Blaise worries her lip in between her teeth as she stares at Yvo from across the dining hall at lunch.

He looks angry. He's been hiding from her since he fled first period this morning and ignoring her messages. Now, he's stabbing his fork around his plate, jaw tight.

Did she do something? Blaise fiddles with her fingers under the table. Was he lying at Saylor's party, did he finally realize that he's with the wrong Finch?

She swallows the lump in her throat and looks down, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. If he...if he decides that this is it, if he breaks it off with her—whatever it is they have—she'd...she feels like she's going to be sick.

Her eyes are burning. Dane bumps her shoulder with his and squeezes her shoulder, putting an arm around her.

Blaise smiles at him and eats.

If Yvo wants to end it, he can say it to her fucking face. Besides, he's not the only one who doesn't like being ignored.

Blaise texts him in class after lunch. come to my room tonight.

He reads that and finally fucking responds. im so done with your shit

She presses her lips into a thin line. Done with...with their arrangement? Done with her? Angry, she replies, oh yeah?

And, unexpectedly, his answer makes her laugh. no

Blaise grins triumphantly and turns her phone off.

She has dance rehearsal after her classes and goes to dinner with her teammates. When she comes up to her room, she expected it to be empty, that Yvo would take his time, come at around an hour later, but he's already outside her door.

He doesn't say a word as she unlocks the room. He sits down and manspreads on her bed.

Blaise drops her bag on the floor. "Sorry for making you wait. I'll just take a shower—"

She stops. Sees the way he's looking at her. Angry, hungry. Both.

Blaise smiles, turns around, and shakes her hair out of her ponytail. She's only in tight-fit leggings and a small cropped shirt on top of a black sports bra with straps criss-crossing around her back, so she knows he's looking at her spine.

"Let's play a game."

Yvo still hasn't said anything. He finally raises his eyes to meet hers.

"I'll guess why you're moping around and ignoring me like a prick. For every wrong answer, I'll give you what you want. If I guess it right, you give me what I want."

Yvo's jaw ticks.

She'll take that as a yes. "You panicked because you came to my house and met my family. My sisters."

"I want that." He points to her chest.

Damn it. Blaise raises an eyebrow. "You want my shirt?"

"I want it off."

Fuck.

She swallows and pulls it over her head slowly, dumping it on the floor.

It's different like this. Yvo is sitting on her bed, legs spread, watching her strip.

Her belly dips with want, but she tries to clear her head. So he didn't freak out about knowing more about her and her sisters. But..."You thought about it and finally decided you don't want me anymore. After seeing Wren."

"That," he snaps, pointing at her leggings. "I'm getting hard making you strip in front of me and I don't want you? Shut the fuck up about your sister, I don't fucking give a shit about her."

Damn, okay then.

Her heart is jumping in joy. It's the first time she's chosen over her perfect older sister.

Blaise slips the waistband of her leggings down to her thighs and steps out of them.

Yvo watches her every move.

"You've had enough of me ordering you around in exchange for kisses."

"Bra."

What the fuck! She's going to end up fucking naked at this point.

Still. She's the one who started this.

Blaise pulls it over her head and tries not to cover herself.

Yvo's hands twitch by his sides.

"You hate me again?" she squeaks.

"Turn around, I want to see your fucking back."

Blaise turns around slowly, pursing her lips as she wracks her brain.

What could possibly make Yvo Sandejas run away from her this morning and hide—

Blaise's eyes widen. "You...have feelings for me."

Yvo doesn't say anything.

She waits for him to tell her to take off her underwear, but he doesn't. The silence stretches on.

Blaise turns around. Yvo's staring at her, a blank expression on his face, but she knows him enough by now to see that he hates this, he hates being open and vulnerable and leaving himself bare.

"So since I got it right." Blaise swallows, stepping closer to him. "I want you."

Yvo's head tilts up and his hands go to her bare sides, brushing his fingertips along her skin, and she shivers under his touch and straddles him, tips his chin up to kiss him.

"All fucking yours," he says.

*

Blaise can't stop staring at him.

He's seated behind her in the only class they share together, so she has to turn her head to the side to look at him. Yvo's hair is still wet from his hurried shower after he slipped out of her dorm room this morning later than usual, refusing to get out of bed, and it falls messily across his forehead. He's manspreading, like he always does, slouched back, writing on his book while chewing gum—mint, for sure.

Blaise watches his jaw and lips move. She can't help but stare at him. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Yvo notices, of course he does, and the corner of his mouth lifts into a grin while he's chewing but he doesn't look up from his desk.

She rolls her eyes and returns her attention to her binder. Arrogant, beautiful ass.

Arrogant, beautiful ass who came to her little sister's party with a gift they bought together, even carried her against his hip last weekend and did not spare a fucking glance towards her perfect, older sister.

It makes her smile. Goddamn it.

As soon as lecture ends, Blaise packs up her things slowly, waiting for the room to clear out, and when she turns around to his row, Yvo curls his fingers around one of her belt loops and pulls her to stand in between his legs. "What time's my slot today?"

His low and raspy voice makes her want to kiss him senseless.

Blaise can't stop her smile as she looks down at him, one hand on his shoulder. "I'll have to see. I have dance and I'm meeting Charlie after at dinner."

In one second, Yvo's face darkens and his jaw tightens. "Who the fuck's that."

She puts her hand on his cheek and grins. So jealous all the time. "Dane's sort-of boyfriend."

Is he her sort-of boyfriend now, too?

His face relaxes, knuckles brushing her bare side. "I'm going to see my parents tonight for dinner as well, so just leave your door unlocked."

Blaise blinks. It's the first time he said anything about his family.

Yvo chews his gum and raises an eyebrow at her look.

"I'll leave the door unlocked if you tell me about your parents," Blaise says.

"There's nothing to tell."

"I want to know, anyway."

"Fine, Jesus." He rolls his eyes. "Don't leave it unlocked, Kallhoff might come in. Or someone else. I'll just call."

Blaise smiles and shoves her hand inside her bag. She grabs one of Yvo's palms and slaps her extra keycard into it. "Use that."

He stares at it for a second before he tilts her head down with his free palm around her neck to kiss her.

When Blaise leaves, the mint is in her mouth.

*

Charlie is adorable.

He's blonde, shy, and he blushes so easily, especially when Dane took his hand under the table while he and Blaise talked.

His entire face went red.

As they're walking, with Dane following behind them, Charlie turns to face her. "I'm really glad we got to spend time together. I'll admit that I was a little...intimidated and scared, but you're really sweet."

Blaise laughs out loud and links their arms together. "Intimidated? Oh, God, why would you even—"

"Well, I mean." Charlie looks so flustered and embarrassed. "You're Dane's ex. You guys have a bond that I thought would make me feel insecure, but you're...and he's..."

"Clearly crazy into you." Blaise sighs and slings her arm around his shoulder to whisper, "Dane is very, very dear to me. He's my best friend and I want him to be happy. You're that. You make him happy. I swear I won't be that crazy ex turned best friend you're worried about."

He grins at her and breathes out heavily, relieved. "That makes me feel better. Somehow though, I doubt that Dane assured Yvo Sandejas of the same."

Blaise groans. "Don't even get me started. Yvo is...God, he's impossible about Dane."

"He's just worried like I was." Charlie winks at her.

"He has nothing to be worried about."

"He doesn't know that, does he?"

Dane drags Charlie away and glares at Blaise. "Hey, stop stealing him."

Blaise drags Charlie back to her. "Go away, we're talking."

Dane walks him to his dorm after a long and tight hug with Blaise, and she skips happily to her dorm room to shower and change.

Yvo hasn't messaged at all, but he did say he was going to come. She bites her lip and slides under the covers, closing her eyes.

Blaise only wakes up again when she feels his familiar warmth and scent slipping in beside her. "Sandejas?" she mutteres sleepily, voice scratchy, barely able to open her eyes.

"Expecting someone else?" he snaps angrily.

It makes her smile. She immediately hugs him around the waist and buries her head on his chest. Yvo's arm goes around her body. "Told you there's only one guy in my list here."

"Better fucking be."

Her cheekbones hurt. "Thought you weren't coming anymore."

"Well, you looked pathetic all alone."

Blaise snorts and sighs tiredly, nosing and brushing her lips against his neck. He smells like his body wash. "Are you..." She's fighting off sleep. "Going to tell me about your parents now?"

"Half-asleep conversations don't do it for me. Shut up."

"You shut up." Blaise kisses his throat.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"It's the weekend," she murmurs sleepily, swinging her leg over his.

"Yes, thank you for that fucking observation." He sounds annoyed...and worried? "We could go somewhere. Out."

That almost makes Blaise want to wake up and look at him, but she's too tired and she mumbles, "A date?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Yvo sounds triumphant. "Don't wanna turn you down and embarrass the shit out of you."

Blaise huffs in his shirt. "Shut up."

"You shut up. Sleep."

*

Blaise almost forgets.

For fuck's sake, she was half-asleep. When she woke up, he was gone with only a text on her phone. six

Sometimes, she hates how Yvo spares himself from words. God. Can't he be less fucking vague?

six what

what the fuck, Yvo says. Then he calls her on the way to her dance practice.

WAIT MY BATTERY IS AT 9% ILL CHARGE AT THE STUDIO

my fucking patience with you is at 9%

Ah, damn it. She answers his second call. "Sandejas, I—"

"Are you taking it back?" he demands immediately.

"Taking what back?" Blaise huffs.

Yvo lets out a growl. "We talked. Last night. You said yes to a date."

Blaise stops at her tracks, almost running into a brick post. "Oh."

When he doesn't say anything, Blaise is sure he's about to hang up.

"Wait!" she shouts before he can, fucking hell, he needs to work on his trust issues or defensiveness without waiting for her explanation. "God, Sandejas, I was half-asleep, I thought it was a dream or something. Yes, I will see you at six. Calm down, alright?"

Yvo pauses. "Fine."

Blaise lets a smile slip as she walks forward again. "Don't be too excited."

"Shut the fuck up." He hangs up. Blaise laughs, smiling all throughout rehearsal.

This 'date' wasn't her request because he wanted more kisses. He asked her.

Well, he made it seem like she asked him, but it was his idea. He must really like her.

"Wanna hold your hand," Yvo mutters under his breath as they walked together along a Christmas market in the heart of the city.

Blaise blinks up at him innocently as though she didn't hear. "What?"

"I said I hate sand, fuck off." Yvo stalks away and Blaise's laugh is loud as she hurries after him and takes his hand, interlacing their fingers together.

Yvo puts their entwined hands inside his jacket pocket because it's so fucking cold, and steers her to a bookstore because he remembered she needed to buy new pens and stationery for the next semester. While Blaise is looking at new booklets for her binder, Yvo takes a tester pen and leans over the notepad propped against the aisle.

Blaise hooks her chin on his shoulder, tiptoeing because he's so goddamn tall, and whispers, "What'd you write?"

Yvo turns her around and drags her away, but Blaise manages to pull him back to look at it.

B.F. is an idiot -Y.S.

Blaise rolls her eyes and takes another tester pen. Yvo slips one arm around her waist and peers beside her head to look at what she writes.

B.F. is a̶n̶ my idiot -Y.S.

He rolls his eyes and drags her to the cashier.

"I want that. Buy it for me." Blaise points at one of the cute bear keychains.

Yvo stares at her.

"Fine, then. No ki—"

He scowls and grabs one of the hanger and tosses it on the counter.

"Not that. I want the white one."

"Of course you fucking do." Yvo switches it.

Blaise smiles and thumbs it around her fingers when they leave the store. "It looks like your hair."

Yvo looks away and pushes her forward, then he takes her hand again.

They also get hot chocolate at a stand and Yvo drags Blaise's beanie down to her nose, making her sputter, but she stops herself from getting annoyed with him for messing up her hair when he tilts her chin up to swipe the liquid away from the top of her lip and presses a quick kiss there.

Dinner's burgers and milkshakes and Yvo kicks her under the table when she spends too long looking at her phone and replying to Dane that she's safe and well and enjoying.

"I fucking hate him."

Blaise blinks. "Dane?"

Yvo tosses a french fry in his mouth and bites on it harshly, glaring at her.

She remembers what Charlie said. "He's just my best friend. There's nothing else there—not anymore. And he has Charlie."

He only stares at her.

She resists rolling her eyes. "Besides, you told me you were going to talk about your parents."

Yvo tosses more fries on her plate. "Work together. Still madly in love all these years. Filthy rich. Fuss over me too fucking much. Keep asking about dinner with you."

Blaise almost chokes. She grabs her milkshake and coughs.

"Don't die," Yvo says, face blank as he stares at her.

"D-Dinner? With me?" she squeaks.

"Not you on the plate, fucking calm down." Yvo rolls his eyes, and then thinks about it once more. "Actually, I would love Kallhoff's head on a plate..."

"What will it take for you to shut up about Dane? You have my goddamn keycard and you haven't given it back!"

He glares at her. "You want it back?"

"Are you going to give it back if I ask?"

Yvo bites off a fry.

Blaise sighs, but her heart is fluttering wildly in her chest as Yvo's bright blue eyes stay on hers. "Fine. Keep it."

"I want you to come to my room this time, though."

She raises an eyebrow, surprised. "Uh, I have to shower when we get back first."

Yvo runs his foot against the side of her calf as they finish their meal.

Dane is waiting outside her dorm room when Blaise and Yvo arrive at her floor.

Yvo huffs in irritation behind her.

"I need your help for my date with Charlie tomorrow," Dane says, not even acknowledging Yvo.

Yvo lets go of her hand harshly and turns around, obviously expecting Blaise to shoo him away.

She rolls her eyes. God, he's fucking impossible.

Blaise grabs his shirt with one hand and his neck with her other and kisses him.

There. That should do it.

He's stunned, not moving. Frozen even when Blaise pulls back. "Sorry, but I'm busy, Dane. Figure it out on your own because I'm still on my date. Buy condoms, alright?"

Blaise pulls Yvo inside her room and waves goodbye to her best friend. Dane rolls his eyes, but he's grinning as he shakes his head and leaves.

Yvo stands in the middle of her room while she grabs her sleeping clothes. "Will you shut up about Dane now?"

Yvo stares at her, and after a few moments, nods once.

"Good. Wait here, I'll be done in ten. Sit down on the bed and...roll over it." Blaise gives him a smirk and disappears inside her bathroom.

*

the response to this little work has been overwhelming. i loved writing this so much so it means a lot :c i love you all, thank you.

chapter 7 will be up in about ten hours? i'm going to give a talk in a writers conference tomorrow and im nervous, wish me luck sdshkhskfh