#being told to take thermals to wear as pyjamas and then they force you to wear your thermals to go swimming so you have no pyjamas

[david-watts]

having been scalded with far-too-hot-water, I’ve remembered why I hate washing up

[awanderingdeal]

When a loss isn't really a loss

This is just over 5000 words of O'Darwin smut and general silliness. Enjoy. Some of this I have posted as a live write before on the discord, but it's been heavily edited and added to.

Rating: E

CW: Explicit sex, food talk

Please message me if you I missed any content warnings.

All of these characters come from the fanfic Sweater Weather and Credit for them goes to @lumosinlove

"I'm going to jump in the shower and then I'll be ready to collect payment," Natalie smirked, shaking her ass at her boyfriends as she bent down to peel off her snowy boots at the door.

"Absolutely not," Alex scoffed, smacking her butt, although she couldn't feel much through the padding of her thermals and ski pants "You cheated."

"I made one tiny comment," Natalie argued, setting her boots to the side, and stepping a little further into the cabin to take off her jacket. "It’s not my fault your brain is in your dick."

"Okay, but it's not as if anybody is really losing, is it?" Kasey said pushing past Alex, having mentioned multiple times by now that he was ready to be out of the cold. "Let's be real, eating you out is the real prize here, babe."

"Kiss-ass," Alex grumbled.

"I'll kiss your ass anytime, Al,'' Kasey retorted. Alex muttered something under his breath, but Kasey ignored him, continuing to shrug off his clothes until he was left in only his base layers. "I'll start a fire whilst you hop in the shower, Nat."

“Thanks, love,” Natalie pecked a kiss to Kasey’s cheek, the slight scruff he had decided to sport for the trip was rough against her lips. Alex had finally managed to get his boots off, and joined the two of them in pulling off his skiwear. She drew up onto her tiptoes, not letting the couple of inches of extra height Alex had on her be a deterrent as she ruffled his hair and placed a kiss on his cheek too. “Suck it up, sweetheart.”

“Hey!” Alex protested. “I want a rematch tomorrow!” he called as she retreated from the room, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

The warm water felt wonderful cascading down Natalie’s body, soothing her tired muscles. She could have stayed under it forever; the thought of Alex and Kasey waiting for her in the lounge the only thing motivating her to move through the routine of washing her hair. The coconut scent of her conditioner permeated the room as she stepped out of the shower and piled her hair beneath a towel.

She stepped out into the short hallway, hearing hushed bickering coming from the living room. Rolling her eyes, she yelled to let them know the bathroom was unoccupied. “Boys! The shower is free!” The bickering continued, the topic switching from where the next log should be placed, to which of them should be left to finish the job. Natalie considered interrupting to inform them she could probably do the task quicker than either of them, but she left them to it, heading to the bedroom.

She hummed to herself whilst she rummaged through her suitcase, considering the new lyrics she’d doodled on the flight here, until she felt the slippery material of the satin pyjamas she was looking for.

“Aha.” She gave a satisfied smile, pulling the bralette and shorts on and looked in the mirror. “Damn, Darcy,” Natalie approved, turning to appreciate the way the material clung to her ass in all the right ways. She adjusted the top slightly, gave a satisfied nod and shook her still slightly damp hair from the towel, letting it fall down around her shoulders in loose waves. For a moment, she considered blow drying it, but she preferred the way it looked when it was allowed to dry naturally. If Alex and Kasey wanted to have sex, then they could deal with it.

The lounge was empty when Natalie returned, the logs and fire - lighter abandoned on the ground. She snorted at the tiny tepee that had been built in the grate, imagining Alex lecturing Kasey on the technique, until they decided it was more fun to take a shower together. It was a far too regular occurrence for Alex to remind them he had been a boy scout only to completely fail at the skills he was supposed to have learnt was comical. At this point, she suspected the only useful thing to come out of it were the photos of a small Alex dressed in little shorts, grinning proudly at his badge-covered sash. The organisation could go fuck themselves, but she had to admit the images were adorable.

Natalie gathered the materials, making light work of getting the fire started. Her own skills came from weekend camping trips with her family, her parents having encouraged her to pull her weight alongside her brother. Kasey wasn't one to embrace nature, more inclined towards the comfort of hotel rooms and running water. Still, Natalie was daydreaming about dragging him and Alex on long hikes when the pair of them interrupted it, walking back into the lounge with sheepish expressions.

"In our defence -" Alex started, his sentence ending abruptly when he properly took in Natalie's appearance. "Excuse me, nobody told me we were supposed to be looking hot. I need to go and get changed," he gestured to the pair of joggers sitting loosely on his hips.

Kasey shook his head, quickly grabbing the back of Alex's t-shirt, halting his retreat. "Don't bother, I don't plan on them being on for long."

"Okay, yeah, I could be down with that," Alex agreed. "But fuck, Nat. Warn a guy next time."

Natalie laughed, pushing herself up from the floor and relocating to the sofa, a few steps away. "Where would the fun in that be?"

"It's alright, Al. You could be wearing a bin bag and you'd still be hot," Kasey said, releasing Alex's t-shirt from his grip.

"Aww babe," Alex cooed. His eyes flicked from Kasey to Natalie, pointing his thumb at Kasey. "Can you believe this guy manages to convince people that he's a tough man?"

"Hey, real men talk about their emotions," Kasey shrugged. "We did a whole campaign on it, soon after you joined the Rangers. Remember?"

"I do, the t-shirt they gave you was too fucking small and I swear I nearly combusted,” Alex tipped his back slightly whilst he laughed. Natalie loved watching the two of them interact. There was something light about it, almost as if they seemed to forget the rest of the world was there. "Nat, it was honestly sinful.”

Okay, perhaps they forgot everybody but her. And frankly, Natalie was honoured.

"Sinful huh? I approve of sin," Natalie raised an eyebrow, patting the seat beside her. "Get over here." She didn't have to ask twice, soon flanked on either side by her hockey boys. She nudged her shoulder against Alex's. "So, have you reconsidered that maybe you did actually lose earlier." Alex ran his tongue over his lips, dragging his eyes over her form. "I could be convinced," he murmured, fingers trailing over Natalie's thigh. "I still want another race tomorrow though."

"You know I'm going to win again," Natalie smirked, leaning in to let her breath skim over his ear. "What are you waiting for? I'm ready," she whispered, punctuating her words with a kiss to his jaw, spreading her legs a little further. Alex stumbled a little as dropped to his knees in front of her. Apparently he was excited.

"It really is a shame to take these off, they're so pretty," Alex sighed, grasping the waistband of the shorts, although he didn't seem to be too disappointed to be sliding the silky fabric down her legs.

He kissed a trail up her thighs, each kiss sending a tiny shiver up Natalie's spine. Her body was tight with the anticipation of what was coming. They weren't new to this, Alex spent a lot of time between her legs, but in her opinion, the thrill had only increased. She knew how good he could make her feel now. Alex hooked his hands under her knees and shifted her a little closer to him. Leaning forward, he dragged his tongue through the damp already forming between her legs, tasting her with slow, leisurely licks. Natalie whined, low at the back of her throat, her hips pushing up and legs tightening around Alex as she sought more of his attention. He obliged, pressing his tongue flat against her clit, bringing his fingers to play at it, his beard rough against her skin as he sucked eagerly at her centre.

She let her head tip back, finding Kasey's strong hold behind her. He kissed gently at the exposed skin of her neck, capturing her mouth to swallow her next moan. "Can you tell me what you want next Nat? You're going to come on Al's face, yeah? Then what?"

Natalie managed a nod, her hands flying to tangle in Alex's hair as he dipped his tongue inside her. "Fuck, Alex. Do that again." Alex repeated the precise flick of his tongue, his small chuckle at Natalie's string of expletives, reverberating through her.

"Hey," Kasey's hand gripped her chin carefully, getting her focus. "What next?"

Natalie couldn't think what came next when Alex was working his magic, any coherent thought she managed to form was forced away by the skilful tease of his mouth.

Kasey traced the wildflowers inked around her belly button, his breath hot against her ear. "Do you want me to fuck you?" He snaked his hands upwards, ducking into the cup of her bralette to toy with her nipple. "Or Haz? Or maybe both?"

"Yes," Natalie gasped, rocking her hips against Alex's mouth. "Yes, yes yes." She wanted that. She wanted all of it.

"It's alright, babe. We've got you," Kasey continued to tug at her nipples, each pull sending a shiver down her spine. She writhed under their touch, her body unsure what it wanted more of. Alex pulled back a little, soothing Natalie's whine by replacing his mouth with his fingers, pressing them inside her.

"Please," The cry fell from her lips, guiding Alex's head back down. He followed enthusiastically, fingers still pushing into her as he lapped at her clit, grazing lightly over it with his teeth. She urged his mouth harder against her, the familiar tingle of pleasure playing at the ends of her limbs.

"That's it love, come on him. I can't wait to taste you on him,” Kasey encouraged.

“Fuck Al - I'm so close," she whimpered, her breath coming in quick pants.

A warmth pooled in her stomach, seemingly every muscle in her body tensing as Alex upped his efforts, his face buried in her as he nipped and sucked and licked. Kasey's mouth was back on her, his hands squeezing at her breasts. She couldn't tell where each of her whimpers and mewls started and ended anymore, the sounds melding into a symphony of pleasure; her boys playing her body like a practised instrument.

Natalie let herself voice her pleasure without restraint, enjoying the fact their cabin was nestled into a secluded spot in the forest and nobody would be able to hear them.

"Oh fuck, yes. Right there. Don’t stop. Gonna come." The words fell from her lips rambling and desperate, her hand curling tighter into Alex's hair in warning. Her world narrowed as she came, everything but the intense pleasure searing through her becoming irrelevant in that small moment. The two of them worked her through, coaxing every second of bliss from her they could, until the spasms slowed and she relaxed against Kasey.

"I believe I said something about sharing." Kasey grasped Alex's hand, leaning down to help him close the gap between them. Alex's face was sticky with her come, but Kasey didn't hesitate to crash their mouths together. Natalie watched them kiss above her, the euphoria still making her thoughts a little hazy, but a small excitement told her that she was definitely still horny, despite the fact she had barely recovered from the last orgasm.

Kasey pulled away; the corners of his mouth turned up into a soft smile that didn't quite seem to match the situation. "Messy boy," he chirped, cupping Alex's jaw and gathering the slick onto his fingers. Slipping them between his lips, Kasey sucked them, giving a long moan at the taste.

Alex's back clicked as he clambered back up onto the couch properly. The juxtaposition between the reminder of the reality of human bodies, and the almost pornographic gesture she had just witnessed from Kasey made Natalie snort a laugh. “Are you okay there, old man?" she flashed Alex a grin.

Alex poked her gently in her side, chuckling a laugh against her lips. "Shut up."

Natalie shoved him in the arm playfully. "Thank you, that was awesome. Maybe I'll let you win tomorrow so I can return the favour."

Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie saw Kasey reach down to palm himself through his shorts. She pecked a kiss to Alex's cheek, his face still shiny with her come. "Why don't you go and wash that off before it starts to get itchy. I want all your attention on me when you're fucking me."

Alex let his head drop back against the sofa with a groan, and Natalie laughed as his eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. A filthy comment never failed to get him worked up.

"Okay, Okay, I'm going. Don't do anything too interesting until I get back," Alex pushed off the sofa eagerly, dragging his eyes over Natalie and Kasey before he hurried to the bathroom in a half-jog.

“Bring the lube too!” Natalie called after Alex, swinging her leg over to straddle Kasey’s lap. Kasey smirked as he lifted his head to catch Natalie’s lips with his own, pulling back from the kiss only once their breaths were coming in heavy pants.

“Think that was too interesting?” he murmured, burying his face into her shoulder..

“I don’t know. What do you think about this?” Natalie ground her hips down, drawing a whine from Kasey.

“Definitely too interesting,” Kasey gasped, bucking up into the contact.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Alex shouted, his footsteps heavy in the hallway.

“That’s what I’m going to be saying in about two seconds if you don’t stop,” Kasey quipped, setting his hands on Natalie’s waist, his fingers squeezing gently.

“What took you so -” Natalie looked up as Alex hurried into the room, his feet slipping slightly on the hardwood. “Where are your clothes?”

Natalie had to cling onto Kasey's shoulders to avoid being thrown from his lap when he turned his whole body, whipping his head around at the question. God, Kasey was so cool until he wasn't at all.

“Figured I wouldn’t need them for this next part,” Alex smiled. His face was so expressive, the emotion lifting his entire face. He swept his hand through his hair smoothly as if he hadn’t just nearly landed on his ass. “I did bring lube though, and condoms,” he added, showcasing the aforementioned objects. “Still waiting on that second set of results after Philly.”

Two sets of testing. Two weeks apart. The second set at least a month after the event. Plus twice a year routine testing. Those were the rules they had laid out for not using a condom if any of them had sex with somebody outside of them and a few other select people they trusted. It wasn’t fool proof, but it was what the three of them were comfortable with.

"Get over here,” Natalie beckoned. “I was thinking we could have a do-over of Vegas?”

“Vegas?” How Alex managed to make the thoughtful tilt of his head look almost puppyish, sauntering over buck naked, and his hands full of sex paraphernalia, Natalie would never know. He glanced at the cabin door, eyes widening slightly.

“Yep,” Natalie sniggered. “No room service to interrupt here.”

“I think we’ve already established that you are the brains of this relationship, eh?” Kasey prodded her in the side. Natalie was so busy trying to escape the fingers tickling under her last rib that she didn’t hear Alex dropping to his knees behind her, startling as his hair brushed against her cheek. “Stop it,” she laughed, batting away Kasey’s hands, her head tipping back into the kiss Alex was pressing into the curve of her neck.

“Let’s try not to have anybody end up on the floor this time, Kase?” Alex returned the laugh, his steady weight behind her the only thing that was preventing her fall.

“I will bite you,” Kasey lifted a hand from Natalie’s hip to show Alex his middle finger.

“Is that a promise?”

“Do you two want the room to yourself?” Natalie chuckled, pushing her ass back against Alex. She chuckled as his cock twitched in response. “Hmm, I’ll take that as a no. Enough talk then?”

“Fuck, I want to rim you first, please?” Alex groaned lowly, hauling himself from the floor. “And you sir, are wearing too many clothes. Rectify that.” He took the seat next to Kasey, curling his fingers around his jaw and pulling into a needy kiss.

“Oh, he’s bossy today. Better do as he says, Sugar,” Natalie chuckled, sliding from Kasey's lap. He remained seated, his eyes following her every move whilst she quickly dragged one of the armchairs so that it was opposite the sofa. Satisfied, she returned to him, for once being the one to look down at him. She gave him a soft smile, tucking a loose strand of his hair behind his ear. “Come now, There’s a front row seat for you once you’re ready,” she said, hooking her finger into the neckline of the old faded Gryffindor tee he was wearing and urging him to stand.

“And I didn’t even buy tickets,” Kasey laughed lightly, pulling the t-shirt over his head. Natalie shoved him gently, shaking her head at the terrible joke.

Still smiling, Natalie draped herself over the arm of the sofa, her back arched and feet resting on Alex’s thighs. She glanced over her shoulder to find Alex’s gaze fixed past her on Kasey undressing. She couldn’t really blame him, letting herself watch as Kasey shoved his sweatpants down seemingly endless legs. The pants hit the ground with a quiet thud.

“Fuck, I forgot my cell was in there,” Kasey muttered.

“You need to work on your act, babe,” Alex snorted.

The trance-like weight that had filled the room lifted and Natalie dug her toes into Alex’s leg, garnering his attention. “Since you asked so nicely,” she grinned, dancing her fingers over the curve of her ass.

“I did, didn’t I?” Alex hummed, his hand covering Natalie’s. It was warm, and even though his eyes were dark with anticipation, the grasp was gentle. “Just relax, watch Kase,” he said, squeezing their fingers together lightly, nudging her hand away as he let go.

Natalie listened to him, tucking her arms beneath her head and turning to watch Kasey. Alex’s lips were soft against her skin, pressing kisses everywhere from the top of her thighs to the base of her spine. Kasey finished undressing, taking his time to create a meticulously neat stack on the coffee table, leaving only his underwear to the side. She caught his quick look at Alex, but she was too slow to read whatever communication they’d been having, both of their expressions quickly schooled back into innocence. She huffed, any irritation she had felt wiped away by the nip of Alex’s teeth on her ass.

Kasey folded himself into the armchair Natalie had moved, one leg tucked casually beneath the other. The position left his cock exposed and Natalie was about to make a casual quip when Alex let his breath whisper over her asshole. Her whole body tensed, Kasey wrapping his hand around the length of his cock at the same time as Alex let his tongue brush over her sensitive nerve endings. “Fuck, Al,” she whipped her head around, quickly turning to look back at Kasey who was teasing himself with slow strokes. She whimpered, unsure where she wanted to look.

“Sssh,” Alex soothed, “Watch our boy.”

Natalie couldn’t have told you how long it was until Alex shifted again. A few minutes maybe? Perhaps more. That first intense pleasure of his tongue pushing into her slowly morphed into something more relaxing. It was an odd contrast to Kasey getting more and more worked up, his groans escalating until he bucked into his fist one last time, quickly enveloping the head of his cock with his boxers.

“Damn, Snow. Come here,” Alex beckoned Kasey over once he had taken a second to get his body back under his control, his legs still a little wobbly as he made his way over.

Natalie hadn’t even noticed the lazy circles her hips were rubbing into the sofa below her, until Alex stilled them. “Are you ready to take some fingers now, Nat?” he asked, rubbing his thumbs into the back of her thighs in a slow massage.

“So fucking ready.” Natalie rocked back a little to stretch her muscles out. Now that Alex’s tongue wasn’t working her into a euphoric state, she could feel her back protesting the position. “Remind me why we’re doing this here and not in the bedroom again?”

“Something about someone wanting to say they had fucked in front of a fireplace in a cabin,” Kasey drawled.

“Oh yeah, who would that have been?” Natalie gave a small smirk. Perhaps there were easier things they could have done out here, but she was determined to fulfil her fantasy completely.

“You want to switch it up? Kase could lie under you, whilst I prep your booty?”

Natalie laughed, sitting back on her heels to let Kasey lie where she’d been. “I’m officially adding booty to the list of words we don’t say during sex.”

“Such a party pooper," Alex quipped, sticking his tongue out at the eye roll he received from Natalie. He chucked a condom in Kasey’s direction, the latter plucking it from the air with ease. Natalie waited for him to roll it on, and then swung her hips over his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down into a kiss.

“Hey,” Kasey grunted.

“Hey to you too, did you enjoy yourself over there?” Natalie mumbled against his lips, content in the security of his hug.

Kasey hummed, “I like watching you two. You’re my favourite people in the world y’know and you’re both incredibly hot.”

“Jesus,” Natalie huffed out a breath. “Do you want me to start crying?” she chuckled, kissing Kasey again, slow and long. Alex muttered something about them being too cute, before she felt the cool drip of lube between her butt cheeks, long fingers chasing it soon after. Alex took his time, adding more lube with each new finger. Kasey’s hands roamed endlessly over her back, his mouth stealing each approving whine from hers. It seemed unclipping her bralette and pulling the material from between them. She shivered as her nipples brushed against his skin, her body taught with anticipation.

“I’m going to come like this if one of you doesn’t fuck me soon,” Natalie gasped, grinding him. She could feel his cock growing harder each time it slipped through the wet slick pooling between her legs and she wanted nothing more than to take charge.

She didn’t have to though, and sometimes, that was just as nice. “I’ve got you babe,” Alex said, pulling his fingers from her, kissing the back of her neck to quiet the small whine she gave at the emptiness. His lips turned up into a smile against her skin and then he was gone.

Somewhere behind her, she heard the familiar tear of Alex opening a condom, but most of her attention was sought by Kasey. “Can’t wait to be inside of you,” he whispered, brushing her hair from the side of her face. “It’s always so good. And Al’s going to be right there as well. I bet I’ll be able to feel him. We’re going to make you feel so good.”

"Big promises, Kasey Winter," she teased, knowing there was nothing but truth behind the words. Even after all these years, things hadn't gotten boring. Sex wasn't the most important thing in their relationship, and if it had to stop tomorrow for some reason they had s0 much more, still it was something they both valued. Not everything new they tried worked out, but they never took each other for granted and they always had fun and she loved it.

Alex wasn't the first person they'd shared their bed with, however it had quickly become clear he was different. She couldn't deny there had been a small niggling part of her that had wondered if it would weaken her and Kasey's relationship. Of course, Alex had proved her wrong, slotting in perfectly. There had been issues, things they needed to work through, and there always would be. Nevertheless, Alex made things better.

"Natalie?" Alex asked, his fingers tapping against the curve of ass. "You with us?"

“Yeah, sorry. I zoned out. Are you ready?”

“Jeez Kase, I leave you with her for two minutes and she’s already bored. Step it up, lover boy,” Alex laughed, both him and Natalie squealing as Kasey sat up to smack Alex in the arm.

“Alex,” Natalie huffed.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Alex appeased her. “Here, I think this will be easiest if you sit up,” he suggested helping her into a more upright position and taking the spot behind her. “Yeah, like that. And then Kasey can go from this way,” he waved a hand that was vaguely instructional, waiting for a confirmatory nod from Kasey. “ That good, Nat?”

“I’m good,” Natalie affirmed and Alex pushed into her slowly, both of them groaning as she stretched around him. Natalie leaned back into his chest, his arms strong around her waist. She tilted her head back so he could capture her lips in a sloppy kiss, the short thrusts of hips drawing breathy moans from the both. Neither of them seemed to care when their teeth clashed, both of them too eager to be as close as possible. There wasn’t really enough room on the sofa for the three of them, their bodies slotting together at the most awkward angles, yet they made it work.

“One more, Kase,” Alex uttered. She could feel him squeezing his eyes shut against her neck, his breath coming in breathy pants each time she squeezed around him. Kasey obliged, adding a third finger with his next thrust. Between the two of them, Natalie felt full already, but she wanted more. Kasey was dragging his thumb lazily around her clit in a way that made Natalie’s toes curl, never quite where she needed it, just playing along the brink of something spectacular.

“Kase!” Sometimes Natalie enjoyed the slow dance, being teased until she felt like she was going to explode. Today, however, was not one of those days. She wanted Kasey in her, now.

“I hear you loud and clear, love,” Kasey hummed. “What does the boss man think?”

“The boss man? Is that me? Oh, I like that,” Alex said. The low grumble Natalie gave was almost inaudible. Still, Alex must have felt it because he chuckled, brushing his lips over shoulder blade. “Yeah, I think you better get on with it.”

“Holy shit,” Alex groaned, his fingers squeezing hard into the soft flesh around Natalie’s hips when Kasey sunk into her. “That is incredible.” At first the movements were awkward, but eventually they found a rhythm, Alex slipping out as Kasey pushed forward. Low whimpers fell from her lips with each thrust.

“Are you okay?” Kasey squeezed Natalie’s knee, the act managing to maintain a gentleness to it despite everything else.

“It’s a lot, but it’s good,” Natalie nodded jerkily. She grasped at the limbs around her, trying to gain purchase on the sweat slicked bodies. Her own body felt charged, brimming with electricity as they rocked together. Kasey shifted slightly and if Natalie thought it had been good before, it was nothing compared to this. "Oh my God, don't move. Please don't move."

"There you go, baby." Kasey pulled her closer, his hands firm on her hips, letting her rut against him. Behind her, she could tell Alex was getting close, his babbled exclamations becoming more and more incoherent. She knew the words coming out her own mouth were similarly incomprehensible. It was as if she could feel every inch of Alex’s hastening movements in every muscle. It was simultaneously too much and not enough.

Natalie was pretty sure Alex finished first, the warmth of his come seeping through the thin latex. She didn’t get to enjoy the sensation for long, falling into her own orgasm soon after. She does remember Kasey dragging her hips forwards to fuck her through it, tipping himself over the edge too.

“I’m down for doing that again sometime if you two are?” Natalie hummed once their heart rates had settled to something more like normal. She was sandwiched between Kasey and Alex. Now that the endorphins had started to wane, it was becoming rather uncomfortable, the three of them squeezed onto the small sofa. “Maybe somewhere more convenient next time.”

“Sure,” Kasey replied, his words laced with tiredness and a yawn escaping.

“Don’t you dare fall asleep, Winter. You promised we could watch Black Widow tonight,” Alex sat up, poking Kasey in his side. “Come on, it’s not even late.”

“I’m not gonna fall asleep,” Kasey blinked, once, twice, three times, before giving a heavy sigh.

“Nope, everybody up. Up. Shower time,” Alex clapped his hands together.

“See what happens when you let him take charge, Nat. It goes to his head. Look what you’ve created.” Kasey groaned, rubbing the heel of hand into his eyes. He did sit up though, pulling Natalie with him and she resigned herself to the fact they were moving.

“I want popcorn,” Natalie said, her mouth already watering at the thought of freshly popped kernels.

“Yes, good shout,” Alex agreed. “I think we still have pasta left over from last night too.”

It took a while, but eventually the three of them piled back onto the sofa, steaming bowls of popcorn decorated with pretzels and chocolate sauce on their laps. Natalie ran her thumb over the corner of Alex’s lips wiping away remnants of tomato sauce; the pasta hadn’t made it out of the kitchen. She leaned forward to grab the remote, Alex immediately taking the opportunity to feign throwing a piece of popcorn at Kasey.

“Nuh uh, if you’re going to start playing catch then I’m having the first attempt at catching. You two get all competitive and then I never get a turn,” Natalie reprimanded jokingly, already shifting her bowl to the coffee table so she wouldn’t lose it all.

“Okay, whoever catches the least out of ten has to make breakfast in the morning?” Alex agreed.

“Game on.” As Natalie opened her mouth to make her first catch, she felt a wet finger dip into her ear and the popcorn sailed past her into Kasey’s lap. He picked it up and dropped it into his mouth as a smug smirk. “No!” she protested with a laugh. “That’s cheating. That one doesn’t count.”

Kasey raised his hands in surrender, his own laugh bubbling in his chest. “Alright, alright. I’ll play fair, I promise.”