Chapter 1: Everybody walk the dinosaur (Joe Mazzello)
Chapter Text
The monster mash filled the bathroom as you got ready for the evening, your poor spotify algorithm will be so confused after tonight. You go for months listening only to the hits of the 80’s, and then suddenly, monster mash, and the Addams family theme are on loop! That however did not stop you from grooving along to the song, moving your hips to the beat and bobbing your head. You could hear Joe downstairs, setting everything up for the party he had organised at the last minute. Joe had sent a group text to the BohRhap cast, demanding everyone be free for Halloween. This, of course had been met with a rather loud outcry. Rami and Lucy had already made plans, Gwil was travelling to Wales to see his brother, and Ben well, Ben was free and had accepted immediately.
Up until two days ago, it had been planned for just you, Joe and Ben to have a quite night together, watching scary movies, and pigging out on pizza. That is, until Joe had received a message from Gwil, his brother had come down with the flu, and didn’t want to pass it on to him. Your party now consisted of four. Next came a message from Lucy, “Okay, this is crazy, I haven’t seen you in months! Tell Joe that Rami and I will be there this weekend! (Don’t mention anything to Rami please, I’ve still got to figure out how to tell him…)”
With six confirmed people, you had taken it upon yourself to invite a few extra people, work mates, old school friends, and the castmates of Joe’s current project. As far as Joe knew, there were only going to be four of you in attendance tonight, yet somehow the extra bags of crisps, candy, and drinks hadn’t clued him in on the fact that there would be a lot more people in your house tonight. The doorbell rang downstairs, and you pause your music listening out for Joe as he shuffles around the floor below. There’s the faint mumbling of voices, though they’re too quiet for you to pick up on who had arrived.
Your phone ‘dings’ on the bathroom counter, and you turn your attention to it, a message from Ben illuminating the lock screen.
“How long am I keeping Joe occupied for?”
You had a rather special surprise in-store for Joe tonight, but to execute it properly, you needed Joe to give you some space for a little while. Ben had been more than willing to help out, offering to keep Joe away from you and the bathroom for as long as you required.
“Just need 20 mins.”
You send back just as the doorbell rings again. If you had planned everything correctly, everyone would arrive at roughly the same time, which meant Joe would be busy greeting all his unexpected guests.
Turning back to face the mirror, you grin at your reflection, time for the piece de resistance! Carefully, you step into the legs of the suit you had chosen to wear, shimmying the material up to your hips. The suit is incredibly baggy on you, and it only becomes more noticeable as you shrug the outfit over your shoulders, but that was all about to change.
*****************
“What the hell is that noise?” Joe asks, turning his attention to Ben beside him, who paused as he went to open a beer. A loud ‘whirring’ noise seemed to echo around the entire apartment, Ben had a suspicion as to who the cause of the noise was, but had promised not to say a word.
Instead, Ben simply shrugs, popping the cap off his beer and taking a swig. “No idea sorry.” Joe squints at the blonde, but says nothing more on the topic, his eyes travelling over the costume his best mate had opted to wear. “Ben, mate, I’ve gotta ask. What are you wearing?” He waves his hand in the general direction of Ben’s costume, which consisted of a lime green skirt with purple flowers, salmon coloured tank top, and black boots.
Ben looks rather outraged at Joe’s obliviousness to his costume. “I’m sexy Patrick Star you uncultured swine!” He cries out, folding his arms across his chest, glaring at Joe. “What about you? You’ve barely put any effort in at all!”
Joe looks down at himself pouting at the blonde. “What do you mean? I’m in costume too!”
“It doesn’t count if you dress as your own character!”
Now that was something Joe hadn’t considered, he hadn’t even run his costume by with you, he just assumed that what he had decided to wear would be fine! He had on his baseball outfit from undrafted, lucky number 15 for Pat Murray. Looking at the slightly faded red shirt now however, Joe realised it was perhaps a somewhat lazy costume choice, he had just been so excited to still be able to fit into it! He never stopped to think, should he wear it?
“At least my ass looks good in these pants.”
Ben can’t help but chuckle, shaking his head slowly. “Well, you’re not wrong.” A grin is plastered to Joe’s lips, as he gazes around the kitchen. Clearly you had been up to something, as there were currently at least fifteen people milling around the apartment, none of which he had invited, not that they were any less welcome though.
“No fucking way!” Joe screeches, as he looks over to the front door. It had been left open, allowing the warm night air flow into the apartment, also to stop people from constantly ringing the doorbell, allowing the guests to just walk right on in. Ben casts his glance towards the door also, an identical look of glee on his face also.
“RAMI! LUCY!”
The sheer volume of Joe’s voice carries over the small crowd of guests, and the two people of his calling turn to look at him, only to find the man in question jumping up and down like a child on Christmas, waving his hands in the air. Ben looks almost embarrassed to be stood beside him, though he would never leave his side, especially seeing as the only other people who he knew at the party, were headed straight for him now. The ever impeccably dressed couple, now stood with them, dressed as Jack and Sally from the nightmare before Christmas. It was a classic costume, but they both pulled the look off so well!
“What the hell are you two doing here?” Joe grins, as he wraps his arms around Lucy, then Rami in a tight, welcoming hug.
“You know, I would love to know the answer to that also Joe. Lucy, perhaps you could shed some light on the situation?” Rami smirks, wrapping an arm around the blonde bombshell.
Ben raises a quizzical eyebrow at Lucy, while she shies away from the interrogation she was currently facing. “Maybe, I accidentally typed in the wrong address when booking our uber?” She offers in explanation, though it’s obvious that even she doesn’t believe her own lie.
“Did Y/N have something to do with it?” Joe laughs, swiping a beer off the table for himself.
“I’m pretty sure Y/N had something to do with this entire party. You just weren’t told.” Ben offers quietly. Joe nods in agreement, there was no denying you had created this party, even if Joe had thought he was the one planning the whole thing.
The front door continues to swing open and closed, allowing more and more people inside, the dull mumble of conversation rising to one of a low roar. A tall shadow looms over the small group, who had migrated into the sitting room, Rami was scrolling through Joe’s phone, creating a playlist for the night, while Lucy, Ben and Joe discussed their latest projects.
“Looks like our mission from God was a success. We’ve gotten the band back together.” The deep voice of Gwilym is one that cannot go unrecognised, and the small group all turn to face him. The Brit was dressed as Indiana Jones, complete with a whip from a children’s costume of the adventurer, and a brown sable fedora.
*****************
You switch the air pump off, turning to face the mirror once more, a broad grin covering your concealed face. “Joe is going to love this!”
You chuckle to yourself, moving to exit the bathroom. Your walk is a slow, lumbering one, your oversized costume causing you to take short steps, as apposed to the long strides you usually took. You left your phone on the bathroom counter, having realised you had no way of picking it up and storing it on your person, now you had your costume fully applied.
As you exit the bathroom, the soft notes of the time warp, melt into those of the much louder all star, the smash mouth hit blaring through the speakers on the floor below.
“Stairs, okay, we can do stairs. This is fine, I am fine...”
At no point during the costume planning process had you considered the need to travel downstairs, and now here you stood, trying to gauge what the best way to tackle your descend. To say it was a slow process down would be an understatement, as you neared the bottom, a few guests stopped to look at your larger than life costume, attempting to peer in and see who had donned such an outrageous outfit. However they soon gave up, when you took too long to reach them. You could hardly blame them for walking away, by the time you got off the stairs, it had taken you close to seven minutes! You wouldn’t wait for you either.
You scan over the crowd, costumed people milling around your apartment drinking and eating, a few dancing along to the music that filled every crevice of the small home. Finally, you spot the people you had been looking for, your small band of misfits who had taken up one of the sofa’s in the sitting room. Somehow Ben, Lucy, Gwil and Rami had managed to sit themselves of the two-seater, leaving Joe sat cross legged on the carpet beside them.
Moving closer, Ben is the first to spot you, not that you had expected anything else, he was the only one who knew what your costume was, in all honesty, he had been keeping an eye out for you all evening.
Your shadow looms over Joe, who frowns slightly at what he would deem, as a rude intrusion into his personal space.
“Hey mate, I think one of your guests needs a hand.” Ben smirks, raising an eyebrow in your general direction.
*****************
Joe looks up at Ben, his neck straining from having to continuously tilt his head back at an awkward angle to see his friends. He pushes himself up from the floor, adjusting his now lopsided baseball cap, before pivoting on the spot, only to come face to face with an inflatable T-Rex.
The grin which takes over his face, is one you had been praying you would see tonight, and it only cements the fact, that you had worn the perfect costume. Sure it would likely never be worn again, you couldn’t think of a time where you would require a T-Rex costume, and you could almost guarantee that after tonight, it would be folded back into the amazon box it had arrived in, then shoved under your bed, never to see the light of day again. But just for this moment, the look on Joe’s face, made it all entirely worth it!
“Y/N that had better be you under there. Or I’m about to profess my love for a complete stranger.” He chuckles, the grin never wavering from his cheeks, as he looks past the mesh below the dinosaur’s head, searching for a face he could recognise.
You shake your head from side to side, the dinosaur’s head moving erratically as you do so. “Of course it’s me! Honestly, who else would do something like this?” You laugh, as Joe wraps his arms around you, hugging as best he can through the thick layer of inflated costume.
“Bugger me I love you.” He breaths out softly before he whirls around on the spot, one arm remaining wrapped around you, causing you to stumble forward with him. “Benjamin! Did you know about this?” Joe cries, mock hurt flashing through his hazel eyes.
Ben simply shrugs, downing the last of his beer, before leaning forwards and placing the empty bottle on the coffee table. “Don’t yell at Ben! If it hadn’t of been for him, this whole thing would’ve been ruined with your snooping!” You laugh in your friend’s defence.
Joe turns to look at you, mouth agape at your outcry. “What do you mean, my snooping?”
You roll your eyes, though quickly speak up, having forgotten no one can see your face terribly well. “Oh come off it Joe, you know as well as I do that if you get a hunch something is going on, then you do everything in your power to get to the bottom of it!”
“I do not!”
This time, there is a chorus of people agreeing with you, and Joe now turns to the group who he had only moments ago been sitting with. “Ben, I expected this from you. But the rest of you? I expected better!”
“Oh Joe, we love you, But Y/N is right. You remember Christmas last year, when you thought Gwil had you for secret Santa? You wouldn’t let it go for weeks! Not until you finally got you present, only to find out Rami had had you!” Lucy grins, shaking her head softly. Joe has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.
“You followed me home one night after filming! It was bloody terrifying!” Gwil chuckles, crossing one leg over the other. “I nearly called the police, I thought someone was about to rob me, until I realised it was you lurking by the front door!”
You can’t help but laugh at this, as Rami turns to look at Gwil in shock. “I’m sorry, Joseph did what now?”
Joe fumbles with his words as he attempts to explain himself, as Gwil simply laughs loudly, unable to form words to explain the situation to Rami.
You remember that discussion quite well with Joe.
*****************
It was close the four in the morning when you heard the front door creak open, you had been napping on the sofa, the show you had been binge watching on Netflix long since finished. But Joe had promised he would be home at a reasonable hour tonight, so you had decided to stay up and wait for him.
This, however, was not what you considered a reasonable time! And from the way he had been talking when you spoke on the phone earlier in the day, he was expecting to be home just after midnight.
“Hey babe.” He smiled, toeing off his shoes at the front door, and hanging his coat up on the hook by the door. You frown over at him, peering over the back of the sofa, sleep clouding you vision momentarily.
“Where have you been?” You sigh, on any other night, you would likely get into an argument over his late arrival. But you were too tired for that right now, and quietly you were just glad that he was home now.
Joe has the decency to look somewhat guilty, as he moves around the apartment, settling down on the sofa beside you. He lifts your legs for a few moments, before lowering them back down, now resting over his lap. “I’m sorry Y/N. I had a few errands to run. I guess I lost track of time.”
“Errands at three in the morning?”
Joe goes still, and you can see the cogs turning in his mind as he tries to think up an excuse. “Out with is Mazzello.”
Joe pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index fingers, his eyes squeezing shut tightly. “I, um, followed Gwil home.” He mumbles.
You’re at a loss for words, and blink steadily at the ginger beside you. You had met Gwilym only a handful of times, he was such a gentleman! And for the life of you, you couldn’t understand why Joe had felt the need to follow the man home.
“Expand and explain.”
“You know how the cast and I are all doing secret Santa this year?” Joe pauses, and looks over to you, watching as you nod in understanding before he continued. “Well, Rami kept asking me about things that I liked, and what I would perhaps want for Christmas. At first I thought nothing of it, but then I saw him and Gwil whispering to each other, and they kept looking over at me when I was grabbing a coffeein between takes. I put two and two together, and figured Rami was collecting information for Gwil! I asked around, tried to find out if anyone knew who had me, but either no one knew, or they refused to tell me. So I decided to take things into my own hands! We finished up for the night, and I decided to follow Gwil, to try and confirm my suspicions. He went to a department store, and I followed him as best I could, but I couldn’t see what he purchased, there were too many people around. So I realised I just had to follow him home, and see if I could catch what I was wrapping. And well, that’s kinda what I did. Problem is, he caught me lurking around the place, swung the door open, demanded I come inside, and proceeded to give me the lecture of a lifetime.”
Joe finishes looking like a kicked puppy.
You can barely contain your laughter, and if it were to be told by anyone else, you would say they were lying. But you knew Joe, and this was exactly the kind of thing he would do!
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that right? The whole point of secret Santa is right there in the name, it’s supposed to be a secret!”
“Yes, I know that! But I just had to know if he did have me!”
“And, the verdict was?”
“I still don’t god damned know! I couldn’t see what the gift was when he wrapped it, and he refused to tell me!”
You shake your head, sighing deeply, it was a good thing you lived this man, otherwise you would be on the verge of sending him to a psychiatric ward. “Bloody hell Joe, I’m going to bed before you tell me anymore.”
*****************
As you stand with your rag-tag group of friends, you make a note of the one flaw in your costume, you have no way of eating or drinking whilst wearing it. A pout forms on your lips, as you join in with a conversation Lucy had sprung up with Ben.
After a while, you excuse yourself “I’d best go play hostess to the rest of the guests.” You say with a grin, stepping away from the group.
“We all know we are the best guests here!” Rami calls, giving you a double thumbs up as you walk away.
You grin, shaking your head softly as you move around the large number of guests. It seemed like most people had taken the option of bringing a plus one, not that you could blame them. You often did the exact same thing, dragging Joe along to most social gatherings you were invited to.
Slowly, you made your way around to everyone, making polite conversation with the guests you didn’t know well, and speaking enthusiastically about your costume with those you did know.
By the time you had made the rounds a few times, you were hungry, and honestly really frustrated about not being able to eat. You made your way over to Joe, attempting to be subtle as you slide into the conversation he was engrossed in, Gwil talking animatedly with him about his latest project. “Hey babe, could I borrow you for a few minutes?” You ask softly.
Joe turns away to look at you, smiling at you, leaning down to hear you over the loud noise of the party. “Sure love, let’s go somewhere quiet so I can actually hear you?”
He grins, before leading you away, towards the laundry. It was a rather small room, and was barely more quiet than where you had just been, but you were thankful for not having to manoeuvre the stairs once again. It was one thing to go down, and you wouldn’t know where to begin with how to go up.
“What’s up?” Joe grin, leaning back against the washing machine, arms folded loosely over his chest.
“Can you give me a hand getting out of this?” You laugh, gesturing as best you can with you tiny T-Rex arms, at the costume you were surrounded by. “It was a bitch of a thing to get on, and I don’t even know where to start with taking it off.”
Joe grins, though moves to you quickly, helping you out of the outfit with ease. Perhaps you should’ve asked for some help getting it on also? That probably would’ve been a good idea…
Joe places the sad looking T-Rex in the corner of the laundry, grinning across at you. “Now who are you supposed to be?” He chuckles, taking in your now lack of costume.
You look down at your yoga pants and shirt combo. “I’m a Jurassic Park fan still, can’t you tell?” You smirk, pointing to the faded Jurassic Park logo shirt, which you had long ago stolen from Joe. “I’ve got a soft spot for ‘lil Tim Murphy. He was my first movie crush.” You giggle.
Joe sighs, rolling his eyes at you, though a smirk tugs the corner of his lips. “How about a soft spot for Pat Murray too?” He suggests wriggling his eyebrows at you suggestively.
You walk over to him slowly, rolling your hips as you do so, watching as his eyes travel from yours, and down to your hips. You stand up tall, taking the dusty cap off his head, planting it firmly on your own. His hair is an absolute mess underneath, his auburn locks pointing in all directions.
“Perhaps I just have a soft spot for that actor in general?” You tease, before making your way out of the laundry, and back to the party.
You don’t wait for Joe, making your way over to your group once more, throwing yourself onto the sofa with an “Ooof.”
Ben barely had a chance to get out of the way before you land partially on him, and Lucy grins at you from where she sits on the arm of the sofa.
“Someone pass me something alcoholic in nature please.” You grin, as you make yourself comfortable, sinking into the cushions. You don’t have to as twice, a glass of what you assume is rum and coke, thrust into your hands from Rami.
“Cheers!” You grin, raising your glass in the air, before tipping the contents back.
You quickly fall into conversation with Ben, thanking him over and over again for keeping Joe distracted earlier in the evening, to which he brushes you off, telling you to not worry about it. Completely unaware, that when he brings up the promotion you recently got at work, that perhaps he was now keeping you distracted.
Joe had reappeared recently, sitting on the opposite side of you, with a bowl of hula hoops in his lap. Carefully, he takes your left hand, and places one of the snacks on your ring finger, a soft blush covering his cheeks.
“Thank you Joe, I am starving!” You grin, eating the food off your finger.
You’re oblivious to what he’s getting at, paying no mind to which finger he continues placing the crisp on, and instead, eating it off each time a new one appears.
Joe looks at Ben over you shoulder, who simply shrugs in response, unsure what either could do about it.
“Babe, could I maybe have more than one at a time?” You ask sweetly, and Joe looks physically pained.
Lucy, who had been watching the events unfold before her, had cottoned on to what was going on early in the piece, and decided to jump to Joe’s aid. “Y/N darling, just take a second and look at your hand yeah?”
You frown slightly at her, before turning away from Joe, looking down at your hand. “What’s so special about? Oh….” Perhaps it shouldn’t have taken you this long to figure out what was going on. The hula hoop sat just above your first knuckle on your ring finger.
“Um, I know this isn’t how one normally does the whole, proposal thing. But we haven’t gone out looking at rings before, and I don’t know was your ring size is… So I’m kinda hoping this will do for the time being? As a place holder kind of thing?” Joe rambles, the blush creeping steadily up to the tips of his ears.
“Joseph, I’ll marry you with or without a ring.” You grin, throwing your arms around his neck, as his snake around your waist, your lips pressing together in a fierce kiss. A kiss full of promises of the future.
“Jeez, I don’t know how we’ll upstage Halloween next year.” Gwil smirks, as he and the other guests who were aware of the happenings clapped for the newly engaged couple.
Chapter 2: Let's split up gang! (Ben Hardy)
Notes:
Hello once again audience, this was originally going to be posted at the end of this week, but I finished it in record time, and figured y'all might like some cute Ben fluff!
I hope you enjoy,
If you have any requests, feel free to drop a comment!
As always, peace and love <3 <3 <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The BohRhap cast Halloween parties had become a tradition, well perhaps not a tradition quite yet, seeing as this was only the second time the event was occurring, but it was a tradition none the less!
This year, Ben had put his hand up for organising the party , and to quote, “This year, Halloween will be the biggest, best party you will ever attend!”
Of course, when you had asked your fiancé what he had meant by that, he would shrug and change the subject. To say you were concerned would be an understatement, the party invitations had gone out four weeks ago, and in that time you hadn’t seen Ben do anything remotely resembling party planning!
All you knew, was that the party was to be held at his parents house. It was an odd location choice, though you knew his family was out of town currently, and their house was far bigger than the apartment you two currently shared. So perhaps it was the ideal location?
“Good morning love. I’m going to get things set up for tonight, I’ll see you at eight yeah?” Ben whispers, as you feel the bed dip opposite you, as he lays down to face you.
Opening your eyes slowly, you yawn as the morning light catches you off guard, clearly Ben had opened the bedroom curtains, the sun now flooding the room. “Hm? Ben what time is it?”
“It’s ten, hey shh, don’t get up.” Ben smiles softly, resting his hand over your shoulder and gently pressing you back against the bed. “There’s tea on the nightstand, careful it’s still hot. Have a quiet day to yourself, and I’ll see you at the party.”
You smile, closing your eyes once again as you breathe in the scent that is so uniquely Ben. The smell of black coffee and cigarettes invading your sinuses. “Are you sure you don’t need help with anything?”
You had offered to help multiple times this past week, and each time Bed had declined, informing you that he had everything under control. “Thank you, but I’m all good Y/N, I promise that by eight o’clock tonight everything will be set up for the party!”
Snuggling deeper under the covers, you peer over at the blonde across from you, your eyes up only visible beneath the cacoon you had created. “Have fun, love you Benji.”
Ben leans over, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, before rolling off of the bed and heading out of the apartment.
Just as Ben had promised, when you roll over onto your other side, there on the nightstand, is a piping hot teacup filled with earl grey tea, made just the way you like it. You wriggle up in the bed, until you’re sat with your back pressed against a mountain of pillows against the headboard. You sip the tea carefully, holding the delicate cup with gentle hands. It was a teacup Ben had gifted you as part of your Christmas present a few years ago, and you used it every chance you got.
*****************
It was your first Christmas as a couple, and the first Christmas you had experienced with snow, it was perfect to say the least!
The morning had started with soft, lazy kisses, that was until Frankie had decided she felt rather left out, and had jumped up on the bed and began giving you her own kisses.
“No, bad girl. Off the bed!” Ben laughed, as he watched her attack you with slobbery kisses. You could hardly complain, you would always give Frankie attention if she wanted it.
“She’s right you know; we really do need to get up.” You grin, sitting up fully causing Frankie to slide down onto your lap, before she jumped off the bed, and trotted back into the hall where she had appeared from.
Ben groaned, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face against the pile of pillows he slept on, a habit which you had adopted not long after you began dating. “But I don’t wanna get up.” He whined like a petulant child, all that was missing was him to begin stomping his feet.
You reach your hand out, carding your fingers through his golden curls, tugging gently at the roots. “If you don’t get up, then you won’t get your presents…”
That was enough to get his attention, and you watched as Ben shot up out of bed, his boxer shorts riding low on his hips. You bite your lip, trailing your eyes over his toned physique, maybe you could spare another few minutes just staring at him?
“Well, are you coming?” Ben smirked, catching your wondering gaze and sending a wink your way.
With a roll of your eyes, and a sigh you drag yourself from the bed, slipping on a pair of bunny slippers. They were a gimmick gift from your best friend, and despite starting as a tacky piece of footwear, you now wore them all the time.
Making your way around the bed, you meet Ben in the doorway, taking his hand in yours and leading you into the sitting room. In one of the corners of the room sat a short, plump Christmas tree, decorated in baubles, tinsel and fairy lights. The lights had been left on overnight. “So Santa knew where to leave the presents.” You had insisted with a childlike grin.
Frankie sat eagerly beneath the tree, having already found her present, it was a new doggy bed, wrapped in jolly red and green wrapping paper, with a large gold bow around the square package. You knew she would enjoy it more if the wrapping was no longer on it, but to remove said wrapping that would require her moving, and it didn’t look like she would be doing so for quite some time.
You and Ben sat cross legged on the floor around the tree, both of you having snuck out during the night to place your presents around the base of the tree. Ben hands you a box to start with, the design on the paper was an ombre effect starting in navy blue, moving into mauve, and ending in peach, with flecks of silver scattered within, and a matching bow on top.
“Whatever you do, please don’t shake the box!” Ben warns quickly, holding his hand out before you.
You nod slowly, making sure to handle the box with a great deal of care. You remove the ribbon, leaning forward and wrapping it around Ben’s forehead with a triumphant grin, before slowly peeling back the paper, finally you lift the lid of the box and gasp. Your hands are shaking as you lift the porcelain cup from the bubble wrap which surrounded it. Inside the careful wrapping lay a petite teacup, it was cream coloured, with a gold handle. Around the cup, there were tiny painted flowers, of purple, pink and blue, delicate leaves and vines surrounding the bunches.
“Oh Ben, this is too much…” You grin, as you take out the matching saucer, holding them between shaking hands. You place them on the ground beside you, crawling forwards, and kissing Ben fiercely, all thoughts of the other presents forgotten for the time being.
*****************
Ben had it all planned, all he had to do now was get everything set up, which was why he had allowed himself over nine hours to do so. There was an awful lot that he had to get done for the party, and seeing as he had declined offers of help at every turn, he now had to task of preparing everything alone.
The plan seemed simple enough, but the execution was where the difficulties began. He somehow had to turn the normal looking family home, into a haunted house, he had spared no expense in buying the necessary props, but he wanted it to look good, and he knew it would take a fair bit of work, to get fake plastic gravestones to look realistic.
*****************
As the afternoon progressed, you began getting yourself ready for tonight’s fiesta. You had spent the day watching old movies, with Frankie curled up beside you on the bed. In fact, the only time you had left the bed for any extended period of time, was when you had gone to get your uber eats order when it had arrived, that had marked the longest conversation you had had all day, something that was sure to change as the night progressed.
You had been planning your costume for a few weeks now, and had kept it hidden from everyone, not that anyone had really discussed what they were dressing as. Though you had a feeling Rami and Lucy would once again come up with both the cutest, and most epic couples costume in existence.
Your hair was the part that would take the longest, you had to get it prepared for the wig you had spent hours styling just the other day. You had worn wigs before, you were well known in the cosplay community for your quirky costumes, though it didn’t matter how many times you combed, braided, twisted and pinned your hair back, it was never a pleasant experience. You had considered shaving your head again, at least then you wouldn’t have to worry about the tedious part of applying a wig, but with Winter well on its way, you figured now was not the best time to do so.
Only a few years ago, you had done just that however, you were at a convention with a few friends, and had just gone to put on your wig for your costume. At the time, you had exceptionally long hair, which meant you absolutely needed a wig cap before even considering applying said wig. Of course, you being you, meant you forgot to bring any wig caps, and no one had a spare one for you to use. It was suggested you forgo the wig, but to you that was never an option, so instead, you shaved your head! And just like that, voila, instant wig cap!
It had taken years for your hair to grow back out, but when you look back on the event, you wouldn’t change a thing.
With the towering white wig in place, and the finishing touches applied to your makeup, all that was left now was to apply the multi piece costume, which would be a task and a half. Somehow you had to tie up a corset by yourself, when normally you would ask someone to help!
“What are you looking at?” You laughed, as you turn on the spot, trying to get a better view of the back of the corset, in an effort to tie it up securely.
Frankie sat beside you, nudging one of her toys in your direction. “Sweetie, I can’t play right now, I can’t bend down that far!”
You can’t help but chuckle at that, realising only now that your movements were extremely limited in this costume. “How on Earth am I going to bend enough to sit in a car?”
*****************
Ben clapped his hands together as he looked over his handy work, a grin slipping onto his lips, everything looked pretty damned good!
The fake gravestones littered the front lawn, with zombie and skeleton hands sticking out around them. Jack o lanterns lined the footpath up to the house, and sat around the balcony by the front door, all sporting different expression, some shocked, happy, scared, and a few who were either dead or asleep.
Inside, he had set up a large table with all types of haunting snacks, sausages cut to look like fingers, strawberries dipped in white chocolate that resembled ghosts, a giant platter of spaghetti and meatballs, the meatballs had a dollop of sour cream in the centre and a ring of black olive in the middle, serving as eyeballs in gore, and of course, because no adult party would be complete without them, jelly shots in syringes!
Around the house, fake cobwebs were scattered around the ceiling, and covering some of the furniture, there was a giant ghost hung up just above the fireplace which seemed to float with the breeze in the house. “Perfectly cheesy.” Ben grinned as he gazed around, there were other surprises for his guests to find during the night, but for what he could see, everything looked perfect.
He made his way up to what used to be his bedroom, but had long ago been transformed into a study, using the familiar space to get into his costume. People would be arriving shortly, and it simply wouldn’t do if the host wasn’t dressed!
The blue bellbottom jeans felt all too familiar, after spending months dressing in 70’s regalia for the part of Roger Taylor, he had become so used to wearing them, that it was almost a struggle to go back to wearing skinny jeans. He tucked a blue button down into the waist of his jeans, and slipped on a white jumper, popping the collar out of the neck so to tie around the bright red ascot. Finally, he toed on a pair of brown loafers, before gelling his hair back, and combing it into the best rendition of a pompadour he could achieve.
“Let’s split up gang!” He chuckled as he looked himself over in the mirror, before remembering he was currently alone in the house, and you were nowhere around to laugh at his stupidity.
The sound of a car door slamming shut brought him back to attention, darting out of his old room, and towards the front door. As he went out to the front yard to greet his guests, he grinned as it became apparent that Lucy and Rami were the first to arrive, ever punctual.
“Fuck, you guys look great!” Ben grinned, as he wrapped them both in a tight hug, one in each arm. Lucy looked flawless in a long-sleeved mermaid style black dress, with what would likely be the deepest cut neckline he had ever seen, her lips were coated in red that matched her fingernails, and she wore a pin straight black wig. Rami had his hair slicked back, and had pencilled on a thin moustache, he had donned a black suit with white stripes, and a black tie.
“Please tell me Joe is dressed as Wednesday.” Ben howled with laughter, trying to picture his crazy friend as the sullen child. He couldn’t imagine anyone would pull of Mr and Mrs Addams the way Lucy and Rami did.
“Sadly no, he claims he had a better costume in mind! But we did try!” Rami laughs, as other people begin to arrive, cars parking all along the suburban street.
“Is Y/N here too?” Lucy asked excitedly, looking around the garden for your familiar face, only to come away looking disappointed.
“Not yet, she’ll be here soon though. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise of how everything looked.” Ben smiled, as he caught a glimpse of what could only be descried as the oddest couples costume he had ever seen. “Gwil, Joe… Nice to see you both!” The two men in question walked past the mock graveyard, and grinned at the small group, Joe waving, while Gwil went in for the hug just as Ben had.
“I’m just gonna cut to the chase right now, guys what the fuck are you wearing?” Ben couldn’t conceal his laughter, and Gwil turned to Joe, and simply sighed.
“Well to be clear, I just want you all to know, that this was always going to be my costume, I came up with this idea!” Gwilym grumbles, while Joe nods along eagerly.
“That is true, I won’t steal the credit for this phenomenal idea!” Joe chimes in, only to earn a glare from the Welshmen.
The men in question, were currently dressed as two characters from Peter Pan, but two rather unlikely characters. Gwil was dressed as a rather wonderful Captain hook, complete with black curled wig, grease moustache, red coat, and buckled shoes. Of course, he had a hook to really finish off the look. He really did look wonderful. Whereas Joe, had somehow squeezed himself into a Tinkerbell dress, which was at least two sizes too small. The green dress barely zipped up past his ass and was far too short to be considered decent. There were two pompoms glued to the end of a pair of flip flops, and the wings he sported on his back, were clearly designed for a child.
“He was complaining that he didn’t know what to wear tonight, and I stupidly told him I was going as Captain Hook. I didn’t think he would do anything with that information! Or if he did, I thought maybe, he would go as Mr Smee! Not fucking Tinkerbell!”
Gwil was obviously frustrated, but at the same time, it appeared as if he were fighting off a grin, Joe looked ridiculous and with him stood beside Gwil, it only helped to boost how good the Captain’s outfit looked.
“As if I would dress as Mister Smee! I look terrible in striped shirts!” Joe laughed, shimmying his shoulders just enough to wriggle the wings. “Besides, I look fabulous!”
“I absolutely do not believe in fairies.” Gwil muttered, causing Joe to press a hand against his chest in shock.
“Well, if there was ever any question, its sure as hell been answered now. This is not a children’s party.” You grin, walking up to the group, your extravagant costume drawing the attention of the gang.
Your white wig had been teased within an inch of its life, now standing on end adding a great deal of height to your appearance. Your face, neck, arms and chest had been covered in pale lilac face paint, blue eyeshadow reached up to over drawn, arched eyebrows, and a shockingly vibrant shade of red lined your lips. A golden shell necklace rest over your chest, and triangular purple earrings hung low from your ears. The dress had taken a while to create, but looked stunning in your opinion, The top was a sleeveless inky black fitted dress, which contoured to the shape of your body, all the way down to your ankles, where it fanned out into eight stuffed tentacles, with the underside a deep purple with cut out foam disks of light purple, glued on to form suckers. Finally, you had a pair of black silky opera gloves, which really completed the look.
“Did I miss the part where this was supposed to be Disney themed?” Rami laughed, as you gravitated to Lucy’s side, attacking her cheeks in kisses as she did the same to you, both grinning madly at each other.
“Um, Y/N love, what are you wearing?” Ben asks shyly, as he steps up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist securely.
You tilt your head back and gaze up at him, lifting an exceptionally tall eyebrow up at him. “I thought that was rather obvious love, I’m Ursula, you know, the sea witch…”
Ben’s eyebrows pull together in the middle as he gazes over you, he wouldn’t lie, he liked what he saw, but it was not what he had been expecting. “I thought we were going to do a couple costume remember? You were going to be Daphne to my Fred.”
You turn in his arms, cocking your head to the left as you regard him with a sceptical look. “Benji, we didn’t agree to a couples costume…”
“Yes, we did!” Ben nods eagerly.
*****************
You lay on the sofa, more like collapsed, with your had resting in Ben’s lap, occasionally he would massage his fingers against your scalp, but mostly he was there just to keep you company. You either had the cold from hell, or the bubonic plague, you were undecided which just yet, but either way you felt like absolute death.
Ben was off from filming for a few weeks, and had decided to spend that time with you, sick or no, he had no intentions of leaving your side.
“Babe, what if you get sick?” You whined for the millionth time this week, only to be met with a groan from Ben beneath you.
“If I get sick, then I get sick. Now will you be quiet and watch the movie.” Ben chuckled, passing you the box of tissues as you went searching for it with grabby hands. You had no fight left in you, especially now that the cold medicine you had taken was beginning to kick in. If Ben wanted to stay with you, you would let him, besides, you rather liked the company. And with the fever you had been running recently, having your own personal space heater cuddle up to you, was exactly what the Doctor ordered!
The television went by relatively unnoticed on your end, though Ben seemed mildly invested in the film that had appeared on Netflix’s autoplay. You were vaguely aware of the film being that of the early 2000’s scooby doo remake, a movie you had loved as a child, but now tried to avoid. You were just beginning to drift off to sleep, the medication you had taken making you incredibly drowsy, when Ben’s voice woke you.
“We should do this for Halloween.” He suggested, petting your head softly, as his breathing lulled you back to sleep.
“Do what Benny?”
“Dress as Fred and Daphne, we could….” That was the last thing you heard, before you drifted back into the land of nod.
*****************
“Benjamin! I was doped up on so many different medications that week! You could’ve been talking about anything I would’ve been none the wiser!” You burst out, slapping his shoulder playfully. Ben pouts down at you, but you quickly wipe the look away with a gentle kiss.
“I promise we can do a couple costume next year, alright? Though, maybe let me pick the costumes, I have a few ideas.”
Ben grins softly, pulling you against his side with a strong arm, keeping it locked around your waist securely. “Depends, have you got any ideas that will beat Rami and Lucy?”
The couple in question grin, as Rami takes Lucy’s hand and kissed from her knuckles, up to her shoulder. “Come now, we all know who the real competition is when it comes to couple costumes.”
Rami ceases his kisses, as he looks up at his Morticia, grinning wickedly at her.
“Joe and Gwil are clearly the cutest couple here tonight!”
The howling of laughter from you group can surely be heard across the whole street, not that any of you could possibly care. “Honestly, you guys are absolute couple goals.” You tease, as you retrieve your phone from the slit you had created in the side of your dress. The one good thing about making your own costume, meant you could add pockets wherever and whenever you wanted!
“Smile you two.” You grin, as you aim the camera towards the so called couple, Joe leans against Gwil’s side, pretending to aim a kiss against his cheek, while Gwil raises his hook ready to strike the fairy.
“Oh boy, Instagram is going to have a field day with this.” Ben grins, as he looks at the photo over your shoulder, picking a filter before you upload it, with the caption #couplegoals.
“What will your fiancé think when she see’s that?” You turn towards Joe, who simply shrugs, his wings rising with the gesture.
“Need I remind you, that said fiancé dressed as a dinosaur last year for my Halloween party, which you so rudely did not attend!”
“Hey, I’ve said I’m sorry! I already had Luce giving me a hard time over that, I don’t need you doing the same!” You defend, looking up at Ben as if to ask for him to provide some kind of backup.
“You left Ben all alone, dressed as he was!” Gwil chimes in, grinning at the disappointed look you shoot his way.
“Whoa now, that costume was all Ben’s idea! I simply made it; I didn’t come up with it!”
This causes a collective gasp from the group, all eyes now on the blushing blonde. “Excuse me Benjamin, that is not what you told me last year!” Gwil declares.
Ben hangs his head low, and all you can do is laugh at his obvious discomfort. “Alright fine, sexy Patrick Star was 100% my idea. But after Y/N said she couldn’t come to the party anymore, I decided to say that it had been her costume I was wearing.”
You slide your arm down to your side, slipping your fingers around Ben’s gently, and giving them a soft squeeze. “Well I think you looked damn sexy. Have you still got those boots?” You wink, the blush fading from his cheeks.
“Ugh, y’all need to keep it PG!” Joe groans, covering his ears before he can hear anymore that you have to say.
“Joe has a point, besides, I believe I was promised jelly shots was I not?” You grin, taking a few steps towards the house, tugging Ben’s arm with you, keeping your hands firmly locked together.
“Aye, I did. They’re just on the table inside.”
“Lucy come on, it’s been a hot minute since we did any kind of shots!” You call over your shoulder, as Lucy begins to drag Rami inside in a similar manner to you and Ben.
“That’s because the last time we did shots together, you called Ben, who came and picked you up, while you left me in the club!”
“I forgot you were there!”
“We fucking arrived together!” Lucy cries, though the laughter is clear in her voice. You make your way over to the food table, grinning at the sight of gore themed snacks.
“Fuck Ben, this looks amazing! You did this all by yourself?”
Ben grins from ear to ear, feet shuffling against the floor gently. “Yeah, I did.”
“You’ve done an amazing job mate, Gwil grins patting Ben’s shoulder, as Joe shoots him a set of very outdated finger guns.
“I’m really proud of you, even if I am slightly jealous that you did this all without me.” You giggle, before pressing another kiss to his plump lips, the taste of his last cigarette lingering on his breathe.
“Hey Y/N, are we doing this or not?” Lucy calls, pulling you away from the moment you and Ben had been sharing.
You turn on the spot, and look over the table at Lucy, who was holding two syringes in her hands, one for you and one for herself.
“Did you make them very strong Ben?” She grins, waving the shots above her head excitedly.
“They are pretty strong, so maybe be careful?”
“I hear your suggestion, and I shall promptly ignore it!” You laugh, as you join Lucy on the opposite side of the table, taking your phone out once again to snap a photo. You wanted to get as many pictures in before you all got too tipsy, and started taking photos of things that should never see the light of day.
You hold one of the syringes up to Lucy’s neck, who pretends to faint in your arms, her hand held to her forehead. The take the photo and grin at it, taking a mental note to post it in the morning.
You raise the syringe before you, as the others of your group either to the same with one of the shots, or a drink of some other kind. “I’d like to propose a toast, to Ben, for planning the spookiest Halloween party we have ever had!”
“To Ben!” A chorus echoes throughout the home, as various other guests take part in thanking the host. You grin at Lucy, tilting your head back, and dispense the shot down your throat, the slight burn of a rather large amount of vodka stinging the back of your throat.
You grin across at your fiancé, who held an icy cold beer in his hand, as he spoke with Rami, Joe and Gwil, all four of them talking over one another, it was a wonder any of them could understand each other. Ben catches your eyes, and winks at you, you laugh softly, before blowing a kiss his way, taking another syringe shot for yourself and Lucy.
“Damn, could you two be any more adorable?” She smirks, taking the shot from you happily.
“Oh we will be peak adorable at the wedding next year. Frankie is going to be my flower girl.” You giggle, causing Lucy to squeal in absolute delight. “Don’t tell anyone!”
Notes:
And there we go, the next chapter will be for Mr Gwilym Lee! I'll get it posted as soon as I can my dudes :)
Chapter 3: King of the pumpkin patch (Gwilym Lee)
Notes:
Hello hello hello!
I'm back again I know you all missed me ;P
So here is my third instalment of the Hallow-Queen one shots. This time I present to you, Mr Gwilym Lee!
Warning now, at the end of the chapter there is mentions of a minor injury, and blood. Nothing extreme or gory so don't worry! But I just wanted to give you all a heads up!
Thank you everyone who has taken their time to read these little one shots, I truly hope you have been enjoying them as much as I have been!
Also, this one isn't as Halloweeny as the other two, but I had so much fun writing it, so I hope that will be alright!
I would love to hear what you all think, and if you have any requests, feel free to leave a comment!Peace and love <3 <3 <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
You crank the wrench one final time, before pulling yourself up into a standing position, your hands firmly planted on your hips as you gloat over the newly assembled bedframe. It had taken you the better part of the afternoon to put the frame together, but it was now complete, and that knowledge filled you with a sense of pride.
As you had assembled the bed, Gwilym had spent that time bringing in boxes from the truck you had hired for the weekend. After winning two out of three thumb wars, you had decided, as the victor, to stay put and do the manual labour of bed making, as Gwil was stuck with walking up and down four flights of stairs, carrying more and more boxes with each trip.
You hear his grumbling from the living room, and turn away from the bed, there’s nothing more you can do with it now anyways, you’ll need help shifting the mattress on top of the frame. You follow the sound of your boyfriend’s grumbles, and find him squatting beside one of the sofa’s you had recently purchased, his hands buried behind the coffee table sat to the right of the sofa.
“Is everything alright babe?”
Gwil looks up and over his shoulder at you, the crease between his eyebrows softening somewhat once he see’s you. “Sorry Y/N, just trying to get this damned lamp to work.” He sighs, before falling backwards to sit cross legged. “I think the power outlet doesn’t work.”
You walk up behind him, leaning down and looking behind the table at the offending power outlet. “There’s one in the laundry that doesn’t work either. We’ll have to get an electrician in to check them out.” You sigh, pulling away to you no longer crowd Gwil’s space. He grins up at you, though shows no signs of standing upright, likely too tired from the long day you had both just endured.
“Can you give me a hand in the bedroom?”
Gwil wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, a coy smirk gracing his lips. You can’t help but roll your eyes, reaching your hand down to offer him some help up. “I need help getting the mattress on the bed you idiot.” You chuckle, as his hand clasps around yours, and you brace yourself to pull him upright.
“You always ruin my fun.” Gwilym sighs dramatically, as he begrudgingly follows you into the bedroom.
“There will be no funny business in the bedroom until we have a fully functioning bed.” You deadpan, looking him directly in the eye, daring him to challenge you with a quirk of your eyebrow.
With a shrug, he follows you over to the mattress that had been propped up against the far wall, positioning himself at one end, as you do the same at the opposite. “All I’m saying, is that a mattress on the ground seemed to suit you just fine in college..” He trails off, not daring to finish his sentence when he spots the glare in your eyes.
“Gwilym Lee, either you help me set this bed up, or you will be sleeping on the couch for the unforeseeable future.” You don’t need to threaten him twice, and you grin triumphantly as he lifts his end of the mattress, just as you do the same, both doing a slow crab like shuffle towards the bedframe, before depositing the worn mattress onto it. “See, doesn’t that look so much better already!”
Gwilym simply shrugs, before flopping over backwards, collapsing against the comfortable bed. You had both agreed upon moving in together, that there were certain items of furniture you would need to buy new, the sofas for example. As the one you had in your old flat was so horrendously stained, you could scarcely recall the colour it had started as. Whereas the one in Gwil’s flat had belonged to his flatmate, and Gwil was hardly going to ask for it, especially with it being as old as he was at least.
The bed on the other hand, you had both agreed yours was the most comfortable, and the mattress had the perfect indents for both of you now. Naturally, it had to come with you.
Gwil fell into his indent, just as you did the same, grinning at the familiar comfort. You roll onto your side, peering over at the tired Welshman. “What do you think, is this good luck, or bad luck?”
Gwil turns his head to the side, smiling at you tiredly. “Come again love?”
“Moving in together on Halloween, do you think it’s good or bad luck? I’m thinking good.”
He pauses to ponder your question for a moment, then rolls to his side, coming face to face with you. “Well, I get to live with you, so I’d say good too.” He grins, stretching his arm out to reach for you, encircling it around your waist and pulling you closer. You happily oblige, and curl up under his chin, breathing in deeply, and find yourself being lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Do you know what time it is?” He whispers softly, his breath tickling against the shell of your ear.
The alarm clock you normally kept on your bedside table hadn’t been set up yet, as it likely sat in one of the moving boxes still. “No clue, my phone ran out of charge hours ago.” You hum quietly.
Gwilym nods softly, wrapping his arms closer around you, before the loud buzz of your intercom echoes from the kitchen. “Must be five…”
You pull away slightly to look up at him, his stubbled chin brushing against your forehead as you move. “How do you figure that?”
The intercom buzzes again, then a third time, whoever was on the other end was becoming more and more impatient. “We told the guys to get here at five, so unless we have some other unexpected visitor, then it’s five, and we now have company.”
You struggle to keep your eyes open, the exhaustion of your busy day hitting you now that you had finally stopped. “The guys?” You mumble, rubbing your palm against your eyes, and smearing your mascara.
Gwil rolls off the bed, smiling down at you softly. “Ill give you a few minutes to get moving, I’ll go let them in, before I’m assuming Joe, breaks the intercom.” He chuckles, the incessant buzzing having become a rather obnoxious background noise at this point.
He makes his way through the apartment rather groggily, pressing the button on the intercom on the kitchen wall. “May I help you?”
There’s a few seconds of bickering, before the ever reasonable voice of Rami speaks up. “Hey mate, it’s just us. Sorry for the buzzing, you can thank Joe for that.”
“Ben was the one who was holding my hand on the buzzer!” Joe protests loudly, causing Gwilym to flinch away.
“No idea what you’re talking about buddy.” Ben replies, an audible smirk coming through.
Gwilym shakes his head, before pushing the other button, granting the group access to the apartment. “Come on up.” He turns away from the intercom, moving too quickly for his tired brain to keep up. He stumbles, and grabs onto the kitchen counter, knocking a glass of water onto the floor in the process. “Fuck. Y/N, can you get the door please!” He calls out, tiptoeing around the shattered glass, trying to recall where you had both agreed to keep the dustpan and broom.
You shuffle out of the room, the sweaty oversized shirt you had been wearing all day now replaced with a knitted sweater you had made. It had taken you nearly a year to complete, and had somehow ended up three sizes too big, despite you following the pattern precisely, though you were so proud of completing it, you insisted on wearing it as often as possible.
The door swings open, and you’re greeted by Rami, Ben and Joe, all holding bags stuffed to the brim with goodness knows what.
“Hello boys.” You grin, the sleepy feeling that had overtaken you moments before, vanishing at the sight of your friends.
Joe pushes in through the door, barrelling Rami out of the way to wrap you up in a tight hug, peppering your cheeks with kisses. “I must say Y/N, that is a fabulous sweater!”
You laugh in his harms, squeezing him back just as tightly. “Gwil hates it.” You had missed spending time with Joe, he always knew how to make you smile, and could lighten the mood no matter what.
“That darling, is because Gwilym has absolutely no fashion sense.”
“I heard that! And I don’t hate it, I just don’t much like the colour.” Gwilym calls from the kitchen, as he deposits the smashed glass into the garbage. Making his way out to the door to greet his friends.
“Now would likely be a bad time to tell you I’m making a matching one just for you.” You smirk, watching Gwil sigh deeply.
Joe moves over to Gwil, as Rami steps in, also wrapping you up in a hug as greeting, a broad grin showing off his pearly whites. Finally, Ben follows, slinging one arm across your shoulders, as he leads you both into the apartment, swinging the door behind the both of you.
“Long time no see love.” Ben grins at you.
Out of all the BohRhap cast, you and Ben had become the closest, and you would often be found sharing inside jokes with each other at cast gatherings. As the others had ‘Adult’ conversations, you and Ben would be playing I-spy, trying to make the other guess something embarrassing.
“Well that’s hardly my fault, you’ve been gone playing a big action star, Mr Michael Bay.”
Ben feigns hurt, as he releases his arm from around you. “Hey now, one of us has to bring home the bacon in this relationship.”
You tilt your head to the side, regarding Ben with a look of curiosity. “Ben mate, you’re in a very one-sided relationship with me, you know that right?”
Gwilym steps up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, and grinning at the blonde across from him. “Is Ben trying to cut in on us again?” He chuckles.
You can’t quite recall when this had all started, but at some point after Gwil started work on Bohemian Rhapsody, Ben had taken it upon himself to act as a better boyfriend for you, all in jest of course. The tabloids had gone wild when it had first started, the magazines all reporting that your relationship with Gwil was over, and you had chosen the much young Blond Brit to be your new Beau.
Of course the paparazzi only saw what they wanted to see. They took photo’s of Ben picking up takeout for two from your favourite restaurant, then entering your apartment. What they never saw, was Ben exiting through the back, leaving you and Gwil to have a romantic dinner together, away from the prying eye of outsiders.
You all played along with it, if Gwil way spending a day shooting, and Ben wasn’t needed on set, Ben would take you out to grab coffee, of course always grabbing a muffin to take back for Gwil. Though it was always Gwilym you went home to, and Ben would never try to change that. He had already self-appointed himself as wedding planner for the two of you.
“Wouldn’t dream of it mate.” Ben grins, as he follows the others further into the apartment, looking around the half-furnished home.
“Oh yeah, public service announcement! I just broke a glass in the kitchen, please everyone wear shoes if you go in there.” Gwil declares, everyone nodding their understanding.
Joe and Rami had set about placing all the bags the three men had brought on the kitchen counter, taking out their offerings of house warming gifts. “We figured you wouldn’t have had a chance to go grocery shopping yet, so we got you a few essentials to get you through for a few days. Plus things for tonight of course.” Rami grins, as he places a bottle of milk in the fridge, along with eggs, and places a loaf of bread in the pantry. Whereas Joe goes straight for the fun items. He retrieves two bottles of champagne, multiple packets of crisps, and Halloween candy.
“How much of this was Lucy’s idea?” You grin, taking Gwil’s hand in yours as you squeeze tightly, both of you thankful to have such caring friends.
Rami looks sheepish, before coming clean. “It was all her idea, except the champagne, that was all me!”
There was only one bag that had been left unopened, and Gwil raises and eyebrow at it. “What’s in that one?” He asks, causing Ben to sigh, and Rami to groan, before turning their attention to a grinning Joe.
“That right there, is the bag of shame.” Rami grumbles, as Joe reaches into it, wrapping his hands around a large object.
“We asked Joe to make a pumpkin pie, because pumpkins are all on sale at the moment, and he was boasting about having the best recipe for one.” Ben mutters, as he searches your cupboards for glasses of some kind. Ideally champagne flutes, but he would settle for red solo cups at this point.
With a triumphant grin, Joe pulls out an enormous pumpkin, cradling it happily. “I ran out of time to make a pie.” He simply shrugs.
“So, you decided to just bring an entire pumpkin instead?” You ask, clearly confused by Joe’s actions.
“I did, but I made it spooky at least!” Sure enough, Joe turns the pumpkin in his hands, facing it towards you and Gwil. And there on the front, in black marker, was a crudely drawn Jack o’lantern face.
“Joe, what the fuck are we supposed to do with the pumpkin?” You groan, pressing your forehead against Gwil’s shoulder, as he simply chuckles.
*****************
The five of you sat around the living room, all sharing out the greasiest Chinese food you had ever eaten. There were eight containers all precariously balanced around the small, glass coffee table, all slowly spilling sauce onto the old piece of furniture. Though you couldn’t bring yourself to care, the wine had been flowing freely, everyone saying cheers to your and Gwil’s new home, and at some point, Ben had started mixing the beer Gwil had in the fridge, with a bottle of vodka he had found in one of your packing boxes. Needless to say, none of you were in the right sober state of mind to chastise the others for being messy in your new home.
You slowly pull yourself up off the floor, swaying on the spot for a few moments as your brain catches up with the rest of you. Gwilym looks up at you, a look of concern crossing his features, before you smile down at him, a silent reassurance that you’re okay.
“Does anyone want another beer?” You offer, looking around at your bordering on drunk friends. Eagerly they all nod, and you smile at them all, stepping over Joe who was sprawled out on the floor, playing with the loose threads of the rug.
Making your way into the kitchen, you feel almost as if you were floating, the buzz the alcohol had provided you, enveloping you in a warm, almost fuzzy like feeling. As you dance over to the fridge, the music playing through Rami’s phone making you groove, you lift your foot as a sharp pain shoots through your heel. “Fucking hell.” You mutter, before carefully placing your foot back on the ground. You brush the pain off as an intense case of pins and needles, from having sat in one position for too long. Thinking no more on it as you retrieve five beers from the fridge, returning to your group, albeit a bit slower than before, and you avoid putting any pressure on your heel.
You settle down on the couch beside Ben, dangling your legs over Gwil’s shoulders after you distribute the cold bottles, passing around the bottle opener so everyone could access the amber liquid.
Conversation flows freely between you all, everyone raising their voices so they could be the loudest person in the room, the assumption being, if you spoke the loudest then everyone would listen to what you had to say. This of course, had resulted in a screaming match between Ben and Joe.
“Guys! Shut up! We want our neighbours to actually like us!” Gwilym yells, his voice booming over everyone else’s. Ben and Joe look across at him sheepishly, their faces bright red.
You lean forwards, pressing your chin against the top of Gwil’s head, occasionally dipping down to press a kiss against his dark locks. Each time you do, he grins softly, losing his train of thought mid-sentence. He often found you to be rather distracting, but always in a good way.
*****************
Gwilym was talking with Joe about a match between the Yankees and Red Sox they had gone to see a few months back, when a cold drop of something liquid hit his bare knee. Perhaps it was your beer, you had been holding it just above him a little while ago, maybe you still were?
He returned to his conversation, stilling as the same thing happened again, and then again. With a small frown, he looked down at his knee, his khaki shorts having ridden up slightly to expose the better part of his leg now. And there, right on his kneecap was a small pool of crimson. It took him far longer than he would care to admit to realise what he was staring at, blood, but not his blood?
His gaze turned to your leg, your foot resting above his knee, your bare foot at that, and he put two and two together.
Taking your foot carefully between his hands, he gently moved your ankle just enough to see the sole of your foot. Sure enough, there was a gash on your heel, where the blood had come from.
“Y/N, you’re bleeding.”
The words Gwilym spoke were said so matter of factly, you didn’t bother to question them, instead you just agreed, because if Gwil said you were bleeding, then you supposed you must be. You turn your gaze down to your foot, which still sat cradled between Gwil’s large hands, calloused from the moving you had just completed. You could just see a small amount of blood that had collected on Gwil’s fingers, and all you could think about, was ruining the cream rug bellow you.
“Don’t let that get on the rug.” You sigh, and Gwil just laughs, shaking his head softly.
Carefully he stands up, after untangling your legs from around him, much to your disappointment. “Stop pouting, we need to try and get you fixed up.”
The others seemed to register what was going on relatively quickly, and sprung to action as Gwilym made his way to the one of the boxes labelled ‘Bathroom’, he hoped there were tweezers somewhere in there.
Ben went about getting Ice out of the freezer, and placing it in a zip lock bag, wrapping it in a tea towel so it wouldn’t hurt your skin. Rami moved the food boxes off the coffee table, so Gwil would have somewhere to place everything once he returned, and Joe instructed you to lay down on the sofa, resting a pillow beneath your injured foot to keep it elevated.
“I forgot to wear shoes I’m sorry.” You sigh, keeping your eyes on Gwilym as he makes his way back over to you.
Gwil chuckles as he lifts your leg, and rests it in his lap, sitting beside you on the sofa now. “It’s fine Y/N, I’ll punish you later.” He smirks, as he cleans the wound with cotton balls, dipped in saline solution, clearing the blood away from the cut.
“Oooh, that sounds kinky.” You grin, sucking in a sharp breath as Gwilym prods around the wound with the tweezers.
“Is now really the time to be flirting guys?” Ben asks in exasperation, he was used to the two of by now, and he knew you both liked to flirt as often as possible, but he hardly felt like now was the right time!
You shoot Ben a side glare, just as the tweezers make contact with a shard of glass wedged in your foot. “Ho fucking hell!” You cry out, gripping the back of the sofa until your knuckles turn white. Gwilym pulls away, a worried look crossing his features.
“Right then, I guess that answers that question then.” He musses aloud, as you all turn your attention to him. “Sorry love, we need to get you to a hospital.”
You nod your head in understanding, despite not actually wanting to go. You had to agree with him though, if there was glass in your foot, then the hospital was the best place for you.
“I’ll call us an Uber.” Rami offers, before Joe jumps in.
“No, I will. Seeing as all I brought tonight was a bloody pumpkin, it’s the least I can do.”
“Yeah you lazy ass, you can get the ride.” You hear Ben tease, followed by the distinct noise of someone’s arm being slapped. You could only assume it was Joe who hit Ben, though you couldn’t be positive.
*****************
The emergency department was packed with people in various stages of drunkenness, wearing all sorts of costumes. You felt sorry for the staff working tonight, you could only imagine how horrible working Halloween must been, you would surely see all matter of aliment.
Gwil checked you in with the receptionist, who told him there would be a wait of at least an hour, as you sat with Ben, Joe and Rami waiting for Gwil to return.
People had been giving you surprised looks, ever since you hobbled in through the double glass doors, Gwil supporting you as you made your slow way to take a seat. “What are they looking at? Never seen someone with glass in their foot?” You grumbled under you breath, earning a laugh from Ben, who was sat to your left.
“Love, I think it has something more to do with the fact that you just walked in with us…” Ben grins, as he takes his phone out from his pocket, as it buzzed with a new notification.
“Oh, of course.” You mumble, feeling oddly embarrassed. You often forgot just how famous these idiots you called friends, and your boyfriend actually were. To you, they were just regular people, but to everyone else here, they must look like deities!
Gwil makes his way back over to you, and takes the seat beside you which had been left vacant just for him.
“They said there’s a bit of a wait, but they’ll get to you soon.” He smiled, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, as you looked down at your bandaged foot. The bag of ice Ben had prepared for you slowly melting under the bright lights of the emergency room.
All around you were people dressed up for their spooky evenings, and you couldn’t help but chuckle as you saw some of the people. There was a small child, who sat with his mother, dressed as the green power ranger who had someone gotten a plastic Jack O’lantern candy bucket stuck over his head. Carefully nudging Joe’s side, you discreetly pointed to the child. “Is that you Joe?”
“Fuck you Y/N.” Joe laughs, swatting your side playfully, his smile remaining plastered on his lips. As the night wore on, and more and more people checked in through the Emergency receptionist, you leant your head against Gwil’s shoulder, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep, though you knew you couldn’t, surely you would be called through soon?
You blinked your eyes open as a Nurse called out. “Y/L/N.” She requested, just as the phone’s around you buzzed, Ben, Rami and Gwil all taking them out to check for their latest notification. You felt somewhat left out, but seeing as your phone had been left at home charging, you could hardly check your own notifications.
You followed the nurse into the treatment area, Gwilym staying by your side to help support you.
As you sat on the treatment bed, a Doctor came around to inspect your foot. Just like Gwil had done, he pressed around the wound, taking note of your reactions. “We’ll have to make a deeper excision to remove the shard of glass. Then have you stitched back up. Do you have any known allergies or reactions to anaesthetic?”
You answered the Doctor’s questions, before he moved away from your bed, to collect the necessary equipment to perform your minor surgery. “Hey, look at this.” Gwilym grinned, as he handed you his phone.
Gwilym had his Instagram open, and it took you a moment to fathom what you were looking at. “I’m going to kill him.” You sigh. Joe had posted a photo of you and Gwil cuddled together in the waiting room, with the caption,
@Y/N decided the best way to celebrate Halloween and her new apartment, was by buggering up her foot. Good one -_-‘
Gwilym wraps his hand around yours, grinning at you. “Hey, you should feel honoured. Rami thought it was important enough to log in and like his post!”
You roll your eyes, just as the Doctor returns, putting hand sanitizer on before slapping on a pair of gloves. “I change my mind about what I said earlier.”
Gwil looks at you curiously. “What do you mean?”
“Moving in on Halloween, I think it was very bad luck.”
“Maybe you’re just accident prone, and looking for something to blame that on?” You scowl at Gwilym sternly, earning you a hearty laugh from you boyfriend. “Alright fine, you’re right! It’s bad luck. We never should’ve moved in today!”
“That’s what I thought. Next year, lets go out for Halloween, that way there’s less of a risk of me hurting myself, yeah?”
“Either that, or you’ll hurt yourself worse.”
You pause and think over his words for a moment, nodding in agreement. “You’re right. Maybe we should just skip the entire day next year? Better to be safe than sorry.”
Gwilym leans against your ear, grinning coyly. “I can think of a few ways we can spend the day without really doing anything…. Or at least nothing to involves leaving the bed.”
Notes:
Thank you once again everyone!
Our next stop will be Rami Malek. Thank you for riding Air Roulette, we hope you have enjoyed your flight :)