#how can you exaggerate and downplay in the same breath? it's a skill

[pallanophblargh]

As part of my ADHD diagnosis intake process (or whatever you call this), there’s a massive quiz I have to take. I THOUGHT I was prepared. I was not.

Aside from leaving it to almost the last minute (I have a week to complete), I just... these questions... what. WHAT. I mean, some of them are super easy, but a good chunk of them have caused a level of internal anguish I normally assign to tax returns, math, or social interactions with strangers.

I don’t know if this proves anything. I’m only half way through and part of me wants to cry.

I think a good chunk of the anxiety stems from the hard dichotomy of a simple “true or false” answer system. I am in hell.

[shoichee]

Hello❤️❤️❤️ congrats with 100 followers🥳🥳🥳 hope the audience will expand😍 and can I repeat myself again? I love your works😍

So, can I request 5 with Himuro?

hihihihihi!! ty sm for your support squeeeeee, sure you can repeat again, think of it as a thank you for being there since the beginning <333 i actually have so much requests now it’s kind of crazy!

Himuro x Reader

5. “Well. Yell, scream, say something. Anything”

Word Count: 2255

prompt list here

TW: attempted assault and stalking, nothing graphic, but these are the main subjects for this scenario, so PLEASE PLEASE take care of yourself first if these topics trigger you and avoid them!

»»—————　☼　—————««

Himuro felt helpless.

The Winter Cup that year when Seirin rightfully won was over months ago, but even still, there is still a part of him that gnaws at him from the inside of his consciousness. Ever since he failed to stop Haizaki from making unwanted advances on his mentor.

No matter how much Alex assured him that it wasn’t a big deal, no matter how easily she shrugged the incident off, there is still a festering guilt that eats him away at how useless he was in protecting the people he cared about. He couldn’t even protect Kagami as an “elder brother,” and he couldn’t even protect Alex as a “male” against another male. Still, no matter how much he chastises himself for having such immature thoughts, they’ve continued to overstay their welcome. What kind of traits does an “elder brother” or a capable “male” even entail?

Someone who wouldn’t be beaten and swatted like a fly…

Someone who wouldn’t just sit idly by when someone is being wronged…

Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to fight back to protect someone, even despite the consequences…

But if that’s the case… that’s just the definition of a person with human decency, isn’t it? Yes, perhaps that is why he still mulls over the encounter to this day. First he split off his brotherhood with Kagami over a one-track goal of an equal rivalry, and then he talked down to his mentor before his Winter Cup game that evening… In the end, he was absolutely pathetic, losing to Kagami’s inborn talent and getting beat down while watching his teacher getting harassed and choked. He easily accepted the fact that Kagami surpassed him with his basketball… The latter? Not so much.

He hasn’t really talked about his inner turmoil with anyone. Atsushi is someone who would not care too much about the complex emotions that he’s currently harboring, much less help deal with them. His other teammates are graduating and too occupied with final exams. He could speak with Alex, but by now, she’s moved back to America, and a part of him doesn’t want to call her out of his self-consciousness and humiliation. You?… He could confide his troubles with you… but a part of him whispers that you’d think less of him if you knew how incapable he really was.

After all, if he couldn’t even protect you as your boyfriend… no, he’d rather not go too far into that thought.

He smiles at the thought of you openly complimenting everything of him every time he subconsciously downplays himself, whether it was his basketball skills or his looks or even his habits. He always thought about how cute you were when you always made exaggerated hand movements to express your sincerity when you shower him with compliments, even if he always told you that you never had to go that far in saying such things. (You always insisted that they’re true and he was the best boyfriend anyone could ask for anyways.)

To someone like Himuro who had always hid their inferiority complex and other entangling insecurities behind a mask of a genial smile, your words always reassured him that he wasn’t treating you horribly or neglecting you or just being downright selfish. Just like what happened with Kagami. Just like what happened with Alex. He just hopes he doesn’t fuck this up somehow with you too.

He had always apologized for how he couldn’t spend as much time with you as he wanted to; basketball practice doesn’t spare anyone, after all. Still, you would smack his arm and push him to the gym as you scolded him to focus on what he loved to do best. Ah, he really didn’t deserve you… how you were so understanding he would never know.

But dusk fell at another early-February weekday; it was still quite chilly, cold enough to see his own puffs of warm exhales. His hands are cold, but the rest of his body burns from running laps and repeating shooting drills moments earlier. His ears grow hotter still when he remembers that you two had planned a simple outing near the coffee shop around the corner.

“Atsushi!” Himuro turns back to call out to the center player. “I need to be going now.”

“Hmph,” Murasakibara huffs in reply. “I was gonna ask you to take me to that new booth to try out new samples.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he laughs, noting the faint mist escaping his lips. “I’ll take you there next time, Atsushi. I have a date planned with (y/n)-san right now.”

“Tch, I’m leaving before you get too mushy on me. Buh-bye~” the giant drawls, casually strolling down the opposite path. Himuro manages to hold back a mild snort before he makes his way to head to the shop you two agreed to meet up at. Propping up his phone to look for your name to send a text, his eyes widen as he registers your name popping up on his screen as an incoming call. What a coincidence. You must’ve been anticipating this too. He smiles as he envisioned your anticipation at the table before he picks up on your call.

“Tatsuya?…” your voice rang.

“(y/n)-san,” he teased. “I didn’t think of you as an impatient person. Can’t wait to see me?”

“Yeah,” you said, but something about your voice was overly cheerful.

“Don’t worry,” Himuro hummed. “I’ll be there really soon. Give me 5 minutes.” He assumed it was just your excitement taking over that made you sound different than usual. He was about to hang up before you spoke again.

“A-Anywho!” you say. “How was practice, Tatsuya?”

“Hmm, the same it has always been,” he replies. “Just drills and laps before running a few practice games. Why do you ask?”

“No reason! C-Can’t I check up on you sometimes?”

“Of course you can, (y/n)-san,” he reassures you. There was a silence from your end, but he can hear how your breaths quickened over the line. He then registered some footsteps and maneuvers on the concrete and furrowed his brows in mild confusion. “… Hey, is there something wrong?”

“A-Ah yes! I’m at the laundromat right a-around the corner!” Your voice slightly peaks at the end. “Y-Yeah, yeah! I can’t wait to… s-see you soon! Uh, huh, m-mhm! You’re near right now, right? Yeah! You-you’re almost there!…” By now, your voice has taken on an almost hysterical tone.

“(y/n)?… (y/n)!” he half-shouts into his phone. “(y/n)! Can you still hear me! Where are you?!… Laundromat, right?” He breaks into a brisk run, ignoring the disapproving stares of other pedestrians on the sidewalk.

“I-I-I’m near the alley adjacent to the laundromat!… Yeah! C-Can’t wait to see you! O-Oh, don’t forget… um, to bring your wallet. S-Silly, you always forget to bring money, so… s-so…” You completely break your facade with a faint voice crack and a sniffle at the end. “Please… please hurry…”

Himuro pushes himself to a full sprint, completely disregarding etiquette as he pushes a few people to the side. His cold hands struggle to cease from shaking as he clutches his phone harder, as if he was holding onto you for dear life. Something terrible might happen to you, and if something happened to you on his watch…

Please, please, please, fucking god, please—please make it on time—

He grits his teeth and screams at his legs to move faster when he hears a stifled sob and a cry from your end.

“A-ah please…” you whisper. “They’re coming—they’re, Himuro, I don’t know where to ru—” All he heard after was a terrified scream before the line cut off.

Fuck, hurry up, hurry the fuck up—

———

Your phone was completely shattered on the floor, and you swore you had a few broken shards embedded in your skin somewhere from the harsh impact. That didn’t matter though. Not when there were two men grabbing you and trying to muffle your cries for help.

You try to use your elbow to hit their weakest parts, their joints, to loosen their grip. It worked, but as soon as you took a few steps, the other just tackled you to the floor to completely immobilize you.

You screamed, you kicked, you slapped, you elbowed, you punched, you flailed, but nothing seemed effective against two bodies, twice the size and twice the strength of your own.

You pitifully wail as a last desperate attempt, but in the quiet corner of the neighborhood, nobody seems to heed your cries for help. The sun had completely set by now, the year still experiencing the darkness of a winter night; by now, most are already at home relaxing. Their weight on your body was suffocating and you don’t know whether the pain was from the rough concrete, the shards, their weight, or all of the above.

You register them heaving you up with a firm hold on you still and shoving you to walk to the nearest vehicle they owned, and your legs are absolutely trembling from the shallow wounds you accumulated from the roughing and from the fear of the uncertainty of what would happen to you.

———

When Himuro lays eyes on your roughed-up state and the two men restraining you, all his fury and guilt and fear comes rushing back from his encounter with Haizaki.

He is not a rational man right now. He is not thinking of being the “bigger person.” He is not thinking about being a model athlete nor proper sportsmanship nor disqualification. There are no such thoughts of consequences, not when your life is being jeopardized.

He does not fucking care that he looks like the aggressor when he throws a left hook at the first man. He does not fucking care that the second man looks like his shoulder got dislocated. For once, he does not fucking care how his violent actions might cost him his prospective basketball career.

When he pulls your trembling body into his arms and feels how warm you are against his body in the night chills of an early-February weekday, he breathes out a long cloud of air, slowly calming himself as he hugs you more firmly against his side and pulls up to dial the local police.

He feels a slight sense of relief when he can feel you instinctively snuggling into his side for solace.

———

The local officers immediately got the gist once they saw the scene of two sprawled men, a terrified you, and a protective Himuro. After checking the nearby CTE cameras, their suspicions were confirmed. They still ask Himuro a few basic questions before they haul them off to the station; Himuro mostly answers for you.

Once the quiet fills the neighborhood again, you release a shuddering breath; Himuro knows because he can see your own mist from the corner of his eye. Still, you haven’t spoken a word since then.

“(y/n)…” he murmurs, bending down to your level to survey the scratches and bruises on your body before he hesitantly looks at your eyes. “Well… yell, scream, say something—anything… please.”

“… Can you… hug me again?”

“… Of course.”

And you both embrace tightly, Himuro tucking your head into his chest as you nuzzle as much as you could into his body.

“… Did they do anything to you?”

“They roughed me up and all, but… thank god you came…”

“They still put their hands on you—I couldn’t protect you—”

“… Why do you look so much more distraught than me, Tatsuya?”

“Because, I—I can’t do anything for the people I love and care about, and I… never mind, do you… want me to walk you home?”

“Wait, Tatsuya…” you whispered. “Let’s talk for a bit, please talk to me.”

“Our date—”

“Which we can always reschedule,” you said, bringing Himuro’s head down to nuzzle against your shoulders.

“If I was there faster—if I was there, this wouldn’t have…”

“Because you were there,” you corrected him. “I am able to experience another day, another tomorrow… especially by your side, where I’m happiest.”

“You must’ve been so scared—damn it, I—”

“Yeah… I’m still shaken up from that, to be honest,” you sighed. “I’m… just a bit paranoid about being alone in the dark now, but you saved me from the worst case scenario—Tatsuya, what’s wrong?! Are you crying—?”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, quickly separating from you to rub his stray tears away before attempting to smile. “I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around. Please don’t mind me.”

“Oh silly,” you mused. “I’m dating you too. I want to be able to protect and care for you in my own way, too.”

“It’s getting dark, though. We should really start walking.”

“And we can talk while we do. I demand you to snuggle while we walk, too.”

“Haha… how could I ever say no to you, (y/n)?” He feels that gnawing sense of guilt and patheticness rearing up its head again, but when he looks at your earnest eyes even despite what transpired a few moments ago, the fact that you were safe and in his arms was more than enough to quell those feelings away.

In the lulls of a chilly early-February night, Himuro wraps a comforting arm over your figure as he draws a shuddering breath before he hesitantly begins. You look up at his face expectantly to show that you were giving him undivided attention as encouragement.

“It was during the Winter Cup a few months ago…”

———

End Note: being stalked by a dude in a CAR was NOT FUN. IT WAS NOT A FUN TIME !! 😭 unlike this y/n here, I had no one to “call” and pretend that I was meeting up with them because my walk route home comprised of only houses and streets, so that was something else OOF I was thinking of the worst case scenarios at the time;;;

[tangledinmdzs]

the sweetest sound - junior quartet hcs

juniors reacting to hearing you sing for the first time  (this makes my heart swoon lololol)

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩　Lan Sizhui　♩✧♪●♩○♬☆

it’s just little hum while you studying together

you’re both sat at the kitchen island of your apartment

even though you love to listen to music while you’re studying, this is something that you actually need to pay a bit more attention to then usual

and you kind of jam too hard when there’s a song that you like on

so you sacrifice the music for the quietness of concentration

with pens scribbling away, and Sizhui’s typing a seat or so away from you, you both are wrapped up in your own work

and you’re singing along to a little made up memory to remember a certain formula that you’ll need for class

it’s a really dumb song

but it helps

and you’re singing under your breath anyways

so you’re surprised that Sizhui’s typing comes to a stop

you look up as you finish, just to see him staring at you

“oh, was i being too loud? i’m sorry” you tell him but he just stares at you for another quiet second before closing his laptop

“why don’t you sing more? your voice is so good” Sizhui says and continues to praise you 

you think he’s exaggerating

but with the way that he stares at you, you’re a bit surprised at the eagerness that you find in his eyes

you blush a light red and turn back to your work

but when you sing your little study song to yourself, you’re glad that your companion doesn’t mind

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩　Lan Jingyi　♩✧♪●♩○♬☆ 

the moment that he hears the water, Jingyi knows he’s not going to be able to get into the bathroom anytime soon

cause you’re always putting on some sort of concert whenever you’re showering if the music you put on is anything to go by

today however, when he walks pass the bathroom, he’s surprised not to hear your usual loud (fav. genre here) music through the walls, rather plain water

but also, a very light voice

at first he doesn’t think that it’s you singing

but mixed with the echo-eyness that your bathroom is known for

and just the way the water trickles

Jingyi realizes that it’s actually you

and you sound nothing like how you talk, a lower, quiet sound

when you sing your voice is loud, soulful and definitely resonance (thanks dorm bathroom!)

Jingyi realizes you’re singing along to one of his favorite songs too

so the moment that the water shuts off, he’s eager for you to come out so he can make you give him a LIVE SHOW

“I didn’t know you could sing like that!” Jingyi yells at you when you open the bathroom door, in fresh clothes, toweling your hair

you just laugh at his exaggeration

but he’s earnest about his compliment

and now knowing just how well you can sing

he’ll always make you sing to him 

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩　Jin Ling　♩✧♪●♩○♬☆

you’re standing and washing the dishes 

the ambiance is nice and the water’s loud enough

honestly you don’t even realize that you’re singing to yourself 

because it’s not like anyone had ever heard/commented anyways

but maybe because you’re getting so into the song that you don’t realize anyone would hear you anyways

but when you’re finishing up with putting the last of the dishes on the rack, you look to the side to see Jin Ling staring at you

and you almost drop the dish

you hadn’t realized he’d gotten home

“why did you hide your voice from me” Jin Ling would ask, in deep and utter surprise

like anyone can see that my dude is really shook

you’d say something like ‘it’s not like it was intentional’, ‘there wasn’t anything to hide’ etc. etc.

and Jin Ling doesn’t understand why you are downplaying your skills like that

but now that he knows you can sing

he’ll keep an ear out for your sweet voice

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩　Ouyang Zizhen　♩✧♪●♩○♬☆ 

you’re all out for karaoke and stuff

and the night is late

and it’s the last song of the night

so you seriously sing your favorite bop to call off the party

and because everyone’s drunk so you don’t think anyone would hear you anyways

but WOW

Zizhen would literally be so shocked that he’d be speechless 

he hadn’t drank much to begin with

designated driver duties, lol

but listening to your soft voice gave him the same giddiness as any drink could have

paired with the soulful ballad, you let yourself drift with the lyrics, riding high on the haziness of a few cups and also the fact that this was one of your favorite songs

when you’re finished you get a round of applause

but obviously the loudest person in the room will be Zizhen

[wide-eyedscottishlass]

Scarlett and the Professor - poolside sin

[continued from]    [contains NSFW material]

Just as he had known she would, Scarlett had melted for him. At the potency and command in the depth of his kiss, and in soft submission to his will. Though she had managed to surprise him again—first, with those sketches of her Greek boy, an eloquent testament to the reality of their relationship (though for Hennessy’s sake she had immediately tried to downplay it, as if he might grow jealous), and then with…well, it had felt to Hennessy as nothing short of her lovingly rendered drawing of himself—she remained wonderfully easy to read. And she was very easy to like, as well; he always got on best with lovers who were smart enough to hold their own with him, even challenge him at times, and after her initial timidity those few weeks ago (has it only been that long, he wondered) the vitality of her mind had asserted itself in some entertaining and satisfying ways.

There was much about her to view favorably. Such a very bright girl, with a sharp wit when she chose to display it. A gentle, kind, and very loving nature. Scarlett was soft in all the right places, too; not just in how she surrendered to him, but in the quiet way she clung to him afterwards, making no demands but that most elementary, unspoken one of simply laying with him flesh on flesh. No need for silly chatter in the afterglow, nor the trite habit he sometimes encountered, of  lovers asking for promises of devotion and loyalty. And as he had discerned from their first liaison on the beach, Scarlett could be obedient almost to a fault, and possessed a keen need to please authority figures such as himself. Hennessy had initially suspected she had daddy issues, and my oh my, she had confirmed that with a few passing references to a perpetually absent father. In that aspect, she seemed custom made just for him.

Most intriguing of all was a well of passion, which—despite her naivete—dwelt within her to an as yet indeterminate depth. Oh, he would learn that depth before he was finished with her. He most certainly would. The Leviathan that cruised his own depths had been quiet through their weekend together, not unusual as Hennessy had only just broken beneath her surface. But inevitably, it would find its voice and seek release—meaning that he must discover before then if Scarlett was meet enough to satisfy his wickedest hungers. And if she would revel as much in his darker predilections as she had already learned to in the sensual lessons he had already schooled her in. 

When he’d released her from that kiss, her eyes had remained closed, her face soft with that dreamy expression which he had begun to covet. Hennessy allowed himself a moment to enjoy it, before he gave voice to an observation. “Darling, you’re pinking up a bit—you might want to apply some sunscreen.” She blinked open her eyes at his unexpected comment. “I’d hate to see you burn that creamy skin of yours.” 

Scarlett gave a little ‘oh’, enough to make it clear that hadn’t even occurred to her. Leaving him wearing a small, indulgent smile. “You can fetch a tube from the cabana, little lamb—and I’ll even do your back for you, alright?” Goddamn, how pleasant and surprisingly natural it felt to take care of her! As though she was custom made to rouse that tendency in him as well. 

He’d made quick work of it, too, quietly pleased when she hummed softly beneath the care of his hands, then moaned when he ran his fingertips onto the outside swell of her breasts. “All set now, love,” he teased against her ear, even as he slid the backs of his fingers along her ribs and down to her waist, before throwing her a little off balance by simple letting go—for surely she had expected more. Scarlett turned in time to see him give the tube of sunscreen a one-handed toss and catch it deftly, while he grinned at her innocently, and then headed to the cabana to put it away. The look of surprise and wee confusion on her face was priceless, perfect fuel for the little game he had in mind. 

Exiting the cabana, he saw that she’d settled back into her chair and was staring at the sketchpad in her hands, though she hadn’t taken up her pencil yet. Hennessy slipped of his pool slides at the shallow end of the pool, right above the set of underwater stairs, then meandered over to the far end, giving her a chance to grow curious enough to watch him. When he was sure he had her attention, he dived right into the deep from the pool’s edge, swimming along the bottom for about two-thirds the length of the pool before surfacing for a deep breath. Scarlett was tracking his movements almost surreptitiously, her pencil just hovering over the paper. Gottcha, he thought smugly, it’ll be just a few minutes more, and you’ll be joining me for some very wet fun, m’dear. 

As a further enticement—certain that she was bound to be entranced by the powerful strokes of his long arms cleaving through the water—Hennessy propelled himself towards the shallow end, turning underwater and pushing off the wall, and then swam three full laps before coming to lean against the ledge, facing Scarlett. 

But there she was, presenting him a third surprise—for she sat engrossed in whatever she was drawing, paying him no heed, so that he finally had to call out for her attention. “Scarlett…darling,” he aimed to sound casual, “Come cool off in the water with me.” She gave a rather insouciant tilt of her head, and it occurred to him that she was playing hard to get. Perhaps in reply to the way he’d left off so abruptly after applying her sunscreen. This was a delicious, albeit unexpected, turn—though he knew that she would easily give in if her were to use his voice of command. Let’s see how far she is willing to take this…

Hennessy propped his elbows on top of the pool ledge, then entwined his fingers to rest his chin upon them, becoming the picture of patience before calling to her again, “The water is very refreshing, my pet…and I’d love for you to join me.”

 This time she looked up and gave a little shrug so that he smiled and crooked his finger to beckon her over. Scarlett gave an exaggerated sigh, blinking at him in faux innocence, then began to tuck her art supplies back into her rucksack. Slowly and with much deliberation, purposely making him wait. Her recalcitrance was turning him on in a way he hadn’t yet experienced with her, and the sudden image of her splayed across his knees as he prepared to spank her bare bottom in retribution, flashed across his mind’s eyes. Bringing his hardening prick to full attention. 

She stood up and launched into a long, languid stretch, reaching her arms above her head, then bending at the waist to touch her toes, before shimmying out of her capris. Highly amused, Hennessy bit his lip against commenting just yet, for he was busy picturing how hard he was going to rail her when she finally joined him in the pool. 

And then she was drawing near, smiling sweetly as her shadow fell across him—surely unaware of the wicked turn his thoughts had taken—to stand just out of his reach. Naughty Scarlett! He t’sked at her brazen disregard for his directives, even as her surprising behavior was working on him like some powerful aphrodisiac. She indulged in a dramatic sigh, then turned without a word, walking towards the deep end, sparing him a single, backward glance and a coy little smile, on her way to the diving board. 

Hennessy watched with growing fascination as Scarlett mounted the board, wearing an expression of intense concentration upon her lovely features. She took several deep breaths as she stepped onto the board, then briefly closed her eyes as she stood stock still, clearly preparing herself to dive, and then moved rapidly to the end. Once, twice, thrice, she bounced, gaining height with each spring of the board, and then flawlessly executed an open pike dive, entering the water with the barest of splashes, and then swimming the full length of the pool floor without coming up for air until she reached him. Emerging prettily—as if there was nothing to it—as sleek and as wet as an otter, confident in the wake of her skillful display, and eyeing him impudently. 

Gobsmacked for several seconds, Hennessy drew in a long, whistling breath, truly impressed with the grace with which she had moved through the water. A natural grace that affirmed that water was her element—perhaps as much hers as it was his own. “Christ, Scarlett,” he exclaimed, “That explains how you can hold your breath so well. You must be part water nymph after all!”

She dunked her head beneath the surface, then broke though again, leaving her neck and shoulders submerged. “Now you’re just teasing me, Professor,” she pouted, though her eyes told him what his compliments actually meant to her. Without waiting for his reply, Scarlett was off again, slicing through the water on her way back to the deep end, quickly flipping into an Olympic quality turn, to swim effortlessly back to the shallows. 

Twice more she showed him the same neat trick, arriving back in front of him barely winded, all wide-eyed and lustrous, and looking so very ripe for the taking that he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing hold of her arm and hauling her close. “And now you’re teasing me, little lamb. Awakening the wolf inside me.” He was breathing heavily, his voice raw with the lust she had conjured, “A very hungry wolf, at that…” He grabbed her chin with his other hand and kissed her roughly, then pressed his forehead to hers, “Hungry enough to devour you, Scarlett. Is that what you were hoping for?” 

Left speechless by his fervor, she nodded and swallowed hard, finally managing a breathless reply. “I think…I think with you, I…I always hope for hunger. Does that…make me wicked too?” 

Hennessy gripped her by the shoulders, rumbling from a deep place in his chest, “That makes you perfect for me, love. It makes you mine.” When he took her mouth again he pulled her under the water with him and held her chained to his kiss, only surfacing so they could both draw desperate, heaving breaths. 

Scarlett’s eyes had gone their widest and she watched him, mesmerized as he cupped a hand against her cheek. I’d bet that your pretty Greek boy never kissed you like that. Or that you ever looked at him like you’re looking at me now. “Say it for me, Scarlett,” he demanded, “Say what you know to be true.” 

She blinked several times and chewed on her bottom lip, hesitating only briefly as she searched for the words he expected to hear. “That,” she panted, “That I’m yours.” Scarlett breathed a heavy sigh, closed her eyes, and nestled against his palm, her relief clear in both her voice and expression, “I’m yours...my jo.” 

“Exactly so.” Hennessy rested his free hand on the side of her neck, noting the rapid pace of her pulse, while taming the feral edge to his voice—though it seemed every nerve in his body was alive with his need consume her. “You are mine, and mine alone. In this time and in this place, and for however long it pleases me to have it so.” That she showed no fear of such an absolute concept—that she even greeted it with a small, quiet smile—placated to a degree, the hungry beast lurking at his core. He placed his lips against her ear, relishing the little shiver she gave at the hot kiss of his breath on her tender skin, “And this is not by my will alone, little lamb, is it? It’s what you wanted of me from that very first love note you left on my desk.” 

“Yes…oh, yes.” She sounded almost grateful to share her illicit secret. “It was like some…dark magic came over me. Like I recognized you in the moment I saw you—and that all the choices of my life had led me right to…you.” 

Though lust still thundered through his blood, Hennessy held himself in check long enough to nuzzle her ear and then her cheek. Soft-voiced, he assured her, “You’re precious to me, Scarlett. I hadn’t expected that to happen. Not so soon, anyway.” She gave a little moan, which pleased him well again. “I can taste your trust in me in your every kiss, and that is precious to me too.”

Scarlett wrapped her arms around his neck, shivering with need despite the balmy air, molding her body to his, ready to give herself over to his will once more. Stoking his determination to take everything she was. This time he kissed her without need to pull her under, and with nothing to prove to either of them. Doing his best to go slowly, though inevitably raw hunger overtook them both. 

He had been kissing her face, her neck, her shoulders, as she let her head fall back; sucking the water from her sweet flesh, even as his urgency mounted and he moved them towards the pool wall. Once he had her there, Hennessy pulled away only so that he could shed his swim tee and toss it onto the ground behind her. Scarlett raised her arms above her head, inviting him to do the same for her, and then purred deep in her throat when he was able to flex his powerful hands around her bare breasts. Sinking lower in the water, he took one hard bud between his teeth, while tweaking the other between his fingers, thriving on the moans that were her reply. He swirled the tip of his tongue around her areola and then greedily pulled her into his mouth to feast upon. Her smooth moan drew his eyes up to hers, to see her nod ‘yes’, to see her nod ‘more’, so that he began to suck harder. Pulling her ever deeper. Suckling on her so vigorously that she hissed and shot her hands into his hair, while moaning his name unrepentantly. 

Hennessy dove his right hand down, first parting her thighs, and then slipping it inside her bikini bottom, reaching for that precious nub he’d learned so well. Using the thick pad of his thumb to work her as he moved to take her other nipple deep into his mouth. Absorbing the incredible, sinful sounds rising from her chest, sounds purely for him. Triumphant in knowing no man had ever drawn such sounds from her before, and surprised to feel himself grow even greedier for more. 

As much as he loathed to part from her again for even a moment, need drove him to it; though he kept his gaze upon her, he only let go long enough to pull off his trunks, while Scarlett tugged off her bottoms. Hennessy held out his hands and she came to him at once; he grabbed her hips and using the waters buoyancy, he lifted her enough so that she could drape her legs around him. A moment more and he was using one hand to align the head of his cock with her opening, and then thrusting up into her as he pulled her down onto him. The pool water had been wonderfully warm, but Scarlett’s heat surrounding him was heavenly. Her walls enclosing him perfectly while she sucked the water from his skin, all along his collarbone, and then danced her tongue from his Adam’s apple down to the hollow of his throat. 

She was clinging to him, giving out sharp huffs of air at each of his hard thrusts, but having no traction, she could only rotate her hips for him, so that he cupped her bottom in his hands, sinking his fingers into her firm flesh. “That’s right, baby…that’s the way…” he panted, backing her against the wall again, enabling him to grind up and into her mercilessly, eventually finding their ideal rhythm. Fucking her hard while she dug her fingers into his back. 

Soon, her mouth fell open against him, and she was moaning louder and louder with each of his thrusts, driving him on in equal measure to the divine sensation of her walls pulsing around him, gripping him tight. “Scream for me, Scarlett…if you need to, baby…shout to the heavens, if you will…” 

When she did, it was spectacular, crying out his name like an unholy prayer, her heady moans become wicked as she begged him please, to never stop. “Fuck me hard, my jo…fuck me forever!” So shockingly un-Scarlett like, yet exactly what his soul craved to hear. 

Hennessy opened his eyes, wanting to mark her singular beauty in the throes of their excessive sin—and was struck to the marrow by how utterly his she had become. Exactly as he had wanted, but like a thing that had eluded him his whole life. Making him need her, even more than the wanting. Desperately needing to feel the clench of her muscles—at the height of her ecstasy—surround his throbbing cock, needing her to cum hard and milk him dry. Needing to drown in her…in her love. 

And when he commanded her to, she did—oh, she did because he deemed it so—and so beautifully, so hard that it felt like a rocket imploding, and he followed hard upon, buried as deep inside her as he could get. Suddenly, there were words rising up from his chest, but Hennessy caught them quickly in his throat, while his Scarlett was cooing her bliss, unmindful of his uncharacteristic struggle. 

Catching those dreaded words before they could escape and make everything too complicated, and make him appear weak and ordinary in his precious lover’s eyes. He would not, could not, feel them or speak them aloud. Even if they were a product of truth, and not just his hormones. They would destroy the dynamic of his life, the life he’d worked so religiously to build for himself. 

Besides, he’d have to put Scarlett aside, should he say them—for he certainly did not feel them. Especially not now, no matter how mind blowing it had been, not when he had been made vulnerable by what they had just shared. Not now, when the apotheosis of pleasure had laid his soul bare. Hennessy was far from ready to forsake all the glorious promise of her young, nubile body, nor the astonishing softness of her heart, which she had proven ever ready to lavish upon him. He bit his tongue and tucked his face into her neck, while she smoothed gentle fingers against his hair, and they rode out the last waves of shared ecstasy together.

“Hennessy,” she whispered at last, several minutes having passed with only silence between them and his head still resting on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

He nodded, groaning against her skin, his mind still hazy in the aftermath of not only their extraordinary physical experience, but as much from the jumble of emotions he had needed to deny and then try to lock away. “I’m fine, Scarlett,” he told her, regretfully lifting away from the welcome haven in the crook of her neck, feeling too drained of energy to give any thought to the dilemma that he had just withstood. “Perfectly fine.”

Hennessy realized that given her remarkably sensitive nature that Scarlett would sense, perhaps even feel, the change in him. But it couldn’t be helped. She had intimated more than once her vivid and quite literal dread of going too deep into dark, unknown waters. Well, there were deep, treacherous waters of his own, which he had vowed long ago to avoid. A mere forty-eight hours---not even that long yet---spent indulging in her charms, no matter how beguiling, were simply not enough to tempt him to tread there. 

He pressed a perfunctory kiss to her cheek and then backed away, submerging into the water as though cleansing himself of those things he would deny. When he surfaced, Hennessy caught her eye long enough to see he’d left her perplexed, and even a little hurt.

That’s as it must be---and what choice does she have otherwise, he decided, rolling over to take a leisurely lap to the far end of the pool; the only promise he’d made, beyond those of the sins he would teach her, was that their affair would never broach the boundaries of his black and solitary heart. It’s best you remember that promise now, little lamb. If not, what heartache you may suffer will not be my fault to bear.

(to be continued)

tagging: @strangelock221b @ben-locked @thelostsmiles @splunge4me2art @ben-c-group-therapy @tsukuyomi011 @humanbornarchangel @emilyinnj4real @letterstosherlock @aeterna-auroral-avenger @frowerssx2 @groovyfluxie @ravencatart @doctor-stephenstrange @candiegirl-22

[ginjointsintheworld]

I know they didn’t show it but assuming they’ve all met at least once, or worked on a consult together, or even just going off of what Lauren has told her, what do you think Leyla thinks about the other doctors and staff? In my mind she probably thought Lauren was exaggerating about Max but after that yes day he had earlier this season she realized Lauren was actually downplaying his actions.

max: earnest and well meaning but extremely naïve. she appreciates his commitment to making change for the better though and from how lauren lamented possibly quitting if the medical director after max returns things to the way they were before his leadership, his efforts have not all been in vain. also she's a little thankful he doesn't burst into the ED too often because she was already exhausted just listening to his welcome speech at orientation. HOW one man can fit so many words in one breath, she has no idea. also leyla definitely realizes that lauren downplayed how chaotic max is but that’s because she’s just as chaotic and in her mind, the craziest thing he’s done is try to fix global warming instead of, oh, i don’t know, try to stop an exploding pesticide tank with his jacket.

helen: leyla had seen a couple of rerun segments of dr. helen in the coffee shops she stopped in at through out the city long before she ever stepped foot in NA so it was a little surreal meeting her in real life. lauren had always spoken about helen with the utmost respect and leyla can see why. she's only briefly worked with helen when she came down to the ED for a consult but the care she shows each patient stands out to leyla above everything else.

iggy: the first time leyla met iggy, he lit up and went in for the hug, freezing halfway there to make sure it was okay before wrapping her up in a warm embrace. she actually hasn't had a chance to work with him since he's been the psych residency director since she's worked at NA. but given his open and gentle disposition, she can understand why that chance case a couple of months ago could push him out of practicing.

floyd: extremely talented surgeon. he has an approachable charm that makes leyla a little amusedly understand why lauren was involved with him. talking with floyd about general surgery and the various techniques she saw him use in trauma 1 after his consults were part of what influenced her decision to select general surgery as an elective.

staff: skilled, hardworking, dedicated and leyla didn't expect anything else from people hand picked by lauren bloom. leyla enjoys trying to find an opportunity to work with everyone she can on the staff. though she does find it a little amusing how intimidated they are by lauren, her goofball lauren. but at the same time it's obvious that it comes from a place of respect. also, casey definitely runs the house of bloom.