You were safe right now under the cover of the hallway, but you couldn’t stay here forever. Someone had to win this game of laser tag. You lifted your laser gun up, clutching it firmly in your hands, and then boldly stalked into the open.

As you did, you spotted exactly who you were looking for in the darkness of one of the hallways. “Oh, Adam,” you called out amiably. “Why don’t we fight face to face?”

Adam took his shot, much to your disappointment. Your headband buzzed and your watch flashed wildly. You were slightly amused that Adam managed to get a shot on you.

“I’m impressed,” you said sweetly, stepping behind one of the half walls. “I wasn’t expecting you to get the first shot on me.”

Adam mumbled something back, but it was too quiet for you to hear.

That was my fault, you admitted. I was practically asking to be shot… But this isn’t over. I won’t let him win this. But cockiness doesn’t get you anywhere either. You reminded yourself calmly. I’ll have to be more careful. This shouldn’t be hard. Adam will slip up soon anyway.

You sunk back into the shadows, and wound around the long way. If you could come up behind Adam, you’d have the element of surprise.

Crawling on your hands and knees, you fumbled through the dark corridor. At the end of it was Adam Faulkner. You could see him from this angle. He had his back to you, clutching the laser gun to his chest.

You smirked to yourself. Adam could be scatterbrained, and obviously he could be a little clumsy too, but you loved him all the same. You stopped moving and took in the sight before. It wouldn’t take long for Adam to see you, but he wouldn’t notice you for a couple of minutes.

Adam’s lithe body pressing against the wall was enticing. His body language told you that he was just slightly uneasy, but not uncomfortable. His hair was still damp from swimming in the lake earlier, which made it look fluffy. There were… many ideas going through your mind of what you could do to him while he was pushed so closely to the wall, and none of them were winning laser tag. You tried not to get excited.

Focusing, you raised the gun into the air. You aimed for the band on his head, and took a shot. Two, actually. The two red lights flashed and you leaned back as they blinked out. You smiled proudly at Adam when he turned around, looking flustered. “Y/N!” He exclaimed. “I… I didn’t know you were there.”

Your gaze flashed down his body, taking in every single detail. How his white shirt hung loosely on his body, and his black flannel hung open. The way he pointed the laser gun at you even though he was nervous. How he pretended to be confident when he was actually fairly agitated. You could see it all in his movements, and his expressions.

He shot at you, but his nerves made him edgy. He missed. You couldn’t help feeling slightly attracted to that. “Relax…” you murmured. “You can’t perform anything under pressure.”

You brought up the gun, but Adam laughed. “Yeah. We’ll see.” He made a run for the opposing hallway that was on the other side of the arena. You let him get away. You could take your time with this.

Two to one… I think we know who’s winning.

You followed him out, quickly. This led to a rushed game of laser tag. Stanheight tried to stay behind the cover of the half walls, and you tried to stand back and keep track of him. You both ran around each other for a good five minutes. Sometimes one of you would round a corner and find yourselves way too close to the other, and then go bolting in the other direction. Adam was smiling by this time. There was a glint of happiness in his eyes, and his cheeks were red from running around. You liked that - a lot.

At one point a shooting fit erupted from both of you. Neither of you made a shot, though Adam nearly got you several times. The laser beams sliced the air back and forth and spiraled into walls, but never quite touched the assigned target. It unsatisfied you, but now that Adam was warming up, he wasn’t that much of an easy target. You regretted underestimating him.

“Y/N,” Adam said at last. “Let me win so we can go home.”

You cocked your head to the side, suspiciously. “What are you saying? You aren’t having any fun? Come on, you look like you're having a blast. Your body language says it.”

Adam shuffled his feet awkwardly. “No. That’s not what I meant. I-I was trying to make a joke.”

His timidness made you giddy. You laughed. “Oh, I see. You want me to let you win.”

Adam chuckled nervously. “Uh… Yeah, I guess.”

You lunged for him, but Adam dove backwards, slamming into the entrance doors with a thud. You could hear the painful clash as Adam’s back was thrown into the doorknobs. You flinched for him. “Shit. That hurt,” Adam mumbled.

“Are you okay?” You asked hesitantly.

“I think.”

“Good.” You lifted yourself up so that you were looking down at Adam, and whispered, “Having a good day?”

“Y-Yeah,” stammered your boyfriend.

Putting him under pressure was cute. You loved how it made him react. “Yeah?” Adam nodded, but didn't say anything. You kissed him gently on the lips, then pulled away slightly. Adam looked at you longingly. “Good. That’s very good. I’m glad. Today was supposed to help you feel better. Is it working?”

Adam sank into the door, and gazed at you like a lost puppy. “Yes…”

You smirked at him. Adam had practically melted into your arms. He had a look of desperation on his face. “I love you,” you told him.

Adam groaned. “I love you, too, baby.”

“Hmmm,” you hummed out, satisfied. “I’ll bet you do.”

You kissed him again, and Adam deepened it immediately. He was trying to get every piece of you, but you didn’t allow that. You only gave him a little bit of what he wanted. Adam struggled on the door for a couple seconds but you pushed him down. “Comfortable?” You purred in his ear.

Adam moaned into your mouth. “Y/N… Please…”

“Now’re you ready to go home?” You asked teasingly.

“Uh… W-What would we do at home?”

You raised a smug eyebrow. “Well, I know what I would be doing.”

“What?”

You only licked your upper lip. The answer was standing right in front of you. Your gaze flashed down Adam’s body. Then you leaned down for a third time, and connected your lips to his lips.

It was a passionate kiss that lasted for a long time. Beneath you, you could feel your boyfriend wriggling frantically, attempting to get closer to you, attempting to provoke a more furious reaction from you. You weren’t giving him your all, and he knew that. You wouldn’t take this seriously until you were at home. This was just to work poor Adam up.

In the midst of your making-out, you very promptly raised the laser gun into the air. In one swift motion you pushed the gun to Adam’s headband, and won the game.

There was an announcer on the headband, and it’s words resounded around the room chaotically. “headshot!”

You stepped back gently, leaving Adam’s mouth lonely. His band was flashing, as was his watch.

Adam glanced at you miserably. “Wait.”

“Game over…” you remarked wittily, and bit your lower lip flirtatiously.

Adam rolled his head back onto the door. You could tell that he had gotten carried away in the moment, and recovering was going to be hard.

The door was pulled back randomly, and you grabbed Adam’s wrist and yanked him towards you so that he was leaning on you for support; you didn’t want him to fall over. He leaned into you dizzily, trying to regain his composure. Somehow he got more attractive when he looked like that. You had to grit your teeth, to keep yourself from doing anything you’d regret. You handed your laser tag gear to the security guard.

“You’re the first,” the security guard growled. “I will never allow my boss to accept private games again.”

“Thanks,” you said smartly. “We enjoyed it. Didn’t we, Adam, baby?”

Adam stumbled after you. He had taken off his laser tag gear as well. “Huh? Oh, yeah. We did.”

You said gracefully, “You look like you need some taking care of. Are you ready to go home?”

Adam nodded instantly. “Yeah.”

You nodded back. That didn’t surprise you in the slightest. Adam was staring at you with a look of utter passion on his face. “You want something?” You asked seductively.

Adam nodded again.

“Can you wait ‘till we get home?” You inquired softly.

Faulkner let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

You smiled proudly to yourself. Your boyfriend was long gone by now. He had fallen into your trap a long time ago. “Get in the car,” you instructed. Adam trudged off, and you followed behind him, checking him out along the way.

The ride home was short, though you were pretty sure Adam couldn’t agree with that statement. Poor Adam, he was struggling at the moment, but that look on his face… The one where he stared at you like you were the only good thing in the damn world. That gave you power, you ate it up. Once you made it to the apartment a flurry of hurried actions occurred. The following events were… unsuitable to describe to the outside world, but one thing was obvious: Adam was definitely the one being dominated, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Delirious - Adam Stanheight / Reader

Adam Faulkner sat up frantically, his body rigid and his mind reeling, his hands grasping uselessly at the edge of his confines, his hair plastered to his face, and his mouth filled with grimy water. He spluttered, trying to breath without getting water in his lungs, and his fingers fumbled inconveniently all along the edge of his restraints. Coughing, Adam hauled himself out of the tub. He was weak and fatigued, but most of all he was scared. In a few frightening moments, that seemed entirely too long, he tried pounding on the walls; first slowly then gradually getting faster with every passing second. Through the darkness, Adam could feel the freezing tile on his fingers, and the sharp sting as he slapped his palms against it. When this proved futile, Adam backed away hesitantly, spinning 'round and 'round as if trying to find something that wasn't there, and then resorted to screaming. His attempts at being heard were unavailing, but he kept at it anyway mostly for the sake of his very own sanity; if he remained silent he was sure to lose his goddamn mind.

"No one can hear you," came a sudden voice from the darkness. It sounded so dismissive; in fact it almost pissed Adam off how apathetic it appeared. "Just calm down. Are you hurt?"

Adam's mind struggled to form a single coherent thought. Between his confusion and his fear, thinking was made difficult. He stuttered over his words for a couple short seconds. "I-I-I-I don't- don't know." He looked over himself, even though he couldn't see anything. "Yeah?"

There was a faint sound of stumbling around, and then a high-pitched buzz filled the room. In an abrupt flicker the darkness was replaced with a bright yellow light. The ceiling lights had come on, and Adam groaned, shielding his eyes away from the brightness. "I couldn't find them before..." The man apologized.

When Adam could see clearly again, he glanced over at the object to his right. Immediately upon seeing the results, he wished he had been a little more thoughtful on that prospect, for keeping him grounded was a metal chain connecting him to a metal pipe protruding from the tile walls. What calmness he had left evaporated all together and once again he found himself panicking. Adam yanked and tugged but it didn't matter, he wasn't going anywhere. "Holy shit. You did this, didn't you!?"

His companion pressed himself against the wall in alarm. "I haven't done anything!" He exclaimed defensively. "But we're going to have to trust each other if we want to get out of this. I mean, clearly someone didn't want us going very far."

Adam huffed. "But what the hell did I do?"

"Apparently you did something, or you wouldn't be here. Now, what's your name?"

That's a personal question, Adam thought. Why does he want to know?

Looking the man up and down suspiciously, Faulkner muttered carefully, "My name is very fucking confused... What's YOUR name...?"

"Lawrence Gordon," Gordon answered practically.

Adam laughed. "Sounds like a doctor's name," he whispered wryly.

"I AM a doctor," Doctor Lawrence snapped.

Adam stared at him awkwardly. Neither of them spoke a word to each other for a couple of never-ending minutes, then Lawrence stood up. "Here, let me try the door."

"Why didn't you?" Adam retorted, not expecting a reply. He was aware of the fact that, with the lights off, it was impossible to see your surroundings. Lawrence ignored him, but did cast him an annoyed look, as if echoing Adam's exact thoughts. He got to his feet.

Adam watched Lawrence stretch himself along the wall, reaching for the door. It was locked, but even if wasn't, Lawrence's chain didn't stretch far enough to get him to the handle. "Well fuck," Adam uttered hopelessly.

Lawrence gave him an apologetic look, but didn't say anything to reassure him. It was then that Adam's eyes found the chainsaw resting right next to Lawrence's feet, and that's when everything changed. He started freaking out. In flashbacks he saw THAT moment replaying over and over again in his head, and he reacted violently, twisting his body and lashing out against his restraint.

The pictures burned his eyes, at least it felt like they did. With each passing second the flashbacks became more clear. He could almost feel Lawrence's pain when he cut through his flesh. Adam screamed. Agony ripped through his temples and he doubled over.

Lawrence's longing and flustered exclamations were lost on poor Adam as he writhed miserably on the tile floor in capable of regaining himself, his tormented mind struggling to cope with the memories. "Hey! I think I've found something! Pass me that tape."

Adam kicked, and flailed, but didn't hear Lawrence.

"What's wrong? Will you at least tell me your name?"

Still, Adam couldn't get the vision out of his eyes. It lingered there like a bloodstain on a white dress. It refused to put him at ease.

"Adam!" Lawrence threw his wallet at him. "Adam!" His voice was starting to blend into the buzz of the lights. "Goddamn it, Adam! What's happening?"

Faulkner tossed and turned. His heart was beating so fast in his chest he was sure it would pop at any given moment. His temperature was so high it was like he was in an oven that was set to self-destruct. His shirt and flannel were drenched in so much sweat, he could have easily been rolling around in the wet grass before arriving.

"Adam!" Lawrence threw something else at him. Was it the package of cigarettes? "Sit up! Sit up!"

Adam tried to latch onto what Lawrence was telling him, but he felt fried. His mind was so exhausted...

"Adam!" Gordon's voice was gone completely now, as well as the images that he had been seeing before. Adam was plunged straight back into darkness, and then THAT voice reached his ears. The melodic voice of his significant other.

In a frenzy, hastily and dazedly, Adam Faulkner exploded from the covers, his face burning up with fever. He was hotter than he had ever felt in his entire life. He gasped, paranoia engulfing him. His eyes darted around the room, taking in his surroundings quickly, fearfully. He was not where he expected to find himself. He was not with the person he was expecting to be with. Adrenaline pumped through him, making him fidgety, but finally he brought his attention to his partner. You were leaning over him, terror in your bright eyes.

Adam's breath slowed down audibly, once he realized where he was. You pushed him to the pillow again. You had tears on your cheeks but Adam wasn't in the mental state to be concerned about that right now. He let you adjust him on the bed, as you whispered, "You're so hot, baby. I tried to stop the fever, but... it just kept rising, and... You scared me, I thought for sure... Never mind. You were kicking and sleep talking. I don't what you said, though."

Adam stared ahead, grabbing hold of your hand. He held it so tightly you whimpered. You had to use all your strength to rip your hand out of his grasp. "What time is it?" He choked.

"Twelve AM. It's hasn't even been two hours yet."

"I... I can't go back to sleep. I need a walk." But Adam knew it was a lie. And he knew what you would say.

You stared into his face. His eyes had dark circles under them, they were bloodshot already themselves, and his skin was ghostly white. You frowned at him in dismay. Lately, he had stopped sleeping. His trauma was getting to him again, and you knew that was the only reason for it; his dreams were haunting him too much. "No, Adam," You said firmly this time. You weren't going to allow him to do this again.

Adam shook his head. "Let me. It helps."

"You are going to kill yourself one of these days," You growled, and gently held him down. You didn't want to cause him to feel trapped, that would only make things worse, but you didn't want him to get up. "You need to sleep, baby. You have a fever tonight."

"Maybe that's good?" Adam asked halfheartedly. He hadn't meant to alarm you.

You felt sick. "No." You combed your fingers through his hair. "Relax, Adam. You're going to be just fine. I know it, you know it."

Adam relaxed under his partner's soothing strokes. "I feel so cold..."

You gazed at him sadly. "A hundred and one degrees, Adam."

"Me?"

"No, the cat," You snapped sarcastically.

"Oh..."

Adam could feel himself losing himself to sleep. He was afraid of what would happen next in his dreams, but he trusted you to take care of him. Your careful caress was enough to put him back under. And as he wandered through a blurry haze of darkness, he heard your soft voice one last time. "I love you." A kiss was planted on his lips and when he started dreaming again, it was with you.

You in your favorite attire.

You with your prettiest smile.

You with your pleasant laugh.

And he leaned right into that beloved and charming kiss. All the while you stayed awake in the night, protecting him, keeping him away from his fears, and allowing your precious boyfriend to gather up on his much desired sleep.

When Nobody's Around - Adam Stanheight / Reader

A/N. There was a clip of the song 'Better' by Khalid on TikTok, and that inspired this story. Anyway, continue.

It was dark in the area, December twenty-fourth. The wind howled loudly as it whipped through the tree branches and sent snow spraying everywhere. The air was freezing cold, and the ground was icy. Even snow boots couldn't dull the slip from anyone who tried to walk on it. It was difficult not to tense up against the chill, or even not to zip up the jacket around one's shoulders, but no matter what you did you just couldn't get warm. You kept your head bent and plowed on through the snow. The coffee in your Starbucks cup made your palms hot, but you liked it that way; you didn't like the cold anyway. Adam Stanheight was following closely behind you, along with your best friend. You guys had a mixed friendship, or so it seemed. You knew what you had with your bff, you didn't need to question it. But your relationship with Adam was quite another thing entirely, it dissatisfied you, dismayed you. Often times he'd play off his flirting to be nothing more than jokes, and it hurt you a little. His mixed signals were confusing you. You clutched your tote bag closer and sped up your speed. Getting home was your biggest priority right now; you felt so flustered being around Adam. It made your heart beat faster and your stomach swim chaotically.

In your head you knew there was something there, or at least you wished there was, but you couldn't stop yourself from feeling it. You rounded the corner very urgently. You were in the lead, Adam and your friend had been talking earlier about politics, you didn't want to discuss that. But unfortunately for you, your friend called out to you. "What's your opinion?"

You, who had not been listening, turned around slowly and looked at them dumbly. You could not remember what they had been talking about before. "I wasn't paying attention," you admitted.

"Oh, come on. I was asking-"

"-No, no," you interrupted. "Right now I have other things to worry about than what side of the political spectrum you are on. I'd like to keep our friendship strong before Christmas, then we can ruin it."

"Fine. Then at least tell me this. What side of the 'romantic relationship' are you on? You know, with..." Your bff elbowed Adam in the ribs.

Adam made a face. " 'Romantic relationship'?" He repeated skeptically. "What the fuck are you on about?"

You turned back around and started to cross the street, your heart heavy. The light, which was blurred by the snowy fog, changed red suddenly, and you were pulled back by a strong force. It wasn't like you could have saved yourself, but you did appreciate the thoughtfulness. Not to mention, there weren't any moving vehicles out right now to plow you over, so it didn't really matter. "Thanks," you mumbled, and pulled your arm out of their grasp, you expected it to be your friend.

"Hey. Where are you going?" The voice sounded right behind you. It was quiet and soothing; it sent chills up your spine; like it always did. Apparently the political conversation was over now.

"A-Adam..." you gasped. "I... wasn't expecting you to be there."

"No?" Adam pressed up against your side. "You seem cold. Mind if I warm you up?"

You gagged, feeling embarrassed, and tried to get away, but Adam held you close. "Where are you going?" He asked again.

Your best friend came up to you. "Yeah. No romantic relationship here. What's up love-birds?"

Adam released you. "Tch," he scoffed. "What are you talking about? We're just friends. Can't I care for my friends?"

You stared at him miserably. "Christmas at my house?" You asked, changing the subject.

Your friends looked at you cluelessly. "Oh sure," your bff agreed. "I won't have to rearrange any plans if we go to your house."

"You live in the same place," you muttered.

"That's the point..." your friend grimaced.

Adam had fallen behind you both while you discussed this. He seemed quiet now, and lost in thought. You wondered what he was thinking about. You wished he was talking with you again. You wished he would try snuggling again.

The discussion wasn't a long one, and it ended right as you reached the other side of the road. "So, Adam," you hummed out quietly. "You need anyone to help with baking? I know you said you would like it if someone came over tomorrow morning."

"Only one someone..." Adam winked at you, and laughed. "In all honesty, I just want the company. It gets lonely over there."

"So... No baking?"

"What would you guys be baking?" (Bff's name) asked. "Not like Adam is having anyone over. Not like he CAN. Everyone would be falling on their asses."

Adam muttered something under his breath, then spoke up, "No, you're right. I... will do the baking myself." He chuckled. "That is, if I stop taking pictures of it first."

"You're not planning on doing any baking, are you?" You realized.

"I... was? Actually."

"Pffft." Your best friend sounded dubious.

You yourself were a little doubtful too, but you had the sense to shut up about it. You blew out a breath, which made your bangs fly into the air.

"You look kinda cute when you do that," Adam commented and held your hand lightly.

You blushed, waiting for his infamous 'jk' or stupid reasoning as to why he was 'pretending to flirt' with you, but it never came. You exchanged glances with you friend, but alas Adam caught it, and let go. "I should really stop doing that, shouldn't I?"

You huffed. "I... like it..." You said inaudibly.

Adam had heard you, but he chose not to respond. He started talking about the snow instead.

Fuck, you thought.

Faulkner walked you both to your condo, and held the door open. You were the first inside, but didn't get too far. Adam called you back as your best friend stalked past you to the stairs. You fell back and leaned against him. What was going to happen now? Adam got all cozy with you when you guys were alone, and now that your friend had left, you wondered what was going to happen. "Hey, Y/N?" He looked directly into your eyes. He never flinched or gazed away, but his body language said he was nervous.

You felt obliged to ease his stress. "Yeah? Are you cold, why don't you come in for a minute and warm up?"

"No," Adam said boldly. "I... just wanted to..." He looked away finally. Your heart nearly stopped in anticipation. "Well, you see... I've been thinking about this for a while. Ever since October."

You stared at him silently, hoping he wasn't psyching you up just to joke with you again. "What is it?" You asked in irritation. "Are you playing with me again?"

"What do you mean by that?" Adam didn't seem to understand that you were referring to his 'fake flirting.' Honestly, sometimes you thought that he was completely unaware that he did it. Or maybe he simply pretended to be innocent?

"I'm not kidding around right now, I'm being serious. Here's the deal. I-I wanted Christmas at my place, if that's alright with you. I don't mind if you bring

(Bff's name,) But... Yeah."

Your stomach felt hollow after hearing that. Whatever you had been expecting was entirely not up for debate. You were simply 'friend-zoned', at least it felt like it. You thought about his words for a short moment, then stared at him questioningly. "Will your apartment be clean enough?" It was a joke, but not really. Adam was notorious for have a messy living quarters.

"Haha," Adam said sarcastically. "I cleaned it yesterday... well enough, that is..."

You nodded halfheartedly, still feeling disappointed. "Sure. I'll tell (Bff's name,) the change of plans."

"Yeah," Adam agreed.

It was awkward after that. Adam stayed in the doorway, and you kept the door open. Neither of you knew what to say after that, but you didn't have the heart to close the door and leave him there. It was so intense that you could feel heat rising to face in the cold forty degree (Fahrenheit) weather. Snow was starting to fill up the inside. "I guess you should go?" You didn't want to be rude, but asking it instead of saying it didn't help the bluntness of the sentence.

"Um..." Adam shrugged. "I was wondering something else..."

You looked at Adam in disbelief. In the fifteen minutes standing in the cold, he didn't think to bring this up? "Well, alright then. Any time would be... perfect." You noticed for the first time, how fidgety he had become. You'd never seen him like that before. Something else was on his mind, you knew him well enough to know that. "Go on," you encouraged.

"Why don't you come to my place for the night?" Adam asked unexpectedly. He got straight to the point, you liked that. He added clumsily, "Unless... Uh, you're busy... in the morning? I understand, you know. Of course I understand. Um... Y-Yeah, I just- I wanted to make sure you knew the invitation was there."

You smiled shyly. Having Adam stumbled over his words was a little bit cute. And then you realized what he had actually asked you. Wait a minute!? This couldn't be real! Stay the night with Adam Faulkner Stanheight!? Who could turn THAT down? Not Y/N. Definitely not Y/N. "Okay," you agreed politely, suddenly feeling self-conscious. You ran your hands over your clothes quickly, trying to smooth them out. But Adam didn't care about the wrinkles in your shirt, he just wanted you with him. He pulled you outside again, the chill biting you immediately. You huddled up next to him, trying to get warm.

Maybe this time it would be different? Maybe he'd snuggle with you?

But Adam was not as observant to his surroundings. He led you to his car, which was parked beside the road.

"What's with the car, Adam? We live close enough, you know," you joked.

Your companion only scowled at you as he snapped, "I was at a client's house when you called. And I decided not to leave the car here on the way home."

You sat down in the passenger's seat happily. Adam, of course, took the driver's seat, and as he started up the car the radio blasted you guys unexpectedly, hollowing out each one of your ears. Instead of turning it off, Adam just turned it down. He seemed much more laid back now that it was just the two of you.

In the silence, however, you were able to pick up what song was currently playing. It was Better by Khalid, and this surprised you. You didn't usually listen to this artist very much, but the radio seemed to love playing this song in particular. You hadn't been expecting it to come on while you were in Adam's car though.

Due to the quietness you could hear the words now. You'd never really listened to them before, but now that you could hear them, you felt suspicious.

"Say we're just friends, but I swear, when nobody's around. You keep my hand around your neck, we connect, are you feeling it now?-"

Adam rolled down a window suddenly, cutting off the next part.

You raised an eyebrow, thinking to yourself. Why the hell am I relating to this song so much? No wait, an even better question is, why would it come on the radio when I'm in the car with Adam? It doesn't add up right.

Almost instinctually, you asked, "D-Did you do this on purpose?" You hadn't meant to blurt it out. In fact you usually were pretty good about thinking about what you were going to say or do before actually performing it. This was a rare scenario.

Humiliation engulfed you as soon as the words left your mouth. You rolled your window down hurriedly, trying to act like you hadn't spoken. It was all for naught.

"What?" Adam asked dully.

"I-uh..." you stammered for a minute, then quickly regained yourself. "Yeah. I was just wondering if you chose the song, or if it was the radio?"

"Why would I have chosen it?" Adam sounded confused. "There would be no reason for me to choose it."

"oh... You're right..." You stared out the window and let the wind blow into your face. It was cold but you didn't say it out loud. You did wonder though, how Stanheight managed to live through it. It was so cold it felt like it was burning your skin off. You closed the window again.

Adam pulled to a stop in front of his apartment. "Don't mind the neighbors," he warned. "They don't like newcomers."

"I know. We've had this discussion before."

"I know," Adam said regretfully. "But... I just... like to remind you."

As you both shuffled into Adam's apartment, you gazed at the floor. He told you he'd cleaned up yesterday, and it showed. The normal empty boxes, or bits of laundry, had been taken care of, as well as the large stacks of photographs laying around the place. Adam was nothing if not passionate about his job, and that made you happy. It still amazed you to be able to see the wooden floor beneath your feet, and you desperately tried not to notice the counter, on top of which was an ashtray, which was piled with cigarette ends. The scent of cigarette smoke was thick, definitely fresh, but... you didn't mind it really.

Well, that was a lie. You did mind it, a lot. But that was the thing, that smell reminded you of Adam, so... you didn't mind it THAT much. Come to think of it, having the scent of smoke remind you of someone was probably not a good thing. Not for you or Adam. In fact, Adam probably had it worse. Imagine hearing someone say that the scent of smoke reminded them of you. That didn't seem like a positive thing to hear.

You shuddered at the thought.

"Come sit down over here," Adam said from the couch. "Sorry about the... Everything... I did try to keep the windows open but... it was way too damn cold. And I guess I couldn't stop... If you know what I mean?"

You did. You could understand completely.

Gently, you sat next to Adam, crossing your legs over each other delicately. It was warm in here, or was it Adam's body heat? You were sitting so close to him it was hard to tell. "I'm glad you came over," he said nervously. "You know... It's kinda stupid, but I only said I wanted your help with baking 'cause I didn't know how to invite you."

You smiled at him. "That's sweet. I would have done the same thing," you reassured Adam.

Adam slowly wrapped an arm around your shoulders. In a low tone, he said, "I didn't get you anything for Christmas. I'm sorry, I... Well, I mostly didn't know what kind of things you liked and didn't like."

"It's okay," you said. "I wasn't planning on having Christmas here until my parents' flight got canceled."

"So, you didn't get me anything either?" Adam's voice held some relief.

"Well, no," you tried to disappoint gently. You knew how it felt when you realized you weren't the only one who had done something a certain way. It was very reassuring. Maybe a bit too reassuring. You didn't want to crush his bubble so violently, but there wasn't any way to say it softly. At least, not one that came to mind. "I actually did think of something."

"Oh?" Adam didn't seem bothered, that was good. "What is it?"

You scoffed. "Like I'd tell you. You have to wait."

You had baked everyone some cookies this morning. That's what you were going to give your friends for Christmas. It was the first thing that came to your mind last second.

Adam leaned away from you hesitantly. "Well, there might be something that I thought of, too, but... I don't know... I guess I got scared..." He glanced at a nearby clock, and shrugged. "Is one fifteen AM close enough to Christmas?"

"I don't know," you said honestly. "I'd say, at least six AM."

"Fuck that," Adam exclaimed. "I... don't think I can wait any longer." He laughed nervously. It lasted for so long that you started to wonder if you had missed the joke.

"I'm sorry," you sighed. "I don't think... I follow."

Adam stared at the floor. "No, I'm sorry, that was unnecessary. I just got... scared?"

You narrowed your eyebrows sympathetically. "What is it, Adam?"

"Well... Will you be my significant other? The time we spend together means a lot, not to mention I enjoy your company a lot, too. Our dates have been nice... I know I should have asked you long ago, but... I don't know... I couldn't get up the courage..."

You smiled, but it was only out of uncomfortableness rather than actual happiness. You had no idea if he was playing with you or being honest with you. "Uh... Heh. You're joking, aren't you?"

"No," Adam gasped. He looked flabbergasted. "Why... What makes you ask that? I wouldn't joke about something like this."

Oh, right, you thought dryly. Just everything else about our relationship.

Out loud you said quickly, "Nothing." You regretted doubting yourself. It just made this situation very embarrassing. You felt the need to clarify your answer now. You didn't want to leave Adam hanging after such a significant question. "Well, Adam. The answer to your question is yes! I thought you were never gonna ask me. Well, actually, I thought you were bullshitting me the entire time."

"I didn't go about it the right way," Adam admitted. "That's my fault." He pulled you down so that your head was on his lap, and started to comb his fingers through your hair. "Merry Christmas, Y/N," he murmured. "That's my gift to you."

You inhaled deeply, feeling a strong wave of affection flood you. You had no idea anyone could feel so much emotion at once. It awed you. Gazing at the ceiling you felt your heart swell up. It beat in your chest heavily, loudly, nervously, but you felt soothed at the same time. And in this exact moment, you had good feelings. Maybe it was too soon to tell, however something in your gut told you that you were going to have a long, successful, future with Adam. "Wow," you hummed out quietly. "Christmas is going to be a hell-of-a-lot different this year." Adam didn't stop brushing your hair. You yawned and smiled. "But I can't wait for it."