Bea, happy friendiversary/friendversary. I honestly have no idea how long it's been, but you've just gotten older, prettier, but not wiser.
Prompts: A's friends pressure them into going on a blind date with someone they think fits perfectly for them. When A meets B, A questions their friends' taste at first, but then they start to think that maybe their friends do know them better than they know themselves.
Bella tells Paul a story but Paul isn't paying attention at all because he's too busy thinking about what a cutie Bella is.
"Remind me again why the fuck are we holding a picnic in the middle of the fucking woods?" Paul growled through his gritted teeth. He scowled at Jake, who was standing nearby with a camera pointed in their direction. "And tell Baby Alpha to put down the camera or else I'll break it with my bare fists."
Beside him, Bella laughed as Jake hurried to put his camera away before Paul could do as he'd threatened. She wrapped an arm around Paul's waist and leaned into him. "You know why we're doing this, Paul."
"I fail to understand how a picnic is a great idea for a blind date," Paul muttered, trying to cross his arms but failing because Bella was standing too close to him.
"It's simple, really," Quil said, appearing as if out of nowhere and almost startling Bella. He held a hot dog sandwich in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. After licking the chocolate ice cream dripping down his hand, he took a huge bite of the hot dog, ignoring Paul's and Bella's grimaces.
Paul demanded, "How is it simple? Couldn't you fucking matchmakers have come up with something better for Embry? Look at the poor kid! He's fucking panicking over there."
Together, all three of them—and Jake, who was eavesdropping nearby—turned to look at Embry, who was sweating buckets as he rambled on and on about the differences between Star Wars and Star Trek to Rachel, Jake's sister. who was arguing back just as heatedly.
Bella and Quil had actually teamed up to get Embry and Rachel to go out on a blind date with each other. Jake had been disgusted as hell, but he'd thought it would be a funny story to tell people later on.
But because Embry was so shy and introverted while Rachel hadn't been to La Push in years, they had agreed to make it a group thing instead. Unfortunately, Jake and Quil had failed to mention that Embry had a filthy mouth on him when he got passionate about something, while Rachel could curse up a storm when she was furious.
"I feel sorry for him," Quil said, shaking his head, his lower lip jutting out empathically. Bella nodded along, a solemn expression on her face. Quil then shrugged and snickered, "Oh, well, great entertainment for us."
Embry was now flailing his arms as he got more and more agitated. Rachel looked like she was about to wrestle Embry to the ground and not in a fun way.
Paul wondered if someone should go up and help the poor kid, but then, he snorted and shrugged it off too. The kid had to learn how to deal with women somehow, and a blind date was the perfect occasion to do so. The situation was even funnier now that the pack knew Embry had imprinted on Rachel. Shit was going down.
"Ooh, let's go see what the girls are up to," Bella said, breaking him out of his thoughts, and grabbed Paul's hand.
Paul automatically intertwined their fingers, making sure he had a firm grip on his imprint's hand. She was too clumsy for her own good, and being out in nature was almost as if she was flirting with death itself. Who knew what could happen to her if Paul wasn't around? He still remembered the time they had gone to Seattle for a date night and a horde of angry pigeons had attacked her for her sandwich. Ever since then, Paul had tried to keep an eye out for not only supernatural creatures and humans coming after his imprint but also fucking birds.
Who the fuck got attacked by hangry pigeons of all things? Bella Swan, of course.
They reached Emily and Kim, who were pulling out long scarves and thin ropes from their bags like they were Mary Poppins or some shit. Before Paul could ask what the items were for, Jared saunted out of the woods, busy buttoning his jeans. He called out, "We doing some type of BDSM thing out here, Kimmy?"
Kim blushed deep red at his blunt question and started stammering, "No! What—"
"It's for the three-legged race, jackass," Sam grumbled, slapping Jared upside the head. "And don't talk about BDSM in front of the kids. They've got impressionable minds."
The kids in question, Seth, Collin, and Brady (though Sam wouldn't say Brady was innocent), were on the other side of the meadow, kicking a soccer ball around. Leah was supervising—more like, instructing them on how to do more damage to the opponent.
"Ugh, you're no fun," Jared mumbled, but he perked up when he reached Kim's side and she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his sweaty cheek.
Bella suddenly hopped up and down, her eyes wide with excitement. "Paul, Paul, Paul!"
"Bella, Bella, Bella," he intoned, his tone deadpan and sarcastic.
If it were anyone else, they would have been deeply offended by his grumpy nature on such a sunny day, but Bella was used to his mood. She only laughed and slapped his bare forearm before grinning up at him. "Let's get Embry and Rachel to compete in the race with us."
"They can compete all they want, but I'm not doing this shit."
"Why not?" Bella pouted and batted her lashes. "Won't you do it for me?"
"Cut that out. I'm not doing this fucking race," Paul said with a frown.
"Is it because the last time you did the three-legged race, you fell on your face and broke your teeth?" Jared asked innocently.
"That was your fucking fault, dipshit. You tripped me," Paul snapped, glowering at Jared, who didn't look the least bit apologetic.
"I needed to pee, man. Did you want me to piss on your leg out in the open? Because if I hadn't hopped around like that, I would have pissed on your leg and then the other kids would have called us the Piss Twins or Twin Pees or even Pees in a Pod. That would have been the worst fate for a pair of six-year-olds."
There was absolute silence all around before Quil sniggered and said, "That was a great pun."
"Thanks, man. Really appreciate a punoisseur like me." Jared raised his fist, and Quil grinned and bumped it with his own.
"Hilarious." Paul glanced down at Bella and said, "I'm not doing this race, and you can't make me."
"But, Paul! I've always wanted to do a three-legged race with someone, but I've always been so clumsy that no one ever wanted me as their partner. When I was seven years old, I went to the park with my mother and they were hosting an office party, and there were all these kids…"
Oh, God, she was fucking adorable, that's what she was. His imprint was the sweetest, cutest woman he'd ever seen. Of course, when she wanted, she could wear something incredibly sexy and get his dick hard within seconds. But most of the time, she was a fucking cutie.
Like now.
Her big, brown eyes were wide, her pouty pink lips were moving faster than he'd thought they could, and her skin was flushed while her cheeks were slightly pink. She'd pulled her long, brown hair up in a ponytail, which she'd tied off with a purple ribbon. Her arms flailed all around, almost hitting Paul as she continued her story (which Paul still couldn't hear). Paul longed to tug the ribbon and watch her strands flow down her back like a waterfall. His heart literally ached for him to do so.
"Stop eye-fucking her, Paul," Jake whined, lowering his camera to his chest. "I've got enough footage of you staring at her like you're about to swallow her whole."
"He's not the one who swallows," Bella said suddenly and then blushed from the roots of her hair down to her visible collarbone. It went way down to her chest, but only Paul knew just how far down Bella's blush went.
"Impressionable minds, Bella," Sam said loudly. He looked like he was about to put his fingers in his ears and start singing, "La-la-la-la, I'm not listening."
"Sorry," she mumbled and ducked her head, which, again, Paul thought was adorable as fuck.
"Just do the race, Paul," Jared said, pushing him from behind.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Fine, come here, Bella, I'll do the race with you," Jared said suddenly. And then, without warning, Jared wrapped his arms around Bella's hips and pulled her into his chest, away from Paul.
"Put her down, or else I'll rip off your skull and break your spine before playing baseball with them," Paul barked, his heart stopping in his chest at the sight of his Bella in some other man's arms—even though his wolf wasn't panicking about seeing another mated wolf, their brother, holding their imprint.
"Creative murder! But no, not until you say you'll do the race with her. Because I don't have any issues with holding her close to me while we run. Oh, think of how great it would be, Bella! Your body, mine, all that sweaty skin sliding up and down, you gasping and moaning and—"
Paul lurched forward and grabbed Bella by her upper arms, yanking her into his arms instead. "She's not doing anything with you, dildo boy."
"I…You promised you'd never mention it to anyone," Jared whined, his lower lip jutting out in mock-despair.
"I didn't promise you shit—you assumed I promised you," Paul said offhandedly. He carried Bella to the starting line and announced, "We're competing in this shitty thing and we're going to win. And then, we're going straight home where i'm going to fuck you silly."
"I have so many questions about the dildo boy thing, but they can wait. Let's crush these motherfuckers," Bella exclaimed and bounced on the spot, her eyes wide with delight.
Paul couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. He loved it when she swore like a sailor; the pack was a terrible influence on her, but Paul lived for this shit. He also lived to be petty and competitive and a sore loser, which he really hoped he wouldn't have to show Bella today. He wanted to win this thing for her, to see her smile and clap in excitement. He wanted to see her tits bounce as she hopped up and down while taunting the rest of the pack. He wanted to pull her into his arms and feel her nipples pressed against his chest.
He was already getting hard before the race; how was he supposed to run? And Bella was so small. How the fuck was she going to keep up with him? This was a terrible idea, but he'd already told her he would do the race, so he couldn't back out now. Bella's disappointment always made him feel like he was three inches tall—not even half the size of his dick.
"Come on, Em, Rach!" Jake yelled, waving at them as if they weren't standing only ten feet away. "Join the race, it's mandatory!"
"Nothing's mandatory here, Jake," Rachel snapped but moved towards the starting line. "People can think whatever they want."
"I didn't say you had to think the same thing I did about Star Trek!" Embry cried, extending his arms out in exasperation.
"What a nerd," Paul muttered as if Bella didn't know he spent hours going through Sherlock fanfiction.
"Let's get this thing over with. I've got better things to do than spend the day with someone who can't appreciate the complex universe that is Star Trek," Rachel said with a huff.
Embry looked ready to start arguing again, which was strange because, out of all the pack members, he was the most easy-going and relaxed. Sam quickly handed Embry a scarf and said, "Tie her up."
"What?" Jake and Rachel cried out in unison.
"I meant to say tie up her leg with yours," Sam corrected himself, rolling his eyes.
"That's better," Rachel muttered and stood stiffly while Embry tied their ankles together. She harrumphed and crossed her arms, almost elbowing Embry in the process. "Let's do this."
"Everyone to the starting line," Emily called out, a huge grin on her face. "That means you three as well."
Seth, Collin, and Brady abandoned their game and left Leah in their dust, hurrying to get to the long strip of white ribbon Emily and Kim had placed on the ground. Seth asked excitedly, "Ooh, are we having a three-legged race?"
"I want to race too," Collin piped in.
"You're my partner, Col," Brady said, wrapping his arm around Collin's shoulders and dragging him towards him.
"What about me?" Seth whined, pouting at them. "I thought I was your best friend, guys!"
"Fine, you can race with Collin this time," Brady said with a sigh. "I'll race with Leah."
"Which of you fucknut faces said that I was racing with anyone?" Leah demanded, crossing her arms angrily. "I'm not competing and you can't make me."
"Paul's competing too," Quil added. "Don't you want to kick his ass?"
Leah was silent as she stared at Paul. "Hmm…Interesting. I'm thinking now…"
"I didn't do shit to you this time," Paul snapped. He glanced down at Bella, who was tying a piece of rope around their ankles. He softened his tone and instructed her gently, "Make it tighter, babe."
"Fine, I'll race against you gay nerds," Leah snarked.
"Can I race with you, Leah?" Quil tried his luck but was immediately shot down by Leah's furious glare. "On second thought, I'll race with nice, safe Jake."
Leah gestured to Seth. "Come here, you little fucknugget."
"At least she didn't call me a gay nerd," Seth joked and picked up a scarf before approaching Leah.
"That's because you already are a gay nerd," Leah said with a roll of her eyes. "Now, give that here. I'll tie it nice and tight so we don't get fucking disqualified."
"Who's refereeing?" Jake asked as Quil tied a strange knot around their ankles.
"No one. We're leaving it up to fate," Emily said with a shrug. She wound her arm around Sam's hips and dragged him towards the starting line, almost tripping in her attempt.
Bella mumbled, "Well, that's reassuring."
"Let's get this over with," Rachel and Paul said in unison—for different reasons.
"Everyone ready?" Sam called out and made sure everyone was standing on the line before he raised his voice and said, "On your marks, get set…Go!"
Paul didn't hesitate to cheat. He kept his arm firmly around Bella's waist, pulled her just an inch off the ground, and ran.
Unfortunately for him, Jared and Leah had had the same idea. Carrying Kim, Jared managed to run half the distance before Leah tripped him by swinging a squealing Seth in his direction, and Jared and Kim yelled as they went tumbling to the ground. Paul increased his speed, hugging Bella tighter.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he swore, trying to outrun Jake and Quil, whose legs seemed to be faster than lightning. They were both similar in height so it was easier for them to just wrap their arms around each other's waists and run like the fucking devil was at their heels.
Sam and Emily, and Collin and Brady were the only pairs laughing as they ran, enjoying the race rather than actually competing. The idiots. Meanwhile, Embry and Rachel were arguing over which foot to put forward first, tripping and almost face-planting on the grass as they tried to cooperate as best as they could.
"Go faster, Paul!" Bella screamed, her face reddening with exertion—but why was she so stressed when he was doing all the work was a mystery.
Still, Paul ran faster and faster and then…
Seth yelled out an apology as Leah dragged him along. Leah screamed and tried to elbow Bella on her way past. "Outta my way, bitches!"
Although Bella laughed, Paul saw red. No one fucking messed with his imprint.
He began to shake from head to toe, but instead of phasing on the spot and harming Bella, his fury helped him run even faster. He had to beat Leah now. It was a matter of pride and ego.
Paul's feet pounded over the grass and crossed the finish line right before Leah and Seth crossed it too.
"No! No!" Leah wailed and fell to the ground in a heap of limbs. "Lahote can't—No!"
"I beat your puny ass, bitch," Paul taunted and flipped her off before bending over to untie his foot.
The second Bella was on the ground, she squealed and leaped up, wrapping her arms around Paul's neck. Swinging, she laughed and yelled in his ear, "We won! We won, Paul, oh my God, we won! I can't believe we won! Oh, I'm so happy!"
"Great, now that we've won, let's go home and celebrate," Paul said firmly, pride filling his chest at the realization that he had made her this happy.
"Yes, let's go!" Bella laughed heartily when Paul threw her over his shoulder and made a beeline towards the trees.
"You cheated, fucksock!" Leah roared, but Paul only gave her the finger and sped up.
He was going to take his imprint home and celebrate properly. Hopefully, with some wild, hot, passionate as fuck sex that left them both panting and trembling for more. Maybe he should have stolen the scarf they had used to tie their ankles. That could have come in handy.