You know the last name's Winters, right?

It kind of.. works like a curse.

Why? Yeah, well—because every man in our family? Always born in the Winter. My grandad arrived in December, my dad made a grand entrance in January—my uncle was born in February.. It's like Mother Nature herself is in for the joke. And the result? They're all stubborn assholes. I'm not excluding my dad, sorry God. Oh, and RIP grandad, uncle.

But what I really can't fathom.. is how Tyler's so invested in our last names. You see, ever since we were young, he had a peculiar.. fondness, towards my surname—even to the point where, in fact, he gave me a nickname from it.

Just like that.

You know, his favorite 'Winny'. And.. just like how I'm the only one who can call him Tyty, only he can call me Winny. So, pals, imagine my stress, when I hear Dominic—

"Winny!"

Hunt spots you as you enter the cafeteria, calling out your nickname—correction. Tyler's nickname. Startled by his sudden outburst for God only knows how many times, you give him a nervous grin. But even your nervous grin fades as you sense a sudden drop in temperature. The weather's already cold, so imagine how cold this became. Your eyes immediately dart around the room.. until they land on Tyler's icy glare, sending chills down your spine..

Tyler walks down the hallway, hands tucked in his pockets when he overhears an annoying.. familiar voice calling you. Closing his eyes, Tyler's steps falter as the word slices through the air. His hands clenched into fists in his pockets, jaw tightening. A surge of possessiveness courses through him when he snaps his head and turns.. to see Dom, approaching you with a broad grin, saying, "Winny baby, wait up!"

Your one and only nickname, the one he thought only he could use.. He scrunches his face in irritation as you scuttle away despite Dom's call. You're seen glancing left and right in haste, seemingly wanting to get as further away from him as possible—and you turn the corner and disappear from his sight with Hunt trailing behind you. Tyler can't help but unleash his silent rant. "Winny—and now he—Winny baby?! Is this fucking dude for real—"

"WINNEH!!!"

You're on River vs Cardinals baseball game—and as it's Dominic's turn, he calls you by Tyler's nickname, boldly.

"THIS ONE'S FOR YOU BABY!"

His declaration is met with cheers—doesn't matter—because you notice Tyler on one of the bases. Wrapped in his white and red gloves, his fists clenched together tightly, glare fixed on Dom. But what scared you the most is not the fact that he looked like he's about to punch Dom right then and there—it's the fact that you can see fire in his eyes from afar.. and all.. the things he might do—

"Why the fuck does he call you Winny now?"

Gaping nervously, you stand there—staring wide-eyed like a lost Nemo. Feeling helpless as his eyes bore fire into you, you rub your temples carefully. He hovers over you like a hawk as you stutter, "I—I don't know.. H—he asked me what my name means, and well, you know—I told him the story—and then he asked me why you call me Winny—a—and now—sometimes he.. calls me Winny too.."

"Hah, yeah right, sometimes. Sure. Not like he calls you Winny all the time now. You know, for someone who's said to have such artistic flair, he can be so un. creative."

Cavill scoffs, a smirk forming on his lips. His glare fixates on a single individual across the room who seems to be blissfully unaware of the brewing tension happening over here. Disdain paints his expression as he lets out a harsh breath. You're about to reach out to calm him down before—

"Ty—"

"Only I can call you that, Emilia!"

But it's too late.

He explodes. The words bursting forth as if all the pent-up emotions have finally found the surface. Frowning, he shakes his head in frustration, his jet black hair ruffled by his hand as he runs it through. He knits his eyebrows and stares at you—jaw clenched tight—until finally, he averts his eyes and exhales.

Shit, he's using first names. This is serious.

He's mad, mad.

As for you—on one hand, there's.. fear of causing further tension if you address it to your boyfriend.. You want to assert boundaries.. but you despise the thought of creating any drama. On the other hand.. you can't lie. There's just this.. discomfort, of hearing someone else—

Heck, ok I know it's my boyfriend. But still, hearing him use Ty's nickname for me.. It's like—a.. a breach! A violation of.. of something.. sacred, you know? Don't laugh at me. Of course I'm still abiding by our rules! The rules are there for a reason, right? Well, look at us now—

...

Shit.

Shaking your head briskly of the immense pressure, you stand there with a grimace, your eyebrows drawn together in a helplessness. A slight pout painting on your lips, you cast your gaze downward, turning your head sideways in contemplation. After a moment of internal struggle, you finally gather the courage to meet his gaze again—exhaling in frustration.

"What am I supposed to do, Tyty..? Tell him not to call me that? You know how weird it'd be—"

"It's even weirder, that it comes out from his mouth! It's even weirder, that you allowed him to—"

"Ty! Please, I really don't know how to—"

Helplessly, you plead. You snap your head away from him, unable to hold back your frustration any longer. When you bring your eyes back to him, he can see the glossy sheen in your eyes as tears well up, "I'm sorry.. but I don't know how to—" midway through your sentence, you look down slowly, resting your head against his chest.

Pursing his lips, Cavill falls silent. His gaze lingering on your head for a moment before shifting them to Dominic with a calculating look—when a subtle smirk surfaces. He brings his hand behind your head and gently pets them, muttering under his breath,

"Guess I'll make a press conference then."

Bad. Shit, this is—

Turning your head sharply towards him in alarm, you're only met with a devilish smirk.

"W—wait—Ty, what—"

By the time you open your mouth, with lightning speed, he pivots—firmly grasping your shoulders, and pulls you with him into a tight embrace.

"EXCUSE ME EVERYONE MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE."

In a sudden rush of panic, you whisper urgently, "Ty—!"

But it's too late. The King has spoken, and everyone has already gathered around you like eager bees awaiting their Queen's signal. Feeling even more nervous than before, you grip the edges off his shirt tighter.

Catching your eye for a brief moment, Cavill glances at you, silently checking in—before briskly stroking your left arm. Perhaps.. assuring you to trust him. But maybe, it's more like.. preparing you, for what comes ahead.

"First of all, I'd like to thank all of you. Teammates, and friends, for coming here to celebrate The River's win," he pauses for a moment, closing his eyes and cocks his head smugly, then he clucks before giving a lopsided grin just to boast, "ehhh, maybe for the 10th time this year—"

"Thanks to you my man!" somebody shouts from the crowd. When you look over, you see Brad lifting his glass in the air—grinning widely. His encouragement elicits roars from the crowd, and you can't help but let out a proud smirk. You take a glance at Tyler, feeling all the tension from before dissipated.

However, Tyler's smug face softens as. "No, no. It's all thanks to the team. We've worked tirelessly, practicing day in and day out—pushing ourselves to our limits.. And every win is not just ours alone. It belongs to every member of our team—to the coaches, and of course to our Rivers, cheering us on from the stands.."

Briefly, he glances at you from above. As your eyes meet, the two of you exchange a sweet.. encouraging smile before he mouths a 'thank you'—you squeeze him in response.

"Each and every one of you played a crucial role in our journey—and for that, we owe you one hell of gratitude! We've hit some logs and it felt fucking good!"

Everyone cheers and claps. You let out screams of victory. However, your enthusiasm wanes as you notice his now subdued demeanor. Looking up, you realize how his determined gaze is back—fixed on one.. target.

"However, I have something else to address."

Tyler announces loudly, finally glancing back at you with a smirk. You notice Dom nearby, seemingly just catching up with Wyatt. As you wave, your expression lightens slightly—not until you realize the situation you're in—when your grin slowly fades into a nervous laugh.

Dominic, being the woke guy that he is, notices and narrows his eyes—even more so when he sees the way Tyler places his hand on your arm. The moment his eyes finally land on Tyler.. is when he knows something is about to go down.

"Y'all know my bestfriend here, the lovely—petite, Emilia Winters,"

Cavill casts a lopsided grin your way as you argue, "Hey! I'm not petite—" while silently mouthing a 'he's drunk' justification to everyone—prompting laughter from the crowd while he maintains his confident smirk.

"You must've been familiar with how I call her Winny—you might've wondered why either," he declares while taking a coke from someone in the front row before locking his gaze on Hunt—holding it while taking a sip before finishing it in one go. He effortlessly tosses the empty can into a nearby trash can—which annoyingly lands in smoothly.

Still locking his gaze on Dom, he pauses for a few seconds.. before finally adding,

"Am I right, brother?"

Dom scowls, folding his arms across his chest in defiance. Beside him, Liam brings a hand to his forehead in exasperation—while you desperately tug at Tyler's shirt, wanting to put an end to this fiasco.

"Now let me tell you a story," Tyler begins, his tone commanding attention as he takes center stage. "It was winter night, we were playing in our secret spot—"

"Ooohhh," the crowd murmurs in unison, intrigued by the mention of the word 'secret'.

Tyler smirks and leans forward, satisfied with the crowd's reaction. "Yeah, our secret spot," Cavill proudly announces, eyes still locked on Dominic, "we were lying on the floor, surrounded by snow.. just enjoying each other's company—and in that moment, we asked each other to be, you know—this known, special thing between us,"

...

Special.. thing..?

The way he said it like that makes you feel something—that strange.. scrunching feeling in your chest and through your stomach. He's now fondly gazing at you while you stare back—torn between preventing an impending fistfight or getting lost in this sweet nostalgia.

"And then it hit me, why the hell not make her my very own, special nickname?"

As everyone coos with an 'awww', Dominic starts to clench his knuckles. Wyatt, sensing the tension, leans in and whispers something to Dom—perhaps trying to diffuse the situation before it gets to his head.

"Can't you see how creative I am? Making my own nickname for my lovely bestfriend? You just gotta make your own nickname for someone you love, right?" Tyler boldly declares, shooting a smirk in Dom's direction—who visibly bristles with anger.

"And so, everyone, I call her Winny,"

The chant of 'Winny, Winny, Winny!' fills the air, echoing loudly around you. However, you can't help but feel uncomfortable amidst the chaos—clinging to him with a forced smile. Your uneasy gaze navigates through the overwhelming situation—when his hand rests gently on your shoulder, and you feel the warmth of his breath as he leans in closer to your ear.

"Winny," he whispers softly, before continuing in a hushed tone.. meant for only you, "as beautiful as the first snow of Winter."

Slowly, you turn to face him, your heart pounding in your chest. And as you look up at him in astonishment, your eyes get wider.. and wider as his words sink in. However, you're met with a look of genuine affection in his eyes. "Heh," his voice barely above a whisper, a slight smirk gracing his lips as he holds your gaze with unwavering intensity, before adding..

"Pretty romantic, isn't it?"

Amidst the echoing chants of your nickname, Cavill's whisper breaks through the noise like a gentle breeze. His intense gaze locks with yours, and in that instant.. time seems to stand still. The sounds of the cheering dimming in the background.. the world fades away.. leaving only the two of you. Even you can't hear the thumping of your heart—

Wait. Is it not beating, or is it beating too fast to the point where I can't—

In a sudden moment of realization, both of your eyes widen—enough to snap you back to reality. And before you have a chance to react, he hesitantly redirects his attention back his peers—his voice echoing loudly as he shouts,

"Just got dumped but I still hit!"

"RIVERS!"

The crowd shouts—except for Dominic and Liam, who's still in the latest position, with Dom throwing death glares to Cavill and Liam whispering in an urgent manner. While like automatic, Brad eagerly continues the chant,

"HIT THE LOG AND I WILL HIT"

"RIVERS!"

"WINNY, MY BESTFRIEND EVERYBODY!"

Tyler's declaration hangs in the air, and as the crowd erupts into cheers—

"Oh just kiss already!"

Scott's boisterous comment brings everything to a sudden halt, leaving everyone stunned into silence. Beside him, Dom swiftly turns to him and roars—

"SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT!"

Rule #2: Our nickname is only for us.

"Ok girl. Now tell me what the hell happened out there?"

Eve eyes you intently. Slouching on the sofa beside her, you still feel the lingering fatigue as you hide your eyes behind your arms.

"He was just clarifying the misunderstanding—"

"Girl that I know. You know that's not what I meant."

Opening your eyes and slowly lowering your arm, you adjust your posture and scoot towards her. Awkwardly, you rest your arm on the back pillow—but it doesn't feel right. You quickly change positions, holding your arm with your left hand instead—still, doesn't feel right. Fidgeting uncomfortably, you eventually revert to your initial position with a frustrated squeal,

"I don't know! I—" Eve lets out a sigh—giving you a jaded look as you yell, "Fuck! I don't even know what happened—it all happened so fast!"

Pouting exaggeratedly, you moan and cry while moving around as if you're having a seizure, earning a slap from Eve. "Fuck—Eve. I dare you to analyze whatever is happening to me right now in your poem! No—please, do!"

Eve seems to contemplate for a moment before pouting and giving an approving side nod—when someone hugs her from behind. "Evieee baby~ Where have you been?" You turn to your right.. to see that it's Wyatt. Not that you haven't already known that it's him though.

"Just around, babe. Right on time for the drama, though," Reed sarcastically remarks as she gives you the side eye, earning an approving scoff from Liam.

"Say it louder. I can never with these two." Liam adds with a shake of his head as he hugs his girlfriend from behind—when you feel a pat on your head. And even by the way he pats you, you already know that it's him.

You feel a rush of butterflies fluttering from head to toe when you subtly shrink into the sofa. Silently anticipating his next move, you cautiously glance at him from the corner of your eye—but he doesn't seem to come. Sensing his presence lingering behind you, you reluctantly look up.. only to find him leaning casually with folded arms on the back of the sofa, peering down at you with a small smirk.

At the sight, you immediately bring your head down—feeling your heartbeat suddenly beating a little bit faster! However, the realization that there's other people brings you back to reality, and you briskly turn your attention to the couple sitting next to you—who are still giving you the bombastic side-eye.

"Wussup, Winters?"

Shivers run down your spine when a low whisper reaches your left ear. Panic floods your senses—eyes start darting around frantically as heat rushes to your cheeks. Thank God your makeup's still on right now. Desperately wanting to end this torture, you grab his head—or his cheeks, whatever—and forcefully drag it to your left, shouting,

"Just come sit normally, brat—"

He yells and struggles against your grip—slapping at your hands clawing at his face. As you release him, he jerks your head back and yells,

"Just ask nicely why don't you, Ugly Yoda?!"

"Ew you're such a nerd," you mumble awkwardly, pouting with your hands folded above your thighs. Meanwhile, he's already leaping onto the sofa and settling down beside you with a bounce. As he fixes his hair—running his hands through it effortlessly, you can't help but almost gawk at him—admiring him as if he's in a shampoo commercial.

Until he says, "Come again, noob?" leaning his face closer to yours with a smirk.

Gazing at him for a moment, you search his face. Delighted expression paints the lines of his face and you can't help but shake your head. Finally, with a subtle smirk on your face, you ask,

"Satisfied?"

A look of understanding falls on his face before he raises his eyebrows smugly. His smirk transforms into a wide, lopsided grin as he delightfully responds,

"Oh, very."

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

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The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

https://youtu.be/FY0DCUSMfZc