~perfect for pictures~ (luka couffaine x reader)

☆ chapter twenty four ☆

(Y/N'S POV)

~timeskip, a few days~

"Y/N, what's wrong? I've known you long enough to know when you're upset. How can I help?" Luka asked as I attempted to study in his room. I sighed.

"I don't fucking know. I'm just so stressed all the time. Photography is fine, but these stats credits are kicking my ass." I fell back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. "I didn't think I would have to do math to get a fucking photographic arts degree."

"Honestly, it's absolute bullshit." Luka flopped down beside me. "But I do think you can do it. Maybe you can ask for more time off or something."

"I dunno, I'm already working so few hours. I'd barely be working there at all if I did any less." I sat back up and huffed.

"Well maybe you could– I dunno." Luka sat back up, his shoulder pressed against mine. "But we'll think of something, and it'll be alright." His insistence that there was a way out of this wasn't very reassuring, but it did help to think it might be okay regardless. I wasn't really in the mood for practical solutions anyway.

"I think I honestly just need a good distraction but nothing seems to be working well enough to actually clear my head." I leaned into him and sighed, closing my eyes as my head rested on his blue hoodie. He smelled of cedar, as usual. We sat in silence for a few minutes, our heartbeats syncing. Luka rubbed soothing circles on my back, lightly humming a tune I had never heard before. Out of nowhere, he repositioned himself and tilted my head up so I was looking at him. He looked conflicted and deep in thought. Just as I was about to speak, he beat me to it.

"You know, I might have a solution." Luka spoke slowly, never breaking eye contact. Until my phone buzzed on the nightstand, that is. I reached over to grab it and sighed, anxiety beginning to creep up on me again as I read the text from my boss. Before I could add the new shifts to my calendar, Luka put his hand on my phone, pushing it down, away from my face. I snapped my gaze up so that my eyes met his. "I could always help distract you," Luka set my phone back down on the nightstand and stared boldly at me, sending shivers down my spine. "That is, I could make a damn good distraction." Suddenly realizing what he meant, I inched closer to him on the bed, glancing at his lips and back up to his unwavering gaze.

Was this really going to happen again? Was I really letting it happen again? Junior year me would be kicking current me for even hesitating, but I knew better. Even given the two times we kissed, one slip up could ruin years of irreplaceable friendship. But as I took in his deep cyan eyes, his eyelids drooping lazily and lined in smudgy eyeliner (eyeliner I had done earlier that morning), I found the tension harder and harder to bear. And satisfaction became harder and harder to resist.

"Fuck it." I whispered before connecting my lips with his. The kiss started off passionate and hungry as he grabbed my waist and pulled me fully onto his lap. My hands tugged at his hair, which he seemed to enjoy because I could feel him groan and smile into the kiss. All the while, he explored every inch of me, which I also enjoyed. It scared me how easily I let him take control, but I didn't care so much in the moment. We went on like that for several minutes, breathing heavily and moving fast. After a while, we slowed down a bit. Without breaking the kiss, he laid me down on his bed and hovered over me as the heated kiss turned into a slow makeout filled with low groans and sweet whispers. I was painfully aware of his right leg resting in between my legs to prop himself up on top of me, and just how badly I was starting to need some slow friction. He seemed to read my mind as he inched his knee up a bit. I hesitated, but my hormones won out as I started to slowly grind on him. He smiled, a deep laugh echoing in his throat. Our lips separated for a breath and his head lolled down, strands of his hair falling onto my chest.

"Fucking finally." He murmured before raising his head back up and kissing me again.

~timeskip~

My front door shut behind me, and I rushed to the window to watch Luka walk away. I couldn't wrap my mind around the afternoon's bizarre events. One minute, we were studying, and the next, we were nearly fucking. I mean, we didn't. But the horrifying part was that I wished we had. He just seemed so casual about all of it. For twenty minutes, it was just me and him in a way that we'd never been before. But out of seemingly nowhere, he slowed everything down. The worst part of it all was that he just completely moved on from it. He pulled his hair back, put his shirt back on, and said "Let's see to that calculus assignment, shall we?"

I was absolutely baffled. It was like someone hit his reset button. I didn't even know what to think. Is it good or bad that he was able to return to normal so easily? And why did he?

After we finished the assignment, he walked with me to my place. He asked if I was coming to his concert tomorrow (yes, duh), but other than that, we walked in eerily comfortable silence. Like so normal that it made a full 360 and became abnormal. So now, as I watched him walk away, I just stood there in awe of the whole mess. What the fuck.

(LUKA'S POV)

What the fuck.

I made it back home in a blurry rush– my mind racing and screaming at me. I have absolutely no idea what came over me. She was just so stressed and I just– why did I think that was a good idea? If you're stressed, you take a bubble bath or you read a book. You don't fuck your best friend. Well, almost fuck your best friend.

And I don't even know what happened to me, I just got a feeling like we should take a breath or something and I freaked. I figured the best thing to do was to pretend like nothing happened and refocus on studying— something that could actually help relieve some stress. Though I'm sure all I did was make it worse. It definitely made me more stressed. God, and with the show tomorrow, I couldn't afford to make any more risky moves. The setlist is already a little bold, and now I've got to worry about coming on too strong. But all this pent up energy was muddying up my thought process, and I needed an outlet. I grabbed my guitar and fiddled around with some riffs I had been playing with, and my mind cleared within seconds.

Hours passed before I was interrupted when Juleka poked her head in to let me know dinner was ready.

"I'm okay. You can tell mom I'm swamped with work and that I already ate with Y/N." I tried to dismiss her. Technically I was lying, but I really didn't feel like eating. Juleka didn't leave.

"What's up?" She walked over and sat down on my bed.

"Nothing really, I'm just not hungry." I gave up on convincing her I already ate. She would see through it anyway.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." She cocked her head to the side. "You've been locked up in here playing for hours."

"So? I like guitar."

"This is true. But you're not writing anything or playing anything through. You're just fiddling and riffing, which is a direct sign of a distraction. What're you distracting yourself from?" She read me like a fucking book, per usual.

"The show tomorrow I guess." I gave her a half-truth.

"Really? You've been killing it lately at these concerts. Rose took a backseat because you're doing so well– what's there to be worried about?"

"I dunno, the setlist might not be a good one."

"Bullshit." Should've known she wouldn't accept that crap lie.

"I dunno, I'm just nervous. I don't really want to talk about it to be honest." I sighed.

"Fair enough. Well, I'm here if you need to talk or something. And you know mom will save leftovers for you if you change your mind." She lightly punched my shoulder before getting up and leaving me alone with my thoughts. Though at this point, it was really only one thought:

I am so fucked.

(A/N: Things are getting interestinggggg! Debated putting a smut disclaimer on this chapter but realized that there are other chapters more deserving so hold tight)