Love is Old, Love is New

Part 2

Content Warnings: tooth rotting fluff, anxiety, stress, catastrophising thoughts, mild drinking, pining, self doubt, insecurity, jealousy (if you squint), mentions of STD's, kissing, pushy ex, unwanted digital contact, arguing, profanities, yelling, threats, physical violence, SMUT 18+ INCLUDING: grinding, first time oral (f! receiving), blow job, fingering, unprotected p in v, cockwarming, multiple orgasms, dirty talk, squirting, sensitivity/ overstimulation, hickeys/ neck kissing, plain old sex, use of the birth control pill, teasing, peeing with someone else there?, talk of money and financial situations, mentions of moving out/ in together, mentions of financial dependence, and of course: Danny being a sweetheart ♡

𓅪

As you stared into the circular mirror perched above Danny's record player, your hands moved restlessly through your hair, fluffing and smoothing with a kind of desperation. No matter how many times your fingers combed through the strands, it wouldn't settle, either lying limp and lifeless or rebelling with fluff and frizz.

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips as you stepped away, your reflection an unsatisfying blur of anxiety and imperfection. The room seemed to close in on you, the air thick with the tension that had been building ever since the evening plans were set. You wandered around Danny's room, half-heartedly searching for a hair tie, as if taming your hair might somehow calm the chaos in your mind.

It had been three days since your world had flipped on its axis. Three days since Otis's betrayal had cracked open a fault line in your heart, only for Danny to gently step in, filling the fissures with his tender love and care that had always been simmering just beneath the surface. Three days since your quiet friendship had shifted into something more, something that felt inevitable in hindsight. You and Danny had always been close, but the way you'd fallen into each other– how quickly the kisses and whispered "I love you's" had come, felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Ignoring the pleading messages Otis had bombarded you with, you blocked him on every platform you could think of, eager to erase his existence from your life. Reluctantly, you made the dreaded visit to the doctor, fearing the absolute worst, at the prospect that the woman he had been sleeping with was a long-term partner and may have harboured STDs. To your immense relief, you were given the all-clear, completely clean.

With that chapter behind you, you returned to your new life with Danny, basking in the warmth of his loving presence. On the first day, he greeted you with flowers, and the next, it was coffee and pastries. Your favourites, of course, because Danny seemed to know absolutely everything about you, even when it came down to your flavour profiles. By the third day, it was the compliments. Genuine, thoughtful words that melted the remnants of insecurity you had left over from Otis.

Danny made everything feel different. He wasn't trying to win you over with grand gestures; he was simply there, day in and day out, showing you what it meant to be cared for. It was the small things that got to you. The way he listened when you talked, the way he seemed to notice every little detail about your behaviour– he was perfect. He was everything you hadn't known you needed. Attentive, patient, and a steady anchor when your own thoughts spiralled out of control.

He had this way of watching you, knowing exactly when to step in, when to hold you, when to simply let you breathe. His love was this soft, unspoken force, always there, always giving. Since that night, it was as though his entire world had shifted; the way he looked at you and touched you felt like you had become his new centre of gravity.

But tonight, the bubble of quiet intimacy you'd built was about to be burst. Sam's birthday meant an evening at the bar with himself, Jake, Josh, and the rest of your close-knit circle of friends. It meant the privacy of your shared love was about to be exposed to your little world, and that thought filled you with a kind of nervous dread that clenched your stomach into knots.