#climb on and ride til the wheels fall off

[andy-clutterbuck]

The Ones Who Live | 1x03 - Bye

[luxestarkey]

holy matrimony part one: homecoming

series summary: Rafe and Y/N were the most envied couple of the Outer Banks- until they weren’t. When she comes back from college engaged to a man she’s known for less than six months, Rafe knows something isn’t right. With a summer full of wedding planning and Figure Eight events, will he be able to figure out a way to get her back, or will he have to watch the love of his life marry someone else?

a/n: ahhh i'm so excited but so nervous for this!! i love the idea of the series so far and may or may not already have the first 3 parts written. please let me know what you think about. it starts off kinda slow but is definitely going to pick up in the next 2 parts

warnings: swearing

word count: 2.5k

-

“Hey, I have a question,” Rafe whispered softly, his fingers tracing shapes on your back.

“I might have an answer,” you replied, resting your chin on his chest to look up at him. The soft hues of orange from the sunset were casting a warm glow on his face, making him look more beautiful than you thought possible.

“Will you marry me?” he asked and smirked as you rolled your eyes and scoffed.

“Rafe, I’m 17,” you explained as if he had forgotten your ages. “I don’t think my dad would be crazy about giving you his blessing when we haven’t even graduated high school.”

“Not right now, baby,” Rafe shook his head and ran his fingers through your hair. “One day, though. Besides, you didn’t say no.”

“No, I guess I didn’t.” A blush crept its way onto your cheeks as you nodded and smiled. You held up your pinky finger, teeth catching your bottom lip between them. “Til death do us part?”

Without hesitation, he wrapped his pinky around yours and pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles. “Til death do us part.”

Your body jerks upright as the car comes to a stop and brings you out of your dream.

“What’s got you so jumpy today?” Jackson asks and looks over at you, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. “You’ve been on edge since I picked you up.”

“I don’t know. Think I’m just a little tense being back here,” you shrug, resting your head against the window as the car begins to move again. The large houses pass by you on both sides, a painful reminder of the life you had left behind four years ago.

“You’ve been back since going to college. What’s so different this time?”

Without answering, your eyes fall down to your hands. More importantly, to the huge diamond that was now adorning your ring finger. Jackson glances over at you, following your gaze.

“Y/N/N, you can’t let him affect your life forever. You deserve to be happy, you know,” he says gently and gives you a reassuring smile.

“Not everything has to do with Rafe. It’s just… Everything is changing and it’s all happening really fast. Just a little overwhelmed, I guess.”

He doesn’t respond, knowing that the blue-eyed boy was without a doubt a factor in your mood. The rest of the ride is silent, neither of you making much movement until you see the familiar black gates lining your property.

“Mom isn’t home, you’ll have a few minutes to breathe before you have to hear about seating arrangements and place settings,” Jackson teases and nudges your side as he puts the car in park. You let out a soft laugh as you nod and climb out, grabbing one of your bags from the back.

“Go inside, I’ll get all your shit,” Jackson nods towards the house and begins to pull out your suitcases.

The second the door closes behind you, you hear a squeal and the soft pitter-patter of feet running down the hallway.

Charlotte rounds the corner with her arms open wide and a huge smile on her face. “Annie!” She squeals and hugs your legs tightly. You laugh softly at the small girl, lifting her up to press kisses to her cheeks.

“Hi, sweet girl. I missed you so much,” you hug her tightly and close your eyes at the familiar sound of her giggles. “Where’s your mommy at?”

She points out towards the patio, wrapping her arms around your neck as you adjust her to sit on your hip. You make your way outside, sitting Charlotte down as she wiggles in your grip.

“You know, I was expecting a huge welcome party,” you lightly hit your sister on the back of her head, smiling down at her.

“And I was expecting you to be less bitchy this time around,” she remarks and stands up to hug you tightly. “It’s good to have you back, peanut.”

“Natalie, be nice,” your dad smiles and pulls you into a borderline bone-crushing hug. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

You relax against him and hug him tightly, nodding slightly. “I missed you guys.”

Despite your older sister and the plethora of friends you had grown up with, your dad had always been your best friend. Unlike your mom, he had grown up on the south side of the island, his success attributed to nothing other than hard work and dedication. And while he understood the harsh reality that came with living in Figure Eight, he never put the amount of pressure on you that she did.

As you sat down at the table with them, Jackson joining you a few minutes later, all the nerves you felt earlier dissipated.

Of course, that didn’t last any longer than half an hour. Your mom’s voice filled the air as you hear the front door shut.

“Hi, honey, how was your flight?” she smiles as she walks outside. She walks to the table, hugging around your shoulder, a stark contrast to the hug the rest of your family had given you.

“Pretty good, I slept for most of it,” you shrug and smile lightly as she clasps her hands together.

“Perfect! Go ahead and go get changed, we’re going to meet with the wedding planner so we can get a jump start on everything.”

“Mary, don’t you think she could just have today to rest?” your dad asks and puts his hands up in surrender as she shoots him a look.

“Absolutely not. If we want to have things ready for a late summer wedding like we planned, we need to get started immediately,” she explains as if it’s the most rational thing in the world to plan a wedding in two months. “Now go get changed, and put on a bit of makeup as well. We want to make a good impression.” She turns to walk back into the house, the glass door shutting behind her.

“Do I really look that bad?” you ask softly.

“You want an honest answer?” Jackson smirks and cranes his neck to look up at you as you stand. Giving him a smug smile, you flip him off and flick his ear, following in the steps of your mom.

Nearly an hour later, clothes changed and makeup done, you were feeling slightly less tense after Natalie finally agreed to come with you.

“You know she’ll go easier on me if you’re there, you’re her golden child,” you say softly and tap your fingers against the side of the car.

“I was. You know how much she flipped her shit when I found out about Charlie,” she teases, trying to get you to relax a bit. “Let’s just give her a few hours of this, even though she’ll make all the decisions herself, and then we can decompress with as many long islands as we want.”

Laughing lightly, you nod and lean back into the seat, closing your eyes as you soak in the familiar feeling of the warm North Carolina air.

-

Three grueling hours later, you were sure that if you heard anything more about place settings or flower arrangements, your head would explode. You had never been so happy to see the familiar walls of the Island Club as you were right now. Following Natalie through the patio doors, you two sit down at a table in the corner.

“God, I don’t think I’ve been here in at least two or three years,” you sigh, fingers pressed to your temples. “Just so you know, you will be driving home tonight. I plan on getting hammered.”

“I didn’t expect anything less,” she smiles. A waitress comes over to your table, writing down the order that you and Natalie give her before walking back to the kitchen to input them.

“So, when is Grayson supposed to get here?” Nat asks, raising her eyebrows as you roll your eyes.

“Not sure, sometime at the end of this week or beginning of next.”

“You don’t know when his flight is?”

Releasing a sigh, you immediately take a few sips of your long island iced tea that the bartender sits on the table. “Do we have to talk about him?”

“Look, I know that he isn’t who you envisioned marrying, but based on your stories and the millions of times mom’s talked about him, he seems like a decent guy. If you try to make yourself miserable throughout all of this, it’s gonna be ten times worse.” She gives you a soft smile, placing a reassuring hand over yours. “It sucks that life doesn’t always work out how you want it to, but there’s nothing you can do, unfortunately.”

“I know, I know. I just wish things were a little bit different,” you murmur softly, shrugging as you take a few more sips of your drink. “Enough about that, I don’t even want to think about the wedding for the rest of the night. How are things going with your new man?”

She begins to tell you all about the new guy she’s been seeing, the conversation flowing effortlessly from one topic to the next. With the sun beginning to set and the back deck of the club lighting up with the small fairy lights spread around, you can’t help but feel like you’re back in high school.

The only difference you feel now is the absence of the tall brunette who would always be beside you, slipping twenties to the staff to keep quiet about the number of drinks you had been sneaking throughout the night.

After five drinks, your cheeks were undoubtedly flushed, entire body warm due to the alcohol coursing through it.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom, wanna pay the check and meet me outside?” you ask as you grab your bag, standing and slightly swaying to the side.

“Oh, I’m supposed to pay for you now?” Natalie smiles and crosses her arms, watching your tipsy body try to adjust the strap on your heels.

“Well, you are the one with an adult job. Meanwhile, I’m on my way to trophy wife status,” you shrug and tap her on the nose, “so you’ve got the checks until that becomes official.”

You don’t wait on a response, only catching a glimpse of her eyes rolling as you walk inside the club and make your way to the bathroom. Your eyes are glued to your phone, typing out a reply to your group chat from high school that had been blowing up all dinner.

Absorbed in your own little world, you’re unaware of the figure turning the corner at the same time as you. Colliding into a hard chest, your phone falls from your hands and lands on the floor with a thud.

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I should really watch where I’m going,” you say with a soft laugh, leaning down to pick up your phone.

“Yeah, you should.”

You immediately straighten, eyes meeting a familiar pair of bright blue ones. It feels as though all the air empties out of your lungs, your mouth slightly agape.

“Rafe.”

“I didn’t know you were back.”

“I uh, just got back in this morning,” you smile softly at him, your right hand coming to cover the ring adorning your left hand. “I didn’t plan on coming back so early, but I have some… Things I needed to come back to handle.”

“It’s really good to see you,” he says gently, fingers twitching at his sides as he resists the urge to reach out to you. “You look good. Different, but good. I guess Boston wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

Choosing to blame it on the alcohol, you ignore the blush you can feel creep onto your cheeks and tint the tips of your ears. “Well, when it’s not dropping below freezing in the winter, it’s actually pretty enjoyable.”

He chuckles softly, nodding as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and glances down the hallway. You take that time to let your eyes trail over his figure, noting all the changes from how he looked in high school. He was more muscular, his biceps straining against the material of his button-up. His face had slimmed some, cheekbones more prominent and jawline still visible through the slight stubble. You willed your heart to calm down, its incessant beating probably able to be heard by him.

“You look good too,” you say softly, tucking some hair behind your ear and glancing behind your shoulder as you hear Natalie yell your name. “Sorry, I should go. You know how she gets.”

“Yeah, I do,” he nods and lets out a small chuckle. “It was nice seeing you, sunshine. Maybe we can catch up and grab dinner sometime.”

Readjusting the strap of your bag on your shoulder, you hope that your face doesn’t give away the way your heart fluttered at the old nickname. Your mind yells at you to say no and walk away, to leave the past in the past. Your heart and mouth have a completely different plan, however.

“That would be great,” you nod and give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll text you. Same number?”

“Same number.”

“Sounds good. Bye, Rafe,” you say quietly, turning around and chewing on your lip as you quickly walk back to your sister.

Once you reach Natalie, you link your arm with hers and begin pulling her towards the exit.

“What the hell was that?” she whispers, glancing back in the direction of Rafe. “You know mom will flip her shit if she sees something like that.”

“Good thing she wasn’t here then, huh?”

She pulls you to a stop a few feet from the car, giving you a look. “Y/N, I’m serious. I understand everything that happened between you two and how you still feel about him, but-“

“Nothing happened, Nat. We ran into each other and that’s all,” you shrug. “And I love you, I do, but none of you will ever understand what happened with us. Hell, I’m not even sure we understand what happened between us.”

A sympathetic look takes over her features as she nods slightly, sighing lightly. “You’re right. I just care about you, that’s all.”

“I know you do, and I appreciate it. I would rather just leave the past in the past. There were a million reasons why we didn’t work out, I know that. It’s just… Hard, seeing him again, especially under all of these conditions.” You shake your head and plaster a small smile onto your face, nodding towards the car. “Come on, let’s go home. It’s been an insanely long day.”

Neither of you say anything else as you make your way back home. Staring out the window, you find yourself subconsciously thinking about the Cameron boy no matter how hard you try to push the thoughts back. You couldn’t ignore the bubbling feeling in your stomach, the way your hands got clammy as soon as you saw him, how fast your heart had been racing.

And despite the four years you spent convincing yourself that you had no feelings left for him, your body and mind were betraying you. One small encounter had glaringly proved you wrong.

There was no use in fighting it. You still loved Rafe Cameron.

And you were marrying another man.

Fuck.

[openforjean]

aren’t you a pretty thing?

dark!bucky barnes x innocent!fem!reader

warnings: +18, dark fic, stalking, handjob, manipulation, praise kink, sexual thoughts, daddy kink, mentions of breeding, oral sex, anal sex, I think I got everything??

a/n: for my queen @sultrygoblin hope u like it

The smell of popcorn, the screams of riders and laughs of children run by-still doesn’t distract Bucky from you.

Ever since he saw you at the library, a year ago. He’s followed you everywhere. Your job, stores you visit and your home. He even watched you celebrate your twentieth birthday from his car.

Bucky’s eyes trail your body, slowly. Those white stockings make your skin tone pop. His eyes spend a little more time on your legs, he licks his lips. Your skirt barely reaches your mid thigh, his eyes shift to your backside.

He can just imagine pounding you from the back.

“Say it, sweetheart. Say you want my cock,” Bucky says, gripping your hips from behind. You whimper and respond “I want your cock daddy, please, please fuck me”. Bucky doesn’t waste a second, he penetrates your sweet, virgin hole and pounds into you.

His thought is interrupted by a ballon popping from a nearby game booth. His eyes snap back to you and you’re now sitting at a bench...all alone. This is Bucky’s time to bite.

Bucky makes his way to you and sits on the other side of the bench. His arms spread and “accidentally” brushes against you.

You look at him and he quickly mumbles an apology.

“It’s okay,” you say. Bucky nods. And from the corner of his eye, his eyes trail up your thigh. He groans and adjusts his jeans. “Your friends ditch ya?” Bucky asks. This is the riskiest question yet. “No, no, this boy stood me up. He was supposed to meet me here and he isn’t showing,” you answer, with your head down. Bucky tusks and tilts his head at you. “Boys are shit. Get yourself a man, all boys do is fuck everything up. A man with experience, will show you a good time,” Bucky says.

“Oh, well, I don’t...know any ‘men’, but I guess you’re right about boys,” you admit. “You know me, remember?” Bucky says.

“Umm, I don’t think I’ve met you before...I might’ve forgotten, what’s your name?” You ask.

Gotcha.

“Bucky. We met at that party,” he says. You nod, “wh-what party? Anthony’s?” you ask.

“Yeah! Crazy party wasn’t it?” Bucky asks. Bucky doesn’t know who Anthony is, all he knows is that he now has you in his grasp. “Must’ve been, I wouldn’t know. I left early,” you answer.

Good girl.

“Don’t be sad about the boy, he probably wouldn’t have showed you a good time,” Bucky says to ease your heart. You nod. “Wanna get out of here? I can take ya home,” Bucky offers. You smile and your heart melts. No guy has been this sweet to you. “Sure, thanks Bucky,” you say. Bucky stands up and you follow him to his car.

Walking to his car felt magical. The sunset was pink, the smell of cotton candy filled the air. He opens the door and you get in, he closes the car door. You strap yourself in as he makes his way over to the drivers seat. He gets in but he doesn’t start the car.

“Bucky? What’s going on? Is everything okay?” You ask with panic growing in your voice. He looks at you with a a sympathetic look. “I guess, I just feel bad that you’re not having fun. You came here to go on a date and have fun, and you’re not having fun. I’m sorry, I just feel bad,” Bucky says. “It’s okay, I’m still having fun! It’s not your fault, we can have fun together. We don’t need to be here, it’s okay, I promise,” you affirm him.

“As long as you’re sure,” Bucky says, gripping the wheel. “I’m sure, we can have fun at...my place, if you want. I have some board games, I can make us some cookies too...” you offer. You don’t know him and you’re inviting him to your place. What’s got into your head?

The drive to your place is relaxing. The windows are rolled down, the radio plays smooth jazz and his car smells like cologne. You look at him as his eyes watch the road. His hair, his arms and thighs, so pleasant to look at. His hair flows, his veins flex, his metal arm shines and his thighs look so good to ride. Your feel your private part tingles and you shift in your seat, squeezing your thighs together.

“I live on Maple, by the way. Good thing you’re already heading the right way,” you say. Bucky’s eyes widen and he nods. “Good thing, right?” He says. He’s slacking already, ah, what you do to him. “Thank you for taking me home, I really appreciate it. And thanks for cheering me up, I feel better. All because of you,” you say, looking up at him with the most innocent pair of eyes. He gulps and shifts in his seat. “Of course, anytime,” he says.

He makes the stop at your house and the driveway is full. Your parents must be home, shit. You undo the seat belt and look at him once more with those eyes. “Thanks again, the offer still stands to come inside,” you say. He wishes that meant something else but he’ll take what he can get. “I don’t know, seems like you have a packed house.”

“No, no, no! Come in, my family doesn’t mind, you’re a friend now. The least I can do is treat you for taking me home and making me feel better,” you assure. Bucky would love to go inside, but he doesn’t want to risk your parents becoming suspicious. “Okay,” he says.

“Mom, dad, this is Bucky. My friend, he drove me home cause that boy stood me up,” you announce. Your parents smile and thank him. Your parents are just as naive as you, huh sweetheart? Your parents head to the porch to talk and you and Bucky head to your room. Bucky is much more at ease knowing your parents are just like you. He enters your room after you and his heart flutters.

You’re so cute.

White walls, medals from former extracurricular activities, paintings and stuffed animals. A white and gold vanity, golden bed with fluffy white sheets. The scent of vanilla lingers in the air. Your curtains are light, you can see right through them.

“I have Uno, Sorry, Dominoes and-”

“‘S okay doll,” Bucky says. Your mouth parts as he paces around. “Are you okay, Bucky?” You ask. He stops and spins to face you. “No, I need to tell you something and I get it if you don’t feel the same or want me to leave. I will. But...ever since I met you that night, I-I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And when I saw you at the carnival, I knew I had to make a move and talk to you. I spent weeks trying to forget about you and I couldn’t. My mind couldn’t seem to forget you, I don’t think I can...forget you,” Bucky confesses to you. You stand in awe and your heartbeat quickens.

He likes me. A really, really cute guy, likes me! What do I do? I mean, he’s cute and is very nice and friendly. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and he met your parents and they seem to like him. He’s already passed the test, basically. What’s the harm in going out with him?

“You like me, like me?” You ask, stepping closer to him. His nose brushes yours and he nods. “I do, a lot. And if this going too fast, we can slow down. Don’t wanna rush you into anything you’re not ready for,” he says. Your heart pounds and your minds spins from excitement. Someone likes you! You smile and you lean in to kiss him. When his lips touch yours, fireworks went off in your body. Your heart flutters and stomach flips, you feel like you’re in a different dimension. You pull away and wipe your mouth, and you shy away from his gaze. “Don’t look away pretty girl, that was a good kiss. Was that your first one?” He asks.

“No, it’s my second,” you answer with a smirk. He smiles and pulls you to your bed to sit.

“What do you wanna do now Bucky?” You ask, sitting next to him. Bucky stares into your eyes, lovingly. He doesn’t blink. You begin to feel uncomfortable, and your stomach stirs.

There’s a lot he wants to do with you.

He wants to see your body. Kiss every inch, make love to it.

He wants to taste your lips. Have ‘em around his cock and have them on his. Your sweet, pretty lips.

He wants to eat you out til you cry. Swirl his tongue around your clit and finger fuck your tight cunt.

He wants to fuck you. So, so, so bad. He wants to stretch you out and have you scream his name. Cum in in you, raw. Knowing he can knock you up with his baby. 

He wants to make love to that sweet, little pussy too. 

And of course anal. Thinking about fucking your ass makes him shudder.

But we have to climb to get to the top, so for right now. He’ll just have a little fun and have you jerk him off.

“I want you on your knees,” Bucky says, his breath hits your lips. “My-my knees? Why?” You ask.

You are innocent.

“Here, I’ll show you,” Bucky coos. “Okay,” You say. You get on your knees, willingly and you flatten your skirt. He licks his lips. Bucky moves his hands to his belt and undoes it, he unbuttons his pants and pulls his zipper down. Bucky’s hand reaches into his pants and pulls his half hard member out. His cock is thick, veiny and uncut. Bucky pumps his cock, with pre-cum leaking from his tip creating a mess around his cock and hand.

You stare at his cock, this is the first time you’re seeing one too.

“Touch it,” he whispers. You reach for his cock, you grip his shaft.

He sucks a breath in between his teeth.

“Does it feel good?” You ask, as you slowly pump his shaft.

“Yes, it feels very good,” Bucky says with his eyes glued to your sparkling ones. You’re so cute. Pumping his dick like a good girl, your hand feels so good too. “Faster baby, you have to make me cum, I’m almost there,” he says. You pump his cock faster and you fondle his balls in with your hand. “Shit baby, you’re so good. You’re gonna make me cum,” Bucky says. Your thighs clench together and you bite your lip. “You like that huh? You wanna make me cum? You wanna make daddy cum?” Bucky asks as his mouth falls open.

“Yes I do, I wanna taste it. Is that okay? Can I taste your cum?” You ask.

“Yeah baby, you can taste my cum. You’re not only gonna taste it, I’m gonna dump it in you. Over and over again, full you up with my cum just like the s sweet baby you are,” Bucky says. Bucky’s eyes shut and his mouth spills curses as he releases in your hand. You don’t stop pumping him, Bucky grabs your wrist and stops you. Breathing heavily, he says “taste my cum baby”.

You take a lick of his cum in your finger. You like his cum clean off. “What do you think?” Bucky asks.

“I like it,” you answer.

“Good, now get on the bed. I’m gonna fuck you full of it.”

pls reblog with ur thoughts and feedback, it helps me write more :)) 

[writingsfromhome]

Water under the Bridge (Josslyn II)

A/N: Okay! Here it is!!!! This was fun and made my heart hurt a little but maybe I’m just being emotional. And can you guys believe it’s been over a year since I posted Josslyn?? Where has the time gone?? I don’t think we’re on the sacred timeline anymore........Anyway thank you anon who suggested this storyline, and hope y’all enjoy! <3

Josslyn (Original)

------

We’re going to have the best weekends evr, Regan texts me even though she’s just in the other room. Schedules were released for our summer semester and Regan and I had managed to get Fridays off. Summer was going to be so fun, and after two years doing college together we were experts at managing our workload to have fun on the weekends--even if that meant sacrificing a few nights’ sleep.

We’ll make summer our bitch, I text back. I hear a chuckle from her room.

Help me pick out a fit? she texts. I want to tell her Adam would love her in whatever, but I head to her room instead and watch her try on a dozen outfits before settling on the second. I tease her about Adam--they were going steady since first year, but she still got so nervous about him sometimes. Adam’s college was a train ride away so he would come down at least one weekend a month.

As for my own love life, there’d been no one steady. I did the whole hooking up and dating scene in first year but I was romantically burnt out by second. Nowadays, I could go home with someone if I chose to, but I also didn’t mind if I didn’t. My active endeavor to find a boyfriend had stopped when I realized I was trying to fill a gap. Instead, I was learning to be happy on my own.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you?” Regan asks. She was taking the train to Adam’s college and staying with him, there was this big start-of-summer party and she’d been trying to convince me for weeks.

“I don’t feel like being a third wheel,” I tell her honestly.

“You don’t have to!” She goes over her one argument again. “Gaelle’s roommate isn’t even back until next week so she has a spare room! She said you should come. Plus,” she ties her hair up, “it’s the weekend before the semester starts so have some fun.”

I make a noise, and she turns to look at me, totally judging me. It makes me laugh. “That’s why my version of fun is to.binge Netflix and-”

“Y/N!” She groans.

“Fine! I’ll go.”

Two words that would change everything.

***

By the time we get to the campus, Regan and I had come up with a dozen things we could potentially do this summer. I’m high on excitement as we meet up with Gaelle, and the three of us head to Adam’s place.

The sun is almost set by the time we leave, most of the sky is dark but a streak of orange stays stubbornly on the horizon. I pause to take pictures before we’re rushing off.

We approach the frat house--if you could call it that. It was half glass with a very modern structure. The greek symbol on the side of the house was the only indicator it wasn’t a millionaire’s summer-house.

“Since when did frat houses get so modern?” I ask. “This is...nice.”

“Wait ‘til you see inside,” Adam says. And he was right, even the drinks were fancier with their own guy behind the bar...although he was taking the occasional shot and getting progressively drunk.

We settle in an area close to the music and get swept up into the party atmosphere. Some people were beyond drunk already and I enjoyed the slight buzz of the drink in my hand. The views from inside with floor-to-ceiling windows were amazing.

Pretty soon, Adam and Regan break off. We move towards the centre of the party where the typical party shenanigans were happening. We tip back our drinks and pretty soon I’m straddling the line between tipsy and drunk. I find a cute boy with blonde hair and deep brown eyes and makeout with him until he gets too handsy.

“Ugh!” I give him one last shove and look for Gaelle but I’d lost her too. I search for a bathroom but they’re either occupied or have a lineup. This was a huge ass house, one of the bedrooms had to have one.

I open the first door to shouting.

“It’s called locking the door!” I shout drunkenly as I close it. The next room actually is locked, and the next one isn’t but I wish it was. “Eugh.”

I climb up to the topmost level, three doors--one was locked with the sound of people inside and the second is a bathroom. I was grateful people hadn’t made it up this far.

As I wash up, and touch up the mascara that was crusting under my eyes the door shakes as someone bangs on it from the other side.

“Dip! What the fuck are you doing in there? Everyone’s waiting for you!”

My heart pounds at the sudden noise and the deep voice demanding me to open up. The rush of adrenaline sobers me for a moment as I rush to open the door, “Sorry I didn’t realise anyone was...waiting.”

My words slow down and freeze altogether as I realise the fist banging on the door belonged to...him. Harry. He seems just as surprised as me, straightening up before a smile slowly inches across his face, it was almost sweet bordering on predatory. “Y/N!”

“Hi,” I say awkwardly. There was a lot of history and also not at all. I was also, I decide, too drunk for this. Act sober, this is not the night to run into this fucker.

“You-you’re the last person I was expecting to--excuse me it’s... good to see you! You look--you look as beautiful as ever!”

The events from high school that created this tense history between Harry and I was one of the worst things possible to happen to teenage Y/N. The thing is though, that I’d totally bounced back after I had decided he could fuck himself. Although it was awkward seeing him every day until graduation, it made me tougher. I credit it for making me so casual about relationships now...I stopped expecting so much of the boys I saw.

But leaving high school behind, my world expanded with college, I realised how childish it had all been: I’d had a fling with a player, and he’d played the field...It wasn’t that deep. But seeing him now, It made me aware in a way I wasn’t for a long time. Maybe what they said about distance had some merit. Or maybe I was just buzzed.

“Thanks...I wasn’t expecting you either.”

“You don’t uh, you don’t go here do you? I’ve never seen you around.”

“No,” I look out to the small hall but there’s no one there. The room that was previously locked is slightly ajar carrying male voices. “Adam goes here, I’m...with Regan.”

“Ah, Regan.” He smiles. “You’re still two peas in a pod?”

“Obviously,” The stiffness eases at the mention of my best friend. “So...can I get out of here?”

“Yeah sorry,” he moves aside so I can step into the hall. “Um, we’re playing video games in here room if you...you’re probably not interested.”

I clear my throat, Harry was playing video games when there was a party downstairs? I was curious, that maybe he changed.

“Oh,” he laughs and the dimples I adored make an appearance. “I’ve still got it! My frat just hosts too many parties for me to keep track.”

I guess I said that out loud, I bite my tongue but it really has a life of it’s own. “Did you jussay you still got it?” Oh my god, I was teasing him already. What about Harry made me absolute putty.

“Yeah,” he looks almost bashful. “Uhm, go easy I’m a little nervous here Y/N.”

I don’t know what to say to that, I bite my lip so nothing stupid comes out.

“So you’re just here for the night?” He carries on.

“Staying over with a friend,”

“A fr-” he cuts himself off, pressing his lips together. I realize I’m staring and look away.

“I should go-”

“Wait I-wait uh, how have you been? I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Yea,” I play with the rings on my fingers. “M’good, great. College’s a lot better than high school.”

“It’s not even comparable,” Harry says as he leans his shoulder against the wall. He looks perfectly placed there, and a tipsy voice flashes inappropriate thoughts into my head. “So...any...boyfriends?”

“Um,” that was direct. “No. No, I’m trying out being single...”

“Did something happen?” His expression is still casual but he holds himself rigid.

“No? A girl can’t be single?”

“Sure but someone like you...I’m just surprised.”

“Whatever that means,” I roll my eyes and head past him to go down but he blocks my way.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to offend you...” his voice dies out as I cross my arms. “I also didn’t mean to block you in.”

He steps aside and it feels painful to me but I take the small steps towards the staircase. One part of me--I blame the tipsy stupid part, wants to kiss him just to see if there was still something there, see if anything’s changed. The other was listing all the reasons this was an awful idea, to top it off he was a proven player, has broken my trust once before, and went to a school almost 2 hours from mine.

“Y/N,” Harry’s gruff voice says from behind me. My feet turn without permission and he’s right behind me. “M’sorry. Let me start over.”

I glance at his lips, damn. I can’t meet his eye suddenly. Oh god, I was still pretty tipsy. My mind short-circuits and all I can do is turn back to walk away, down the two sets of stairs, past sweaty bodies and loose limbs. In a great coincidence I bump into Gaelle in what looks like a game room.

“Harry goes here?” I ask--shout at her immediately. Her eyes widen, something passes over her face. “Was no one going to tell me he was going to be here?”

“I’m sorry!” She shouts. “I forgot you two had history!”

“I just wish I was prepared,” I say and she doesn’t hear, I just shake my head when she asks me to repeat. I needed another drink, and Regan. Maybe she could remind me why I stopped caring about him.

As I set off to find her, I’m reminded again how stupid this all was. High school was an ancient dream, we were all different people. I was a different person.

But even though what happened in high school was petty and juvenile, I remember how Harry made me feel. How it felt when we were together--even if it was a joke for him back then, I couldn’t forget the feeling of being seen. Of having arms to fall into, even if I knew they weren’t permanent.

“Regan!” I find her sitting on the dining table while Adam spoke with someone else. Her eyes alight and she waves me over. “I saw him! He...he goes here!”

“Who?” Confusion strings her brows together.

“Harry! From...you know Harry! He was upstairs! I--I didn’t know how to act.”

“Shit Harry! I forgot he went here!”

“You knew?” I throw my hands up.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal! He’s a dick but that was high school?”

“No I-” I sigh. “You’re supposed to tell me he’s still a dick! I saw him and it just got...complicated.”

Regan slides off the table and pulls me into a side hug, we can also hear each other better. “You’re a big kid now, do whatever you want Y/N. Tell him off, kiss his face, take revenge, who the fuck cares? We’re taking the train two hours home after this anyway!”

She had a point. But still...he couldn’t have changed much from the boy who hurt me.

“Adam hangs out with him sometimes,” Regan continues. “Apparently he’s not as bad as high school. He’s...mellowed out.”

“Unreal,” I roll my eyes. Adam was just covering for his friend. We hear a cheer go up behind us and Regan bulges her eyes as two guys help Adam up on his hands to do a keg stand.

Regan swears and heads back to him. I walk away, somehow feeling more and less confused after talking to Regan--do I go back up and see what this leftover emotion was, or ignore it as a drunken need for comfort?

But it’s like the decision is made for me when a hand wraps around my arm as I move from the dining area to the kitchen. I already know it’s him before I turn.

“Can we talk?” he asks. I nod and his grip loosens, slipping down into my palm. “Upstairs?” He motions to the staircase and we climb up the two flights. This time he leads me into one of the locked doors and although I’ve never been here, I’d been in some version of this room before. It’s familiar.

I ignore the ache when he lets go of my hand once we’re inside. I set my drink down on his desk and perch on the window ledge, it’s not big enough to sit on but has enough space for a few of his books and a speaker. His room’s pretty near, but then again Harry was never messy.

“So what do you want-” I start just as he says “Let me get this off my chest.”

“Go ahead,” I cross my arms before uncrossing them, and then crossing them again. With the way he ruffles his hair and crosses to the door and back, he seems just as nervous.

“You can leave at any time. I just want to say I was an asshole, I still kind of am sometimes. And I’m sorry for what I did to you. I know it’s like what--2 years late but all that with...Josslyn and all that...I’m sorry.”

Hearing her name makes me want to grind my teeth but I let the feeling pass. I reach for my drink instead to give me something to do. “It’s all water under the bridge.”

“Really?” Harry regards me suspiciously. “Because the way you were talking to me out there...”

“You’re just you,” I shrug. “Harry Styles, player and sweet-talker. I was just guarding myself against that.”

“Because of what happened between us?”

“No...maybe. I don’t know. But honestly, I’m not upset with you. It feels like an eternity ago. I guess it’s just self-preservation.”

“I guess,” he echoes. “So where does that leave us? If you’re all self-preserved?”

I eye him but he cracks a smile, he was teasing me. “It doesn’t have to leave us anywhere,” I snort. “We’re water under the bridge Harry...”

“My parents split,” he says suddenly and I’m reeling with the direction he’s taken. I open my mouth, and close it when nothing comes out. “Sorry, I know that’s random it’s just I never really talked to anyone about how they were rarely home and when they were they were always arguing a-and we spoke about it a lot. About our families so I just...”

“I’m sorry to hear that, do they still live in town?” I ask, wanting to put my hand on his or show him I cared but they stay glued to my drink.

“My mom moved into the city, it’s closer to her job and since I’m not living at home anymore it doesn’t really matter...”

“You still go home?” I ask.

“I don’t even know where home is?” He looks at me then, and the look in his eyes chips at the wall I’d been trying to build all night. Things had changed, for him.

“Are you--do you have someone to talk to?”

His laugh is dry, “They split last summer, convinced me to talk to some therapist. I don’t know if it really helped I think I’m actually better off. They’re better off and I just feel...free.”

I don’t know what to say to that so I stay quiet. He looks back up at me then, cracks his knuckles, before perching on his bed. “I’m just--sorry I’m not telling you that so you can feel sorry for me-”

“I don’t I just-”

“No it’s okay I just want to tell you that because you knew about that stuff. But I’m trying to tell you I’m not the same guy. Not completely, I’m just trying to tell you things changed and so have I.”

It echoes the same sentiment I had earlier in his conversation, and I remember Regan said he’s mellowed out. Maybe it was true. It still didn’t mean I was going to get together with him anytime soon but my heart hurts for him. I walk up to where he sits, he watches me with a steady gaze.

In the quiet, I hear the party going on outside the window, three floors below us. If I listen really carefully, I can hear sounds coming from the video game being played next door. In the stillness, I reach for Harry’s hand and he obliges, grasping mine.

“I wish I could...help you with the hurt. Not knowing where to call home is pretty shitty.”

“Don’t worry about me Y/N,” he pastes on his classic smile and I return one for his sake. It was getting heavy in here. “I’m just happy I got to talk to you. And I just found out you don’t hate me so...” he holds our intertwined hands and shakes it. “woo hoo!” I laugh as we let go.

“I guess I should go back to the party.”

“Yeah, okay. I won’t keep you.”

“Okay,” I’m a little stung he doesn’t suggest I stay a little longer. Maybe it was all in my head, maybe his intentions really were to make amends and that’s it. I pick my drink up from his windowsill and move to the door. I glance back before I go, he’s laying on his bed deep in thought, gazing up at the ceiling. I close the door behind me.

***

I wake the next morning, surprisingly well. I can’t say the same for Gaelle who’d passed me her keys at some point and told me she’d be home late. I spent the rest of the party trailing Regan until I decided I should just go crash. Harry hadn’t come out to find me, and I tried to hide the sour feeling, excusing myself early.

“Fuck me,” Gaelle croaks from her bed when I step into her open doorway.

“How about coffee, and pancakes?” I ask, returning the favor of being able to sleep here.

“I’ll take it,” she flops back into bed. I busy myself with measuring coffee and water, my thoughts occupied with everything Harry and I had been through since we last saw each other. I demonized him for so long, humanizing him is harder to swallow.

What he’d done to me was shitty, there was no denying. But had he really changed? And most importantly, why did I care so much? It’s not like he was the one.

My phone rings: Regan. She’s talking so fast I hardly hear her, only really understand that it was a party ritual to gather in the student centre the morning after a big party. Endless coffee and free food seemed to be the general consensus for a party cure.

“I don’t know if I can make it there,” Gaelle says when I tell her. “I was hoping for pancakes at home.”

“I already put the coffee on but I’m hauling your ass there if you’re not up in 5. Our train leaves after noon anyway and it’s closer to the college.”

Slowly but surely Gaelle emerges and we make our way, spotting Regan easily as the bright spot in a sea of college students in PJs and last night’s clothing. She’s the only one fully dressed, with a full face of makeup on.

“I didn’t drink that much,” she shrugs when we settle around her and Adam’s friends. “Unlike some people.” She looks pointedly at Adam who’s slumped where he sits. I remember the kegger and laugh.

Life soon flows back into the group around us as does the coffee and breakfast foods. I’m relaxed in the environment until I look down the tables to where Harry stands, looking back at me. He raises a hand and I do the same until an extremely tall angel--she was literally wearing a halo, probably from last night-walks up to him and wraps her hands around his waist. She says something to him and he tears his gaze away.

I look down at my cup immediately, my cheeks burning with humiliation. I’d been thinking about him all this time, thinking about how it might feel if I kissed him and of course he had a girlfriend. She never came up, but he never said he didn’t either. He didn’t make any moves on me yesterday, if I looked at it he only made an attempt to talk. Sure he was flirty but that was just Harry and I...I was a fool. I was such a fool. Things may have changed for him but he hadn’t. He was still the same Harry who chose Josslyn over me. He would always have a girlfriend, I was just the girl from his past who he could trust. I couldn’t say the same about him.

“What’s wrong,” my best friend nudges me. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I don’t know,” I look into her concerned eyes. “I’m just going to--I’ll be right back.”

I head out and find the closest washroom. The tears are instant and I let myself cry--out of frustration, humiliation, or some twisted sense of betrayal...it was all the same for me. I check the time, I just had to hold myself together and avoid Harry for another 2 hours before we were back on the train home. I would tell Regan everything then.

*** Three weeks later ***

“If Adam’s over later...” Regan trails off. She’s sprawled on my bed while I sit in my desk chair trying to read one more chapter before I close the books for the week.

“I have my earplugs ready and a second place to stay,” I roll my eyes. “I already told Kiara I might crash on her couch.”

“I owe you,” she jumps back up.

“You owe me like, 7 and a half.”

“7 and a half?”

I’m about to answer but a knock on our door has her racing out. I try to ignore the voices, I just had two more pages I had to get through--the joy of summer classes.

“Y/N?: Regan’s voice is a whisper. “We’re going now but...you have a guest. If you want me to kick his ass I totally can though.”

Standing behind her is Harry. I focus on him, yes it really was him. Why was he here?

“Harry?” I sound confused because I am. He’s wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and he’d traveled 2 hours just to get here.

“He wouldn’t leave me alone,” Adam says louder as they leave the room. “I’m sorry Y/N...”

“What is this?” I ask. My feelings are at war with each other, I was still feeling slighted by the last time we saw each other but seeing his face was also an exciting surprise.

“I wanted to see you,” Harry says nervously. He still stays at my bedroom door.

“You can come in...” I stand up and realize I was wearing an oversize t-shirt and the scruffiest PJ shorts I owned. “Phones have cameras now, you didn’t have to come all this way.”

He shrugs, taking one step in. “I liked seeing you in person last time. But I feel like we left it wrong.”

He knows I saw him, what conclusions I must have come to. It wouldn’t be that hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We talked it out.”

He comes to life, “Don’t play dumb Y/N I know you saw me with...I know what you thought and-”

“Did you really come all this way to explain that you had a girlfriend? Like, three weeks later?”

“No that’s the thing-”

“Because that’s kind of dumb. And unnecessary-”

“No listen!” He says a bit louder so I do. “The thing is she wasn’t my girlfriend...we’d hung out a few times but she saw me at the caf and got clingy. We’re not an item honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had a girlfriend-.”

“So why are you here?” My voice is higher than usual. I was confused, and upset, and I wanted him to leave. This was starting to sound like Josslyn part 2.

“You know why I’m here. Y/N I’ve been nothing but a dick to you and I know I don’t deserve you but I really like you. I want to clear the air, and ask you if you can see something here I...”

He trails off when he notices the tears trailing down my cheek. It’s just too much for me, as I finally face the emotions from that weekend. I’d shoved them aside after Regan had gotten onto the train worried her and Adam were headed towards a breakup. I’d put aside what happened and never thought about it. But my heart broke a little that morning. 

I knew what I knew: maybe Harry and I weren’t good for each other but we were good with each other. In an attempt not to get hurt I’ve been distancing myself from romantic connections--I found more of myself in doing this, but a part of me was missing without exploring it.

Harry moved closer until we’re nearly touching. I wipe my tears with my shoulder and we stand still on the hardwood floors of my room. An eternity passes before he reaches out to wipe the tear caught in my lashes. I close my eyes to his touch, scared of how much I wanted it.

“Y/N,” my name is a breath on his lips and it makes my heart stutter. My eyes open in slow motion, seeing him so vulnerable right in front of me, and suddenly things speed up and we’re reaching for each other; two waves crashing until they become one.

***

I don’t know how much time had passed in minutes, Adam and Regan are still out but Harry and I had fallen together and crashed apart so many times that I’m dizzy with it.

“You’re wonderful,” he says as we face each other, our noses just nearly touching. He trails a finger down my cheek. “Just...incredible.”

I feel the flush spread through me, “Great vocab Styles. We’re really using the big words.”

“Words are sort of hard right now,” he grins. “My brain’s all mush.”

I laugh, “Not much different to its usual state!”

“I knew you were going to say that!” he tries to reach for me but I skip off the bed with a laugh. “Come back.”

“I have to pee,” I slip on pants and can’t stop grinning the whole time I’m away. When I come back in, the blissful smile on his face tells me everything I need to know. I climb over him but he stops me in place, a knee on either side of his hips.

“I’m happiest when I’m with you Y/N,” he says, his voice roughened with emotion. “I think I always was. Younger Harry liked to self-sabotage.”

I bend down and my hair slips around us. The way he looks at me makes my insides mush. And even though I have proof of why I shouldn’t trust him, he’s here. In my bed. Miles away from where he would be if he hadn’t traveled all this way to see me. And that means something.

“I’m glad you’ve done some growing,” I say to him quietly.

“I had to,” he says softly. “I couldn’t have you like I do now if I hadn’t.”

“I guess we’ve both grown,” I brush a curl from his forehead.

“I know, old Y/N would have punched me if I showed up unexpectedly.”

“Rightly so,” I grin. He smiles back, brushing my hair behind my ear, back over my shoulder. He props himself on his elbow to kiss the shoulder he’d bared. It’s simple, and sweet, but it’s enough to unravel me all over again. And he knows it.

“When does Regan get home?”

“We might have another half hour,” I grin.

“Let’s not waste it,” he mumbles into my skin.

I agree.

[moldisgoodforyou]

92 days

source: @obi-kin​

warnings: mentions of sexual content, cursing 

wordcount: 2k

________

“Rafe, if you’re just gonna hang around, make yourself useful and start packing.” Sophie directed. He had been extra clingy in the month before she left (though she didn’t mind one bit), and was currently trying to tug her down onto the bed while she laid out clothes for her trip.

“Or, hear me out, what if you stayed and didn’t go at all?” He leaned over and hooked his fingers in the belt loop of her jeans, pulling her down onto his lap.

She frowned. “It’s only three months, baby -”

“I know, I know.” He quickly cut her off with a kiss, not wanting to make her feel bad. She’d picked up the pet name for him recently, and he suspected it was mainly out of her feeling a little guilt for leaving him, but he didn’t question it for a second. His hands found their familiar resting place on the curve of her hips. “I’m kidding, it’s okay. I know how long you’ve been dreaming of this.”

Sophie brightened a little and gave him a longer kiss, running her fingers through his hair before she climbed off his lap. “I’ll facetime you at least once a week, and I’ll call as much as I can. Okay?”

“Just once a week?” He scowled, flopping back into the bed when she moved off him. “That doesn’t sound like nearly enough talking.”

“Probably more, but I don’t know how busy I’ll be. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep.” She kept carefully folding her shirts, her tongue poking out a little in concentration as she tried to get the perfect space-saving fold she’d seen in one of many packing YouTube videos she’d watched.

He smiled, just watching her for a moment. “What if you facetime me when you’re getting lunch? If you’re alone?”

She cocked her head. “You want to just sit there and watch me eat?”

“Well...yeah. I like just being around you.” He gestured to her suitcases and her current task at hand. “S’not like every conversation has to be riveting.”

Sophie smirked, teasing. “Aw, Rafe, you’re gonna miss me.”

He scowled again and stood, sliding both his arms securely around her from behind. “Course I’m gonna miss you. That’s...I don’t know how many days without you.”

She leaned back into him and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment. “92. Until you visit.”

“Christ.” He mumbled into her hair, not having realized how long it truly was. He tried not to let himself think about it and to just enjoy their time while they were still physically together instead. “I’m visiting for two whole weeks, then I’m bringing you home with me.” He grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple. “And I was thinking...what if we didn’t stay in Barcelona the whole time?”

She turned in his arms, looking up at him curiously. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. If you’re down. I know you’re doing a few trips while you’re there, but. Maybe I could plan it for us?”

She furrowed her brow a little. “Like a surprise?”

“No, I know you hate those.” He grinned knowingly as she gave him a sheepish smile. “We could pick the places together though, and I can figure out all the logistics and stuff.” Before she could open her mouth again, he sensed her hesitation and quickly added, “And I want to take care of it. All of it.”

“Rafe -” She started to protest, thinking of his typical standard for vacations he’d been on with his family.

“Please? We can stay in cool student hostels and take train rides and everything, I won’t make it fancy. Promise.” He gave her a forehead kiss in hopes of convincing her, knowing that usually broke her down.

“Hm...” She glanced up, seeming to calculate the days in her head. “At least give me three days to show you around in Barcelona, and we have a deal. But I get to pick the hostels.”

He grinned, giving her a big kiss. “You got it.”

She smiled back against his lips, leaning more into him as he slid his hands under the hem of her shirt and up her sides, distracted for a moment. After a couple minutes of slow, lazy kissing, she pulled away when he teasingly bit her lower lip. “Wait, no, I have to pack -”

“No, Soph -” He groaned, trying to kiss her again. She dodged it and his lips brushed against her ear instead, then she pushed him back a little with one hand on his chest. “Let me finish this suitcase and then we can do whatever you want.”

“Whatever?” He raised his eyebrows, slowly smirking.

“Um...sure. I just need to finish folding these tops, then throw in socks and underwear. Put yourself to use and grab mine?” She gave him a quick kiss before slipping out of his loose grip, turning back to the bed to start folding.

He grinned and strolled over to her dresser behind her back, pulling out multiple lacy pairs that were hardly considered functional, until he found a sheer black bra with lace trim and little flowers embroidered on it shoved in the very back of the drawer. “Sophie Flint!”

She whipped around to see it dangling from his finger and stalked over, grabbing it away. “I didn’t say root around in the drawers!”

“You told me to pack! Why have you never worn that before?!”

She hid it behind her back, cheeks growing red. “It was supposed to be a surprise!”

“I mean, shit, consider me surprised.” A slow smirk spread across his face and he turned back to the drawer. “Is it a matching set?”

She jumped in front of the drawer, shaking her head quickly. “Stop, I don’t want you to see the rest.”

“There’s more?!”

“You’re ruining the surprise!” She laughed, trying to nudge him back with just her foot. “And the underwear you picked out is horrible, am I supposed to work out in a lacy thong? I rarely ever wear these.”

“I see absolutely no issue with that.” He grinned, trying to reach around her to grab the bra again. “I want to see that on you.”

“No, Rafe, not yet -”

“You leave in three days. How many more do you have?”

“Well maybe they weren’t all for you to see before I left.”

He frowned, tilting his head. “I don’t get it.”

“Think, Cameron.” She successfully nudged him away and stashed the bra back in her drawer, along with the underwear he picked out.

He stood there, extra confused. “It’s not for someone else.”

“Right.”

“But I can’t see it before you leave.”

“Correct.”

She swore she could see the wheels turning in his head. “Oh? Do you mean - ?”

She grinned, confirming his suspicions. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. You’ll have to wait and see.”

His eyes lit up and he grabbed her around the waist abruptly, lifting her off the ground. “Tell me!”

Sophie giggled, squirming in his arms. “I’m not gonna tell you! Let me go!”

He laughed and tossed her onto the bed unceremoniously, then leaned over her, skating his fingers up her sides. She pushed on his chest gently, shaking her head with a smile. “Rafe, c’mon.”

He crawled over her and kissed her, long and slow. When he finally pulled away to take a breath, his fingers tangled in her hair, he sighed. “God, I’m gonna miss the hell out of you.”

She frowned and cupped his cheek, keeping him close. “Stop, I don’t want to think about it just yet. Don’t get sad on me.”

Rafe rolled over to lay next to her, head propped up on his elbow. “Promise me you won’t leave me for some handsome Spaniard?”

“I would never, don’t even joke about it.” She scowled and he instinctively reached out, smoothing his thumb over the bridge of her nose. She immediately broke into a grin. “Eres mía, pase lo que pase.”

“Hey, don’t forget your boyfriend is stupid and only knows English.” He teased, leaning over to kiss her again.

“You’re not stupid, I don’t like when you say that.” She frowned and kissed him harder, as if it was reassurance. “I said you’re mine, no matter what.”

“I like the sound of that.” He nudged his nose against hers, just wanting to be impossibly close. “We’re gonna be okay, right?”

“Yeah. We’ll be just fine.” Sophie reached out and pulled him closer, wrapping her arm around his waist. “Wish I could take you with me.”

“That’d be a hell of a lot more fun than my dad’s office.” His face fell just thinking about it. “It’s gonna be so boring.”

“Didn’t you apply to that internship?” She questioned, cocking her head. “So you could stay here with Colin?”

“Yeah, I haven’t heard back yet though. And it wouldn’t start ‘til the middle of June, so I would have to be at home for a while anyways.”

“I’m sure you’ll get it. You’re smart, you know that. Don’t get in your head like you do.” Sophie started kissing along his jawline, down his neck.

He let his eyes fall shut and his head drop back, practically melting under her touch. “Hey. Angel.”

“Hm?” She hummed against his skin, pushing the hem up his shirt up his chest. Rafe threaded his fingers through her hair, letting out a satisfied noise when she started working at his belt. “Aren’t you - don’t you -”

She glanced up, amused by how easy she could distract him. “Use your words, handsome.” She nipped along his hipbone, soothing over the spots with her tongue right after.

“Your packing...” He mumbled.

“Oh!” She rolled off him immediately and he groaned when her hand brushed over his length, then reached out for her. “Wait, no, Soph, don’t leave me hanging -”

“Give me ten minutes and I can finish this suitcase.” She promised, her other task at hand instantly forgotten as she started folding more clothes.

“Sophieee.” He whined, drawing out the vowels. “Three minutes.”

“Eight.”

“Five.”

“Seven. Or help me, and it can be five.”

“You already yelled at me for folding something the wrong way earlier,” he pointed out with a grumble.

“Okay, so seven.” She shot him a grin and he shook his head, sighing. “You’re the biggest tease I’ve ever met.”

“I’m not teasing! I told you I had to pack even if you came over!” She replied, indignant. “It’s not my fault, I get distracted when it comes to you.”

“Yeah?” He propped himself up on his elbows, grinning.

“Yeah. You’re pretty.”

He blushed and immediately went to rub the back of his neck, flustered. “Pretty? You mean handsome.”

“No, I mean pretty.” She laughed and leaned over, running her finger along the contours of his face. “I like your cheekbones, and your strong jaw, and the way your hair flops into your eyes when it gets a little too long.”

“Soph.” He scowled, poking his tongue out to lick her finger when she ran it over her lips. She laughed, wiping it on his cheek. “Gross. I like your lips - and what they can do to me -”

“Dirty girl.” He grinned and she shoved at his chest. “Shut up, I’m not done. I like when you don’t shave for a few days and you get this shadow, it makes you look a little older and it’s really hot.” She paused, skating her knuckle along his jawline. “But don’t take that as an invitation to grow a beard.”

“I’m gonna try when you’re gone. Just for kicks.” He teased.

She rolled her eyes and pulled away to finish packing, tucking the last shirt into her carefully placed sections then zipped it shut easily. “There, done. I’m all yours.”

He grinned and tugged her back down on top of him immediately, hands going straight to her waist. “That’s what I like to hear.”

taglist: @whoeveniskendall @kkmaybank @karsinner @outerbanksbro @outerbankspreferences @randomficsandshit @sunshineitsfine44 @jailcalledlife @tovvaa @moniamaybank @illbesafeforyou @dontjinx-it @freddymaybank @jjmaybankzz @g4bster @oopsiedoopsie23

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Little Things in Life - 2

Warnings: cheating, non-consent sex (series); nothing for this chapter

This is dark!Steve and explicit. 18+ only.

Series Summary: Your suburban life begins to show cracks and your next door neighbour, Steve Rogers, seems intent on shattering what’s left.

Note: Chapter 2! So I’m in between too many things. I always appreciate your guys’ patience and reading. You know how it be; I’m a mess. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Based on this drabble

On Wednesday, you spent the morning working in your office with one eye on Kayla. You’d be relieved in the fall when she could go to school and you could focus a little better. Well, you’d see which you felt when the time came.

You had lunch in the backyard at her plastic picnic set and played on the slide. You checked the time as you went inside and a knock sounded at the door. Kayla followed you as you answered it. Steve greeted you with a cool smile.

“Sharon just went off to see her mother,” He said. “So I figured, we can sneak out now and grab the flowers.”

“Uh, yeah,” You waved him in as you turned to Kayla. “You wanna go for a car ride?”

“I want ice cream,” She clapped her hands. 

“You want ice cream?” You asked as you knelt to fix the strap on her shoes which had twisted. “Well, if you’re good in the car, we’’ll take you by the shop. How about that?”

“I hate looking at flowers,” She crossed her arms. “They bite.”

“Only if you touch the cactuses,” You chided as you stood and grabbed your car keys from the hook and the old leather purse that sat on the low bench. “You don’t mind if I drive? Her seat’s a bit of a hassle to move around.”

“Nope,” Steve kept his foot in the door as the sunlight slatted down his tall figure. “We should have a couple of hours to beat Sharon. I really think it’ll be a nice surprise for the weekend.”

“This weekend?” You wondered. “I don’t know. We’d till have to plant everything.”

“I could toss in another bottle of wine for your trouble.” He offered.

You shook your head. He’d sent you home with what was left of the Pinot on Monday and it still sat in your fridge. Beckoning to you as you laid next to an empty space. Or worse, an indifferent Logan. His work consumed him and he often spent hours poring over it or even rushed out to appease his demanding boss. Well, you had your Saturdays and those were always nice.

“It’s fine. I’m not much of a drinker.” You said. “The helmet.”

“The helmet?” He tilted his head. 

“Selfie,” You pointed your keys at him as you took Kayla’s hand. “For the extra effort.”

He shrugged as he opened the door.

“Fine,” He said. “So, you and Logan coming to the party?”

“I know I am,” You locked the door behind you. “We’ll see if Logan can keep off his phone for more than twenty minutes.” 

You led Kayla to the car and Steve stood just behind you as you helped her in and strapped her into the seat. You closed the door and turned back.

“Yeah, he’s definitely been a bit… absent,” Steve commented as he went around to the passenger side. “You know, the last time he came over to watch the game, I changed it to the Orioles and he didn’t even notice.”

“It’s work,” You climbed into the car as he mirrored you. “I can’t say I don’t do the same. I’m cutting crusts off sandwiches and plotting my next lesson.”

“Multitasking,” Steve mused as he closed the door. “But I’m sure the sandwiches are still great.”

You turned the engine and looked at Kayla in the mirror. She kicked her feet impatiently in her seat as she hummed.

“There’s a little leapfrog toy in the glove compartment,” You said to Steve as you backed up. “You wanna get it for her… she’ll start singing soon if you don’t.”

🏠

Kayla chose some daisies for your front garden as you showed Steve the pansies. They were small and simple. You mixed in some freesias and some heather, too. Steve picked out a new set of garden tools to give to Sharon as well and a pair of cute floral gloves. 

You paused as you checked out and glanced over at your neighbour. You couldn’t recall the last time Logan had done more than grabbed a pizza on his way home. And he always forgot that you couldn’t stomach pepperoni. Oh well, you supposed it was the gesture that counted.

You carefully loaded the tray of plastic pots into your trunk as Kayla demanded her scoop. She had behaved quite well. Steve picked her up as you crossed the street and headed for the parlor at the opposite corner. You neared a cafe only a few doors away and Steve pointed to the painted moniker on the glass. 

“You know I heard that place is good. The coffee is from--” You stopped short and Steve turned to face you. “What’s up?”

You backed up and glanced at the license plate of the black Volkswagen. The same scratch on the bumper, the same numbers. You blinked and pulled out your phone. No messages. You looked to Steve.

“That’s Logan’s car but why…” Your voice trailed off and you neared the cafe window. 

You peered in and searched the tables. Your husband’s dark hair was visible just towards the corner of the shop. You recognised the woman beside him. Karina, his boss. Her ginger curls were drawn back into a large bun and she turned to giggle at Logan. You could see his hand on her thigh as she stole a bite from his muffin. Your heart stopped.

“Come on, let’s just…” You blinked at Steve and his eyes were aimed through the window as Kayla tugged at his tee and whined for ice cream. “Let’s go. I could go for some mint chip.”

Steve hesitated before he turned back, careful to keep Kayla away from the cafe as you passed it. 

“Mint chip? Boring.” He taunted after a moment. “What about you Kayla? You like cotton candy ice cream?”

“No, I want strawberry!” She chimed.

“Strawberry?” He reached for the door with his free hand and pulled it open. “Bleh! I’d rather a plain and very boring vanilla.”

“I like strawberry!” Kayla argued.

“How about black cherry?” Steve followed you inside. “You old lady.”

“I’m not old. I’m only four.” Kayla huffed. “You’re old!”

“I am,” He chuckled as he neared the counter. 

There was only one customer ahead of you as you perused the flavours. You barely read the signs for each bucket as your head was a blur of indiscernible voices and lights. You could only see Logan and his hand in Karina’s lap. Was this why he was so obsessed with work? ‘Work?’

“Mint chip?” Steve nudged you out of your trance as the aproned server looked at you over the glass. “One or two scoops?”

“Um, actually I’ll get a scoop of the butterscotch. In a cup, please.” You found it hard to speak. 

You approached the til and Steve insisted on paying. You sat against the wall and poked at your ice cream as Kayla made a mess with her cone. You did your best to keep her tidy with a napkin but she dripped enough down her shirt to drown the unicorn on its front. You reprimanded her as she refused to finish the last of the dry cone and you cleaned up the table with Steve’s help.

You crossed the street so that you didn’t pass the cafe again. You peeked over and Logan’s car was still there. You got Kayla into her seat and searched around for her tablet. You took out the headphones with bunny ears you had gotten her for her birthday.

“You wanna listen to some Wiggles?” You asked.

“Yeah,” She pulled them on and you unlocked the small tablet and put on the music player. 

You handed her it and she brought up the frog game she liked to play. You ruffled her hair before you backed out and dropped into the driver’s seat. You glanced at Kayla before you pulled out. Steve was silent beside you.

“You didn’t seem very surprised... you knew?” You asked quietly. His lack of answer was telling. “Did you do this on purpose? Did you know they would be there?”

“No, I… I didn’t know they’d be there,” He said.

“But you knew… about her?” You gripped the wheel tightly.

“He told me about someone else but… he said it was a one time thing. A slip up.” Steve admitted.

“One time,” You scoffed angrily. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry.” He said softly.

“For what? You’re not my husband,” You steamed. “Unless, you’ve been helping him sneak around but I highly doubt you have the time for that when you have a newborn at home. Oh but if she’s older, it’s fine. You can get away with it, you can--”

You took a breath and hissed. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t--” You growled and hit the steering wheel. “It’s not your fault. I just… I’m so embarrassed. And you knew. You knew!”

“I thought of telling you, I just didn’t know how,” Steve said. “And if I had known they were going to be there, I wouldn’t-- Well, I’d still be a coward.”

“It’s really not your problem. Not your marriage.” You leaned closer to the windshield as you focused on the road. “Can we… can we plant the flowers tomorrow? I gotta get Kayla cleaned up and I have dishes in the sink…”

“Sure, sure,” He said. “That’s fine. I get it.”

“Does Sharon know?” You croaked.

“No.”

“Please, don’t tell her.” You gulped and glanced in the rear view as Kayla tapped the tablet. “I couldn’t-- I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

“Are you going to… confront him?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know,” You muttered. “I don’t know if I can. I…” You looked over at him as you stopped for the sign. “Really, don’t worry about it. Please.”

🏠

You barely said a word to Logan that night. You couldn’t find any and besides you hadn’t much of a chance as your husband was just as late as ever. And when he’d finally come to bed, you waited for him to snore before you crept out.

You snatched his phone and retreated to the hallway. You sat just outside your bedroom door as you scrolled through the messages; the pictures. How had you not suspected a thing? How had you trusted him so completely?

You told yourself that time had worn on the marriage. Your sex life was strained but it would even out again. And the communication, that just needed a good talk and you would find time for that one day. But… you were wrong. It was a shell.

Your eyes teared up as you thought of Steve. He and Sharon were so perfect. They had it all. Everything you pretended to have. And he still cared for her. He wanted to make her a garden of her own. Wanted to do something for her as she spent her days taking care of their child. All you ever got was heartburn.

You took Kayla to daycare the next morning so that you didn’t have to be there to see Logan off. You drove back slowly and found yourself on that same street. You parked and strode down to the cafe. Inside, it smelled of beans and cinnamon. You ordered a latte to go and half-dozen cookies.

Your car was filled with the scent of caramel and you pulled up to your house with dread knotted in your stomach. Could you get past this? For Kayla? You opened the car door and turned to hang your legs out. You held the box of cookies on your lap and inhaled the aroma that floated from the sweet latte. You couldn’t go inside. You couldn’t face the empty house.

“Hey,” Steve frightened you as he jogged up your drive. He wore his track shorts and a tee. He glistened from his morning run. “You okay?”

You nodded and forced yourself to stand. You elbowed the door shut and set your latte on the roof of your car as you locked it.

“Cookie?” You offered the box.

“No, no, it’s a bit… early.”

“Sharon home?” You asked. “Awake?”

“She is.” He said. “I was just on my way to relieve her. My shift starts soon.”

“Oh,” You took the latte and he eyed the logo on the cup.

“Where’s Kayla?”

“Daycare,” You answered. “I thought it would be better but… it’s just lonely.”

“Come over,” He said. “Come see Sharon and the baby.”

“No, I couldn’t--”

“She’d appreciate the company,” He urged. “The adult company. I think the baby talk is driving her crazy.”

You looked across the street and then back to your house. 

“Alright.” You relented. “Thanks.”

“And if we end up hitting the felt…” He kidded.

“Sure,” You rolled your eyes and followed him down the drive.

🏠

Sharon looked immaculate. She had a four month old baby in her arms and glowed like the Madonna. She greeted you with a warm smile as Steve pecked her cheek and then Sarah’s head. You slipped out of your shoes and followed her into the living room. As you sat on the sofa and set down your coffee and cookies, she handed you the baby and offered you breakfast.

You lied to her and told her you had already eaten. You looked down at the child; blond, blue-eyed, beautiful. Steve neared you as Sharon retreated to the kitchen and the sound of the blender came muffled from the doorway. You glanced up at Steve.

“You want her?” You offered.

“She likes you,” He sat next to you and waved away the offer. “She can’t stop looking at you.”

You looked down and the blue eyes shone up at you. You smiled and rocked Sarah as you leaned back against the cushion.

“I guess it’s a bit of a moot question now, but you ever thought of having another?” Steve asked.

“You always think about it.” You said. “But often think better of it.”

You looked over at him as the noise of the blender died. His eyes were much like those gazing up at you. Bright, intent. You felt almost shy as he watched you. You tore your attention from him and brought Sarah closer to your chest as she reached up with her small fingers. You cooed at her and touched her cheek.

“Here,” Sharon handed Steve a green smoothie and sat with her own. “You didn’t bring Kayla?”

“She’s at the daycare.” You explained. “She missed her friends.”

“She’s such a sweetheart,” Sharon said and her eyes drifted down to Sarah. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen ours so calm.”

“You will. I found it came in phases. Sometimes it’s non-stop, sometimes their angelic.” You mused. 

Your stomach clenched as you thought of Kayla when she was that small; as you wondered how it had become all so twisted. Was it the kid? Was it you? You blinked away the dampness in your eyes and turned to hand Steve the baby. He took her and you reached for your latte. The caffeine wouldn’t help your nerves but the momentary warmth would soothe you.

🏠

On Friday, Sharon had a hair appointment so Steve came over to interrupt your paperwork. You brought Kayla with you as he set Sarah up in her plastic seat on the lawn. 

He helped carry the flowers over from your garage and you set to the task of weeding and digging out spots for the new buds. You had a short time to get it done before Sharon returned.

Kayla liked Sarah. She showed her the flowers and the new doll she’d gotten from your mother. You knelt beside Steve as he took your direction and you found yourself reaching over each other, distracted only as you kept the children entertained between unpotting the plants.

There was a tension lingering. Words unsaid. You caught Steve’s glances and the pity in his tone. You dusted off your jeans and stood as you stepped back to admire your work. He watched you then and you felt like snarling at him. You could see his sympathy and it sickened you.

“Amazing,” He rose and came to stand beside you. “She’ll love it.”

“I’m sure she will,” You said. 

You bent and started to stack the empty plastic planters. You piled them all into the tray and gathered up your little set of tools. 

“Me and Kayla should go, it’s close to nap time and--”

“I’m not tired,” Kayla said. You looked at her sharply.

“Please, why don’t you come in and… have some lemonade before you go?” Steve said. “Just a little while.”

“I don’t know. Sharon will be--”

“Sharon always gets her nails done when she gets her highlights,” Steve assured you. “Besides, she’s not dumb enough to think I did all this by myself.”

“I like lemonade,” Kayla said and tugged on your belt loop. “Only pink.”

“Pink…” He bit his lip. “You know, I think I might have some.”

“Fine, I’ll go put this stuff away,” You said.

“I’ll get the kids inside.” He lifted Sarah from her chair and offered his hand to Kayla. “I think it’s good for Sarah to socialize.”

You nodded and quickly retreated across the street. You shoved everything in the shed and stopped as you went to replace the latch. Had it all been pity? Had Steve discovered Logan’s secret and decided to start bugging you out his own guilt? It felt entirely mocking. Worse, humiliating.

He shouldn’t be worrying about you. You snapped the locked close through the loop and spun the dial. He had a wife and kid. He needed to worry about them. Not you and your denial of your splintering marriage. You crossed the street and kicked the dirt off your boots before you entered. You unlaced them and found Kayla in the living room.

She sat in front of the TV as Sarah was sprawled out in a playpen. You checked on your daughter then followed the subtle noises of activity to the kitchen. You entered as Steve tore the top off a frozen lemonade mix. It was pink like he promised. 

“I could add some vodka to yours,” He offered as he squeezed it out into a pitcher. 

“Look, Steve,” You neared the other side of the island. “You don’t have to atone for what Logan is doing.”

“What?” His eye lashes flicked up as he looked at you. “You don’t think-- You know, we’re friends, right? You and me? This has nothing to do with Logan.”

“Oh no?” You challenged. “I’m not that great at pool and I hate baseball.”

“Is that all I am? A felt table and ESPN?” He asked.

“No, but, come on,” You sighed. “I don’t want to be your pity project.”

“You’re not,” He said as he added water to the pitcher. “That would be Bucky.”

You couldn’t help the snort. He returned to the island and began to whisk the mixture.

“And to be honest, it’s been a tough couple months. Pent up in here with a crying baby. I’m sure you know how it is. Talking to people who can actually answer me with more than a spit bubble is like a breath of fresh air.” 

He smirked and went to grab glasses from the cupboard. He poured each and pushed one across to you as he took the other two.

“And you already said you’d come to the party so don’t even think of backing out now,” He passed you as he went to the door. “Sharon’s looking forward to it.”

[meowdymista]

Van der Driscoll Pt 3

Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader

Part 2 & Masterlist

Part 4

Word count: 1890

Warnings: threat of domestic violence

Now on AO3 with added soft Morgan loving

The two of you ride in silence. The wagon wheels keep rolling. The pit in your stomach rolls along with them. Which is it going to be, gentlemen? Black or red?

He hasn’t bothered binding your wrists today. You can’t pretend like there’s any possibility of you attempting to escape; an anchor of lethargy has long since made its home in your chest.

The landscape begins to change rapidly as you descend into Lemoyne. The air thickens, choking you, the cries of seagulls filling your ears.

He hasn’t confided his intentions to you yet, but the ride is slow and heavy on both of your shoulders. Saint Denis or Van Horn - both were known for their ports.

"She can't go free. Not with the Pinkertons after us."

"I know. Don’t I goddamn know it...”

The bridge welcomes you with false joy. Fumes pollute the sky, horses clop over cobblestones, beggars call out for pennies from the sidewalks. You look on morosely as he steps off the carriage to speak with the mail man behind the counter. He checks a pocket watch you didn’t know he had and nods, thanking him before rejoining you.

Your lips are sewn shut, even as he rides the cart up to a saloon a couple of streets over. He helps you down, leading you inside wordlessly, paying for a room and a bath for you both. On autopilot, you follow the bath girl to the steaming water, Arthur’s assurances inaudible over your thoughts.

She tries and fails to make conversation with you. You’ve never hired help for a bath - you enjoy the rare splash of solitude too much, especially in the soft steam of hot water. You start to wonder when you last bathed as she scrubs soap into your hair. Usually your wounds aren’t fresh enough to sting.

She guides you to the room Arthur has rented. The bed looks sublimely soft. Even the evening sun gleaming through the windows is gentle and welcoming. You strip to your underclothes and crawl under the duvet, groaning as you fall asleep.

****

You wake up, surprised to find the bed empty. Turning your head, you spot Arthur in a chair, sketching in the leather bound journal you’ve found him writing in on more than one occasion.

He sets the book aside and walks up to the bed hesitantly. You move back, inviting him to sit. After all, his money has paid for this.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. About all of this.”

You shake your head sleepily. “It’s my fault. When I heard the boys had caught a Van der Linde, I let curiosity get the better of me. I wasn’t supposed to be there, I just wanted to see the face of… of one of her murderers.”

You hum as fingers trace your face and neck. “Well, I’m still sorry for everything that happened after.”

You turn your head to kiss his palm, dismissing the hitch in his breathing. “At least it was with you.”

“Because being tied up is preferable in my company?”

“Something like that,” you laugh, smirking into your pillow. His hands lowers hesitantly to your shoulders. You shrug the duvet down, extending his reach. Hearing the bed move, you open your eyes finding his face next to you. Before you can change your mind, you press your lips against his with determination.

His grip tightens as you deepen the kiss, breaking away to kiss his neck as you tug on the buttons of his shirt. He shifts his weight to make it easier for you to push it off him before climbing carefully between your now exposed legs.

Your heart flutters as he kisses the crook of your neck, fingers still tracing your body as though committing them to memory. His boots clatter to the floor, his belt clinking as you tug on his trousers, eager to release him.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says suddenly, his lids heavy as he searches your face. “We didn’t know then-”

“We know now,” you counter, your chest heaving with anticipation. “Do you still want to..?”

“It ain’t about what I want.”

“Then take me, cowboy,” you whisper into his mouth. “Anything, as long as we’re together.”

****

You groan. Something doesn’t feel right. You can feel heartburn building it’s way up into your throat and your stomach is twisting up a storm. A clatter of spurs across floorboards make you sit up.

“O’Driscolls. Downstairs.” Arthur is pulling his trousers up, slipping his arms into the suspenders as he peers down into the street. “We need to leave.”

“They ain’t gonna recognise me,” you mumble, sitting up. What is wrong with you? “I’ve passed them in the street before now and they have never said anything.”

“I’d rather not take the chance.” He gathers your clothes, throwing them at you as you dress slowly. “We overslept anyway. We were supposed to be at the docks for eight.”

“The docks?” Arthur takes over dressing you as you slow to a halt. “Arthur, where are we going?”

His lips press together as he hooks the back of a new dress he had brought from the tailors. Suddenly you’re feeling even more sick than you did before.

You slip out without seeing any familiar faces. The O’Driscolls Arthur saw must have only been passing through. He’s clearly nervous as he rides you both down to the docks, touching your hand, squeezing it, then letting it go before holding it again. You can’t think about what’s happening - your entire focus is spent on not throwing up.

A large ship is waiting to sail. Arthur helps you down, guiding you over to a young gentleman by boarding.

“We ain’t too late, are we?”

“No, sir! Thirty minutes til we set sail!”

“Great.” He pulls out a wad of cash. “A feller down by the stagecoach said you still had space?”

“For yourself, sir?”

You force yourself to take deep breaths. The ringing in your ears, the hot flush and cold sweats - you force yourself to swallow, trying to overcome the knot of nausea.

“For the lady.” Arthur is surprised when he turns to find you leaning against the railings. “Y/N, y’alright?”

“Do you have medical papers?”

He turns back to the man, his hand still on the small of your back. “What for?”

“If anyone is showing signs of ill health at or before the point of boarding, they cannot sail with us.”

"She’s fine. Her fiancé's waitin' on her."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it’s company policy. We can't allow anyone showing signs of ill health to board, especially if it’s contagious." Arthur scoffs loudly, but the boy is looking at you. Your curses are weak. "There's a doctor round the corner - if you're quick he might be able to help you."

"How much to get the lady onboard?" he asks, shuffling the money between his hands, shoving notes into the boy’s chest. "Fifty? A hundred?"

"Sir, I can't-"

"Two hundred?"

"Arthur, stop!" Your heart is ricocheting against your ribs. "Let's just… go to the doctor. Get a note like he said to say it ain't contagious and renegotiate."

Arthur gives the boy a dark look before shoving the money back into his bag. "Fine," he mutters darkly. "But you had better let us on!"

“As long as it ain’t contagious.” The boy wipes his brow in relief.

****

"Pregnant?"

You close your eyes as they leak down your cheeks.

"Yes, sir." He washes his hands in the small basin. "Newly so, but the fetus seems to be a strong one. Congratulations."

"Did you-?" Both of you look to Arthur who is squeezing the bridge of his nose so tightly his fingertips are white. "You do this on purpose, Y/N?"

"The mother doesn’t get much of a choice in all this-"

"Was I talkin' to you?" he snaps, eyes blazing. "Y/N?"

"Of course not, Arthur!"

"You playing me for a fool?"

Your stomach sinks. This was something else. This was the face of a murderer. "Arthur…"

"How much to get rid of it?" he demands, startling the doctor.

"I beg your p-"

"How much to get rid of it?"

"I don’t do that business here-"

Arthur whips out a pistol and points it at your stomach. "How much to deal with a gunshot wound, then?"

Blood drains from your face as you stare down the barrel of the gun, the doctor stammering wildly.

"I understand this may come as a bit of a shock-"

"A bit of a shock?" He pulls back the hammer, still glaring with white hot fury. "She needs to be boarding a ship now!"

“Arthur.” Your voice is barely a whisper.

“There’s nothing stopping a woman sailing whilst pregnant!”

“And when she gets to the other side with a baby?” he growls, eyes wild. “A baby and no family to support her? Then what?”

“Are you not travelling with her?”

“Arthur,” you choke.

His hand falters, but his glare remains steady. “Y/N.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“You have to - it’s too dangerous for you here.”

“I’m staying.”

The pistol lowers as his face crumples with indecision. “You can’t. Colm, the Pinkertons…”

“Then come with me!” He drops the pistol on the table, pulling his hair as he walks away to the window. “Leave Dutch - we already have a head start! If you want to leave America, we can do it together-”

“I can’t, Y/N. It ain’t that easy.”

“I swear on my life, I won’t breathe a word to anyone about anything. I’m not going to chase you to be a father, I’ll do it alone!”

“Do you really think I don’t want this baby?” His voice cracks. “We can’t keep it, Y/N. What life can it have with parents like us?”

“I’ll give it a life! I- I’ll go straight. I’ll settle down. It’s not like I can go running back to the O’Driscolls, especially now.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t let you do that.” “Why not? You can tell Dutch whatever you want. Just leave me here and pretend we never happened-”

“It ain’t being a father I’m worried about! Y/N, I-” He slumps against the wall, staring into space, his brow riddled with worry. “I’ve done it before. My son… he lived with his Ma and I would visit when I could, gave them money so they had enough to eat, I loved them both and… they died. Killed for ten dollars.” He meets your gaze, begging. “We ain’t made for anythin’ good, Y/N. We do bad things and we get it back tenfold. If you and the baby- if anything happened-”

A bowl appears in front of your face just as your stomach turns. When you’ve finished, Arthur’s handkerchief is there to wipe away the tears and bile. You lean back, panting, eyes closed.

“I’m going to step outside,” the doctor announces as Arthur pushes back your hair, kissing your crown apologetically. “And I’m taking the pistol, sir. You can have it back when you leave.”

Arthur ignores him, crouching beside you to kiss your knuckles gently.

“Please,” you murmur. “Please don’t take the baby.”

“I won’t,” he promises. “I can’t leave America. I have nowhere else to go!”

He hushes you, peppering your face and temples with kisses. “We’ll work it out. I promise.”

[fallen420]

Rebel Spy - Chapter 4: The Prisoner

Summary: Auroras life becomes lonely after the war ends so when a familiar Mandalorian needs her help who is she to refuse.

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 

Series Playlist

feelings are being discovered!

* not my gif

-

"Why are we here again?" I ask as we land inside a base.

"Look he's an old friend and he has a job for us." he turns around in his chair, "And we need the credits." I look around at the people walking around.

"Looks imperial to me."

He stands up and repeats, "We need the credits."

He goes down the ladder and I follow.

"You can't trust imperial people."

"I know."

We walk out of the ship and like always people stare.

"Mando," Some guy says, "Is that you under that bucket." he puts his hand out.

Mando shakes his hand, "Ran."

Ran looks at me and says, "Now whos this pretty lady."

It takes everything in me not to gag.

"Aurora."

"Nice to meet you," he says and I fake a smile.

He looks back to Mando, "I didn't really know if I'd ever see you in these parts again. Good to see you. You know to be honest, I was a little surprised when you reached out to me." We start walking slowly. "You know, 'cause I...I hear things. Like, maybe things between you and the Guild aren't working out." We stop walking.

"We'll be fine."

"Okay. Well, you know the policy. No questions. And you, you're welcome back here anytime."

The Rebel in me hates this. Every part of this.

"So what's the job?" Mando asks.

"One of our associates ran afoul of some competitors and got himself caught. So I'm puttin together a crew to spring him. It's a six-person job. I got four. All I need is the ride, and you brought it." He looks at the razor crest.

"The ship wasn't part of the deal."

"Well, the Crest is the only reason I let you back in here." Mando looks at him obviously mad. "What's the look?" He steps closer to Mando "Is that gratitude?" he walks away laughing.

"I don't like this," I say, "Or him."

"I know," he says with almost sympathy in his voice.

"Hey Mayfeld," we hear Ran say. Mando and I turn around.

"Shit," I say under my breath.

"What?" Mando asks.

"Yeah?" Mayfeld asks.

"This is Mando and-"

"Kyla," Mayfeld says

Shit. Shit. Shit

I can feel Mando's gaze.

"You two know each other?" Ran asks.

"Yeah, she was on one of our bases. Whatever happened to you?"

"I got transferred to a different base where my skills were more needed," I lie.

"Oh a shame, the rest of the guys and I were disappointed." Mando gets tense.

"Anyways," Ran say, " this is the guy I was telling you about."

"This guy?"

"Yeah, we were all young, tryin' to make a name for ourselves. Yeah, but runnin' with a Mandalorian, that was...that brought us some reputation."

"Oh yeah? What did he get out of it?"

"I asked him that one time. You remember what you said, Mando? Target practice." He laughs, "Target practice. We did some crazy stuff, didn't we?"

"That was a long time ago."

"Well...Well, I don't go out anymore. You understand? So uh, Mayfeld, he's gonna run point on this job." Mayfeld waves his hand, "If he says it it's like it's comin' from me. You good with that?"

Mando looks at Mayfeld, "You tell me."

Ran laughs again, "You haven't changed one bit."

"Yeah, well, things have changed around here," Mayfeld says, "

"Yeah, well, Mayfeld he's...he's one of the best triggermen I've ever seen. Former Imperial sharpshooter."

"That's not saying much," Mando says and I fight my laugh.

"I wasn't a stormtrooper, wiseass." Mayfeld and Ran walk away leaving me and Mando.

"Target practice? Arrogant much?"

"Long time ago," he reminds me How many fake names do you have?"

"A few," I start to whisper, "I was a spy remember? Sometimes I found my way on imperial ships and I would send info back to my people."

-

"Razor crest?" Mayfeld says, "I can't believe that thing can fly. Looks like a Canto Bright slot machine. Alright the good-lookin' fellow there with the horns, that's burg." Burg is red, has large horns, and looks like he could crush me with one hand. I stand closer to Mando, "This may surprise you, but he's our muscle."

He walks to Mando and grunts, "So this is a Mandalorian. I thought they'd be bigger."

"Droids name is Zero."

Oh no.

The droid walks over to us.

"I thought you said you had four," Mando says

"He does," A voice from behind us says. We turn around and its a purple Twi'lek, "Hello, Mando."

Okay, how does she know him? And why am I so mad about it?

"Xi'an." He says

"Tell me why I shouldn't cut you down where you stand?"

'Cause I'll kill you.

She puts a knife to his throat and he doesn't even flinch, "Nice to see you, too."

She laughs then sighs, "I missed you."

Okay, I hate her.

Why?

I have no idea.

"This," she looks at me, "Is pretty. Got a new friend Mando?" She says the venom in her voice strong.

"Yes," he says.

"Does it have a name?" She looks back at Mando.

"Aurora," I say.

"A pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Do we need to leave the room or something?" Mayfeld says.

"Well," Ran says, "Xi'an's been a little heartbroken since Mando left our group."

"Aw. You gonna be okay, sweetheart?"

"Oh, I'm all business now. Learned from the best."

"Alright, lovebirds. Break it up 'til you get on the ship. Right now we don't have much time."

Lovebirds. Makes me wanna be sick.

Mando looks at me like he wants to say something but I won't look at him.

-

"So," Mayfeld says, "Package is being moved on a fortified transport ship. Now, we got a limited window to board, find our friend get him out of there before they make their jump." He shows us the hologram of the ship."

"That's a New Republic prison ship," Mando says, "Your man wasn't taken by a rival syndicate. He was arrested."

"So what?"

Stars I hate this more and more with every passing minute.

"A job is a job," Ran says.

"That's a max security transport and I'm not looking for that kinda heat."

"Well, neither are we. So just don't mess up."

"The good news for you," she says, "Is the ship is manned by droids. Still hate the machines, Mando?"

Zero, the droid walks out of the razor crest, "Despite recent modifications the ship is still quite a mess. The power lines are leaking, the navigation is intermittent and the hyperdrive is only operating at 67.3% efficiency. We have much better ships. Why are we using this one?"

"Because the Razor Crest is off the old imperial and the New Republic grid," Ran explains, "It's a ghost."

"And we need a ship that can get close enough to jam New Republic code," Mayfeld also explains. He clicks the hologram changing the picture to grids, "So when we drop out of hyperspace here, if we immediately bank into this kinda attitude, we should be right in their blind spot. Which will give us just enough time for your ship to scramble our signal."

"It's not possible," Mando says, "Even for the Crest."

"That's why he's flyin'" Ren motions towards Zero. Mayfeld laughs. "Mando, I know you're a pretty good pilot, but we need you on the trigger. Not on the wheel."

"Don't worry, Mandalorian. My response time is quicker than organics. And I'm smarter, too."

Everyone starts to bored the ship and so do I but Mando grabs my wrist. "Are you okay?"

I pull my wrist out of his grip, "Why wouldn't I be?" the anger very present in my voice.

I walk away and walk into the Razor crest.

-

After making sure Zero gets us into hyperspace we climb down to join the others.

You could cut the tension between me and Mando right now with a knife.

When we get down Burg his head in the weapons room thingy. Mando closes it causing Burg to grunt at him.

"Why do we even need a Mandalorian anyway?" Burg says.

"Apparently they are the greatest warriors in the galaxy," Mayfeld answers

"So why are they all dead?" They all laugh. I look up at Mando but he keeps his eyes locked on Burg.

"Well, you flew with him, Xi'an. Is he as good as they say?"

"Ask him about the job in Alzoc III."

"I did what I had to." Again Mando avoids my look.

"Oh, but you liked it. See, I know who you really are."

No, actually you don't

"He never takes off the helmet?" Mayfeld asks.

She chuckles before saying, "This is the way."

Stars do I want to punch her square in the face.

"I wonder what you look like under there. Maybe he's a Gungan. Is that why yousa don't wanna show your face." Burg laughs loudly. "You ever seen his face?"

"A lady never tells."

I swear I get light-headed at the thought of them together. My heart thumps in my chest, my breathing gets shallow, and my blood boils as the toxic feeling of jealousy flows through my veins.

Mando looks at me like he senses it.

"Aw. Come one, Mando. We all gotta trust each other here. You gotta show us somethin' Come on. Just lift the helmet up," Burg steps closer to us and my hand hovers over my blaster. "let's all see your eyes."

"I'll do it," Burg says and he reaches towards Mando.

Before I can fully react Mando pushed Burg back. He punches him in the face. As Burg falls he pushes buttons causes the doors to my cot to open revealing the baby.

"Woah! What is that?" Mayfeld says.

I stand in front of the child, "Don't." My hand sits on my blaster.

"Did you two make that?" he refers to me and Mando.

He tries to move around me to grab him, "I said don't."

"Protective of the thing now are we. Come on just let me hold him."

"Touch him and I shoot you."

"Dropping out of hyperspace now."

The ship shakes and we all fall. I fall onto the cot next to the kid who just giggles at what's happening around him.

"Commencing final approach, now. Cloaking signal now."

The ship goes upside down I grab the kid and I hold onto the wall.

"Engaging coupling now." The ship lands. I stand up and I make sure the kids okay before I close the door.

"All right, we got a job to do, Mando you're up," Mayfeld says

Just get through this and you never have to see these people ever again.

Mando opens the hatch on the floor revealing another hatch to get into the prison.

Mando opens it with some pre-empire tech I don't know how to use.

Mayfeld jumps down there first.

We all go one by one me going last.

The prison walls are white.

It reminds me of my rebel days.

"Alright, we're on the clock the second we engage those droids they're gonna be all over us."

"I know the drill," Mando says. I pull my blaster out of its holster to get ready.

"All right let's go."

We walk through the halls of the prison. The prisoners look through at us wondering what's going on.

"I don't like this," Mando says.

"You always were paranoid." Every time she talks I want to punch her.

One of the prisoners bangs on the wall and grunts loudly at us scaring Mayfeld. I can't help but laugh. "Looks like you're the paranoid one," I point out.

"Shut up."

"Approaching control room. Make a left." Zero says over the comlink.

As we turn into the next wall way an MSE- mouse droid stops in front of us.

Berg taunts it before shooting it.

"And now they know were here," I say.

Security droids turn the corner, "Intruder alert. Open fire."

Mando and I shoot but we miss. He grabs my wrist pulling me to the side covering ourselves from the blasts.

"If we die here I'm killing you," I tell Mando. He pulls my wrist again and pulls us into another away from the shooting. "Great are we leaving them?" Kriff he walks fast.

"We have a job to do."

"Oh yeah, lets free the prisoner sounds great. Let's go save the assholes who tried to take off your helmet. Let's save the annoying bitch who doesn't know when to shut up." He turns the corner and I basically have to run to keep up with him.

He turns the corner again and we end up behind the droids.

I refuse to help these people so I let Mando go alone. He slides down and cuts one's leg

Showoff.

He seems to be doing fine then he gets thrown to the floor.

Worry takes over the anger. I shoot one that was gonna shoot him. He shoots out his rope from his vambrace taking the head of one clean off.

If I wasn't so mad it would have been pretty badass. The last two left try to shoot at Mando the blast bounce of his beskar.

Before they can shoot at me fire comes out of both vambrace.

The last one tries to shoot at us but I grab the blaster out of its hands and shot it in the head.

The prisoners boo and cheer us.

"Thanks," Mando whispers.

"Yeah, whatever."

The other three walk past us. Mando and I give each other a look before following.

We find the control room and Zero opens the door.

The guard wearing a blue uniform with a yellow rebel logo on the side jumps up and points his blaster at us.

"Stop!" He stutters, "Just stop right there." Mando and Burg point they're blasters, "You put down the blasters right now."

He stares at me for a moment probably recognizing me.

It's embarrassing.

To be such a proud rebel to be here with people from the opposite side.

Mayfeld makes fun of him making him flustered.

"There were only supposed to be droids here," Mando says.

"Hang on, let's see here," Mayfeld says.

He doesn't know where to point his gun moving around from all of us as we surround him.

"Cell two-two-one," Mayfeld says, "Alright now for our well-dressed friend. He pulls out a tracking beacon. If he presses that button we're screwed. We will get blown to hell. "Put that down. Put it down."

He's scared its obvious. He hasn't trained for this it's why he's in the control room.

Mayfeld pulls a gun on him.

"Look if we just calm down no one has to get hurt," Mando says. He and Mayfeld stare each other down.

"Hey," I say, "Point it at me," He turns to me "Point it at me," He points his blaster at me, "There you go." Mando gets points his blaster higher, "Mando put the blaster down."

"But-"

"Do it." He does. I look at Mayfeld, "You too."

"Are you crazy?"

"Put. It. Down." He does.

"What's your name?" I ask softly to the rebel standing in front of me.

He stammers before saying, " It's Davan."

I remember.

"Davan. Look you know me. Remember? Dantooine?"

"Aurora?"

"Yes. Look we're not here for you. We're here for a prisoner. Just let us do our job and you can walk out of here unharmed." He starts to lower his gun.

"No, he won't," Mayfeld says and they point their guns back at each other. I point mine at Mayfeld he points one at me and Mando points one at him.

"You realize what you're gonna bring down on us?" I say.

"You think I care about that?"

"We're not killing anybody."

"Get that blaster out of my face, I'm not listening to rebel scum."

"Can't do that."I feel the anger flow through my body. Anger at how stupid these people are and anger as to how I'm even here in the first place.

"Get that blaster out of my face!" Burg pulls his guns out too.

Then a knife flies past my face hitting Davan. He falls to the ground dead.

Yeah, I'm gonna kill her.

But I just stare at Davan's lifeless body. I look at the symbol on his arm and I feel disgusting for what I'm doing.

The tracking beacon starts blinking and flashing, "Was that thing blinking before?" Mayfeld asks.

"I've detected a New Republic distress signal. Homing in on your location. You have approximately 20 minutes."

"We only need five," she says.

They run out. I start to follow but Mando stops me, "You okay?"

"No, that's one of my people right there." I motion towards Davan, "You do realize that me doing this goes against everything I've fought for. For me, this is the same as taking off the helmet."

"Then why are you here?"

"I wasn't gonna let you do it alone now was I?"

Because I care about you dumbass.

-

We find the cell and with Zeros help they get it open.

Inside is somebody who looks just like her. He stares at Mando.

"Quin," Mando says.

He stands up, "Funny, the man who left me behind is now my savior. Mando."

Next thing I know Mando and I are getting pushed inside the cell falling straight to the floor and the door is being locked.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I say still laying on the floor. Mando gets up and he puts his hand out to help me up but I refuse. Standing up on my own, "I told you this was a bad idea. You do realize the kid is on the ship alone with that droid?"

"Yes."

"And now we're stuck in here."

"What do you want me to say? That this is all my fault? You don't think I feel bad enough already for making you do this?"

For this first time in my life, I'm lost for words. Maybe its because that is the longest I've ever heard him talk or because of what he said.

Either way, I just stare at him.

"Let's just get out of here." He says and I nod.

-

A droid walks by our cell. Through the small windows in the cell, Mando shoots the rope out of his vambrace pulling the droid towards us.

The droid struggles against Mandos hold. It puts its blaster through the window and shoots. I go to pull its arm after a couple tries it falls off and it drops its blaster. The black fuel from the droid spills everywhere.

I take the blaster and shoot it in the head. The droid falls to the ground.

Mando grabs his arm that fell inside the cell. Mando turns the end of the arm making the key shoot of its hand.

And with that, the cell door unlocks.

Mando and I run back to the control room. "You know how to use this stuff?" He asks me.

"Hell yeah I do." I walk up to the controls and find our little friends on the monitors, "It's time to play a game."

I press a few buttons causing the lights to turn off and red lights to flash. The hatch doors start closing locking them on this ship.

They run looking for an escape but the door just keeps closing. They ended up being separated.

"The coms are down too so Zero can't help them."

"Good."

Mando and I watch and Berg and her split up. I look back down and Davan's body feeling horrible.

I pick up the tracking beacon next to him. I put the beacon in my pocket. I look back at the monitors.

"It looks like Berg is on his way here. What do we do?"

Mando looks up to the air vents

-

We see Berg through the ceiling.

Mandos rope shoots down at him and it wraps around his throat. He pulls on the robe causing Mando to fall through the vents and me to fall along with him.

And it hurts. I don't have the luxury armor protecting me.

The wind gets knocked out of me, everything is blurry, and my wrist, stars does it hurt.

Next thing I know Mando is being thrown across the room.

I grab my blaster with my non-hurt hand and I shoot but it does nothing.

Mando shoots fire in his face.

And nothing.

He gets a few good hits in with Mando and throws him across the room again.

I feel useless seeing Mando get thrown around like a rag doll.

I try shooting a few more times but nothing hurts this guy.

"Let's see your face Mandalorian."

Oh hell no.

I stand up now running on pure adrenaline.

Mando however throws Burg over his head. Now Burg is in the doorway and Mando lies on the floor.

I go to the control panel clicking a button that closed the door from the top.

He catches it.

Of course, he did.

I press another button closing the door on the sides crushing him.

With everything calm, I feel the pain in my wrist again, "Son of a-"

Mando stands up, "Are you hurt?"

I nod, "I'll be fine though, I've had worse."

-

We walk through the halls and we run into her.

"I want this one," I say.

"Wait-"

I run after her. She throws her knives and I dodge them all except for one that grazes my shoulder.

She goes to stab me but I grab her arm and punch her in the face.

And let me tell you.

It felt amazing.

I take the knife out of her hand, kick her to her knees and I hold the knife to her throat.

I go to cut it but Mando stops me. "I told you we're not killing them."

"But she killed one of my people. And you and her-" Woah, there Aurora think before you speak.

"I know, but you said yourself we're not here to kill people." I sigh before hitting her in the head knocking her out.

I look down at her, "I don't like her."

"Neither do I."

Oh.

-

Mando takes care of Mayfeld easily.

Next, we find Qin climbing up the ladder.

"Qin," Mando says causing him to stop.

"You killed the others."

I wish.

"They got what they deserved," I say.

He turns at us and Mando pulls out his blaster.

"You kill me, you don't get your money," he shrugs, "Whatever Ran promised, I'll make sure you get it, and more. Come on, Mando. Be reasonable." He throws his blaster on the ground. "You were hired to do a job, right?" he puts his wrist out, "So do it. Isn't that your code? Aren't you a man of honor?"

-

We get back onto the ship and the stupid droid is starring at the kid. He has his gun pointed at him but before he can do anything I shoot the droid in the head.

It falls to the ground with a loud thud.

"I understand your hatred for droids now," I say to Mando.

-

Mando files us the hell out of there and we go back to Rans base.

I stay in the cockpit watching the exchange out the window.

Qin and Ren hug.

Ren gives Mando the credits without asking any questions.

Mando comes back up and flies us out of here.

As we fly away three X- wing ships fly past us.

We hear them shooting at the base behind us, "I miss flying those." Mando puts us into hyperdrive. "Thank the stars that is over."

He turns his chair around and looks at me, "Let me see your wrist."

"Its fine, Mando."

He grabs my wrist anyway and I wince at the pain. "Its sprained."

"See told you. I'm fine."

"Come on," he says climbing down the ladder and I follow, "Sit."

I sit down and he sits down across from me placing the med-kit on the table. "She got your shoulder too."

I scowl at the mention of her, "Just a scratch."

"You really don't like her do you?"

"Nope."

Please don't ask me why.

He carefully grabs my wrist with his gloved hands and wraps my wrist with the bandage. Even though he still has his gloves on his touch still makes me nervous. I'm almost sure he can feeling my heart beating faster and faster.

"I'm sorry I dragged you along for that."

"It's fine."

"Its not," he finished wrapping my wrist, "Let me see your shoulder." I turn and he rolls the sleeve up. "I shouldn't of made you do something against you believe in."

I did it for you.

He applies the batca patch to the cut, "I wasn't gonna let you do it alone." It comes out quieter then I wanted.

He looks up at me his face, or helmet is just a few inches from mine. If he was planning on saying something he decided against it.

He just stands up and walks to his room. He comes back with a shirt in his hand.

"That one is covered in blood wear this one."

"I uh- have-"

"Just take it."

"I- okay." I grab the shirt, "Thanks." And then he leaves.

And now I am left here alone with these feelings.

These feelings I don't want and I shouldn't have.

Because he will never feel them back.

-

My favorite chapter so far. Let me know if you want more

[iamthegaysmurf]

18. walking home, for the soft™ prompts :)

36.  giggling during sex

—–

Well, well, well.  If it isn’t two months later, and I finally finished this last remaining set of prompts.  I have no excuse for myself.  Only apologies to @tinygay-haught and this anon, who have been waiting for this prompt fill for way too long.

I am so very sorry.  :(

The good news is, my Angst-O-Meter apparently had enough time to reset, so your angst scale is set to zero for this one.  It is 100% soft and gooey fluff.  

((And also some, uh…  other stuff…  *clears throat*  Let’s just say that this one is definitely not suitable for being read in the workplace setting.  So, uh…  Have fun with that.))

ANYWAY…….  

I really am sorry it took so long, but I hope you’re still able to enjoy it anyway.

—–

Set during the nineteen-week time jump between the end of S2 and the beginning of S3.  (On the 8th of September, to be exact.)

—–

“I can’t believe we already have snow by my birthday.”

“One of the perks of living in Canada.”

Technically, Nicole will admit that getting this much snow so early in September is a little out of the ordinary, even by Canadian standards.  But she doesn’t really care.  She still considers it a perk, anyway.  She’s always felt like the first snow of the year seemed to hold some sort of magic.  

And now that she lives in Purgatory…  

Well.  You never know.  

Maybe it actually is magical.

“Ugh.  It is not a perk,” Waverly whines, shivering a little when they leave Shorty’s behind and step out into the crisp night air.  

Nicole instinctively lifts her arm, allowing Waverly to snuggle underneath it as they begin to walk along the deserted sidewalk.  It may be the first snow of the season, but it’s certainly making an entrance, acting like it has something to prove.  It hasn’t let up since it started yesterday morning, and there are places where the drifts are already halfway up the buildings.

The municipal workers have done their best to try and keep up with it, but truth be told, none of the departments were quite prepared for such dramatic weather to hit seemingly out of nowhere.  With everyone in leaf-raking mode, they were still busy making sure the various burning ordinances were plainly marked around town.

Needless to say, there are several roads and sidewalks that haven’t been plowed and salted yet.  Nicole makes a mental note to start working on a more advanced action plan so that they’re better prepared before the next time.

But in the meantime, she closes her eyes and listens to the untouched snow crunching under her boots and tries to fight the giddiness that creeps into her chest with every step she takes.

“Most definitely a perk,” she says with a grin, leaning down to kiss the tip of Waverly’s nose, barely visible beneath the giant scarf she has wrapped around her neck.

“Give me a hot summer afternoon any day over this,” Waverly grumbles, kicking out at a snowdrift that’s settled against one of the buildings they’re walking past.  It explodes in a cloud of soft white powder, glinting in the streetlight like a wintery glitterbomb.  

Nicole can’t help but giggle as it blows back in their faces, something warm spiking through her ribs when Waverly looks up at her, nose crinkled and freshly fallen flakes caught in her long lashes.  She loses the ability to take another step for a moment as she stands there watching Waverly, the silvery moonlightcatching the flakes in her hair and her lashes and the soft wool of her coat, making her glow with an almost ethereal light, as though she just stepped straight out of heaven, halo and all.

“What?” Waverly finally asks, tilting her head slightly.

“Nothing,” Nicole mumbles, shaking herself out of her stupor.  “You only like the summertime because ninety percent of your wardrobe is made up of crop tops and miniskirts,” she jokes as they begin walking again.

“Are you complaining?” Waverly asks, raising an eyebrow that tells Nicole she’d better be careful when choosing her next words.

“N-no…” she stutters, the red in her cheeks having nothing to do with the sharp cold in the air.

“Mmhmm.”  Wavelry smirks and nudges Nicole in the ribs with her elbow.  “Why do you like the snow so much, anyway?  It’s so cold.”  She shivers again, for good measure.

“It’s not about being cold,” Nicole laughs, bundling Waverly a little closer into her side.  “Though, that certainly doesn’t hurt.”  

Waverly swats at her again, but Nicole just catches her hand and uses it to twirl her around before pulling her back in.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Nicole says, closing her eyes and turning her face up into the falling snow while she thinks.  “I guess it’s like…”  She looks back down at Waverly again.  “Like a clean slate.  Sort of a fresh start.”  

Confusion knits Waverly’s brow as she waits for Nicole to continue.

“When there’s a fresh snow on the ground, still untouched by animals and footprints and salt trucks, everything just seems so…  pure and white.”  She shrugs one shoulder, a little embarrassed, but Waverly is listening intently, so she tries to keep explaining.  “Everything is so… muted.  And it’s like…  It’s like the world is standing still.  Like there’s no monsters or curses or shitty childhoods.  Just… everything is calm and peaceful, and for just that one moment, the world is a better place.”

Nicole is about to ask if that makes any kind of sense, but before she can get a word out, Waverly grabs her by the scarf and drags her down into a heated kiss.  It lasts long enough that they end up against the nearby wall, Nicole’s hands flat on the bricks with Waverly bracketed between her arms, clutching tightly at the lapels of Nicole’s navy blue peacoat to keep her close.

Nicole finally pulls away, her chest heaving, thick puffs of white smoke curling up around her face like some kind of ice dragon.

“What was that for?” she asks, breathless.

“Just for being you,” Waverly whispers back, struggling a bit with her own breath.

Nicole leans in and kisses her again, both of them lost in their own little world as the snow falls silently around them, completely forgetting that Nicole is pinning Waverly to a brick wall right out on the main street.  

That is, until a voice rings out from a few blocks down, echoing through the empty night.

“Can’t you horndogs even wait ‘til you get home?”

They jump apart, like a couple of teenagers who just got caught by a teacher while making out behind the gym, both of them stuttering in unison.

“It’s not what it–”

“We were just–”

“Yeah, I know what you were just…” Wynonna cuts them off, cackling.  Her words are slurred, but her tone is playful rather than harsh, clearly drawing enjoyment from their discomfort.

“Okay, Earp.  That’s enough,” another, deeper voice joins hers.  “Let’s leave them alone now,” Dolls says, stepping out through the doorway of the saloon.  

“Awww…” Wynonna pouts, sticking her bottom lip out like a petulant child.  “But it’s so fun to watch ‘em squirm!”

“I know.”  Dolls smirks and looks up at Nicole with a wink.  Her blush deepens, and she wonders if there is actual steam rising off of her face in the cold night air.  “But it’s time to get you home now.”

He begins trying to herd her toward his massive SUV, parked across the street, but she twirls away out of his reach and starts heading down the sidewalk in the opposite direction, stomping her feet through the deep snow like a kid pretending to be an abominable snowman.

“Earp.  What. Are you doing.”  Dolls lets out an exasperated sigh and trudges after her.

“I’m walkin’ home!” she replies, like it’s the most obvious thing in the goddamn world.  “Flatfoot over there can’t arrest me for DUI if I’m not drivin’ anything!”

“No, but I could still get you for public intoxication!” Nicole calls after her with a grin, finally finding her voice again.

Waverly laughs brightly, watching Dolls try to wrangle Wynonna while she continues to weave and totter just out of his reach.  She rests her head against Nicole’s shoulder and slips her hand into Nicole’s.  It’s more like a paw than a hand, really.  A giant woolen paw.  Nicole has wondered many times how Waverly is able to pick up or hold anything with her hands inside those ridiculously huge woolen mittens.

Dolls eventually catches Wynonna, wrapping his thick arms around her middle and trapping her arms against her waist.  He lifts her entirely off the ground frombehind and starts hauling her toward the cab of his vehicle, while she kicks her legs and curses at him through intermittent bouts of giggles.

“Happy Birthday, Little Earp,” he calls back over his shoulder once he has her safely inside, and then climbs up into the driver’s seat next to her.  Waverly raises one of her woolen paws and waves as he pulls the door shut.

He pulls away, his powerful four-wheel drive churning through the ice and snow of the unplowed street with no trouble at all, and the two of them stand there and watch until the red of the taillights finally fades in the distance.

“So,” Nicole breathes, turning to face Waverly.  There’s a smile on her face that lights up the entire street.  “Where were we, Miss Earp?”

“I believe you were taking me home, Officer Haught.”  Waverly waggles her eyebrows playfully and begins tugging Nicole forward again.

“It is pretty cold out here,” Nicole says, her feet remaining planted.  “I think Coop is on dispatch tonight.  Do you want me to call him and have him send one of the boys to come and give us a ride?”

Waverly stops pulling on Nicole’s arm and seems to consider this.

“As nice as the party for my birthday was that you and Wynonna insisted on planning…”  Waverly pauses for a moment, and Nicole notices a shadow of something pass over her face.  But then it’s gone as quickly as it appeared, and Waverly is focused on Nicole again.  “I think I’d rather just enjoy the peace andquiet with you after all of that, instead of dealing with Lonnie right now.”

“You sure?” Nicole asks, running her hands up and down Waverly’s arms, trying to make sure she’s warm enough.

“As long as you don’t mind walking me home.”  Waverly smiles up at her and loops her arm through Nicole’s.  “And if you promise to be my bonus blanket when we get there.”

Home.

Nicole knows that the homestead will always be Waverly’s true home.  As it should be, considering the protection the ammolite bedrock provides.  Nicolehas been spending more and more time at the homestead, and there’s even been some recent talk – most surprisingly from Wynonna – of Nicole moving some of her things over there after what happened with Widow Mercedes at her house just over three months ago.

But every time Waverly casually refers to Nicole’s place as home, whether she realizes she’s doing it or not, Nicole can’t help the warmth that spreads through her limbs.  

Waverly considers it her space, too.

She thinks of me as home.

Nicole shakes her head when she realizes Waverly is staring at her with an amused look on her face.  She must have been zoning out for a few seconds, and failed to respond to Waverly’s question.  Her cheeks burn, and she feels the falling snowflakes melt against them as they fall.

“I’ll be your bonus blanket any time you want.”

I’ll be your bonus blanket for the rest of our lives.

Waverly beams and squeezes her arm, and together, they start off down the street again.

“So, you’re twenty-two now.  How do you feel?  Any different?” Nicole asks as they walk down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, kicking at piles of snow as they go and ignoring the cold, focusing instead on the warmth that they draw from each other.

“Not really,” Waverly snorts, shrugging.  

She’s quiet for a few minutes after that, and Nicole can tell that she’s contemplating something, so she gives her the time to work through it, just continuing to hold on to her arm like a steadfast escort.

“It’s weird,” Waverly says, apropos of nothing.  

“What is?” Nicole asks, curious to see where this will go.

“Last year, I was just a girl working in a bar, obsessed with a curse that may or may not have been the figment of a six-year-old’s imagination.  My family was dead, my sister was gone, Shorty and Curtis – and Gus, of course – were the closest thing to family I had left.  I was stuck in a loop of living the same routine day in and day out, dating a boy-man, and wondering if anyone would ever truly see me.”

Nicole stops and turns to face Waverly, her gloved hand coming up to cup Waverly’s cheek gently.

“And now?”

Waverly leans into Nicole’s touch and huffs out a short laugh.

“A year ago, I was blowing out a candle on a cupcake that I made for myself, up in my apartment above the bar.  Alone.”  She reaches out and bats absentmindedly at the end of Nicole’s scarf with her mitten-paw.  “But tonight, I had a birthday party – the first real one I’ve ever had in my entire life – and everyone came.”

Nicole strokes her cheek and waits for her to continue.

“Shorty and Curtis may be gone, and Gus may be away with Alice, but now I have a new family.  Jeremy and Dolls and Doc.  Wynonna is back home, and we’re a team, and we’re the kind of sisters I always used to dream about being when I was little.”

Waverly’s paws climb up the front of Nicole’s coat and over her shoulders, until they’re draped behind her neck.

“And you,” Waverly says, tugging Nicole down until she can reach her face.  “Now I have you, and I never want to be without you again.”

Nicole sinks forward into the kiss that Waverly pulls her into, but her mind spirals off in a thousand different directions.  She knows Waverly isn’t ready to say theactual words yet, but she’s also smart enough to know what these words mean.  Waverly is telling Nicole that she loves her in the only way she knows how to right now, and Nicole will never get tired of hearing it.

“I may not know what I am…” Waverly whispers, ducking her head a little when she pulls out of the kiss.  She swallows hard a couple of times and then finally looks back up at Nicole.  “But I think I finally know who I am.  And that’s thanks to you and Wynonna.”  

Her expression goes softer, and Nicole melts a little at the earnest look in her eyes.

“So, even though we’ve had to deal with a bunch of shit-tickets and…  and a bunch of other crappy stuff…”  A bit of sheepishness creeps into her voice,but she ignores it and pushes up on her toes to press a quick kiss to Nicole’scheek.  “I think it’s still been a pretty fudging good year.”

Nicole can’t contain herself any longer.  She sweeps Waverly up into her arms and twirls her around, kissing the snowflakes off of her nose and cheeks andeyelashes.

“I think it’s been a pretty fudging good year, too,” she says, setting Waverly down carefully and then kissing her properly.  It lingers, turning into something deeper and more urgent, until they both pull away, panting in the cold air.

“Nicole,” Waverly whispers, hot against her ear, still a little breathless.  “Take me home.”

“As you wish,” she whispers back, and Waverly’s eyes shine.  Nicole never gets tired of seeing this kind of reaction any time she quotes Waverly’s favorite movie.

The final few blocks to Nicole’s house pass by in a haze of longing looks and roaming hands and stolen kisses that have no trouble warding off the winter chill.  The falling snow continues to blanket the ground around them, and Nicole feels a little bit like one of those picturesque happy couples destined to live an eternity inside the happiest moment of their lives, captured inside the safety of a snow globe’s protective bubble forever.  

Waverly waits impatiently behind her as Nicole fumbles with the keys at her front door.  Her hands are cold, but her insides are burning, and there are too many sensations at once for her to keep her fingers steady.  She pauses and takes a deep breath before tugging her gloves off and trying again without their bulkiness adding to the difficulty.

Just as the key turns in the lock and she’s about to push the door open, something thumps against the back of her head, exploding in a cloud of white powder around her face.  Less than a second later, clumps of slushy snow begin to slip beneath her collar, slithering down the bare skin of her back.  She yelps and wiggles clumsily, trying to get it out, but it’s no use; the ice is trapped underseveral layers of clothing, and Nicole has no choice but to tough it out.

The giggles coming from behind her cause her to spin around on her heel, but before she can even take a single step, another snowball hits her right in the chest, splattering flecks of snow across her cheeks and nose.  She squints through the flakes caught in her eyelashes and spots Waverly, doubled over with laughter, about ten feet away, in the middle of her front yard.

Leaping off the front porch, Nicole skips over the steps entirely and lands in the knee-deep snow beneath, weighing her options in the moment.  She could easily retaliate by scooping up handfuls of snow and hurling it back at her girlfriend, but then her eyes land on the snowdrift that’s piled up around the nearby tree – several feet deep and only a few steps away from where Waverly now stands.

Waverly immediately freezes, her eyes going wide and her lips parting with an audible gasp.  

A deer caught in the headlights.

Prey.

A positively wicked grin curls Nicole’s lips as she begins to stalk forward, and Waverly throws up her bare hands in exaggerated surrender.  She must have shed her woolen paws in favor of packing a more perfect snowball.

Nicole continues to advance, and Waverly stumbles backward a couple of steps, the quiet of the night broken by a shrill litany of no, no, please, no muffling out through her bunched up scarf.

But it’s too late.  Her fate is already sealed.

Nicole lunges forward, and Waverly doesn’t even come close to dodging in time.  She wraps her arms around Waverly’s body, giant puffy coat and all, and then gravity seems to shift, tipping them both sideways as they topple into the mountain of powder with a soft squelch.

It’s almost drowned out by the squeals and peals of laughter.

Almost.

Waverly twists and bucks, but Nicole allows the length of her body to work to her advantage, keeping Waverly pinned easily despite the amount of snow she’s flinging about with her flailing arms.  

She can feel the cold soaking in through her jeans, and her gloveless hands are numb, but Nicole doesn’t care, because Waverly Earp is beneath her and her laughter sounds like angels singing and she can see her entire future reflected back at her in those gleaming hazel eyes.

Overcome with a swell of emotion, Nicole dips her head and finds Waverly’s lips, cold and wet and eager to meld with hers.  Waverly’s squirming stills, and her flailing arms come to rest around Nicole’s neck, desperately pulling her in closer.

Nicole gets so lost in the kiss – and all of the thoughts racing through her head that involve far fewer layers of clothing between them – that when Waverly arches up against her, Nicole willingly allows her to flip them over in the soft bank of snow.  Waverly continues to kiss her for a few moments, deliberately grinding down against her hip, but then the next thing Nicole knows, two giant handfuls of snow have been scooped up over her face and Waverly’s weight hasdisappeared.

She sputters for a second, spitting out mouthfuls of snow, and wipes at her face as she hears Waverly’s boots thumping across the wooden planks of the front porch before disappearing into the house, her giggles still echoing in the night.

Big, fat flakes continue to fall overhead, coming to rest on her peacoat and her scarf and her jeans that are soaked through.  Nicole watches them gather for a few moments, thinking about everything that has happened since the last time she experienced a “first snow of the year.”  Before learning about the Curse.  Before finding herself a new family.  Before she had Waverly.

It feels like a lifetime ago, and Nicole doesn’t know how she ever thought she was alive without all of these things in her life – both the good and the bad.

She wouldn’t give it up for all of the normal in the world.

Once she feels like she’s given Waverly a big enough head start, Nicole pulls herself up out of the snow and begins making her way into the house, unsure of what she might find there.

To her delight, she’s greeted by a trail that starts with snow-packed boots that were discarded on the rug by the door and continues all the way up the stairs, one article of clothing at a time.

Nicole grins and pulls off her own boots after making sure the door is locked and the keys are safely on the hook that hangs next to the coatrack.

Two can play at this game.

By the time she makes it to the top of the stairs, she’s lost her coat and scarf and hat and sweater and socks along the way.  She reaches the door to her bedroom wearing only her damp jeans and bra, and she’s about to stroll inside with a swagger in her hips and a quip on her tongue, but what she finds waiting for her steals the breath right out of her lungs instead.

Waverly is completely naked.

Sprawled out on her bed, propped up on her elbow with her head resting in one of her hands and the other hand trailing up and down her hip and thigh, her fingers dancing over the goosebumps left in the wake of the light touch.

Completely naked.

Nicole can’t do anything but stare.

“Finally decided to join me?” Waverly practically purrs.  Her voice is low and warm and filled with the promise of so many things to come.

When Nicole remains frozen in place, her mouth hanging open dumbly, Waverly chuckles softly and rolls off of her elbow, sprawling more fully across the rest of the bed.  With fire in her eyes and a deliberate motion, she crooks a finger at Nicole, summoning her to the bed like some kind of siren’s song.

The spinning gears in Nicole’s brain finally catch and click into place, sending it whirring into overdrive.  She hastily unhooks her bra and yanks it down her arms, not paying attention to where it lands.  Her jeans prove to be more of a challenge, still soaked from the snow and clinging to her damp skin.  It’s all she can do to keep her balance as she struggles to peel them down her legs until she can eventually kick them the rest of the way off.

Finally bare, a shiver works its way out through her limbs and all the way down to her numb fingertips.  It could be the chill in her bones working its way out as her clammy skin tries to catch up to the soft warmth of the room around her, though Nicole thinks it’s far more likely the result of the smoldering look being leveled in her direction.

But the reason isn’t important because the only thing that matters right now is Waverly.  

Waverly, Waverly, Waverly.

Muscles pulled taut with anticipation, rippling slightly beneath smooth bronze skin.  Wavy hair cascading around her shoulders and across her chest, rising and falling rapidly, her breasts swaying with each breath, nipples tight and standing proud.  Spread open before her, glistening with need, desire hanging thickly in the air between them. 

Truly a vision to behold.

Nicole tries to say so, but her mouth is so dry, the words stick in her throat.  She licks her lips and tries again, but her tongue is too thick and too clumsy and the words trip over it on the way out, falling from her mouth in a jumble.

Before Nicole can remember how to take another step closer to the bed, Waverly’s hands begin to roam over her own body.

“Well, if you’re just gonna stand there and watch all night…” she trails off with a smirk as her fingertips dance lower and lower down her abdomen.  She gasps softly when they finally dip into slick folds, and Nicole feels so lightheaded she actually stumbles forward to steady herself against the footboard.  

This time when Waverly invites her to join in, Nicole’s limbs remember how to move on their own, and she crawls up the bed until she’s hovering over Waverly on her hands and knees.  Just as she dips her head to find Waverly’s lips, Waverly lets her hands slide up Nicole’s ribs toward her breasts.

Nicole immediately yelps and jumps backward, unfortunately forgetting just how close to the edge of the bed they were to begin with.  The world is suspended for a brief moment in which Nicole suddenly understands what the coyote must feel like when he holds up his sign that says “$#!+” – she half expects to hear a smug *meep meep* coming from Waverly – followed by a loud thump as she hits the ground in a heap of tangled up limbs.

“Oh, my god!  Are you okay?”  Waverly scrambles to the edge of the bed, peering down at Nicole with wide eyes and a creased brow.

One of Nicole’s feet is still up on the mattress and the other leg is folded awkwardly, half under her body and half under the bed.  There’s an arm thrown up over her head, covering part of her face, and the other is bent at the elbow where she tried to break her fall.

“Nicole…?” Waverly calls again.

Nicole groans in response, choosing to stare at the ceiling instead of looking at Waverly.  

“What the hell, Nicole…” Waverly demands, now that she knows Nicole is okay.

“Your hands,” Nicole groans again, still staring at the ceiling, dramatic and forlorn.  “Are so cold.”

The silence stretches out long enough that Nicole begins to wonder if she’d actually answered out loud, or if it had only been in her head.  Swallowing down her pride, she risks a glance in Waverly’s direction.

Waverly is gaping at her almost comically.  She looks down at her hands where they’re curled around the edge of the bed, her fingers still glowing red after handling the snow without her mitten-paws on, and then back at Nicole.

Their eyes are locked as the seconds tick away, and then the tension abruptly and definitively breaks when Waverly snorts so loudly that Nicole actually jumps a little.  The embarrassment of her predicament slowly ebbs as mirth begins to dance in Waverly’s eyes, the amusement contagious.  

Before long, they’re both overcome with a fit of giggles so strong that Waverly has to flop over onto her back in order to breathe.  Nicole tries to untangle herself, but with her foot still up by Waverly’s head, it’s not exactly the easiest of tasks.  Especially while she’s laughing so hard that there are actual tears in her eyes.

Waverly eventually takes pity on her, helping Nicole ease her leg down from the bed without it getting caught on her other knee.  They’re both still hiccupping with giggles, despite Waverly making a comment about mourning the loss of the view Nicole had inadvertently gifted her with.  That makes Nicole’s face burn, the heat radiating out to the tips of her ears and down her neck where it blooms across her bare chest.

Nicole finally pushes herself up off of the floor, crawling over to the bed on her knees and grabbing Waverly’s radiant face in her hands.  She pulls Waverly forward until she can swallow her laughter directly from her lips.  They both continue to giggle for a few seconds, but they quickly settle into the kiss until it becomes something more, Nicole’s hands beginning to drift down from Waverly’s cheeks to play across the warm skin of her shoulders and her back and her hips.  Waverly twitches and jerks and eventually pulls away from the kiss with a squeak.

“Your hands aren’t exactly hot and fresh out of the oven either, Officer,” Waverly pouts when Nicole raises an eyebrow.

She laughs and kisses her again, and this time when Waverly pulls away, it’s to whisper hotly in Nicole’s ear.

“How about if I help you warm your fingers up?”

Nicole swallows hard and nods, rising to her feet so she can crawl back onto the bed and drape herself over Waverly’s naked form, but Waverly stops her with a hand to chest.  Nicole pauses, frowning with confusion, but Waverly just shakes her head and scoots over before directing Nicole to lie down next to her.

“Like this,” she whispers and then climbs on top, straddling Nicole’s hips with her own.

“Anything you want, baby,” Nicole breathes, her temperature instantly rising as Waverly takes her hand and raises it to her chest, directing it down between her breasts and over her stomach and past the line of her hipbones.  She never takes her eyes off of Waverly’s face as she guides Nicole’s hand further down, hissing slightly as Nicole’s cold fingers finally make contact with wet warmth.

Nicole would normally take her time.  Tease a little and work Waverly up, building to the moment when she finally gives in to Waverly’s desperate pleas.  But Waverly clearly knows what she wants tonight, and Nicole would never deny her that, so when Waverly pulls at the back of her hand, Nicole doesn’t hesitate to bury two fingers deep inside of the scorching heat that’s so ready for her.

Waverly’s head falls back, moaning Nicole’s name into the suddenly warm room, and it echoes in Nicole’s chest before settling someplace a little lower.

Time nearly stops, slowing down until it can be measured in their heartbeats.

Three heartbeats.  Waverly opens her eyes, looking down to meet Nicole’s, and the amount of pure want she finds there makes Nicole’s head spin.

Eight heartbeats.  The arch of Waverly’s spine eases as she loses her grip on Nicole’s hand and leans forward, her own hands falling to Nicole’s hips to steady herself.

Twelve heartbeats.  Nicole flexes her fingers inside Waverly, testing, and watches as her breath trips and stutters, her fingers digging deeper into Nicole’s hips.

Fifteen heartbeats. Waverly knows exactly what she wants, and she’s ready to take it.

Waverly gasps Nicole’s name again – a plea, a prayer, a promise – and the spell is broken, the world rushing in around them as time catches back up to their overwhelming need.  Waverly begins to roll her hips, setting a greedy, deliberate pace, and Nicole curls her fingers against the walls that clench around them, matching her timing with Waverly’s movements.

Planting her feet against the mattress, Nicole uses the extra leverage to add the strength of her hips behind every thrust, long, deep, determined strokes that cause Waverly to shudder and gasp, her rhythm briefly faltering until they fall back into sync again.  The need in Waverly’s eyes smolders, and Nicole can feel it burning through her, every place that their bodies touch.

Her arms begin to shake with the exertion of holding herself up, and Waverly eventually falls forward until she’s hovering just above Nicole, her elbows bracketing Nicole’s head around the pillow.  The pace never slows, but the change in angle causes her to cry out, her clit dragging roughly across Nicole’s palm now as Nicole’s fingers reach new depths with every thrust.

She moans her pleasure loudly, directly into Nicole’s mouth, and Nicole thinks it’s the sweetest thing she’s ever tasted.  She can tell Waverly is getting close by the way her movements are becoming more and more erratic, the desperation sharp on her tongue.

“Don’t stop,” she pleads in Nicole’s ear, breathless.  Before Nicole can assure that she’ll never stop, Waverly lifts her head just enough to look Nicole in the eye, her hair falling around them, forming a curtain between the two of them and the rest of the world.  “Don’t stop fucking me, Nicole,” she pants.

Waverly very rarely swears, especially like that, but something has lit a fire inside her tonight, and Nicole is more than happy to let the flames consume heruntil she’s nothing more than ashes at Waverly’s feet.

“I won’t,” she promises when Waverly’s eyes continue to bore into hers.  

As if to prove her dedication to the task at hand, the fingers of Nicole’s free hand dig into the flexing muscles of Waverly’s ass.  With every buck of her hips, her fingers push into Waverly with more and more force, and she uses the tighter grip to help pull Waverly down against each thrust with increased strength.  Waverly wails her approval, followed by a hissed yesss and so close.

Nicole’s wrist aches and the muscles in her thighs and ass burn from pushing up off of the mattress so rapidly for so long, but none of that registers right now.  The only thing Nicole can focus on is Waverly.

Waverly, Waverly, Waverly.

The way Waverly’s breath is hot and ragged against her ear and her cheek and her lips.  The way Waverly’s eyes are bright and lustful and wild.  The way Waverly’s breasts drag against her own with every bounce.  

The way Waverly’s walls ripple and flutter around her fingers, and the way Waverly’s hips jerk out of rhythm every time she curls them forward at the apex of a stroke.

This is it.

On the next thrust, Waverly’s entire body seizes up, clenching down around Nicole so tightly that she’s forced to leave her fingers buried deep for the time being.  Her eyes are squeezed shut and her face contorted in concentration, almost giving off the appearance of pain, but Nicole knows better.

She counts the silent heartbeats she feels pounding against her fingertips, and then Waverly’s eyes snap open, her jaw going slack as a violent tremor wracks her entire body.  Her hips begin to stutter again, and Nicole makes sure to press harder with her palm, applying extra pressure directly to Waverly’s throbbing clit.

A strangled sort of whine builds in the back of Waverly’s throat, until eventually, variations of Nicole’s name fall from her lips in a series of sobs and sighs as she shudders and shakes her way through her powerful orgasm.  Nicole continues towork her through it until the trembling subsides, and Waverly collapsesforward, mumbling strings of nonsense against Nicole’s chest.

Nicole draws lazy shapes on Waverly’s back while she catches her breath again, and then playfully flexes the fingers still buried deep, causing Waverly to jerk and swat at her shoulder with a groan.

“What’s gotten into you tonight?” Nicole asks, grinning happily when Waverly finally tilts her head to look up at her, cheek still pressed to her chest, just over her racing heart.

“Last time I checked,” Waverly says, deliberately squeezing down around Nicole’s fingers, “it was you.”  Nicole huffs out a laugh, surprised –and delighted – by Waverly’s boldness.  “At least your fingers aren’t cold anymore,” Waverly adds, waggling her eyebrows.

Nicole rolls her eyes with a snort as she carefully withdraws, easing Waverly through the loss and kissing her nose to chase away the pout that follows.  She wipes her hand on the blanket before bringing it up to cup Waverly’s cheek and draw her in for a proper kiss.

Waverly sinks into it immediately, and Nicole can taste the desire, still thick and heavy on her tongue.  She’s quickly reminded that her own body is still tense and sensitive, muscles twitching under Waverly’s fingertips as they begin to roam – down her side, over her hip, and back up again.

“Waverly…” Nicole mumbles, voice broken, as Waverly’s lips trail away from her mouth and down her throat.  Her tongue traces random patterns against Nicole’s heated skin, along her sternum and across her breast, until it eventually swirls around a tight nipple.  Nicole’s hips buck involuntarily, despite the fact that Waverly is still straddling them, pinning them to the bed.

“Easy, baby,” Waverly coos, smirking up at her before taking the nipple back into her mouth again.  Her hands continue to dance over the exposed planes of Nicole’s abdomen and ribs and pelvis, but where her touch may have been meant to soothe, instead it leaves a molten trail in its wake.

Shifting above her, Waverly settles between Nicole’s legs rather than straddling them, and Nicole can instantly feel her arousal hot and wet against Waverly’s stomach.  She moans loudly as the slick friction ramps her up even further, her pulse thundering wildly between her thighs.  She wonders if Waverly can actually feel it against the toned muscles she’s rolling against Nicole’s heat as her kisses begin to trail lower and lower.

“Wave…” she groans out, her brow furrowing.  “Waverly…  Baby, wait…”  Nicole pushes up on her elbows as Waverly’s tongue dips briefly into her navel and then continues its descent.  

She looks down, trying to force her hazy eyes to focus, but that proves to be a mistake when she finds Waverly nestled further between her legs, peering up at her from beneath her lashes as her mouth hovers dangerously close to Nicole’s folds, spread open and swollen with her need.

Nicole’s brain short-circuits, completely derailing the train of thought she was trying to follow.

With a devious grin, Waverly drops her head to place a single, chaste kiss right on the tip of Nicole’s aching clit, never once breaking eye contact in the process.

“Baby…” Nicole whimpers, her entire body trembling with desperation for release.  “You don’t have to do that.  Let– let me take care of you,” she manages, her voice thin and strained.  “Tonight is supposed to be all about you.”

“This is about me, baby.”  The smirk spreads wider across her face as she continues to look Nicole in the eye.  “It’s my birthday.  And this…” she drags her tongue, broad and thick, in a deliberate stroke from Nicole’s entrance all the way up to her clit, collecting as much arousal as she can along the way, “…is the present that I want.”

Nicole chokes on her own tongue.

She fists the sheets in a death-grip to keep from pushing herself up into Waverly’s face.

Jesus fucking Christ, Haught.  Show some goddamned restraint.

Swallowing thickly, Nicole searches Waverly’s eyes for a moment.  When she’s met with nothing but burning desire, determined and hungry, she nods once and then squeezes her eyes shut tight and lets her head fall back against the pillow.  

Before she can even draw a full breath, the warmth of Waverly’s lips and tongue envelopes her, and this time she can’t stop herself from pushing further into Waverly’s mouth.  She feels Waverly snake an arm up over her hips, holding her down against the mattress while Waverly licks and sucks her way into oblivion.

They’re always enthusiastic about doing this for each other, but tonight, it’s as though Waverly is starving and Nicole is the only thing that can sustain her.  She tries to focus on the movements of Waverly’s tongue, flicking at her clit and pushing inside her and dragging along the length in between, but the sensations are too overwhelming and everything narrows to one single thought.

Waverly, Waverly, Waverly.

She must be calling her name out loud, because the hand that’s not holding her hips down reaches up and pries her fingers loose from the sheets, lacing their fingers together instead, offering an anchor to the here and now.

I’m here, it says.

I’ve got you, it tells her.

You can let go with me, it promises.

Nicole squeezes Waverly’s hand in response, grateful that they’re so in tune with each other that Waverly always knows what she needs and when she needs it.  Because she sure as shit can’t ask for it right now.  Not with the things Waverly’s mouth is doing to her at the moment.

The muscles in her thighs and abdomen, and even across her shoulders, begin to quiver and quake as the fire in her belly threatens to spill over.

“I’m–” Nicole stutters, struggling to suck air into her burning lungs.  “I’m gonna–”

Waverly squeezes Nicole’s hand tighter and focuses the point of her tongue directly over Nicole’s clit, indicating that is exactly what she wants to happen.

Nicole’s head sinks deeper into the pillow, her back arching high off the bed, stiff and curved and displaying her breasts beautifully for Waverly’s pleasure as she works to push Nicole the rest of the way over the ledge.  

She remains suspended there, a marionette of her own making, while Waverly expertly manipulates the wires, easily bending Nicole to her will.  Waverly continues to tug at them, stretching and pulling until the wires eventually snap, and Nicole tumbles back to the bed, a trembling mess wrought with incoherent babbling.

Her hunger seems to fade into something a little more tender, and Waverly eases Nicole through her aftershocks, never once letting go of her hand.  When Nicole finally remembers how to breathe again, her body heavy and still, she feels Waverly pressing soft kisses along the insides of her thighs and across the dip in her pelvis.

“Wave…” she rasps, hoarse, as she reaches out with her free hand to gently touch the top of Waverly’s head.  She strokes her fingers through the loose strands of hair and urges Waverly up.  “C’mere,” she mumbles.

Waverly wipes at her mouth and chin haphazardly with the back of her hand and then crawls up the length of Nicole’s body, settling on top of her and tucking a flyaway lock behind Nicole’s ear with a pleased grin.

Nicole knows she should be sated and satisfied after the ecstasy Waverly just put her through, but there’s something about seeing Waverly gazing down at her like this – with flushed skin and glistening lips – that leaves Nicole’s blood still boiling just beneath the surface.

When she tastes herself on Waverly’s kiss, the slow simmer hits a flashpoint, flaring up until it overtakes her.  

She flips them over in the blink of an eye, her body easily covering Waverly’s smaller frame beneath her, carefully slotting one of her thighs between Waverly’s, and making sure that one of Waverly’s also rests precariously between her own.

“Tell me you want this,” she murmurs against Waverly’s lips, rocking down into her with purpose.  It doesn’t matter how deep in the throes of her own lust she is, the sexiest thing Nicole will ever experience is still Waverly’s consent.

“Yes,” Waverly groans, sucking Nicole’s bottom lip between her teeth.  “I want it. I want you.”

Nicole slides her hands up Waverly’s arms until their fingers lock together, and then she raises them above Waverly’s head, pinning them in place against the bed.  Waverly gasps and arches up against Nicole, squeezing her hands tighter, but doesn’t make a move to fight against being held down by her lover.

“Okay?” Nicole checks again, sucking on the spot just beneath Waverly’s ear.

“God, Nicole.”  She rolls her own hips up to meet Nicole’s.  “Please.”

Dropping any remaining pretense of teasing, Nicole begins to grind against Waverly in earnest.  The sound Waverly makes in response echoes against the roof of Nicole’s mouth, and she swallows it down, chasing after the source with her tongue.  Waverly lifts her thigh just enough to match Nicole’s pace with her own hips, and soon, they’re both chasing after their pleasure in a mess of slick heat and muscle.

It doesn’t take long until they’re dangerously close, both of them high on lust and need and pure, unadulterated want.  Nicole breaks the kiss to lick and nibble her way along Waverly’s jawline, and Waverly pants encouragement in her ear, a breathless string of don’t stop and oh, fuck and just like that.

Nicole’s grip on Waverly’s hands tightens as their crescendo builds, and Waverly squeezes back, walking the same razor’s edge.

“Are you…?” Nicole grunts, knowing she won’t be able to hold out for much longer.

“Yesss,” Waverly hisses, her eyes screwed shut.  “Keep going.  I’m–   I’m–”

Waverly spreads her wings and leaps off of the cliff they’ve been barreling toward, pulling Nicole over with her at the last minute.  It’s more like smoldering embers rather than the consuming flames from before, but it’s still every bit as intense, knowing that they’re sharing it this time.  

Nicole releases Waverly’s hands, sliding her arms under Waverly’s shoulders instead, and Waverly’s arms immediately move to wrap around Nicole, clutching desperately at her back.  They ride out the waves together, holding each other close and sighing soft affections into the warm spaces between them, until all that’s left is sated bodies and muted breaths and two hearts beating in time as one.

“Nicole…” Waverly eventually whispers after several long minutes of silence broken only by their rhythmic breathing.  

When she doesn’t follow it up with anything after a few seconds, Nicole raises her head from where it’s been resting in the crook of Waverly’s neck.  Waverly’s eyes are bright, brimming with unsaid words, but the fear creeping in around the edges doesn’t allow them to spill over.  

Not yet.  

But that’s okay.  

She knows it will happen when Waverly is ready.  

And until then?  

Well.  

Nicole certainly isn’t going anywhere.

“I know, baby,” Nicole whispers back, wrestling one of her hands free from underneath Waverly and bringing it up to stroke her cheek gently.  “It’s okay. I know.”

Waverly searches Nicole’s face earnestly for a moment and then breathes out a quiet sigh of relief, nodding once and then tipping her chin up toward Nicole as her eyes flutter shut.  Nicole doesn’t hesitate to cover Waverly’s lips with her own, and Waverly kisses her like a lazy Sunday morning, soft and slow and unhurried.

The kiss finally breaks, and Nicole rests her forehead against Waverly’s, lost in the feeling of their bodies still pressed together, limbs entangled and hearts entwined.  

It startles her enough that she actually flinches when Waverly starts giggling out of nowhere a few minutes later.

“What?” she asks, frowning down at Waverly, confused.  “What’s wrong?”

“Happy.  Birthday.  To.  ME.”  She waggles her eyebrows dramatically.

Nicole snorts, amused by Waverly’s brazen smugness.

“You’re insufferable, Waverly Earp.”  Waverly’s giddy mood is infectious, and Nicole can’t help but catch a case of the giggles right along with her.

Waverly pinches at Nicole’s side, and Nicole rolls off of her in a huff, flopping over onto her back and swatting at Waverly’s hands.  The playful wrestling continues until Waverly yawns widely, swallowing up her laughter.

“C’mon, birthday girl,” Nicole chuckles.  “Let’s get cleaned up and tuck you into bed.”

She grumbles and pouts, but crawls to the edge of the bed and takes the hand that Nicole holds out to help her to her feet.  She stumbles into Nicole’s arms, where she fits like she was made to belong there, and they stay that way for a few minutes, Nicole swaying them gently and stroking her fingers through Waverly’s hair.

“You can go first,” she finally says with a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head, and then shoos her off toward the bathroom door on the other side of the bedroom.

Waverly only closes the door part of the way, and Nicole can hear her humming something softly while she stands at the sink.  It’s too muffled for Nicole to pick out the individual notes, but it makes her smile just the same as she rummages through the closet until she finds a clean set of flannel sheets.

The evidence of their love is painted all over the bed, and Nicole’s cheeks redden as she strips the old sheets off to replace them with the new ones.  The room smells like sex and happiness and the future, and it kindles something warm inside her chest that winds up past her ribs and through her spine and settles around her heart.

She hears the toilet flushing just as she’s gathering up all of the clothing from the floor to deposit in the nearby hamper, and soon Waverly emerges, still naked and still gorgeous in the soft lamplight infusing the room.  Nicole’s heart stuttersdespite itself, and Waverly smirks as she saunters over to take Nicole’s facein her hands and kiss her senseless.

“Wow…” Nicole breathes.  Her lips and tongue tingle from the minty toothpaste Waverly had just used.

“Youuur tuuurn,” Waverly sing-songs, pulling Nicole out of her stupor.  She takes the bundle of sheets and clothes out of Nicole’s arms and pushes her toward the bathroom.

Nicole handles her business quickly, moving through her nightly routine on auto-pilot, and when she returns, Waverly is flitting around the room, blowing out the candles she had apparently let burn for a few minutes, filling the room with a warm lavender and vanilla scent.

“I think there’s still a pair of your pajamas in the top drawer of the dresser,” Nicole says, handing Waverly a scrunchie so she can try and tame the wild mane that’s definitely screaming Sex Hair right now.  “If not, you can wear something of mine,” she adds with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“No need,” Waverly says airily, waving a dismissive hand after pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail.  “I’ve already got my birthday suit on.”  She grins over her shoulder and crawls into bed defiantly, stretching her exhausted muscles like a cat before curling up on the fresh, warm flannel sheets.

Nicole nearly chokes at the blatant display.

“W-won’t y-you…” she stutters.  She blinks a couple of times and clears herthroat and tries again.  “Won’t you be cold?”

“You’re the only bonus blanket I need,” Waverly says softly, patting the space in the bed next to her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole murmurs, scrambling over to the edge of the bed.  She clicks the lamp off and slips in behind Waverly, reaching down to pull the covers up around them, tucking them carefully under Waverly’s chin.

Waverly immediately settles back into her with adorable little grunting noises until she’s situated just right to be Nicole’s little spoon.  Nicole wraps herself around the warm body pressed tightly against her front, her arm moving protectively over Waverly’s waist.  Waverly immediately laces their fingers together, pulling their hands up to rest securely against her chest.

Silence settles over them like an extra blanket, and Nicole watches the snow still falling against the window, enormous flakes almost glowing with the silvery light of the moon behind them.  

For just this one night, they’ve been free of the burdens weighing all of them down like shackles.  No sorrow over missing Alice.  No betrayal over Rosita turning on them at the last minute.  No anxiety over the lack of leads on Bulshar’s whereabouts.  They can worry about all of that again tomorrow, but tonight, there had only been room for family and joy and love.

She thinks again of the power a first snowfall holds; the fresh start and the childlike wonder and the promise of hope.

It truly is magic.

Just as the lassitude of sleep is about to overtake her, Nicole ghosts her lips across Waverly’s bare shoulder.

“I love you, Waverly Earp,” she whispers into the night.

She’s not expecting a response, Waverly’s breathing having already evened out into a slow, steady rhythm.  When one comes, it’s mumbled so softly Nicole has to strain her ears just to make it out.

“Best birthday ever.”

[honeyharrylive]

Treat Her Right

Okay, so it’s a Monday night and I put off studying for my midterm. To the point where I literally sat down and wrote 2.3K words of Harry smut for the first time....ever. Please let me know what you think and if you want a part two!! My asks are open!

Enjoy!

He knew it was a bad idea.

He knew going out tonight, especially to a restaurant an hour from home, was just a bad idea. But he wanted to give her a nice night since he’s been gone for three months. It’s what she deserved. A fancy dinner, all dressed up. To talk while they sipped some expensive wine, hold hands across the table, and flirt with each other as if this was their first time meeting. He wanted to treat her right tonight.

She just wanted him to eat her right tonight.

She missed him bad while he was gone. Facetime calls were never enough and the new vibrator she’d gotten before he left just wasn’t cutting it. For the past three months it’s been exhausting orgasms - and not in the good way. Not the way he gives them to her. She wanted his fingers, his tongue, his cock...not buzzing silicone. So when he got home this afternoon, she was ready to let him take her whatever way he pleased. But instead, she spent it getting ready for their date. Don’t get her wrong though! She’s madly in love with him and had such a time going to dinner with him tonight, but the car ride back was the longest she’s ever endured. And they’ve still got 30 minutes.

The seats in his Range Rover were roomy and comfy, the heat in the car on full blast on a winter night like this one. One hand on the wheel, concentrating on the road and the other hand on her knee was enough to make her clench her thighs together, thinking about what those hands could be doing right now. And sometimes she’d see him poke his tongue out to wet his chapped lips and think about it licking her instead. 30 minutes, you can wait. He smiled at her, giving her thigh a little squeeze and tapped his fingers along to the soft music in the background. He knows what he's doing to me, she thought.

And he did. He knew exactly what he was doing because although he was dampening his lips every so often, it wasn’t because they were dry and chapped. No, it’s because he knew that she was watching him. He knew what she wanted, but he wanted to hear her say it. Wanted to hear those filthy words come out of her mouth. 3 months and you’d think he’d be willing to let this one go and just have his way with her, but he wanted to hear her beg for his touch. Say how much she missed him.

She decided to do something about it. She reached her hand over and played with his hair a bit, right by his ear. Pushed the little curls back and scratched his scalp lightly - something she knew he liked. He hummed at the feeling and gave her a side eye, knowing exactly what she was up to. But he wanted to play it off like he didn’t. So he focused back on the road. Her nails, long and freshly done, stopped playing with his hair and instead traveled elsewhere. Her finger tip traced his cheek and she giggled as his dimple showed, her finger slightly going into the divet. Then down to his neck, to his chest. She flattened her hand out, rubbing over the exposed skin that showed some of his tattoos. His breath a little shaky the closer she got to his cock, already hard from just the thought of being buried inside her when they got home. But he was driving, and he wasn’t going to die like this, so he finally moved his hand from her leg and caught her wrist. “What d’ya think you’re doing, pet?”

She looked at him innocently, like she hadn’t just been feeling him up. “Nothin, just admiring you.” She smiles.

“Usually admiring someone doesn’t involve feelin them up, now does it?”

“No, but you just look so handsome tonight. Hot, actually. I had to get the full hands-on experience.” She giggled.

“We’ve got 20 more minutes, darlin. Think you can wait til we get home for more uh’that, yeah?” He let go of her wrist and turned up the music, drowning out the little whine she lets out at his suggestion. She huffs, crossing her arms in aggravation. He’s so focused on the road, going as fast as he can to get home. But she is just too impatient and too wet to even consider waiting until they get home. So, she does what she’s been doing for three months.

She subtly pushes her dress up a bit, exposing the new light pink panties she put on for him tonight. She shifts in her seat, peeking over at him to make sure he didn’t notice. Her pointer finger came down softly rub over the lacy fabric, feeling how wet she already is. With the radio still up and his eyes still on the road, she let out a little whimper deciding to slip her hand completely under the panties. She found her little bundle of nerves and started rubbing at it - side to side, up and down, circling in. The more pressure she put on, the harder it was to hold back any noise. So, she decided to just let it go. One long moan and a little whimper after, she saw his head snap in her direction quickly. He noticed her dress scrunched up around her waist, her hand dipped into her underwear, and her hand moving quickly on herself. She was looking right at him; his jawline, his chest, his hands. She couldn’t help herself.

“What does my princess think she’s doin? Rubbing her little button while I’m right beside her. Pleasure yourself now, darling, and you’re not going to cum at all when we get home.” He kept a stern face, sure of his words. And she knew it too, knew he was dead serious when he said those words. Knew that he’d fuck her until he came, eat her out until she was begging to release herself; and leave her sobbing in frustration with absolutley nothing. That’s the only reason she decided to take her hand away from her pussy and pull her dress back down. And for the last ten minutes of the car ride, he sucked on the fingers that were just rubbing herself. She was sure she was dripping on the nice leather seats by now.

When they did finally get home, he’d barely gotten the car turned off before they both ran for the front door. He pushed her up against the wall in the hallway leading to their bedroom. Heavy breathing, the sound of him sucking on her neck, and the fumbling of his belt buckle was all that echoed in the corridor. “You know exactly how naughty you were being, don’t ya lovie? Touching ya’self while I was driving. Couldn’t properly touch you for three months and you do that to me.” He got on his knees, looking up to her for an answer. When nothing came from her mouth, he gave her thigh a slight smack that made her whimper. “M’sorry, sorry. You just looked so good tonight. Please do somethin, please.” Her hands were against the wall and her body pushed towards him. She was desperate and he knew that. But, so was he.

He bunched up her dress. His hand lightly trailed across the inside of her thighs and ghosted over where she needed him most. “You want me to touch you here, pet?” He wiggled his finger across the fabric and she lost it, pushing herself towards his finger. He chuckled and took it as a yes, then yanked her panties down her legs. He didn’t give her a chance to step out of them before he dove face first right into her pussy. Sticking his tongue out, delving into her wet folds and shaking his head side to side. She basically screamed and gripped onto his full head of curls, pulling on the hair. He groaned from the feeling, the sound vibrating exactly where his mouth was now - sucking her clit and licking at her like it was his last meal.

He was relentless, hardly coming up for air. The dress that was once bunched up at her waist has now fallen slightly over his head. Keeping at it, his tongue poking in and out at a fast pace, sometimes flattening out and licking all the way up her sweet pussy. She swears she’s never felt something so good in her life. Her thighs are shaking, moans loud and drawn out. Everytime he suckles on her clit she swears she sees stars. And she’s so close, so close to her release. The licking sounds intensify and she pulls his hair a bit harder - a nonverbal signal that she’s about to come. He knows this, and that’s exactly why he pulls away.

She cries out her back hitting the wall and her thighs still slightly shaking. A little tear rolls down her cheek as she looks at him. He knows what he’s done and he also knows that she loves it, no matter how much she whines about it. And he loves watching her fall apart.

“Please, please I was so close. Please lick me again. Please, H.” Panting, she looks up at him with glossy eyes. He simply shakes his head no, a smirk on his face, and shoots his hand out for her to grab. She whimpers lightly and steps out of her panties finally. She takes his hand and follows him to their bedroom. “Strip.” Was all he said. She follows his demand, her dress and bra in a pile next to the bed. He falls onto the bed, leaning up against the headboard. She’s staring at him, waiting for him to say his next demand. He nods his head to come closer and begins to unbutton his white shirt, exposing his chest and stomach now. She climbs onto the bed, next to where he’s rested.

She’s sitting on her knees, ass resting on the back of her foot, patiently waiting for him to finish unbuttoning his shirt. She knows what he wants her to do, but she has to wait until he says to do so. And he finally does. He pats his thigh lightly and helps her swing her leg over his, sitting herself on his leg. Just the subtle feeling of the material of his pants against her bare pussy has her whimpering, so when he finally says “move”, she’s an absolute mess. One hand is pinching and rubbing her nipple, one resting on her waist; his rings are cold against her and she loves it. Thigh riding has become one of their favorite things. He loves to watch her get herself off on him; she loves the feeling of the fabric between her lips.

He’s so hard, he can’t stand it. She’s only rubbing against his cock once in awhile, when her thigh accidentally brushes it. And every time it does he lets out a barely-noticeable whimper. But oh, she notices.

She stops her movements, although being very close to cumming, and shuffles away from him. It’s a bold mood, and he’s not very happy she’s stopped without his permission, but then she’s unbuttoning his pants and grasping him. He lets out a moan, letting her have her way with him for a bit. She’ll pay for this in a bit, he thinks. She strokes him, kissing his neck and nipping at his skin and begins to grind against his leg again. She knows how much he loves this, how her touch makes him weak. I’m in control now. The slower she goes, the more his moans turn to desperate whimpers for release. She smirks to herself, thinking he’s just putty in her hands now.

But then he grabs her wrist, pulling her hand away from him. He flips her over before she knows what’s happening, and grabs both of her wrists. She gasped, not expecting the situation to turn around so quickly. He smiled a devilish grin, “Don’t move.” And so she didn’t. She watched in anticipation as got into the closet to get what she assumed was their box of toys. It wasn’t often that they used them, only when he really wanted to play. To punish her for something.

He brought out a long piece of silky fabric. He softly grabbed her wrists and began wrapping the smooth fabric around them. “This okay, lovie?” He stopped what he was doing until she answered, “Yes, sir.” He nodded, “Safe word?” and she replied, “Red.”  And then he continued. When he finished securing her wrists, making sure she couldn’t slip out of it easily, he stepped back. He couldn’t help but stare at her, taking in how beautiful she looked lying on his bed, hands tied up and aching for his touch. And oh, was she aching.

“Please, H. Please do something.” She whined. She was looking at him desperately, searching for what he was going to do about it just by his facial expression. But he was still staring and it took him a minute to process that she asked him to do something. “Needy little thing, aren’t ya? Want me t’please you but knowin you’ve been naughty all night. Couldn’t just wait. Well lovie,” he paused, reaching into the bedside drawer. She whimpered, her clit achy and legs rubbing together slightly to ease it. In his hand was a vibrator-a new one, she assumed. One that would send her into a frenzy just on the lowest setting. He bent down to her cunt, licked her enough to get her soaked again, and pushed the silicone toy inside her. A long moan slipped from her lips and the frustration showed in her face.

“Guess you’ll be waiting a bit longer, won’t ya? Don’t cum until I say.”

[zen3to5]

J/H 3-17: Kitty’s Birthday (Is That Today?!)

Admission up-front: for a re-write project, not much is re-written here. This is more of a re-editing and re-structuring. You may have noticed that I cut Kelso's "B" story from the previous episode, but as silly as it is, that "B" story is important for Kelso's character, so I needed to plug it back in somewhere. Given what else is in store, this seemed the most logical place for that. So almost all the content here is from the show as you know it - the "A" story from this episode and the "B" story from another, edited in juxtaposition with each other. There is a little bit of re-writing, however, and it concerns Jackie and Hyde.

If this feels a little bit like a cheat on fresh material, then - just wait 'til next time...

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SHOW TITLE   INT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY - DAY   A cold winter’s morning, with snow everywhere. Dressed for the weather, ERIC and DONNA stand around HYDE’s EL CAMINO, admiring the car. The hood is popped, and HYDE adjusts the engine.   DONNA: Wow, Hyde, I can’t believe it. Your own set of wheels.   HYDE: Yep. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. Oh, except for that one time Kelso swallowed that fish hook. That was pretty cool, too.   ERIC: All right, Hyde. This car’s fine but, I mean, it’s no Vista Cruiser. How many miles are you getting to the gallon?   HYDE: Uh, about 11?   ERIC: Damn. Okay, fine. But, you know, the Vista Cruiser can seat eight. Nine, if someone sits on the stain.   HYDE: Yeah, okay, Forman, but do you have any idea how many chicks I can fit in the flatbed? Thirty-two, and that’s with big Rhonda.   ERIC: (beat) Damn!   Donna moves around to look at the flatbed, and screams. FEZ and CAROLINE sit up, their make-out session interrupted.   FEZ: Oh, hello.   He and Caroline climb out of the flatbed.   HYDE: What are you doing back there, Fez?   FEZ: I... I was... I was just showing Caroline the back of my new car and my tongue.   DONNA: Fez, this isn’t your car.   FEZ: (whispering) Shut up.   CAROLINE: (giggles) Isn’t he cute? (to Fez) Fezzy, I told you, you don’t have to try and impress me anymore. I’m your girlfriend now.   FEZ: Oh, I’m sorry, Caroline. From now on, I will be totally honest.   CAROLINE: Good. Now, come on. Walk me home.   FEZ: Ah, yes. And on the way, I could tell you about the time I killed a shark with a coconut.   He and Caroline walk off. Hyde closes up the El Camino. KELSO runs in from the garage, breathless.   KELSO: You guys, the weirdest thing just happened with Pam Macy.   HYDE: Kelso, man, she’ll do that with any guy standing in front of her.   Kelso shakes his head. Donna and Eric move to either side of Hyde.   KELSO: Okay. So, I’m making out with Pam in the orchestra pit, and everything’s progressing like normal until...   ERIC: What?   KELSO: You know, the really, really bad thing that can happen to guys when they’re with girls.   Hyde, Eric, and Donna look on.   KELSO (cont’d): Okay, let me put it this way: the conductor couldn’t raise the baton.   The others all “ah” in comprehension.   HYDE: So, what you’re trying to say is: the rabbit wouldn’t come out of the hat.   ERIC: The weasel wouldn’t pop.   DONNA: The alphabet soup never spelled “Go.”   KELSO: Okay! All right! Enough!   He starts to pace along the side of the El Camino.   ERIC: Actually, not quite. There were a lot of Amish people, but they never raised a barn.   Kelso drops his head onto the top of the El Camino. Donna laughs and Hyde claps Eric on the shoulder.   HYDE: Forman, man, that was awesome.   ERIC: Hey, it just came to me.   Kelso runs off down the sidewalk, pushing Eric as he passes. That doesn’t stop Eric, and the others, from laughing.

MAIN CREDITS   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN - EVENING   Later that day. KITTY is hard at work on the stove, stirring up meat in a pan. Buns and plates are on the side.   Hyde enters through the patio door, a small box in his hands.   HYDE: Hey, Mrs. Forman. Happy birthday.   He hands her the box.   KITTY: Oh! I can’t believe you remembered. You are the first person to say anything all day.   She takes the box and opens it up: there are FLASHBULBS inside.   KITTY (cont’d): And how did you know I needed more flashbulbs?   She pulls Hyde in for a kiss on the cheek and puts his gift away.   KITTY (cont’d): Thank you. So, do you want to stay for dinner?   HYDE: Oh, no thanks. I, uh, told Jackie I’d drop her off with her friends.   KITTY: Oh, now, aren’t you so sweet to do that for your –   Hyde cuts her off with a look.   KITTY (cont’d): And she’s not your girlfriend, of course! (laughs)   She spoons some meat into a bun and gives it to Hyde.   KITTY (cont’d): Here, at least take this for the road. You know, a sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal.   HYDE: Oh, well, thanks, Mrs. Forman.   Hyde exits out the patio door, just as Eric enters from the living room. He immediately sits down at the table.   ERIC: Hey, Mom. What’s for dinner? I’m starving.   KITTY: Manwiches.   ERIC: Again? Aah! We just had those.   RED enters from the living room.   RED: Kitty, I left my shirt on the bed. It needs to be ironed for tomorrow.   KITTY: Okay.   RED: Oh, and I know you think I forgot, but I didn’t.   He kisses her on the forehead. Kitty laughs.   KITTY: Oh, Red, I knew you’d remember.   RED: Yup. The check for the plumber is on the dresser.   He sits down at the table.   KITTY: Oh. Good.   She prepares two plates and brings them to the table. Eric lifts up his bun and frowns at the Manwich meat.   ERIC: Um, is there anything else to eat?   Kitty shifts on her feet. She takes Eric’s plate back, then Red’s.   KITTY: Well, you know what, honey?   She throws both plates into the sink and tears off her apron.   KITTY (cont’d): I don’t give a good gosh darn what you eat!   She tosses the apron into the sink too and storms out into the living room. Red and Eric look from the door to each other.   ERIC: Wow. She’s really upset.   RED: Yeah. Nice going.   Eric shakes his head, confused.   CUT TO:   INT. THE HUB – NIGHT   A quiet night at the Hub. A gentle snow falls outside. A small GROUP OF GIRLS has the wall table, and Caroline sits in the corner.   Hyde and JACKIE enter, Jackie adjusting her hat and coat.   JACKIE: Steven, that car is a death trap!   HYDE: No, the death trap is that giant patch of ice on Blondo and Fifth. The El Camino’s fine. Or it was, ‘til Big Rhonda cracked my break light.   Jackie shakes the snow off her coat and heads over to the girls. Hyde crosses to the counter and places an order.   Caroline rushes over to Hyde.   CAROLINE: Hi!   HYDE: Hey.   CAROLINE: Have you seen Fez?   HYDE: Uh, no. He went bowling with his host parents.   CAROLINE: Damn him!   She stomps the ground. Hyde turns to face her, and she looks up.   CAROLINE (cont’d): I’m sorry. I was just hoping he’d be here so we could study together. Now I have to walk home alone in the dark. It’s scary out there! Somebody ran over big Rhonda.   Hyde nods.   HYDE: Um, do you want a -   CAROLINE: Okay!   She rushes off to get her bag.   HYDE:   ... Ride?   He shrugs and takes the hot cup handed to him from the counter.   CUT TO:   INT. KELSO’S ROOM - NIGHT   Kelso is snuggled up in bed, sound asleep. A big grin spreads across his face as we cut to:   INT. GENIE BOTTLE   DREAM SEQUENCE. Genie’s bottle from I DREAM OF JEANNIE. Jackie, as Jeannie, stands at the ready.   KELSO (v.o.): Genie, I’m home.   Jackie smiles, folds her arms, and blinks. Kelso, as Major Nelson, appears.   KELSO: Hello, Genie Jackie.   JACKIE: Hello, Master Major Michael. How was your day?   KELSO: Pretty good, pretty good. But I’m starving. I’ve been on the moon all day and I missed lunch.   JACKIE: I can fix that.   They sit. Jackie folds her arms, blinks, and a tray of burgers appears on the ottoman.   KELSO: Damn, I love having a genie. Well, let’s eat.   He leans in toward the burgers, but Jackie takes his arm.   JACKIE: Okay – unless you’re hungry for something besides food, Master.   She folds her arms, blinks, and she and Kelso are sprawled out on the sofa, Kelso on top of Jackie.   Kelso looks from Jackie to the burgers and back.   KELSO:  Actually, I’ve been having a little problem in this department lately.   JACKIE:  Not anymore.   She folds her arms and blinks. Kelso glances down at his crotch. He lets out a delighted holler.   KELSO: You’re the best genie ever!   They begin to make out.   CUT TO:   INT. KELSO’S ROOM – NIGHT   Back to reality. Kelso twists in joy at his dream. Slowly, he stirs himself awake. Still smiling, he reaches for the phone by his bed and dials a number.   KELSO: (into phone) Hello? Pam? I’m back!   He laughs hysterically into the receiver.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN LIVING ROOM – NIGHT   The family is awkwardly gathered. Kitty and Eric share the couch while Red sits in his chair. He reads the newspaper, Eric reads a magazine, and Kitty watches television.   KITTY: The Waltons. Now, there’s a grateful family.   Red mumbles without looking up from his paper, and Eric ignores Kitty entirely.   KITTY (cont’d): And boy, did they love their mother.   Eric fidgets with his foot and leg.   ERIC: Oh, great. I think I’ve got athlete’s foot.   He goes back to his magazine. Kitty, disgusted, looks from him to Red and back before throwing her hands up and standing.   KITTY: I am – I am – I am going to bed.   She hurries up the stairs. Red puts down his newspaper and looks around the room.   RED: (to Eric) Where’d your mother go?   Eric looks up from his magazine and glances around the room.   ERIC: To bed. (beat) Hey, what’s wrong with her, anyway?   RED: Who knows? She’s been moody all day. Let me see the TV Guide.   He sets his newspaper down, and Eric hands him the TV GUIDE. Red starts to flip through it.   RED (cont’d): Let’s see. What day is it? Ahh! It’s the 13th. You know, it seems to me I was supposed to do something on the 13th.   It hits him like a rock. Red shuts the Guide and bolts out of his chair.   RED (cont’d): Oh, good Lord! (points at Eric) You forgot your mother’s birthday!   Eric’s jaw drops. He jumps off the couch.   ERIC:  Oh, no, Dad! This is bad. This is very, very bad.   RED: All right – don’t start getting all twitchy. Now, we gotta think. (beat) Let’s watch ChiPs and think.   They both sit, and Red takes up the remote.   CUT TO:   EXT. ROAD - NIGHT   The snow has stopped, and the roads are clear as the El Camino cruises along. Hyde watches the road, Caroline beside him in the passenger seat. “Drivin’ Wheel” by Foghat plays on the radio.   CAROLINE: So, Fez is really nice, huh?   HYDE: Yeah. Fez is a good guy.   CAROLINE: Yeah. (beat) You know, sometimes, when I’m trying to sleep at night, I think about how much it would hurt if he ever left me. And then I say, “Fez would never leave me.” But then, I say, “we’ve only been going out a short time. Maybe he would leave me.” (beat) So then I hold my breath until my lungs are about to explode, because that’s how much I think it would hurt if he ever did leave me.   Hyde slowly looks over at Caroline, who stares straight ahead.   CAROLINE (cont’d): And then, when I regain consciousness, I start breathing again, and everything’s fine. Oops! There’s my house. Thanks. Bye.   They’ve passed the house already, but Hyde quickly pulls the El Camino to a stop. Caroline gathers her bag and hops out.   HYDE: See ya.   He looks out at the road, his sunglasses not quite hiding the horror in his eyes.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN BEDROOM - NIGHT   Almost midnight. The lights are on. Kitty sits up in bed, reading CHOPPING DOWN THE FAMILY TREE.   The door swings open and Eric and Red step inside, two sorry-looking balloons and a paper bag in hand.   ERIC & RED: Happy birthday!   KITTY: (beat) Oh, you remembered.   She sets her book down and stands to retrieve her bathrobe. Eric and Red cross to the bed.   RED: Well, of course we remembered, honey! We just figured that we’d wait until there was only 15 minutes left in the day and you were good and mad, and then we’d sneak up here and surprise the hell out of you.   KITTY: Wow. What a good plan, ‘cause I was awfully mad.   RED:  Yeah. We really had you going.   ERIC: Here, Mom. Open this one first. It’s from me.   He takes a badly-wrapped flat present out of the paper bag.   KITTY: Well, thank you, honey.   She sits on the edge of the bed, takes the gift, and unwraps it to reveal:   KITTY (cont’d): Oh. A map of Wisconsin. Oh, well. Thank you.   She sets the map down.   ERIC: And, Mom. I got you these balloons, too.   He hands her the balloons. Kitty laughs and tugs them down close enough for her to read the writing on them.   KITTY: “Knock out the knock knocks at Schiffy’s Gas-n-Go.” Huh.   RED: Wait, Kitty, there’s more.   Kitty gives Eric back the balloons as Red pulls another, even more poorly-wrapped present from the bag. Kitty looks at Red before taking it. Unwrapping the gift, she finds:   KITTY: A funnel.   RED: ‘Cause I know how much you like to pour things.   He and Eric nod with fixed smiles. Kitty examines her funnel.   KITTY: Well, um... either these gifts are really thoughtful, or you bought a bunch of crap at the gas station.   RED: What?   KITTY: Oh, admit it, Red Forman. You forgot my birthday.   Red’s head bows.   ERIC: (to Red, whispering) Quick, Dad. Give her the lighter.   RED: (to Kitty) Look, Kitty. I’m sorry, but... it’s just... well, marking the calendar is your responsibility.   Kitty glares up at him, the funnel slipping from her hands.   ERIC: Oh. Dad, no!   Shaking his head, Eric retrieves the balloons and exits, while Red looks down at a distraught Kitty on the bed.   FADE TO BLACK   COMMERCIAL   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN LIVING ROOM – DAY   The next morning. Red lies on the couch, in his clothes from last night, with a crude quilt pulled over him. He rubs his eyes and face.   Kitty hurries down the stairs, not sparing Red a look. He smiles at her anyway and sits up.   RED: Ah, good morning, sunshine! So, what’s for breakfast?   KITTY: A funnel.   She disappears into the kitchen. Red falls back down onto the couch.   RED: Ow.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY – DAY   The El Camino is parked in the driveway. Hyde and Fez have lawn chairs set up in the flatbed, while Eric sits on the rim. Even dressed for the cold, they all shiver.   FEZ: Uh, guys, can we go inside? I’m freezing my choo-choos off.   ERIC: No way. I’m not going in there. I forgot my mom’s birthday.   HYDE: Really? ‘Cause I remembered your mom’s birthday.   ERIC: If you remembered, why didn’t you tell me?   HYDE: How would that be funny?   FEZ: I will never have to worry about forgetting Caroline’s birthday. She wrote it on my arm with permanent marker.   He rolls up his sleeve, revealing a large note scribbled on the bottom of his right arm. Among other things, the date “4-16” is clearly visible.   FEZ (cont’d): Isn’t she sweet?   HYDE: More like psycho.   FEZ: What are you doing, calling my girlfriend a psycho?   HYDE: Oh, I’m sorry, Fez. Did I say, “psycho?” I meant, “nutbag, headcase, whackadoo.” She chokes herself, man!   FEZ: Well, Hyde, maybe... maybe you should... maybe you should choke yourself! Good day.   He stands to leave.   HYDE: Fez -   FEZ: I said, “good day!”   He clamors out of the El Camino and stomps off.   BUMPER   EXT. PARKING LOT – DAY   The parking lot of the high school. It is empty, save for one lone car. Inside are Kelso, looking thoroughly miserable, and PAM MACY, who looks bored.   KELSO: Look, Pam. I’m really sorry about what happened... again. I must have the flu or something.   PAM: Well, it’s not like any flu I’ve ever heard of.   KELSO: Well, there’s lots of kinds of flu, Pam! (beat) I’m sorry.   PAM: Oh, well. Don’t take it so hard. (flat) Oops. Sorry.   KELSO: Look, just don’t tell anybody, okay?   PAM: Oh, Flopsy, I’m not gonna tell anybody. (beat) I’m gonna tell everybody.   She grins wickedly as Kelso drops his head onto the dashboard.   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN – DAY   Kitty goes through the kitchen, slamming cabinet doors as she puts dishes away. Donna enters through the patio door, a HERSHEY BAR in her hands.   DONNA: Hey, Mrs. Forman.   Kitty doesn’t react, instead busying herself by pouring a pot of coffee. Donna notices her mood.   DONNA (cont’d): Is Eric home?   Kitty finally looks at Donna.   KITTY: Oh, you mean my son, the map-giver. I don’t know, and I don’t care.   She picks up her coffee and sits at the dinner table.   DONNA: Mrs. Forman, are you okay?   KITTY: Oh, I am just freakin’ fine!   Donna joins her at the table.   DONNA: What happened?   KITTY: (beat) Well, you know I love my family. It’s just – sometimes, I want to get in the car and run ‘em all over. They forgot my birthday.   DONNA: I’m gonna go kick Eric’s ass right now.   She moves to leave, but Kitty pulls her back to her seat.   KITTY: I mean, it’s one thing when they don’t notice when I get my hair done differently – which they don’t. But this is my birthday. Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I expect too much.   DONNA: No, Mrs. Forman. You have every right to be mad. In fact, you should be madder. You’re, like, the best mom in the world.   KITTY: Yeah! Thank you, Donna! I just wish my own family would say that once in a while.   She lets out a sigh. Donna shakes her head and takes a bite of her Hershey bar, catching Kitty’s eye.   KITTY (cont’d): Oh, sweetie, that’s not your breakfast, is it?   DONNA: (beat) Yeah.   KITTY: Oh. (laughs) Why don’t you just let me make you some nice waffles instead?   She stands, moves over to the stove, and takes out a whisk and a mixing bowl from the cupboard below.   DONNA: (stands) Oh, cool. I love frozen waffles.   KITTY: Oh, honey, no, no, no, no. I make my waffles from scratch.   DONNA: (beat) Those bastards!   She slams a hand down on the stovetop.   CUT TO:   INT. THE HUB – DAY   A fairly busy afternoon. Hyde and Jackie sit at a round table near the center of the room, a basket of fries on the table, with Fez standing over Jackie. Caroline sits at the wall table, tearing open sugar packets and piling up the sugar. Pam Macy holds court near the window, commanding everyone’s attention except Caroline’s.   Pam holds her arm erect for a moment, then lets it flop down. Those around her all laugh, as does Fez. He looks down at Jackie, whose blank face shuts him up.   FEZ: Jackie, Pam has shared really terrible news about Kelso that made me laugh.   Jackie says nothing, her face unchanged.   FEZ (cont’d): And now I turn to you... this is where we both laugh together.   JACKIE: Actually, Fez, I don’t find it that funny. I kinda feel sad for him.   FEZ: But you hate him! He totally screwed you over!   JACKIE: Yeah, but he’s grown up a lot since then.   HYDE: That is so true. Why, just last week in chemistry, when he had to stay after class, he left all the notes alone on the blackboard and just doodled huge jugs in around ‘em.   He and Fez laugh, and Jackie scowls.   JACKIE: The point is, he’s suffered a lot, and I’m over it by now. (quietly) Poor Michael.   FEZ: “Poor Michael?” Well, I see I have wasted my time stopping here.   He sticks his nose up and marches over to Caroline’s table. Hyde puts a hand on the back of Jackie’s chair.   HYDE: Jackie, I want you to know it’s real big of you, lettin’ bygones be bygones with Kelso. It’s mature, responsible, and the right thing to do.   JACKIE: Well, thank you, Steven.   HYDE: And I thought I taught you better, grasshopper.   He makes a big show of shaking his head. Jackie chuckles, sighs, and heads into the bathroom.   At Caroline’s table, Fez watches as she continues to pile up the sugar.   FEZ: So, Caroline, uh, just curious. Um... do you sometimes choke yourself?   Caroline looks up, smiling.   CAROLINE: Yeah. But I only do it because I love you more than anything in the world.   She slaps her hands on either side of the table and leans in toward Fez.   FEZ: (beat) Okay, I’m good with that. I’ll get you a soda, lover. Don’t forget to breathe while I’m gone.   They trade playful hand gestures, then Fez heads for the counter. Hyde stands and meets him halfway.   HYDE: Hey, so how’s it going with Mental Mary?   FEZ: I owe you an apology, Hyde. She is crazy. But she’s crazy for me.   He looks around Hyde to Caroline. She gasps desperately, as if deprived of breath, and waves. Fez waves back, smiling.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN - DAY   Red and Eric stand in the middle of the kitchen. Eric has a bottle of cleaner and Red has the mop, but neither is doing anything except watching the patio door.   RED: Oh! Here she comes!   He and Eric put on a show just as Kitty comes in through the patio door. Eric scrubs at the stove while Red mops. Kitty breezes right past them into the living room without a word or a glance. Once she leaves the room, the men stop “working.”   ERIC: Oh, my God, she didn’t even look at us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mom so mad. Have you?   RED: Not since she stopped drinking.   ERIC: What?   RED: Nothing. Look – obviously, your mother’s very upset about something. And desperate times call for desperate measures. For the last ten years, she’s been asking us to do something. And every time, we say no, because what she wants is the most horrible thing in the world.   Eric recoils in horror.   ERIC: I won’t do it.   RED: Oh, you will do it. And you will like it.   CUT TO:   INT. DANCE HALL – DAY   Red’s horror made manifest: the tackiest, ugliest, corniest square dance celebration, complete with dancers in bad country uniforms.   Kitty, Red, Eric, and Donna stand in the doorway, decked out in Western clothing. While the other three look ready for death, Kitty bobs with excitement.   KITTY: I can’t believe we’re finally square dancing! Oh, this is so much fun!   She rushes out onto the dance floor and joins in, her joy making up what she lacks in technique (a lot.) Red, Eric, and Donna continue to look on in disgust.   RED: It looks like Hee-Haw puked in here.   Kitty runs over to Red and takes him by the arm.   KITTY: Come on, honey. Let’s dance!   She leads him into the circle of dancers.   ERIC: Oh, my God, this is awful.   DONNA: She made me waffles. Now promenade, you son of a bitch.   She takes Eric roughly by the arm and leads him into the circle too.   CUT TO:   INT. DANCE HALL -DAY   MONTAGE. The EMCEE of the dance sings a corny country song as the dancers go through various steps. We see Donna make a fair effort at enjoying herself (or at Eric’s expense). Eric occasionally cracks a smile. Red grimaces through the whole ordeal. And Kitty beams for every second of it.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY - DAY   On a pleasant afternoon, Kelso is all alone and forlorn. He dribbles a basketball and shoots it at the hoop, but it drops to the ground, deflated.   KELSO: Why is everything doing that?   He stares at the basketball, whimpering. Jackie walks up the driveway and stops in front of Kelso, pity in her eyes.   JACKIE:  Hey, Michael. I heard what happened with Pam. And I want you to know that, according to Cosmopolitan Magazine, you’re not a freak.   KELSO: Really?   Jackie nods.   JACKIE: Mm-hmm. They say that, lots of times, when it happens to a guy, it’s not that he can’t, it’s just that he secretly doesn’t want to.   KELSO: Okay, well, not to criticize, but Cosmo’s never seen Pam Macy naked.   JACKIE: Michael, just think about it. Do you even like Pam?   KELSO: Well, I like parts of her.   Jackie smiles and shakes her head.   JACKIE: Well, maybe that’s not enough. And maybe your body’s mature enough to realize that even if your brain isn’t.   KELSO: Wait. You know, if this is about maturity, then I want nothing to do with it.   JACKIE: Look, Michael, don’t worry, okay? When you find the girl you’re meant to be with, you’ll be able to do all the stuff you want. I promise.   KELSO: I hope you’re right. Thanks Jackie.   Jackie holds out her arms for a hug, and Kelso takes it.   After a moment, Kelso stiffens. His head shoots up and he pulls his hips away from Jackie.   KELSO (cont’d): I’m back.   JACKIE: What?   Kelso pushes Jackie back to arms’ length.   KELSO: Nothing. Good hug!   He gives her a thumbs’ up and takes off down the street.   CUT TO:   INT. DANCE HALL – DAY   The dance is still in progress, but Kitty is finally tired out. She and Donna catch a breather on two haystacks. Red and Eric walk over to them, Eric with a small box in hand.   ERIC: So, Mom, we found this present we just had to get you. Happy birthday.   He hands her the box.   KITTY: Oh, I thought square dance night was my present.   Red kneels beside her.   RED: It is, but we really messed up this year, and... well, we’re sorry.   Kitty smiles and kisses Red, then opens up her gift. It’s a novelty coffee mug. She beams as she displays it for Donna.   KITTY: “World’s Darn-Tootinest Mom.” Do you really think so?   RED: You’re darn-tootin’.   He kisses her. Kitty fans herself and packs up her new mug.   KITTY: Okay, well, I think I’ve had enough do-si-dos for one night, so what do you say we all go home and have hot fudge sundaes?   RED: Thank God!   ERIC: Oh, yes.   They immediately head for the door.   DONNA: (to Kitty) Bastards.   She and Kitty rise and follow the men out.   FADE TO BLACK   CREDITS   INT. GENIE BOTTLE   FANTASY SEQUENCE. Michael, as Major Nelson, and Jackie, as Jeannie, stand in the middle of the bottle.   KELSO: Well, Genie Jackie, I am in the mood for some hot master/genie lovin’!   JACKIE: Oh, I’m sorry, Master Major Michael. But what we are going to have is a warm master/genie friendship. In fact, I am the master now, and you are the genie.   She folds her arms and blinks. They change costumes. Kelso looks down uncomfortably while Jackie beams and adjusts her uniform.   JACKIE (cont’d): Except you will not have any genie powers. You will just do as I say. Now, do my math homework, genie, while I step out with Major Steven.   She folds her arms and blinks. A pile of notebooks and a pencil appear in Kelso’s hand, and a grinning Hyde, as Major Healey, appears next to Jackie. She links arms with him, blinks, and they vanish, leaving Kelso alone.   KELSO: NO!   END.

[theoriginalsfan124]

The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be

Chapter Three

I had no clue what to do. Do I run or wait til he gets here? For a brief moment I wanted to pull out the gun that I found, and shoot the walkers running behind Noel-before succumbing to the realization that the pistol is still laying in the green backpack.

-Son of a bitch,-I cursed under my breath.

Slowly, I started panicking. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know how to help him. He'd saved my life on that street back in Atlanta-without his instructions, God knows I would've been one of the walking corpses by now. I wanted to help him, I truly did. But I froze in one place, losing the feeling in my arms and legs.

-Start the car!- Noel yelled, still running.

I snapped out of it and ran to the drivers side of the van. I jumped in the car and tried to get it to start.

-Please, not now, - I pleaded, while the car refused to turn on.

I kept turning and turning the key and the truck kept growling, without actually starting. I wanted to scream and keep hitting the steering wheel, but I had to keep it together and focus, because Lord knows our life depends on it.

Soon, Noel jumped inside the car, slamming the car door closed.

-Why the hell did you not start the car yet?! - He yelled at me.

-I’m trying!- I screamed back.

-Try harder!

-Stop yelling!

-You stop yelling!

Noel pulled out his pistol out of his belt. Up until now he was the only one with a gun, now another one was laying in the back of the van.

-I’ll give you more time. For the love of everything that’s holy, hurry up, because I only have five shots, - he said, before getting out of the car to shot the incoming walkers.

I heard a body hit the ground.

Four shots left.

Three.

Two.

One.

-YES!

The van had finally started and I almost cried out of joy.

-Come on! - I screamed to the shooter outside.

He opened the car door and hurriedly got in, breathing heavily as he closed the door. He managed to get his backpack off and threw it in the back, before leaning back in the seat, and finally letting himself breathe. I'd stepped on the gas, and we quickly drove out of that God damned town and away from that herd of walkers. I kept checking in the rearview mirror, watching the herd get smaller and smaller by the second. They tried to keep up, but a car was faster than they were. When the walkers had completely disappeared from my view, I let myself relax a little. We were out of deaths reach, at least for now. My heart was still racing like crazy, my lips were as dry as the desert and I held the wheel so tightly that my knuckles went white.

-Son of a fucking bitch, - Noel cursed as he pressed his bleeding arm tightly.

-God...-I said as I glanced his way. -Did you...?

-No. I cut myself.

-Is it deep?

-I didn’t check. I was a little occupied, - he gave me a dirty look.

-How did this even happen?

-I was walking, fell, and cut.

-Very descriptive, - I said sarcastically.

-Jesus Christ, can you just shut up? he muttered angrily.

My lips formed a straight line. For a second I got mad at him, before acknowledging that he was in pain. I know first hand that people in pain tend to say many nasty things just so the pain would pass. I looked at him once more and understood that most likely we’ll need to stitch up the wound. I stopped the car at the side of the road.

-Why did you stop?

-You’re bleeding... We need to patch it up, - I gently said as I took off my seatbelt.

-I’m fine, - he muttered.

-You’re sleeve is soaked blood.

-I’ve been worse.

The farther we go, the more I think you were a serial killer.

-Hate to disappoint you, but I wasn’t.

I climbed over the seats to the very back, where the bag with my personal belongings was. From the very bottom of it, I took out a soft and clean towel and brought it back to Noel.

-Take off your shirt, -I ordered.

He teasingly raised his eyebrows.

We need to patch up the wound, God, - I blushed.

He carefully, but quickly, took off his sweater and rolled his t-shirt’s sleeve up. The wound looked pretty nasty, but I’ve seen far worse. I gently pressed the towel to the cut to stop the bleeding.

-Keep it pressed tightly, I need to see if we have anything to disinfect the wound with.

Noel did as I said - pressed it to his wound and sat in place gritting his teeth. I searched though the stuff he had found, and prayed that he'd found something useful for this situation. I unloaded almost all of his backpack, my hands still shaking a bit, but my breathing was now even. In this brief second, I felt like I was back home, back in my old life - riding in the back of the ambulance, saving lives and taking care of people. No matter how much it hurt, there was no sight of that life left now; there was no one in need of saving apart from myself.

-Fudge balls, - I kept muttering.

We had nothing to disinfect his wound with. Time to get creative, I remembered the vodka bottle I had found earlier, I fished it out of the green backpack and went back to Noel.

-We have alcohol, which we are gonna use to clean the cut.

-Give me that, I’ll do it myself, - he extended his hurt arm towards the bottle.

-No, - I turned it away.

-I’ve done this before. Well-I needed to do that before.

-Unless you were a doctor, nurse or paramedic, I doubt you know how to do it professionally.

-And you do?

-I’m a paramedic, I think I can handle it.

He got quietly and carefully pulled his arm, the one holding the towel in place, away. I took his arm and examined the cut. The cut was on the upper arm, but only slightly lower than the shoulder-however, it was too bloody to tell if it was deep. I gently gripped his arm and examined once more, only to come up with the same conclusion. I took the vodka bottle in one hand and opened the screw, then I took the rag and held it in my other arm

-I would advise to hold onto something, - I warned him before pouring the liquid.

He had no time to react before I turned the vodka bottle sideways and poured its continents directly on the cut. At the speed of lightning, Noel grabbed onto the car door and clenched his teeth together. Red liquid poured on the car seat as I tried my best to clean around the wound. Then, I tried my hardest to clean the wound itself.

-Okay...okay...it’s done.

Noel let go of the car door and unclenched his teeth.

-Holy shit, -he said breathlessly.

I took a look at the now clean wound. The cut was deep, and needed stitches to properly heal. Noel got lucky, because I had found a medical thread with a needle. I brought my finding out of the back of the van, and handed him the half-full vodka bottle.

-Why?- he glanced at me.

-It’s too deep, needs to be sutured, - I showed him my tools.

-I’m not an expert, but I think this'll hurt much more.

-Try not to move and grab onto the car door again.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I couldn’t be nervous, because then I'd make mistakes-and besides, I’ve done this before-but back then I had anesthetics and walking corpses didn’t try to eat us. I put the thread in the needle, grasped his arm with my left hand and punctured one of the sides of his wound.

-Holy son of a motherfucking bitch! - Noel yelled out and grabbed onto the handle with such force his knuckles turned white. -This is much worse than I remember!

-Wait... You’ve done this before?!

He didn’t answer me. I pierced the thread though the wound and I punctured the other side. Out of instinct, he hit the car's panel with his palm, and I jumped up a little from the sound. The half-full bottle was still resting on my lap, so he grabbed the bottle, unscrewed it and took a large gulp of it.

-It’s not working as fast as I would like it.

I looked at him apologetically, but continued my work. He took another swing of the drink and tried do swallow as much as he could. I could see, he didn’t like it, but the pain was a lot to handle, to not try to ease it even a little. For a second it looked like he would shatter the glass bottle in his hands.

-Almost done.

-I’m not going anywhere, -he remarked.

This time I stabbed without mercy.

-Holy-! You did this one on purpose, - he furrowed his eyebrows.

I smirked and for a moment he did too. Sadly, the last puncture had to be done and his face twisted in pain once more. Once I was finally done, I took a role of bandage and bandaged his now stitched up wound.

-It’s done, completely now.

He twisted the cap of the bottle closed and put the vodka on the floor.

-So...you’re a paramedic.

I nodded my head and put everything away. We’d never know which one of us would need it next. The past couple of months we'd walked on eggshells, going to sleep not knowing if we’ll ever wake up. Danger and death were around every corner, and it was a miracle we'd made it this long without getting hurt.

-Let me through, - he asked as he turned to me.

I scooted to the drivers seat again. Noel managed, with great difficulty, to climb over the seats to the back. He was significantly taller than me, my head only reaching his chest, and bigger than me too. He kneeled next to his bag and pulled out a clean t-shirt and a long-sleeved black hoodie. Slowly took off his bloody t-shirt, not wanting to accidentally hit his wound. I cursed the hormones in my head - I was staring at his muscular back like a creep- and I could feel my cheeks burning up. In all honesty, I wanted to punch myself in the face. But then I noticed a pretty big scar on the left side of his back, just a little above his waist, about where the left kidney is located.

-Caroline,- it was one of those rare occasions, when he addressed me by my name.

-Huh?- I tried to act normal.

-Here, - out of his backpack, he pulled out a grey jacket, by the looks of it, it was the fall type. -I found it in the school.

I looked at him confused.

-I searched the school in town and conveniently, the herd was there.

-I dont know whether I should hit you or call you an idiot.

-I think a 'thank you' would be enough.

I smiled gently.

-Thank you, -I said, taking the jacket out of his hands.

For a moment we stared at each other in silence, not knowing what else to say.

-Uh...Could you open the back? I doubt I’d be able to squeeze myself to the front though the seats.

I left the vehicle and jogged to the back of the van, then I opened the door, letting Noel out. After he was out he headed to the passenger side of the car and I took the driver's role again.

-I think we should drive even further away from the town, before we stop for the night, - he suggested.

-Agreed. I want to put as much distance between us and that herd as possible.

We rode in silence, both lost in out thoughts. It got dark soon-winter was coming, and fall was right at our doorsteps, so the days were getting shorter and the nights longer.

-We’ll need to stop in another town soon, we’re running low on gas. Besides, fall is approaching, we need warmer clothes. -Noel spoke after a while.

-We can try stopping at the highway, there’s lots of abandoned cars there. We could suck out the gas out the cars and scavenge for supplies.- I suggested.

-It’s a graveyard.

-Still...

-It’s too close to the city. You and I know that cities have a shit load of walkers. What if a herd comes?

I stayed quiet. I most certainly didn’t want to encounter another herd. We got off fairly easily this time, but the next time we might not be so lucky.

-Does it hurt a lot? - I tried changing the subject.

-No.

-And here I thought you’d speak more than two sentences a day.

-Not a talker.

-I came to this conclusion right at the start.

-But here you are, still talking non-stop.

-You didn’t have any friends, did you? How sad.

-How original, Caroline. Let me clap for you.

-You probably were a mama’s boy too.

-My mom died ten years ago.

That made me instantly shut up. I glanced at Noel. He was just as calm as he was before our little banter/argument, he showed no emotion whatsoever.

I-I-I’m really sorry... I didn’t want to - I stuttered.

-It’s fine.

-Really I-

-I just said it’s fine. I’m not sixteen anymore, that was a long time ago.

So Noel is twenty six now. It seemed that I was a couple of years younger than him.

-You said that with no emotion.

-Really? It seems I've numbbed myself to it, - he shrugged his shoulders.

-Oh God... Were you really not a serial killer? -I tried lightening the mood.

-I’m sure to someone I was...

-What-?-

-Not today.

We became lost in silence again. After a few more minutes of driving, I stopped the car. This would be where we'd be sleeping tonight, on the side of the road.

-I think we’re far enough from the herd-besides, we have to save gas.

Noel nodded and leaned back in his seat, relaxing a bit.

-Today’s my shift. Why don’t you go lay down in the back?- I suggested.

-I’m not sleepy, - he responded. -If you want you can go lay down instead, I’ll keep watch.

-I’m not sleepy either.

Silence again. I was so curious to know who exactly Noel was before the world went to shit. But from the months I’ve known Noel, I knew that I wouldn't get anything out of him if he doesn’t want to tell. My head was buzzing with questions: what did he work as before, how did his mother die, what’s his last name for crying out loud?! Sadly, I wouldn’t get the answers unless he decided to tell me.

-I worked in Atlanta...- I started.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

-I opened my mouth for nothing. You probably don’t want to hear it.

-I’m listening, aren’t I ?

-I’m from Atlanta. I was born there, I finished school there, then university, got a job there. I finished paramedic courses in university, because I’ve always liked helping others.

-Is that why you stayed in Atlanta for the first weeks?

-Maybe....Maybe I just clinged to the idea that all wasn’t lost.

-Were you in the hospital when shit hit the fan?

I nodded. Seeing this, he looked at the distance and got lost in thought.

-You know, everyone thought this happened suddenly, but it went on for a while-until it got so bad that no one could control it. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to see what was going on in the hospitals, - I shook my head.

It hurt to remember, but I wanted to say this out loud, to finally get it off my conscious.

At first we responded to calls, but then there were so many callsiit was impossible to respond to them. People flooded into the hospital, and we started running short on doctors-people must have felt that the end was near and wanted to be with their families. I don’t blame them, I wanted to home to Glenn, too-but the paramedics were called in to work in the hospital itself. I couldn’t just leave people behind, so I was one of the few that stayed until the end....We knew there was no cure, no way we could fix this, or heal them, and that’s why we dosed them with sleeping-drought or morphine-and when they fell asleep we....God, they didn’t even give us normal guns, just those things-those contraptions- that they use to kill bulls in slaughterhouses...- my voice started cracking

- In the end, we were running low on morphine and medicine overall, and there were no more civilians left in Atlanta anymore. We couldn’t even get rid of the bodies properly, the whole internal diseases division was flooded with walkers. Soldiers barricaded it and kept it shut-when a person died, we didn’t wait til they turned, we took them there...and we... we fed them to those walking corpses.

I took a deep breath, it hurt, it really hurt-but I felt a little better. Noel listened to every word, not saying a thing.

-The last day, the soldiers didn’t let us leave the director's office without any explanation. There was only five of us left: me, two nurses, one gynecologist and the director: some left to see their families, some got infected and died, and some just couldn’t take what the world was becoming and ended it for themselves. One of the softer soldiers told the director that the hospital was actually going to get bombed, that’s why they didn’t let us leave. The director didn't waste a second after learning this, and lead us out though the old, now-unusable doors in his office. We got in an ambulance and drove the hell out of there. It wasn’t any better in the streets; they were everywhere. We separated, each going our own way. I have no clue if they're alive or not. I tried to find Glenn, but he was gone; he'd left the city.

It seemed like a rock was lifted off my chest. I couldn’t and I didn’t want to keep it inside anymore. I remembered this everyday and it hurt so much. I just wanted someone else to know, to understand. Noel stayed silent for a couple of more seconds, piecing everything together in his mind.

-How did you know he left the city and didn’t die? - He finally asked.

-I was in our apartment. He took all the crucial items with him : clothes, food, water, but he also took all the photos of me, his sisters and all of us together. He’s alive, I just know it.

-He’s your boyfriend?

-Gross! No! He’s my brother-well-not exactly, we’re not actually brother and sister. Frankly, we aren’t related at all. We just hold each other as brother and sister.

-So that’s why you stayed in Atlanta. To find him.

-Yeah....

I lowered my head. Right now, my knees seemed so interesting. I thought about Glenn, about where he could be, and I prayed that he'd survived. Maybe I shouldn’t have poured my heart out just like that to Noel-he didn’t ask for it. After a few moments of silence, I felt a big warm palm on my shoulder. I raised my eyes. Noel’s hand was on my shoulder and when he saw me looking, he half smiled. I understood he didn’t really know how to express his feelings very well, but this gesture, and the jacket, meant that he cared about me, at least a little. For a few minutes we looked at each other wordlessly, and my mind went blank; I stopped thinking altogether. He raised his palm from my shoulder and placed it on my cheek. I didn’t even realize when he'd started leaning towards me, as I was leaning towards him. One second our lips were millimeters apart and the next they were touching. Somewhere deep inside my mind I knew I was going to regret this, but for now, I didn’t care.

———————————————————————Thank you to the lovely @lunastarward for being my beta reader. Love you ❤️

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Mr. Self Destruct 3

Part One Part Two

Warnings: Bucky’s a bastard, control, PTSD and other lovely mental issues, noncon (oral, toyplay, restraints, vaginal and anal sex)

This is dark!Bucky Barnes and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary:  Bucky has been left by his closest friend. With no other choice, he works for Stark Industries in the name of both Stark and Rogers but before he can begin his new position, he is mandated to attend counselling. With you, the company’s resident therapist.

Note: I’m just taking a break from Tapestry for a day or two. I wanted to finish this little series first. This is just all the kink and darkness so enjoy. Love you all.

Anyway :) Please like, reply, and/or reblog if you read.

Bucky didn’t show the next day. Even as you finished up with your last patient and waited around an hour. You laughed at yourself sardonically after you’d sat back and realized what you were waiting for. You expected to find him in your bedroom again but he wasn’t there either. He was definitely in control. Not just of the sessions, but your life.

It was the day after when he came around. Your last appointment was at three and you were free by four. You didn’t think to linger. You pulled on your jacket and grabbed your bag. You left behind your leather folder. You wanted to hide for as long as you could. Just until he came to haunt you again.

He was there in the lobby. You spotted him the moment you stepped off the elevator and he saw you too. You could tell he’d been expecting you. You tried to act as if you hadn’t seen him but there was no pretending with him. He reached the front doors before you and blocked the revolving escape. You slid to a halt on your wedged boots.

“It’s shitty out,” He said. “You need a ride?”

“No,” You glanced past him. “I’ll catch a train.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like a question.” He chuckled. “We’ve got a stop to make before we hit your little hole.”

“And if I refuse? Huh? You gonna hit me in front of all these people? You gonna drag me out kicking and screaming?”

“I won’t have to do that.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “One minute, let me turn the sound off here.” 

He flicked his finger across the screen before he turned it to you. You watched yourself on the screen, the uneven angle as the lens peeked out above a stretch of fabric; likely his pocket. It was you with your little silver bullet against your clit. The camera got closer and only your moans could be heard as the focus blurred between your bodies, the flash of his vibranium hand blocked it.

“Seems unprofessional to me,” He smirked. “I think Happy might agree. Maybe the licensing board too.”

You stared at him and reached to zip up your thick jacket. You nodded to him and pushed away his phone. “Just...let’s go.”

He leaned in as he tucked the phone away, “Good girl.” He slithered and your skin crawled. 

He backed away and waved you after him. You sighed and followed as he led you to another door. This one led to the attached garage along the side of the tower. He didn’t wait but strolled decisively through it and down the steps to the tarmac. You held the rail as your boots threatened to catch on the stairs.

A dark blue car chirped as he neared it and he opened the door. He dropped inside and you pulled open the passenger side door as he turned the engine. You slipped your bag in front of the seat as you sat and shut the door with a click. He backed out of his spot before you even had a chance to do up your seat belt.

“Can I ask where we’re going?” You ventured.

“You can,” He kept one hand on the wheel as he leaned casually on the console. “But you won’t have your answer til we get there.”

You bit down and lowered your chin. He was drawing it out as long as he could. Whatever he had planned. Whatever new humiliation he had devised. And you had no choice but to bear it. To feed from the hand that would close around your throat and choke the life from you. And if that failed, it would wrought the destruction of the little you held dear.

You kept your eyes down as he drove. The city was pale and lifeless as winter descended upon the fluorescent giants. The street lights loomed over the sidewalks and the mailboxes formed little hills beneath the snowy blanket. You touched your forehead as your vision blurred. The grim vision of the urban sprawl made it all too real.

When he pulled into the small plaza, you were confused. The little convenience store that advertised the lotto jackpot and Marlboro's was nothing special and you doubted he was taking you to the small Vietnamese eatery for dinner. Your eyes found the darkened shop nestled in the corner; a red sign flashing above XXX. No way.

“Out,” He turned off the car as he reached for the door handle. “Stop dragging your ass. I’d like to be out of this shit before it’s past my ankle.”

You climbed out of the car but forgot your bag on the floor. You tucked your hands in your pockets as the flakes gathered in your hair. He rounded the front of the car and whistled to you like a dog as he marched to the tinted windows of the sex shop. You shook your head and trailed after him.

You caught the door behind him and let it close heavily. You looked around at the mannequins in lingerie, the silicon and rubber toys lined along the shelves, and the explicit covers of porno DVDs. A woman with bright red hair greeted you from behind the counter and Bucky returned her cheerful hello. You stayed quiet and followed him.

You weren’t a prude but the last time you’d been to place like this was with your ex-husband. Nothing special, some lube and a cockring for him. You had mulled over a leather garter with studs but left empty-handed. A pathetic attempt to revive a dead relationship.

Bucky grabbed a mesh basket from the stack next to the counter and led you to the wall, though he seemed to have forgotten about you. He tilted his head at the vibes and narrowed his eyes. 

“I doubt you need anymore,” He scoffed.

He moved on and stopped sharply at the next display. He unhooked a leather crop and waved it through the air. He dropped it in the basket and you stared at its handle sticking out. He grabbed another item; a leather collar and matching leash, and added some straps to slip beneath a mattress.

“Bucky…” You said quietly as you grabbed the basket. “You don’t want to do this.”

He grinned and licked his bottom lip as he turned to you. “You don’t know what I want but I can show you.” His blue eyes bore into you. “You want me to deal with my control issues, this is how I deal, doc. And beneath all your repression, I know you want it. Your top drawer can’t hide it.”

You cringed and threw your hands up. “Call it therapy but it’s not that. This isn’t coping, this isn’t addressing the issue, this is feeding it. It won’t help.”

“You’re off the clock, doc,” He carried on along the shelf. “Give it up.”

You pursed your lips and shook your head. You tried to avoid looking at the toys, instead focusing on the price tags; pretended it was a grocery store or anywhere else. You looked up as he grab a set of plugs and quickly lowered your gaze again. He stopped and turned back to you.

“You wanna pick out some lube,” He still had the plugs in his hand; a kit, smallest to largest. “You’ll thank me for it later.”

He dropped them in the basket with the rest and spun back to the merchandise. You took a deep breath and glanced around. You crossed to the pyramid display of lubes; hot and cold, flavoured, scented, sensitive skin… The red-haired woman grinned at you as you peeked over at you and you smiled shyly and turned back to the oils.

“Anything in particular you’re looking for?” She asked as she neared.

“No, I… I have a sensitive ecosystem,” You offered. “Don’t really know what to pick.”

“Something water-based,” She advised as she reached to the rack. “This stuff’s good. It’s flavoured but shouldn’t cause any issues.” She smirked and looked over as Bucky scratched his head before a shelf of dildos. “Does he prefer sweets?”

“I guess,” You answered softly. “I’ll just take the strawberry. Everyone likes strawberry, right?”

“He seems open to a lot,” She commented. “You get half-off this brand with the plugs anyways.”

“Oh, thanks,” You grabbed the strawberry lube and smiled. 

You parted from the nosy cashier and crossed to Bucky as he moved onto the back corner. He turned and caught your hand before you could drop the bottle in the basket. He wrestled it from your grip and read the label. 

“Mmm, strawberry.” He remarked as he let it fall with the rest of his haul.

You wanted to cover your face and curl into a ball. You were mortified. He stopped before the mannequin in a strappy leather number with no real coverage. Tits out and everything else; ass framed by the thick straps. He raised his brows as he admired it.

“Find your size,” He pointed to it. “I know you’re probably more a lace woman but I think this will be...fun.”

He didn’t wait for a response. You sifted through the stack of plastic wrapped lingerie and fished out your size. You caught up to him again and he took it from you without a glance. He led you to the counter and plopped the basket on it.

The red-head began to scan each item at a time and filled a big black bag with them. Bucky tapped his gloved fingers on the counter as he waited. She smiled between you. “Special occasion?”

“You could say that,” Bucky answered. 

The woman giggled and hit total. Bucky reached for his wallet and swiped his card. He seemed unfazed by the exorbitant amount he’d just spent on sex toys. He took his receipt and his bag with a smile and a thanks. He grabbed your arm and pulled you close as he led you to the door.

“Now,” He said as he pulled open the door. “We’re ready.”

-

Bucky grabbed your keys from you as you walked up to your door. He unlocked it with one hand and ushered you inside with a point of his finger. You entered and he was close behind. You unzipped your coat as he set the bag aside and kicked off his boots. He hung his jacket over yours and you struggled to wiggle free of your own boots. 

He grabbed the bag again and urged you onward. When you reached your bedroom, his patience had worn thin. He shoved you in and closed the door with his foot. He placed the bag on your dresser and stirred through the contents. He tossed the lingerie at you and looked to the bathroom door.

“Go on, I’ll get it all ready.” He said. You didn’t wait for him to tell you twice.

You hid behind the door and stripped yourself slowly. You could hear him moving around on the other side. It took you several tries to untangle the straps and when you were certain it was correct, you stared down at your body. The straps were set in triangles around your tits and crisscrossed down to your crotch; another exposed vee. Your ass was propped up by the leather and you twisted as you tried to see it.

A rap of knuckles on the door and you swallowed. You opened it and Bucky raised a brow as he nodded over his shoulder.

“Go on.” He ordered and you stepped past him.

He grabbed the bag of toys and as you stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. He went into the bathroom and the sink cranked on. The straps had been secured, the leash was laid out, and only your bottom sheet remained on the mattress. Your head spun.

“Your ass looks great in that,” Bucky said. “Turn around.”

You turned and he looked you up and down. He neared and set his handful of toys on the night table. He stepped back and slipped his fingers beneath the straps along your shoulder. He rubbed them with his thumbs.

“Look at you, doc,” He purred. “You should start wearing this for our sessions.”

Your jaw tensed and you said nothing. He seemed amused by your visible irritation. He let go and reached for the leash strewn on the bed. He unbuckled the collar and spun back to you. You braced yourself as he wrapped it around your neck and secured it there. He tugged on the leash and you winced.

“Even better.” He let the leash hang limp and backed away as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Go on and get on your knees.”

You did as he said. You almost fell over as you did and stared at the carpet as he unzipped his fly. You listened to the rustle of his clothing. When he neared, he was entirely naked and it took all your strength to look up at him. He bent and grabbed the leashed again.

“Come on,” He pulled and you fell forward onto your hands. He snickered and led you around the room. You moved stiffly; thoroughly embarrassed. A literal dog. “It was like Pavlov. I know you’ve heard of him. They had words that they conditioned me with. Like sit.” He motioned and you lowered your ass. “Good girl.”

You trembled in anger. He wrapped the leash around his hand and pulled you closer. “Up. On your knees.” He yanked until you were almost against him. His cock bobbed before you. “Go on and get your bone, doggy.”

You glared at him and he thrust so that his cock poked you in the face. You flinched and lowered your eyes. You parted your lips and poked your tongue out to drag it along his length. You swirled around his tip and he twitched. You covered the head of his cock with your lips. His other hand went to your head and pushed you further.

He hit the back of your throat and you gagged. You barely fought it back as he forced himself deeper until your lips were against his pelvis. You reached to grip his thighs as you struggled to breathe. He relented but quickly crashed back into you. You slapped at him and clawed at his thick muscles. Your loud gulps filled your ears and added to the churning of your stomach.

He moved his hips in time with your head. He fucked your mouth steadily as his groans floated from him. He was like an animal, rutting into you faster and faster. He was fed by the noises of your distress; his power over you. Your body was his to use as they had his.

He sank as deep as he could as his thrusts slowed. He spasmed and grunted. A carnal growl. He came down your throat as your head swelled from lack of air. He held himself at his limit until he was done. He tore you off of him, your leash taut as he kept you from slumping over. His cum dripped from your lips with your spit.

He yanked you up to your feet and dragged his thumb through the mess along your chin. His hand slipped down and stretched over the collar. He unhooked the leash and let it fall to the floor. He backed you up until your knees met the bed.

He shoved you and you fell onto the bed with a bounce. He climbed up after you and pulled on you until you moved. He shoved your wrist into a restraint and secured it tightly. He did the other and then your ankles. He knelt between your legs and tweaked your nipples roughly. You whimpered and he snarled in delight.

He reached to the night stand and grabbed the bottle of lube. He squirted the cool oil between your legs and shoved his fingers down to spread it along your folds. He lifted a brow as he found you wet. He chuckled.

“Oh, doc, you can’t hide it. Not from me.” He continued to rub you and you tried not to squirm. “Maybe that’s the problem, hmm? Did you hold back with the husband? That why he left?”

You bit your lip and looked away from him.

“All you wanted to do was talk but you sure are quiet now,” He taunted and dipped his fingers inside of you.

“He held back,” You snapped. “I left him, okay?” You tried to close your legs but couldn’t move against the restraints. “Cause he didn’t wanna fuck me anymore.”

“Good riddance, then.” 

He pulled his hand away and leaned over to grab the dildo he’d chosen from the bunch. It was big and thicker than any you owned. He placed it against you and slowly pushed inside. You gritted your teeth as it stretched you. He stopped as it filled you entirely and you gasped.

Slowly, he began to work it in and out of you. You gripped the straps as your body tensed and your breath hitched. He sped up as he sensed your pleasure mount. As you desperately fought against it. As the moans escaped you and betrayed you to him. Soon, he was slamming the dildo into you as your voice rose without thought.

You came with a curse. You squeezed your eyes shut but could sense his satisfaction. He gloated as he continued to fuck you with the toy. The squelching filled the room and your head. He stopped and let the toy slip out on its own.

“When you did fuck,” The bed shifted as he spoke. “Was it boring? Did he even try?”

“I… Early on, he did. And then, I guess he just didn’t care so long as he came.” You said quietly. 

You’d never told anyone the true troubles of your marriage. You’d fed them all the excuse of too much time apart for work and too many differences. It was all true but the lack of intimacy was the worst of it.

“And did you ever…” He paused and you opened your eyes. He held up a plug and your mouth fell open. “Try anything… new?”

“No,” You said as you eyed the toy. “No, please, I never…”

“We’re starting small,” He coaxed. “Tell me you didn’t divorce that moron to fuck yourself with that pathetic bullet every night.”

You stayed quiet as he undid your binds one at a time. He turned you over and you didn’t offer much resistance. Couldn’t. He was too strong. As he strapped you down on your stomach, you raised your head.

“Are you… recording this too?” You asked as you tried to look at him behind you.

“If I am, it’ll be for my own pleasure,” He assured you. “But I already have more than enough footage, doc.”

Your dropped your head back to the mattress and huffed. His knees pressed against you thighs and a cool trickle seeped between your cheeks. He spread it with his metal fingers and circle your tight ring. It tickled and you flinched. He pushed against your hole and slowly his finger stretched you.

He drew his finger in and out several times as you hissed. It hurt but it wasn’t an unbearable pain. Something about it was delicious and you hungered for more. He shoved another finger inside and you dug your nails into the sheet. You grunted as he played with you.

He pulled out and for a moment, silence. The cap of the lube flicked and you felt a new pressure against your ring. Harder, colder. He pushed the plug in little by little. You whined until he had it in entirely and your ring closed around the stem. You head lolled back and forth as you moaned.

“I always knew you were a tight ass, doc,” He slapped your ass with his metal hand and you yelped. 

You felt the straps slacken around your ankles and he lifted your hips. He pushed his thighs under yours and his cock poked along your vee. He reached between your legs and rubbed his tip against your folds. He entered you easily. Your walls welcomed him as he sank into you completely.

“Doc, my god,” He groaned. “Shit. He missed out, didn’t he?”

He thrust and you moaned. He did it again and you moaned. Again. Each time he did it, you couldn’t hold back. You couldn’t stifle the sheer pleasure of being so full. And then he wiggled the plug as he fucked you. You’d never felt anything so intense. 

The sparks began to spit from your core and seared along your flesh. With each rock of his hips, you grew louder and his hips moved faster. Your back arched as he continued to toy with the plug inside you and his other hand slid down your back. He spread his fingers across your back and held you down.

He pulled the plug out and you gasped. He was quick to fumble around and grab another. He pushed inside and you let out a series of pathetic mewls. It was bigger than the last. You slowly adjusted to it though it hurt all the same.

He grunted with each plunge. Your panting mingled with his and your bodies sang a carnal tune. You could hear it all; the friction, the wetness, the sheer animalism. You came again but couldn’t even cry out as your eyes rolled back. You drooled onto the sheet as the bed jolted below you.

He came too. And he didn’t pull out. You didn’t care as the ripples washed over you. He slowed and exhaled loudly as he leaned back on his heels. He slapped your ass again as he pulled out. His cum leaked from you.

He backed up and dropped your hips back to the bed. He took the dildo and lined it up with your entrance. He slammed it into you and you yiped. He held it there and grabbed the end of the plug with his other hand. Slowly, he slipped it out of you as your ring stretched around it. The emptiness was both a relief and a disappointment.

And then he pulled the dildo out too. He lined himself up with your hole and you tugged at your binds. “No, no…” You whispered. “Please. It’s too much.” 

He stretched you around his tip as he ignored your pleas. He pulled back and pushed back in. He repeated the motion several times, each time, pushing further in. He sank down entirely as he spread his body over yours and you exclaimed. Your eyes were singed by sudden tears.

“Bucky!” You cried. “Jesus fuck, get off of me.”

“Shhh.” He covered your mouth with his hand as he reached out with his other arm. “We both know you want this. You want to be controlled.”

He thrust and you squealed into his hand. His other snaked beneath you and you heard a click. The bullet buzzed against your stomach as he slid it lower. He pressed it to your bud as he ground against you. The vibrations flowed through you. His groans trickled through your veins like venom.

He held the vibe to you with his hand, his other clasped over your lips. You breathed frantically as he sped up. You closed your eyes as you body shook against your will. You came violently. The pure pleasure intertwined with an agony so sweet. You shuddered beneath him and it fed his fervour.

He removed his hand from your mouth and pulled his arm from beneath you. He left the bullet to roll beneath you, still buzzing. He planted his hands on either side of you and lifted his pelvis and slammed back into you. He did it over and over again, his flesh slapping loudly against yours. The pain reverberated through you.

He snarled and hissed. He balled the sheet up in his fist as his other went to your head. He pulled your head up and whispered in your ear. “This is what it felt like. I hated it and loved it all the same.” 

He grabbed the back of your collar and curled your back as he dropped his hips. He fucked you into the mattress as the leather grew tighter and you gasped for breath. And you felt him cum. The current of warmth within was soothing. He slowed and rested his weight over you. He exhaled in your ear as he unhooked his fingers from the collar and stayed inside of you.

“Gee, doc,” He breathed. “I feel a lot better now.” He rolled his hips and you murmured. “A lot lighter.”

END

[rykerelias-archive]

TRANSFERRED FILE. || @magicandsciencemuses Jessica & Elias. VERSE: ac. ( organic damage. ) 007. THREAD: your chariot awaits.

❝ don’t know, don’t care. ❞

   “Mmkay,” the detective replied, a sigh escaping, one hand rubbing at the back of his closely cropped head – he STILL hadn’t got used to the idea that he could grow it out if he wanted.  “I realize you’re, uh,”  a vaguely awkward clearing of his throat.  “Pretty wasted, ma’am.”  Diplomacy wasn’t his strength, what.  “But if you can’t give me an option of where to take you other than the drunk tank, you’re going to the drunk tank so – do us both a favor, save me some paperwork and try and remember where you’re staying.   PLEASE.”

    Jessica snorted. Since when was she a fucking MA’AM?MA’AM was for Meth bitches like Trish’s mother, a woman who’d long since ditched her humanity for celebrity. “I’ve… I’ve got a card. Address.” At least she hoped she did, although maybe a night in the slammer breaking the jaws of every dickhead who tried to feel her up would help her vent for a change. Fishing in the pockets of her leather jacket – which, she realized after nearly a minute, was inside-out, dammit – she finally finds her wallet and ID. “Work out of my apartment. Just moved.” Which explained why she wouldn’t have been able to give directions even if she’d been sober.

  It was an ADJUSTMENT, going from CTAC Marine Corps to Bay City Police Department detective.  For starters, the LEEWAY seemed extraordinary, but, if anything cinched the distinction, it was the fact that he could smirk and NOT risk getting his lights punched out.   MAYBE.  He tried to hide it anyway, contemplating whether or not he should try and help her dig through her pockets, but the last thing he needed was her taking something the wrong way.   “Right,” he replied, scanning the ident card and the shimmering holo card that reaffirmed her name along with company name and, what he assumed was the newest address.  “Can I, uh –”  Another hrmph, a clearing of his throat.  “Offer you a ride home, Ms. Jones?” He didn’t really want to try and take her in.  She wasn’t really causing that much trouble, just loitering where someone had been annoyed enough to bother to call it in.  

    Maybe if Jessica hadn’t been a little bleary-eyed from the copious alcohol she’d imbibed – MUCH more than it should take a woman her size to get drunk – she would have been pissed off by the detective’s smirk. “Sure, why the fuck not.” Given her profession as a P.I. and her tendency for organic damage when occasional perps found out about her tailing them, the police might as well know how to get to her new digs. “Ms. Jones is my dead mother. It’s Jessica.” Sober-her would have put a lot more vitriol into her words, but as it was, they were barely more than grumbles. All she wanted was a shower and to curl up with another bottle of Jack.

“Fabulous, it’s a date –”  A sweeping gesture of his hand indicated the road where his car hovered; generic issue, unmarked cop car, nothing exciting, but it got from point a to point b fast as anything, and it was decidedly a step up from his personal … vehicle, if it could be called that.   The faintest twitch at her offhanded comment about her mother, but it seemed she was too far gone to notice, at least.  “Jessica,” he finished, one hand lightly pressed against the small of her back to coax her in the direction of the car, the other hand lurching out to pull open the passengers seat to let her slide or droop or collapse her way in.  He just hoped she appreciated not being put in the back seat behind the divider enough to not upchuck all over the upholstery.   “Detective Ryker, by the way.  Elias.  Or Ryker, or Detective, or hey dickwad, I answer to pretty much anything really.”

    Oh, so he was THAT kind of guy, used to flaunting his whipcord bod and getting girls to fall over him or some shit. Hard to even tell what kind of shape he was in, aside from the thinness of his face, because of his layers upon layers of jackets and hoods. “Whoa, at least take me to dinner first before you get all handsy, police boy,” she said, still a hint of a slur in her voice. Hell, he was lucky she was too… simultaneously drunk and hungover to care much, or else she might have taken his arm off at the shoulder socket. She half-sank, half-slumped into the passenger seat, immediately buckling her seat belt. The interior of the car smelled… foul, a stale blend of cigarettes and food wrappers, more like a parole’s car than a detective’s. ELIAS. Not all men could pull off an ‘Elias’. “Dickwad, huh?” she snorted as he got behind the wheel. “I think I’ll go with Detective Dickwad.”

“No prob, Ms. Jones,” Ryker was quick to slide his hand free – though it hovered nearby in case she lost her balance somewhere between standing and sitting, a half and fleeting smirk PROBABLY going unnoticed. She was SPUNKY he’d give her that.  “Hands off til otherwise indicated,” he said, shutting the door after her and loping around to drop into the driver’s seat,  thumbing the engine on and giving it a second to pull up off the ground before he draped a hand over the wheel.  His other hand dropped, sliding a pack of smokes from his jacket pocket, tapping one out halfway to offer towards her if she wanted it, shoving it into the corner of his lips if she didn’t, tip pressed to the patch on the side to light it, the window rolled a good halfway down to let the smoke escape.   “Detective Dickwad it is – I mean, I did kinda walk myself right into that one,” he agreed.   “So – private investigator, huh.  And just what is it that you investigate, privately, as a general rule?” She looked … small.  And thin, to be the kind of girl that threw herself headway and recklessly into other people’s business for a living, but it took all types and he’d learned long ago that looks were deceiving.

    “JESSICA,” she insisted. Cocky dickwad, wasn’t he, presuming he’d eventually GET that invitation? As if! She slouched down in the passenger seat, eyes closed, listening to him start the vehicle, feeling it ease airborne. “No, I don’t smoke.” She kept her vices strictly booze and sex related. Rolling her own window down partway, and feeling the greasy Bay City air against her face as they climbed, she hid her small smile with a shrug. “Yeah, you did. Not real interesting stuff. People just turn to me when the police don’t do jack shit about their cases, either ‘cuz it goes cold or there’s no proof there even IS a case. Mostly missing husbands or wives, not showing up, ‘working late’, their partner afraid they’re sleeping around.” Quickly growing too warm from the metabolizing alcohol in her system, so she clumsily yanked off her scarf and leather jacket, exposing the plain black tank top underneath. She knew from experience that she’d have to pile the clothes back on in a minute, but the relief to her overheated skin was welcomed.

           One sided first name basis, check.  Hands off, check.   A half smirk lingered, though, a long exhale as he drifted into traffic, MOSTLY content to let the autonav handle the driving, though a nudge here and there seemed necessary, at least to him, to keep things in line.  He’d only trust tech SO far – a strange sentiment for a species with their sentience in chips in their heads maybe but.  Some things he justPREFERRED to do himself.   A sideways glance, again, as she eased back, at least for a minute, before wrestling out of the jacket and scarf.   He didn’t offer to help – he was pretty sure she’d actually smack if he suggested it.  Stubborn or self sufficient or both, he didn’t know, but – it made him smile.   “That usually the case?  Infidelity, I mean –”  He’d had enough experience with humanity to guess it was, but then, he’d never been one to investigate the reasons why someone didn’t come home unless they just weren’t coming home at all, at least, professionally.   “Imagine that must lead you down some pretty … INTERESTING avenues in Bay City.”  He’d seen some of the skeeviest joints IN Licktown on some of his cases, and that was only dealing with the brothels and the virtuals, he didn’t TYPICALLY get dragged through the seedy motels and bars.  Well.  PROFESSIONALLY.  

    He had a… half-decent smile. For a man. And long, pretty hands, resting on the steering wheel as though at any moment the auto-nav would fail and he would have to pilot them to safety. As unlikely as that outcome was… Jessica didn’t doubt his ability to handle it. She idly started to wonder how GOOD he was with those hands… “Yeah, usually,” she grumbled, glad that in her half-still drunk, half-hungover state, she’d remembered to put her camera back in her canvas messenger bag. That would have been a bitch to replace, not to mention she would have to stalk the same brainless wangrods all over Bay City again. “The husbands are dicking around, nine times out of ten. Usually either with an intern or somewhere in Licktown, a titty bar or wherever. Missing wives are sometimes tricky, more like fifty-fifty, affair or shopping spree.” She reached along the side of the seat, found the reclining lever, and hiked it back at a good tilt. “Wake me up when we get there, cowboy,” she murmured, draping her jacket over her face to drown out the whizzing lights that flashed past the air-car’s windows.

       “Gotta say, not overly surprised.”  He wasn’t especially BEAMING with pride for the human species as a whole, and maybe it was just the jaded part of him speaking, or maybe it was from experience, but then he’d seen a lot of shit in his day, and that was before taking up the mantle of ‘detective’.   “Men do tend to be led around by their DICKS,” he agreed, with a loose shrug of broad shoulders, his statement more matter of fact than anything else.  “Could excuse it away as primal instinct, alpha male bullshit, blood not being where it’s supposed to be but – I’m generally not one to defend the sins of man-kind,” he remarked, with a half smirk, dividing the syllable to create the distinction from ‘humanity’ to ‘men’.  “Men are assholes.  Sorry you gotta put up with it, but – at least you get something out of the shitty deal right?”

        A small snort of a laugh, his finger drifting over the control column to adjust the temperature to a generally more moderate one – he tended to prefer it chilly, but that wasn’t going to help her regulate any.   “Why does the shopping spree angle not surprise me.”   A shake of his head, a sideways glance as she made herself comfortable, the jacket dragged over her face, and he fell mostly quiet then, an occasional beat or two of whatever song was playing in his head rumbling through his throat, until the aircar drifted down with a soft chirp as the buffer eased down.   Sliding out, and popping open the passenger’s side door, he cleared his throat softly, hesitant to actually try and shake her awake – he rather liked his limbs attached. “Hey.  Sleeping beauty, your chariot’s landed,” he said, tugging LIGHTLY on the sleeve of the jacket draped over her face.

[flippyspoon]

WELL, I CAN’T JUST LEAVE IT THERE, YOU BASTARD.

HERE:

The sky was gray as slate, Billy had a flat tire, and it was day #1,000,000 of Steve Harrington not falling in love with him. Billy hadn’t been keeping track of how many days it had actually been, but it might as well be a million for how it felt.

Now he was pulled over on the road, miles from town, surrounded by cow shit and fucking trees, with a flat tire.

“Goddammit!” Billy slammed his fists on the steering wheel and screamed until he felt marginally more calm. “Perfect. What a perfect fucking day.”

Billy knew about cars, as in what cars were good and why. He didn’t know how to fix cars. He’d always sort of intended to become the kind of guy who knew how to fix cars, but he’d never actually gotten started on becoming that guy. When his blue baby did him wrong, he took her over to Frank’s and he was good enough at reading people to be able to tell when they were overcharging, that was the important thing.

Miles from town.

Billy got out of the car and smoked a cigarette. He was going to have to walk all the way back to town to Frank’s and get a tow or a guy to come out and change the tire. Which was embarrassing. An old lady could change a tire, assuming they had a spire and a lug wrench and a jack. He knew you needed that shit. Billy did not have that shit in his trunk.

He was in no rush though, so he leaned on his car in the chill windy day under the grey sky and thought about Steve Harrington.

They’d become friends. Billy had not seen that coming. He’d fantasized quite a lot about abrupt makeout sessions, desperate blow jobs, passionate fucking. He’d never expected any of that to actually happen but becoming friends with Harrington had seemed just as unlikely. That was Steve for you. It was all about Max, of course. Billy laid off Max because he’d said he would and he was a little afraid of her. That had somehow turned into a begrudging understanding and that had turned into him buying her a shake or taking her to the comic book store and teasing her about what character she would be and complaining about whatever video she chose to rent before sitting down with her to watch it and playing a couple rounds at the arcade when he drove her. Sometimes Steve was there. That was weird at first. But Steve was forgiving, it turned out.

Now they were friends.

That meant Billy now knew what it was to have a Steve Harrington looking out for him, showing genuine concern when he was shaken and fucked up after a run-in with Neil, casually passing him food at lunch when Billy had none, and the touching. Steve would toss an arm around him like they’d been pals for years, ignoring Billy’s grimace when he was in a pissy mood, tug his sleeve to show him something and not let go, hold Billy’s hand steady when their cigarettes kissed (oh, that one killed him). It hurt like hell, it pained him and was wonderful at the same time. Sometimes he imagined running away from Hawkins, from Neil, and cow shit and the weird politics of becoming King of Hawkins High (he couldn’t remember now why he’d wanted it), and always always he knew he never would just because of Steve fucking Harrington.

Only a week ago Billy had gone to Steve’s house after a fight with Neil and he’d never done that before.

He imagined stupid shit like Steve whispering, “I’ll make you forget about all that” and kissing him or shoving his hand down Billy’s jeans. Instead Steve had just been sweet  and kind about everything until Billy wanted to climb out of his own skin, feeling like such an asshat for letting himself be so weak and fucked up in front of Harrington. When Steve had reached up to wipe tears from his cheek, Billy had stood and broken away and tried to hide that it only upset him more.

“Fucking idiot,” Billy now muttered as he smoked on the road.

The whole situation was mortifying and the only comfort, if it could even be called that, was that Steve appeared to be completely oblivious. Although Billy supposed that Steve being such a good friend even after all of Billy’s shit was a comfort too. It had blown Billy’s brain a little bit and it didn’t help him love Steve any less, that was for sure.

A car blew by and he heard a shout as he passed. He’d been spacing out and had not seen who it was, but now he watched the car slow down the road. It looked familiar...Byers maybe. The car backed up with a lurch. Billy heard laughing and then it slowed again and before it had even stopped, Steve fucking Harrington was jumping out of the backseat, tripping a little, flipping off the driver, who did look like Byers. He saw Wheeler in the front seat. They all looked very jovial. Now Steve jogged over and Billy tensed up. He could never help but be over the moon to see Steve in nearly any scenario.

“Hey!” Steve said, hair flopping as he ran over. “Car trouble?”

“Flat tire,” Billy said, taking a drag.

“You know the tire’s not just going to grow back, right?” He grinned and Billy snorted at that.

“Yes, Harrington, I’m aware of that. I was gonna go to town,” Billy said. “Just takin’ a smoke first.”

“Do you have a spare?” Steve said.

“I got nothing,” Billy said.

Steve bit his lip and nodded. “Okay. Hold on.”

Billy watched Steve jog back to Byers’ car and lean into the driver’s side window, having an animated conversation with Byers and Wheeler before Byers got out and walked around to his trunk and unlocked it. Steve unloaded a spare, a lug wrench, and a jack, and gave Byers a nod. Steve was grinning, cheerful as anything. Byers got back in the car and Steve turned around and started walking back with his shit as the car drove away.

Billy walked down the road to meet him, taking the jack. “What are you doing?”

“I’m changing your tire, genius,” Steve said.

“You can change a tire?” “Nancy taught me once.”

Of course.

Steve dropped the spare and it bounced on the ground between them. He set the lug wrench on the roof of the Camaro. “You can’t change a tire, can you?” He looked very satisfied with himself.

“I’m sure I could figure it out,” Billy snapped. “It’s not rocket science.”

“Okay,” Steve said brightly, “you stand here and try to figure it out and I’ll change the tire.”

Billy was equal parts irritated and charmed. It had never taken much for Harrington to charm him, but he only squinted and smoked. Harrington took off his jacket and shoved it at Billy, who took it and carefully stifled a smile. Billy didn’t really have words for how turned on he got when was Steve was particularly confident.

Steve went to work with the lug wrench and Billy stood in the hush of the road, under the dark clouds threatening rain, and only observed as Steve knelt and fixed the wrench to the bolt. The bolts were apparently tight as hell and he watched Steve’s muscles flex beneath his t-shirt, his jaw clenched, brow furrowed. Billy had always been more muscular than Steve, but he was no slouch and the occasional surprise of his strength always got Billy hard, perhaps never more so than now as Steve worked each bolt just to loosen it. He put the wrench aside and rubbed his palms on the ass of his jeans before setting the jack under the car. He stood and then leaned over to turn the crank and Billy watched his shirt ride up and expose those two little dimples in his lower back. Billy wanted to kiss those two little dimples and his eyes followed the curve of Steve’s long back. He attempted to give nothing away, hoping it would take Steve close to an eternity to change the tire and also in a kind of agony over it. By the time Steve was done he had streaks of grease on his shirt and a bit on his face and Billy wanted to lick him and he clenched his fists at his sides, a third just lit cigarette, hanging out of his mouth. Steve strode up to him, still catching his breath, and took the smoke from between his lips.

“Gimme that,” Steve muttered, and took a drag, and with his hair coiffed up but now a little bit disheveled, and in his too small t-shirt with the grease spots, he looked like some 50’s heartthrob. Billy thought of James Dean. “You impressed?” Steve spoke softly around his smoke, glancing down at the road.

Billy’s heart hammered at the implication of the question but he kept a straight face, which for him was more like a leer. “You trying to impress me, Harrington?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, and Billy’s fingertips tingled. Heat rushed up to his cheeks. Steve stepped a little closer to him. He was still holding the lug wrench. “When you came over, I… Last week. I wanted to… I wanted to really bad…” He was babbling. Steve tended to babble when he was panicking a little. “I’ve just been...freaking out a little  but…”

“What,” Billy said, or at least he thought he said it. There was a rushing in his ears.

“I’m not book smart okay,” Steve said, “but I know when somebody’s into me, I’m never wrong. Fuck. I’m really bad at speeches.” He dropped the cigarette and the lug wrench--Billy heard the clang of it on the road-- and stepped forward and leaned in, ducking his head a little to kiss Billy once, softly. Billy stood, frozen, mind buzzing, and Steve kissed him again and his hands came up and there were palms cradling his hot cheeks. Steve’s mouth was warm and soft in the chill air and they both tasted awfully like cigarettes. “Don’t disappoint me now, Hargrove,” Steve whispered and Billy felt himself melting into a third kiss, his eyes slipping shut as his hands came up around Steve’s back where he had those dimples that drove Billy crazy.  Billy had always imagined if he kissed Steve it would be rushed and frantic and rough and it might have been if Billy had ever had the balls to make a move. But this was Steve making a move, and Steve was nothing if not a romantic. And because Steve was a romantic he was so sweetly kissing Billy’s top lip and his bottom lip and his thumbs traced the line of Billy’s jaw.

They kissed like that for a little while til sporadic raindrops began to fall and Steve pulled away. He looked as dazed as Billy felt. “You’re smiling,” Steve said, and traced Billy’s rain dotted lips with his fingers. Billy shivered. “I’ve never seen you smile like that.”

He had not known he was smiling.

He’d given everything away without meaning to and found just now that he didn’t give a fuck.

“I really needed my tire changed,” Billy managed to say.

“Well, now I need a ride,” Steve said, and he pushed a lock of Billy’s hair behind his ear. “You wanna go eat?”

“Uh huh.”

“Aw, you’re really cute like this, Hargrove.”

“Shut the fuck up, Harrington,” Billy said, and took his hand.