#80sjames

[innxrvision]

So long - pt. 2 𒂭

part 2 of 3 ------------ 𖦹 tags: james hetfield x reader, fluff, smut, best friends to lovers, bet, 80s james, a little angst if you squint ♱ a/n: here's part 2 just like i promised! Also... this got too long again and I had to split once more, I'm sorry. Next part will be the last hopefully! I'll probably only be able to post it on wednesday or thursday tho, but we'll see how things go! Thanks to everyone that has been reading and liking my story, it truly made me happy!

𖦹 part 1 𖦹 part 2 𖦹 part 3

Both of you entered the bar already chatting excitedly, just as you imagined, whatever disagreement that came between you two couldn't last long. You and James' friendship went way back.

"Let's get you a drink." James' playful smile made you smile involuntarily back.

He ordered two beers and raised his glass after you two settled down on a table near the wall, on a spot where the soft yellow light shined right on James' blonde locks.

"To making up!" He said, the smile never leaving his lips.

"If you say so." You shrugged, raising your glass too, but there wasn't any hint of resentment in your voice.

"I really am sorry about what I've said to you earlier. I never wanted to hurt you." He repeated his apology sincerely.

You shrugged again in response, not wanting to make a big deal out of it again.

"What has gotten into you anyway?" You asked genuinely curious before taking a sip.

"I don't really know." He admitted and you could sense some embarrassment coming from him. "I guess my emotions were all over the place and I took all on you. I truly hope you can forgive me."

You just nodded in response, you could easily understand his side.

Soon one beer became two, then three… and before you could realize it, both were a bit too drunk, laughing obnoxiously loud at each other's stupid jokes.

At a certain moment, while James were rambling about his new guitar, your mind wandered as you studied his features under the soft light. The unruly blond hair now gained a different shine, the blue eyes seemed more vivid, and the skin covered by acne suddenly got a different charm to it.

You've known him for years, but, for some reason, the realization that he had grown into a man only hit you now. It's not like you haven't noticed his changes at all, you could admit the boy you knew had gained the charms of a man a long time ago, however, something at that bar made it all become more evident. Maybe it was the alcohol speaking. Regardless, you just stayed silent, lost in your thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" James' voice cut through your mind, his eyebrow quirked in confusion. "You're looking at me like I have two heads or something." He added, a chuckle coming out of his lips.

You snapped out of it as soon as you heard him, your cheeks heating up in response to his question.

"What?" You laughed nervously "Sorry, just got lost in my thoughts for a moment, go on."

James grinned, finding your flustered expression too amusing to let it go.

"I must really put you in a state to make you blush like that." He took another sip of his beer and kept grinning at you. "What were you thinking about before? I'm curious now."

You tried your best to appear bored and rested your elbow on the table, putting your chin on top of your hand.

"Nothing. Just… Work."

He studied your face and the playful expression he had before turned into a smirk.

"You're hiding something." He teased. "You're a terrible liar."

You rolled your eyes, pretending to be offended by his observation.

"I'm not!" You shot back. "I said it's nothing. You're too curious for your own good."

"Come on, tell me." He nudged your shoulder. "It's not fair if you keep it a secret."

"Not fair? What? Don't you have any secrets?" You scoffed.

"Of course I do. But your secrets are much more interesting to me right now than my own." He leaned closer and raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "So spill it. What were you really thinking about? Was it a boy?"

You looked at him incredulous, just wishing he would drop the subject.

"You can't be serious." You looked with concern in your expression at him and he laughed in response.

"Oh, I'm being serious. You were blushing so hard, so it must be a boy." He grinned, crossing his arms. It was clear that he was enjoying messing up with you. "So come on, spill it. Is it someone I know? Do you want me to hook you up?"

"No! What? You're crazy." You couldn't believe he thought you wanted him to hook you up with somebody.

"I know you're thinking about someone, just tell me already. Who's the lucky guy?" He pressed again.

"There's... No one!" You were starting to get frustrated.

"Oh, please. You can't fool me, I know you. You were obviously daydreaming about someone." He raised an eyebrow again and you had to take a deep breath in order to control yourself. "Is it one of the guys? Lars maybe? Or... Is it Kirk? I know you two are very close. You got a thing for him?" His voice dripped with amusement, it was clear he was enjoying teasing you.

"What?!" You opened your mouth in shock as he started pointing names. "I've never...! I never liked Kirk! Where did this come from?!"

"I can see the way you look at him sometimes." He chuckled, it seemed like he was testing you. "If it's not him, then who is it? I won't leave you alone until you tell me."

"Kirk is like a brother to me!" You said offended, your cheeks getting hot once again.

"You're protesting a little too much. I know you're hiding something from me." He studied your blushed face in silence for a second "Well, whoever he is, we can play matchmaker and set you up on a date." He batted his eyelashes dramatically at you and laughed.

"Why are you so invested in being my wingman? Who says I need one?"

You were getting tired of this talk. One second of distraction staring too much at him and now you had to deal with James playing guess by himself. He already loved getting on your nerves, but whenever he got drunk that would get worse.

"You've been single for almost a year now." He grinned. "I just want to help you find someone to share your life with."

You couldn't believe he decided to throw that on your face. Ouch. You sighed and looked around the bar for a second, trying to find a good response.

"Why don't you worry about your own love life?"

He chuckled again, shrugging off your comment.

"You know I don't do long-term relationships." He said casually. "I'm more of a one-night-stand kind of guy." He winked and that irritated you.

You looked down at your hands, trying to navigate your feelings. For some reason, hearing that he had been sleeping with other girls made you feel jealous. You tried your best to not seem affected, but James noticed the shift in your reaction.

"What's wrong with one-night stands?" He asked, his tone playful.

"I just think it's gross." You cursed yourself mentally for your childish response.

"C'mon... You're such a prude." He rolled his eyes and teased you, nudging at your arm. "One-night stands aren't gross, they're just casual fun. You should try it sometime, it might loosen you up a bit." There was that smug grin again that made you heated.

"I don't need to loosen up, I'm fine the way I am." You tried defending yourself. "And also, I'm not a prude."

"Sure, keep telling yourself this." He shrugged, that grin only growing wider at your frustration. "But deep down, you're just a boring goody-two-shoes who wouldn't know how to have a good time if your life depended on it." He continued. "Bet you've never even been on a proper date before."

You scoffed. Yeah, he made a habit of teasing you and yes, that would worsen whenever he drunk, but tonight he seemed even more invested in driving you nuts. "Is it just the alcohol?" You asked yourself.

"Of course I have!" You crossed your arms. "I can have fun just fine. I just think the girls you hook up with are gross."

You tried attacking him, but it was clear that your response only amused him even more.

"Gross, huh? Interesting choice of words." He leaned closer once again. "Does that mean you think I'm gross too? For hooking up with random girls?" He waited for your response, staring at you.

"I've never said that." You regretted mentioning his hookups and sighed.

"I know you're judgmental of my dating life." He leaned back and shrugged. "You're probably just jealous that I'm getting some action and you're not." He smiled triumphantly.

"Who says I'm not getting some action?" You tried your best to sound convincing but your attempt only made him laugh.

"Oh, really? With whom exactly? A pillow? A stuffed animal?" You blushed and he caught your reaction. "I knew it. You don't have anyone. Which is why you're so sour and uptight because you're not getting laid." He taunted.

"You're such an ass." You looked away and rolled your eyes. "It's none of your business, maybe? Just leave my love life alone, please." At this point, you had given up winning this conversation.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave your non-existent love life alone." He raised both of his hands in surrender. "But if you need some advice on how to get laid, come to me. I'm something of an expert, y'know?" He winked playfully.

"Like I would take your advice." You laughed sarcastically, seeing the perfect chance to annoy him back. "Bet you don't how to please girls at all." You added, certain that this would drive him crazy.

In response, he just smiled and shook his head. A different reaction that you were expecting.

"Oh yeah? You think I can't satisfy a girl?" He said confidently and leaned closer to you once again. "In fact, I bet I could satisfy you better than any other guy you've ever been with."

You stopped in your tracks, wondering if you heard him right. "He's just trying to get a reaction of me." You thought to tranquilize yourself.

"No way. Bet you take like... One minute." You decided just to keep teasing, trying to give him hell back for being so annoying.

"You think I'm that bad?" He raised an eyebrow with a smile on his lips. He then went silent for a second and something in his expression changed. "How about we make a bet then? If I can't please you better than anyone you've ever been with before, I'll do the dishes at your house for a week. But... If I do a good job, you have to take me out on a date."

"What?" Your mind went blank with shock and you felt a wave of heat from the embarrassment go through your entire body. Everything was all fun and games until now, but now you were just dumbfounded.

James noticed the shock in your expression and bit his lip, realizing he may have overstepped, but it was too late to take back now.

"Just hear me out. It'll be fun, it's just a harmless bet." He said quickly. "We are friends, right? What's wrong with having some fun?" He tried.

You couldn't even look straight at him now. It's true that you've been getting more and more attracted to him, but since you were best friends, you never expected this kind of proposal to come from him. Was it the alcohol? Was he just trying to prove a point? Your thoughts ran a 100 mph, trying to decide what should you do.

"I..." You started, then shook your head in an attempt to clear your mind. "Fine, it's a bet."

[innxrvision]

So long - pt. 1 𒂭

part 1 of 3 ------------𖦹 tags: james hetfield x reader, fluff, smut, best friends to lovers, bet, 80s james, a little angst if you squint, more tags to come in future parts ♱ a/n: i have no idea of what i'm doing actually. i never wrote anything and english is not my first language so there'll be probably a lot of mistakes, but after reading too many fanfics I simply ran out of content and also the community has been a bit dead for awhile so here's my humble contribuition to the cause (the cause being thirsting over james hetfield). anyway, this was supposed to have only one part but i felt it got too long so i chopped in half, i'll post pt 2 as soon as i can! meanwhile, i would be very happy with any criticisms or suggestions. if you find any language mistakes please please correct me, i'll be very thankful! also, i have no idea of how to work this app out 'cause all i've been doing all my life is liking and reblogging stuff so bear with me please!!

𖦹 part 1 𖦹 part 2 𖦹 part 3

You knew you fucked up by showing up late to their gig, but in your defense, it wasn't your fault that your boss choose this day of all days to get you stuck at work.

"Well, at least I showed up!" you thought to yourself, but the cold look James gave you when he finally spotted you at the crowd wasn't so forgiving.

After the last song, you rushed to the backstage, wanting to say hi to your friends. The place they were playing today was pretty small, but the crowd was buzzing with energy and the entire show was great.

Before even entering the door that led to the small and thrashed dressing room you could hear the excited voices of the four guys. First, it was Kirk who embraced you in a thrilled and sweaty hug, then Lars, and finally Cliff. You chatted briefly with them before finally going towards James, who was pretending to not notice you while fixing something in his guitar.

You could only see his back and the messy and wet blonde hair covering his lowered face. You knew he was mad, of course, he was your best friend for years and a look was all that it took for you to get how bad the situation was, but at the same time, you couldn't understand why be so mad if, in the end, you showed up anyway.

"Hey, don't be mad at me..." You said softly, touching his shoulder to make him recognize your presence.

In response, James just rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, leaning his guitar against the wall.

"You said you would be here on time!" He complained, his expression already revealing that there was nothing you could say to convince him, but your stubbornness wouldn't let it go, of course.

"It's not my fault! I got stuck at work... What did you want me to do? I tried my best, alright?" You wanted to sound a bit more gentle, but being tired after a long shift didn't help your nerves much. You sighed, already slightly annoyed.

James crossed his arms, his gaze falling hard on you as he spoke.

"You make it seem like you don't have time for your best friend."

"Don't be unfair, I always come to your gigs and always hang out with you!" You gestured frustrated. "Sorry that I've got stuck at work today, it's not like I wanted to be late!" It was hard being reasonable when both of you were tired and stressed and you did your best to not raise your voice too much, as it could worsen things even more.

You looked around the room, checking to see if the other boys were paying any attention to your little argument, but thankfully Lars had already left the room and Kirk and Cliff seemed too absorbed in discussing something that you assumed related to the show.

"Maybe if you got the balls to look for a better job instead of working at that cheap dinner you would've showed up on time today!"

Your mouth opened in shock as you heard James' harsh words, it was clear that he was already worked up and your expression instantly turned cold.

"Now you went too far." Your voice carried a mixture of sadness and anger that made James regret his words quicker than he thought he would. "Sorry that my job isn't good enough for you, rockstar, but I can't afford to go around playing music just like you do, I actually need the money." With that you turned your back, not interested in hearing anything from him anymore, and exited the room, not even bothering to say bye to Cliff and Kirk who now looked at each other in confusion. It didn't help that now you also felt embarrassed that they heard your stupid argument.

"Wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that!" You could hear James' voice saying from inside the room, his anger now turning to guilt as he realized the impact of his words.

You just kept walking until you reached out outside of the building and stopped by a wall, resting your back against the cold concrete and searching up your pockets for your pack of cigarettes and your lighter.

With the cold breeze of the night, it took a few tries for you to successfully light up your cigarette and when you took the first drag you heard some footsteps approaching. You refused to look toward the sound, just kept doing your own thing and looking down until you saw a pair of dirty white sneakers stop right next to you.

James took a deep breath, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking, his raspy voice gentle and sincere.

"I'm sorry about what I said inside, I didn't mean any of it, I was just angry 'cause I really wanted you to be there for me tonight... You're my best friend and I care about you."

"It doesn't seem like you care much." You scoffed in response.

"I know I messed up and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you." You heard him sigh and pause for a moment, probably searching for the right words. "You're not just any friend to me, you're my best friend." He added.

"Then why did you say that?" You asked crossing your arms, the cigarette still dangling between your fingers. "If I'm not good enough for your 'metal band lifestyle' then whatever, just don't go around saying I'm what I do with my life is not worthy." You sighed and took a drag before lowering your voice, your tone slightly more gentle now. "I work hard, y'know? Sorry that I was late once, at least I came!"

He took a deep breath once again and ran his hand through his hair, you took this opportunity to gaze at him for a moment. You knew your anger couldn't last much longer, it has always been like that.

"It's not about my lifestyle and it's not about your job, I was just being a jerk. I got too caught up in my anger and..." He trailed away. "C'mon... I'm really sorry."

You looked away and took another drag, you knew you wouldn't hold a grudge for that.

"Whatever." You muttered. "It was a good show." You added after a moment of silence, it was your peace offer.

Even without looking at him, you could sense his smile opening up, whenever he smiled the whole place would light up.

"Thanks." He said. "Can we just forget about everything that happened earlier and go grab a drink or something? I'll pay." He sounded hopeful again and you knew this was his way of making things right with you.

You nodded and flicked your cigarette off, stepping on it.

"Sure, let's go."

There was a faint smile on your lips and in response to that James smiled even bigger, he put his arm around your shoulder, guiding you towards a nearby bar.

"Great! Let's have some fun just you and me and make up for everything that happened tonight!"

"What about the equipment and the guys?" You ask, suddenly remembering their existence.

"Don't worry, Cliff's gonna get my stuff and bring it over to his place, I told 'em I would probably not come back." He answered, entirely back to the laid-back personality you were used to.

"Right." You hummed in response, just letting him guide you as he started chatting about today's crowd excitedly.

[innxrvision]

So long - pt. 3 𒂭

part 3 of 3 ------------ 𖦹 tags: james hetfield x reader, fluff, smut, best friends to lovers, bet, 80s james, a little angst if you squint ♱ a/n: so sorry for posting it a bit late, some things came up and I had actually a hard time writing the smut part. Wow... it's truly harder than it looks. I don't think I did too well, but hey! It's my first time trying! I think I do too much dialogue in general, but it's such a fun part... I don't know, is it too much? You guys tell me, please so I can get better on the next one! Any tips are very welcome.

𖦹 part 1 𖦹 part 2 𖦹 part 3 𖦹

You finish another round of beer before getting out of the bar. Your hands sweating nervously and your heart thumping inside of your chest as you two walk towards James' house, thankfully only a few blocks away from the place you were before.

The walk is silent, there's a tension in the air that makes your anxiety spike. Even though none of you were exactly sober, you became hyper-aware of every single move James made.

"So, ready for the best night of your life?" He cuts through the silence as you arrive at his front porch, trying to ease you up. Of course, he would say something stupid like that. "But before we get to the fun part, we need to get inside." He grins, fumbling in his pockets in search of the house keys. "Don't worry, there's nobody home." He adds as he unlocks the door.

"Shut up." You manage to say, your voice barely above a whisper, like somebody could hear you two at any moment. A silly precaution.

He chuckles, just loving how flustered you are, and waits for you to get inside, locking the door behind you. He doesn't bother to turn on the lights and holds your shaking hand firmly to guide you upstairs to his room.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you." He whispers, and you can see his grin in the dim light that enters his room through the window. "Are sure you're ready for this?" He searches your face for any hesitation, his expression now turned serious.

"I am. I won't back up on the bet." You try to sound confident.

The truth is you want this. You realize you wanted this for a long time, actually.

James leans closer to your face and tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear, his fingers linger on your cheek for a moment and you hold your breath.

"I like the confidence." He teases. "But just so we're clear, you can back out anytime. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, ok?" He says gently, sounding quite different from his usual playful manner.

"I know." You nod, looking straight at his blue eyes.

"Good."

He takes a step forward, you're now so close that you can feel the heat radiating from his body. He slides his hand from your cheek to your back and brushes his lips against yours softly, a teasing that makes your stomach flip. You wrap your arms around his neck and before you know it, he gives you a peck, almost like he was testing the waters.

"Still with me?" He asks playfully, noticing the tensing of your body.

"Yeah." Your answer comes out breathier than you anticipated, your lips slightly parted and your cheeks flushed from just the smallest touches.

You earn a chuckle in return and with that he claims your lips in a passionate kiss, pulling you into his embrace. He deepens the kiss with a hunger you never expected or experienced before.

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" He whispers against your lips, breaking the kiss for a second.

You feel shy hearing such a sincere compliment coming from him, it makes you unsure of how to react, instead, you just glue your lips to his again in hopes that this will be a good enough answer.

James takes you in his arms and lifts you up with ease, his tall figure making the job easier. He makes his way to his bed and lays you gently, his body on top of yours. The light coming from the window reflects on his desire-filled gaze and you feel a excitement shiver run down your spine.

"You're ready for this?" He asks, his voice sounding serious. There's something different in him, a combination of anticipation and desire that makes your stomach flip once again.

You give him a quick nod in silence, impatient for what's to come. You try to not show too much you're more impatient than him, but since you felt his lips against yours for the first time it made you addicted. Your fingers wrap on his long blonde hair, near his neck and you pull it gently, earning a satisfied sigh from him.

He reacts strongly to your touch, giving you another deep kiss, one of his hands now holds your cheek and slowly it lowers down your body, ending up on your waist, where he gives you a gentle squeeze. You let out a small surprised sound that is met with James' groan against your lips.

"You're driving me crazy." He murmurs between kisses, his mouth now working on your neck.

He pulls you to him, both of you lying on the bed now, bodies sharing the heat. His free hands roam your body freely, exploring every curve and contour. You try to touch him in return, your moves too desperate to hide.

"I should have done this ages ago." He whispers against your skin.

"The way you react to me… I can't get enough of it." His voice is full of a raw feeling you never heard before.

You press your body against him and capture his lips again, desperate for some touch. You tug on the hem of his shirt and he grins against your lips, understanding your silent request. James breaks the kiss for a moment, sitting on the bed and removing his top just as you asked before wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you back to him.

Your shaky hands meet his now bare skin, and you let your fingertips roam his torso while he keeps kissing your neck, licking and sucking the skin that'll probably show up bruised tomorrow morning.

"Tell me you want this." He murmurs in between kisses, almost like a plead.

"Please." You plead back, your voice barely above a whisper.

It wasn't in your plans to look and sound so needy, but at this point, you were too aroused to control your reactions.

He lets out a grunt in response and kisses your mouth with a renewed hunger, pulling away only to remove your shirt and your bra with a practiced ease, before tossing them aside. It makes you think he's truly much more experienced than you, a mix of jealousy and excitement clouding your mind.

"I promise I won't disappoint you." He says, making a trail of kisses that end up on your breasts. His tongue plays on one of your nipples while his hand pinches the other and it sends a wave of pleasure through your entire both that makes you whine.

You squeeze your legs together, trying to relieve some of the heat that has been building in between them, your hand tangles in his hair and pulls it gently which he seems to enjoy. James' tongue traces a path down your belly and he holds your thighs, forcing your legs to open.

He raises his head and looks at you, you look back a him, mouth parted and heavy breathing.

"I want you." He says. Such a simple combination of words that send you over the edge. You nod quickly in response.

He grins and lowers his head again, trailing the kisses back up again, which makes you whine in frustration. He goes back to your breasts, kissing and sucking the skin teasingly, even biting it softly this time.

"You're mine." He growls against your skin and you open your eyes wide in shock, but the the affirmation doesn't seem to cause the same reaction in him, the words flow naturally from his mouth. "All mine… Tell me you're mine." He adds, eyes closed, worshiping your body like he wouldn't rather do anything else in his life.

"I- I'm yours. I-" You stutter in panic and he opens his eyes, a grin adorning his lips. It's not like you never thought about being his, it's just that the sheer need and adoration in his voice caught you off guard. Was he just being impulsive? It didn't look like he was.

He savors your skin slowly, once again descending to your lower abdomen. It seemed like he was purposefully taking it slow, teasing you by touching your body everywhere except where you needed it the most.

His fingers finally fidget with the button on the denim shorts you were wearing, you bite your lip, watching his every move. He removes your shorts but keeps your panties and his head moves up again, taking your lips once more.

"James… please." You break the kiss.

"What do you want? Tell me what you want…" He asks, his fingers slowly teasing the lace edge of your panties, his thumb rubbing your sensitive spot with too little pressure for your liking.

"C'mon…" You're almost losing it and he flashes you his smug grin.

"You're so easy to tease." He whispers against your ear, his finger slowly making his way into your wet core. "Oh, fuck. You're so fucking wet." He groans as he circles your clit.

You look at him, mouth parted and heavy breathing. Hearing him talk like that while playing with you makes you go crazy.

James stops for a second, earning a protest from you, just to finally remove your panties. You take that chance to gaze at him, there's a visible bulge in his jeans and you barely had the chance to touch him yet.

But he doesn't seem to mind that in the slightest, he's too concentrated on kissing your thighs and playing with your wet core again.

You moan desperately, wanting to tell him you need more, that you need him, but without finding the courage to say it.

"James." His name slips out of your mouth and you whine, too late to take it back. "Please." You ask, hoping he will understand what you mean.

"What do you need?" He mumbles, kissing your lower abdomen as his fingers keep pumping into you.

"You."

He smiles at your pleading response, unable to hold back any longer, and gives your neck a final kiss before pulling back just long enough to remove the rest of his clothes.

You stare at him wide-eyed, taking every detail that you can. You watch it as he opens his nightstand drawer and pulls out a condom, unwrapping it and putting it on with ease.

He turns around to you, a gaze that tells you he could eat you alive right now. His eyes hungrily drink every curve of your body as he kneels into the bed, an expression of longing and lust on his face.

"You have no idea of how much I want you right now." He says, grinding his hardness against your core.

He enters you slowly, mouth taking you with hunger as you whine and sigh. A mixture of pain and pleasure.

"You feel so good." He breaks the kiss and he starts moving.

James' lips graze your neck, kissing it lovingly, and his fingers lightly caress the skin of your waist, leaving a trail of goosebumps. He's so gentle with you, his body moving on a slow and sensual rhythm, going deeper with every stroke. Just perfect to drive you nuts.

His breathing is hard and deep as waves of pleasure wash over both of you. You wrap your hands around his neck and hide your face on your shoulder, holding him as close as possible as he moves.

You keep going until both of your bodies and filled with sweat, a tension that threatens to snap at any moment. Your moans and gentle pleas near his ear make him get more and more worked up.

"Look at me." He kisses your cheek with care, tightening the grip on your hips as he picks up his pace.

You raise your eyes, connecting your gaze with him. The vision of his concentrated face makes you even more aroused.

He notices you clenching around him, trying to hold yourself together as best as you can, and kisses your mouth, fastening the pace. A kiss so deep and sincere that makes the tension inside you snap once and for all not too long after. You let out a needy cry, holding his body so tight that you're afraid your nails might hurt him.

"Just a bit more." He whispers, still pumping into you with the same intense motion. You can feel he's close too, his chest heaving up and down, ragged breaths, and shaking arms.

It doesn't take too long for him to come undone inside you with a low deep moan. He rests his forehead against yours, eyes closed and lips parted, you both trying to catch your breath.

James opens his eyes again and smiles down at you, his expression soft and loving.

"You alright?" He asks, laying down on top of your body as he's still inside of you, being careful to not crush you with his weight.

"Yeah." Your voice comes out breathy and you close your eyes for a second, trying to process everything that has happened.

"You're not backing out now, are you?" He teases you between breathless chuckles.

"I won't." You chuckle, it's impossible to stay serious with him.

He presses a kiss into your mouth and rolls off to the side. He reaches over and grabs his blanket, covering both of you and inviting you into his arms.

"C'mere." He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into his warm and bare body.

You stay silently for a moment as he rests his chin on top of your head, caressing your back and enjoying the feeling of closeness.

"You know I meant every word I said, right?" He breaks the silence to ask softly, his voice filled with a sincerity that shows just how much he cares about you.

You take a while to answer, trying to fit the pieces together like a puzzle. Did he want this from the beginning?

"Just… How? Why?"

He chuckles at your confusion as you shift into his embrace to peek at his expression. His fingers run gently through your hair.

"What do you mean?" He seems to find your reaction amusing. "I've liked you for a long time, actually. It was almost driving me crazy. He pauses for a moment, thinking to himself. "Maybe I just needed to loosen up before I could find the courage to take things any further, but I'm glad I did."

"I never thought you saw me as more than a friend." You say, trying to make sense of your words. "We've known each other for a long time, I thought you weren't attracted to me."

"Attracted to you?" He laughs in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I've been crazy for you for ages." He breaks into a teasing grin. "To be honest? I'm still a bit in shock that I get to hold you like this… With nothing on."

You roll your eyes, the sexual tension slowly giving in to the playful banter you always seem to have going on.

"For ages?" You ask interested.

"For a while now." He admits nodding, his hand coming up to play with a strand of your hair between his fingers. He gazes at you adoringly, eyes shining with affection and tenderness. "What can I say, you drive me wild."

"This is crazy." You mutter, thinking of all the times you hung out together as friends. "And you never had a clue I was attracted to you too?" You ask curiously, looking up at him.

"Not at all." He shrugs, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "Until tonight, I thought you only saw me as a friend." He presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

"What gave it out?" You're still curious about his reasons. "What made you decide to act out? I couldn't have been just the alcohol…"

"You're very persistent, you know that?" He laughs softly. "It wasn't just the alcohol. I've noticed the way you looked at me, the small gestures, the way you smiled. I thought that if I didn't take the chance tonight, I might've never gotten the opportunity."

"Oh, so you really noticed. That's why you were pushing me to say if I was thinking about a boy." You feel your face heating up.

"Something like that, yeah." He grins. "Just wanted to make sure there wasn't anyone else on your mind." He laughs. "Besides… You were not exactly subtle when you were staring at me."

"Sorry." You mutter embarrassed and he presses a kiss to your cheek.

"Don't be sorry, it helped me to get the courage to shoot my shot." He smiles and hugs you tight. "And, shit, I wanted to do this for so long…"