Evan Peters Drabbles

No Canoodling in the Halls (Russell Hayes [Sleepover] x Reader)

REQUESTED: The reader is a close friend of Russell & secretly likes him even though he's clumsy?

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You laughed as your good friend, Russell, sang along incredibly badly to the Spice Girls. You were practically rolling around on the floor from laughter as his blonde wig swayed from side to side as he danced horribly, singing If You Wanna be my Lover at the top of his lungs. He always knew how to make you laugh with his silliness & clumsiness & now was no exception.

When you started coughing from laughing so hard, Russell figured it was time to stop. He pulled off the wig & turned off his radio, laughing at himself as he grabbed a water bottle & handed it to you before he plopped down on the floor beside you.

You wiped tears from your eyes & drank the water graciously, giggling occasionally as you began to calm down slowly, "Oh my God, Russell; you're killing me, but thank you. I really needed that hardcore laughter."

He smiled, "Yeah, I know; that's why I did all that," he suddenly turned serious as he looked at you, "I don't mean to bring it up, but you've been really down lately. What's been bugging you?"

You blushed softly, embarrassed that he noticed your lack of happiness recently, "It's stupid."

"If it's upsetting you this much, then it's not stupid," he scooted a little closer & placed a hand on your thigh reassuringly, "I'm not going to force you to talk about it, but I'm here to listen if you want to tell me," he said, his eyes pleading with you to tell him.

You flushed darker, avoiding his captivating gaze. There was no way you could tell him that you secretly had the biggest crush on him. He was your best friend for Christ's sake; what was he going to think?

"I don't want to talk about it right now, but I promise I'll tell you soon, okay?" Russell nodded & smiled a bit, bummed that you didn't want to tell him now, but happy that you promised to tell him eventually.

"Okay," he said, his eyes full of care & understanding, "Whenever you're ready," and the two of you left it at that.

A few weeks after that day, your feelings for Russell became much stronger, so much so that they became increasingly difficult to conceal. You constantly watched yourself around him, hoping you weren't giving away your true feelings by the tone of your voice or the way you looked at him. You weren't sleeping as much because you spent the majority of your nights over analyzing the situation, keeping your mine heavily alert during your normal bedtime.

Russell, of course, noticed that you were getting worse & he was determined to confront you & make you spill the beans, regardless of whether or not you were ready. He was worried sick about what was going on with you & a little hurt that you were hiding this seemingly major & harsh aspect that was causing you to behave so glumly.

As you were packing things into your locker, Russell stopped beside you & closed your locker just as you were going to grab a textbook, "Alright, babe; spill it," he said, looking at you seriously.

Despite the fact that Russell was awful at being serious, the only time he called you "babe" was when he was really trying to be serious. It was clear that now, he meant business.

You sighed, "Right here? In the middle of the school hallway?"

"I don't care where you tell me; I just want you to tell me what's going on."

You sighed, "Fine," you swallowed thickly as Russell watched you expectantly, waiting for you to continue speaking. Your cheeks heated up as you tried to figure out the proper way to phrase your words, "See, the thing is..." you bit your lip & avoided his gaze, "I like you, like a lot," you blushed darker, "I like like you. I have for a while now."

He stared at you blankly, blinking once as he spoke, "You like like me?"

You nodded, "Yes...& I'm sure I just ruined our entire friendship so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to jump off a cliff," you quickly turned around, prepared to make a run for it, but Russell reached out & grabbed your wrist, pulling you back. You watched him, both with confusion & anxiety as he just looked at your for a moment before he finally moved.

And his next move shocked you.

Your eyes practically bulged out of your head when he pressed a quick, soft kiss to your nose, then another to your chin, & finally, one on your lips.

As his lips brushed against yours & his breath fanned against your mouth, he whispered, "I like like you, too," you blushed immensely, but the grin that formed said it all. Russell laughed & returned your grin just as you pulled him into a hug.

"Thank God," you mumbled against his shoulder as he pressed a kiss to your head.

"Hey! No canoodling in the halls! Get your butts to class!" you two immediately pulled apart as the hall monitor barked orders at you. You both started to head to class quickly, eagerly to get away from the monitor, but as soon as you were both out of view & earshot, you both burst into laughter at the situation.

Thankfully, you both had the same class next, so you wouldn't be separated. Russell slowly draped his arm around your shoulder & pulled you into his side as you walked together, making you giggle.

You both walked into class like that & you became the hot gossip of your entire school by the end of the day.