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glitterblazercalum · 4 years

Text

got a river for a soul, and baby, you’re a boat

or: Oh, fuck. We showed up wearing matching couples’ costumes to this party by accident and now everyone thinks we’re together.” + cashton

hello and happy halloween everyone!! giant thank u to ainslee @ashesonthefloor for putting this event together!! and for forcing me to actually get this fic done, looking it over, and generally being a major source of serotonin in my life. another huge thank u to bella @clumsyclifford for being one of my favorite people and loving frat boys enough that it made me want to write a fic about them to annoy her <3 love you both <3

here is the link to the event masterpost bc I highly recommend checking out all of the other amazing fics:

https://ashesonthefloor.tumblr.com/post/633534107120549888/hello-welcome-to-my-halloween-fic-event

warnings: mentions of alcohol

word count: 2,872

without further ado, please enjoy the fic I wrote mostly all last night while looping drag me down for thirteen hours straight :))

Calum doesn’t know what fuckhead came up with the idea of having a joint Halloween party for Sigma Nu and Sigma Pi this year, but he really wants to fight them. He thinks he’d probably have a lot of people on his side, considering how much Sig Nu and and Sig Pi hate each other, so he tucks the idea of interfraternity war away in his head as a contingency plan in case the party goes to shit, as joint parties with any other frat always seem to. And it’s not like it’s a one night thing, because all three days of the “Halloweekend,” as Michael refuses to stop calling it, are supposedly going to be spent with Sig Nu, one party at their own house, and two at the shithole that he assumes is the Sig Nu house, in some deranged attempt at bonding. He’ll be lucky to make it out alive, probably.

Before college, he really never did anything of his own for Halloween, mainly used to being used as a prop or side character for his sister Mali-Koa’s elaborate costumes, or, after she’d moved out, sticking a pair of fake fangs in his mouth to hand out candy to the few kids who rang the doorbell despite his efforts to keep all the lights in the house off. Last year, as a freshman, he’d gotten roped into a group costume with some of the other Sig Pi pledges, and while his memories are...hazy at best, he vaguely remembers falling asleep in a Teletubbies onesie at the end of the night.

This year, though, no one has tried to tell him what to dress up as, so it’s now a few hours before the first of the three parties, and Calum still has no ideas for what he should dress up as. A quick Google search for “cheap easy costumes” hadn’t really been all that helpful, so he decides to ignore the problem and take a nap until he actually has to leave.

A few hours later, Michael barges into the room to drag him out of bed, and looks around for a few seconds before asking, “You don’t have a costume, do you?”

Calum groans, pulling himself out of bed and wracking his brain for an idea that he can plausibly bullshit in the next few seconds, because he can’t let Michael be right and have something to tease him about, so he blurts, “I’m going to be a salt shaker.”

Michael gapes at him a bit for a few seconds before asking, “What the fuck? What kind of costume is that? What are you even going to wear for that?”

Calum mentally kicks himself in the shin, as hard as possible, because he really hasn’t thought this through. Why couldn’t he have just said cat or cowboy or something even slightly in the realm of normal Halloween costumes?

“Uhhh.. y’know that baseball tee I have? The one with the black sleeves and white middle?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s in my closet, but continue.”

“What the fuck, dude? Give it back!”

“You haven’t noticed that it’s missing for like three weeks, I just assumed it was mine now. Tell me what the rest of the costume is,” Michael demands.

“I’ll just tape a piece of paper with a big ‘S’ on it to the front of my shirt, and then put one of those pots with the holes on my head. Bam! Salt shaker!” Calum says, moderately impressed with his ability to pull stuff out of his ass this quickly.

“What makes you think we even have a colander?” Michael asks, crossing his arms.

Calum gives him a blank stare. “A what?”

“That’s what the pots with the holes are called, you idiot.”

“You think Harry would live anywhere that didn’t have a fully-stocked kitchen? There’s bound to be one in one of the cabinets or something.”

“Fine. I’ll go get the shirt while you look for the colander.” Before Calum can object, suggest that he look through Michael’s closet himself and steal back any of his other clothes that have somehow wound up there, Michael’s already halfway down the hallway.

Sighing, he trudges down the stairs towards the kitchen, where one of the seniors, Niall, is sitting with his head in his hands, dressed as a pirate.

“Hey, dude, nice costume,” Calum offers as a greeting. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find a colander, would you? I know Harry—”

“Do not talk to me about Harry right now,” Niall says, and Calum stops his search for a moment to send him a concerned look.

“What happ—”

“That needy-ass motherfucker thinks that just because I didn’t want to do a couples’ costume with him, it means I don’t love him anymore! Never mind the fact that he literally mentioned this idea to me yesterday, well past the point where everyone finalizes their costumes.”

Calum offers him a sympathetic look and offers, “Couples’ costumes are boring and cheesy anyways. Neither of you are missing out on anything, at least in my opinion.”

Niall lifts his head up from where he’d been repeatedly hitting it on the table to smirk at Calum and ask, “Have a lot of experience with couples’ costumes, do you?”

Luckily, Calum has finally found the colander, so he opts to ignore the question and just leave the kitchen entirely.

When he gets back upstairs, Michael’s in his room, unabashedly checking himself out in the mirror that’s on the back of the closet door. “Yeah, yeah, your anime character of the year looks great, now get out and let me get ready.”

Michael scoffs, “Get ready, as if you’re even doing anything,” but moves towards the door anyway.

Michael’s right, the costume is ridiculously easy to throw together, and two minutes later, they’re both out the door, walking across Fraternity Row to get to the Sig Nu house, where the music is already blaring and strobe lights throw red, then green, then blue shadows across everyone’s faces. On his way to the kitchen to grab a drink, he sees Niall and Harry walk into the house, holding hands and laughing together, so he assumes that their fight has blown over as quickly as all of their other fights always seem to.

He sees a few different trays of shots and decides he might as well take one to get the night started off right. After, he realizes that he probably shouldn’t grab a beer now, Mali’s rule about sticking to one color of booze for the night ringing in his head, so he settles for filling up a Solo cup with whatever glow in the dark gin concoction is in all the punch bowls. He wouldn’t put it past the Sig Nus to poison the drink on purpose, but it tastes relatively normal, so he grabs another cup for Michael and attempts to leave the kitchen, steering around the couple sloppily making out in the doorway.

It’s harder to spot Michael than it usually is, considering that at least half the people at the party are wearing some type of wig, but Calum eventually makes his way back over to him. He’s talking to Niall and Harry, and they both offer him a smile before continuing on with the conversation. Once that reaches a lull, Niall leans closer to Calum and says, “Mate, you didn’t need to lie to me about couples’ costumes.”

Calum has no idea what Niall is talking about, so he shakes his head and asks, “What are you talking about?”

Niall cackles, and Harry turns to look at him adoringly before going back to talking to Michael, and Calum is more confused than ever. Niall grabs his shoulder and spins him around and points in the direction of a clump of people. “You’re salt and he’s pepper, right? That’s such an obvious couples’ costume, although you two do seem to have a bit of a disconnect on how much effort you put in. That guy really went all out. And dude, why haven’t you told us that you have a boyfriend? You know we’d want to know about that, give him the Sig Pi seal of approval and all that. Wait. Unless he’s a Sig Nu, in which case, I don’t want to know because I’d probably have to kick you out. That’s a joke, by the way.”

Calum barely has the presence of mind to mumble, “He’s not my boyfriend,” before crossing the room to get to the guy in the hyper-realistic pepper grinder costume.

The guy smiles as Calum approaches, and despite the costume covering most of his body, Calum can tell that he’s cute. “Why so salty?” Pepper Guy greets, the sunshiney smile still on his face.

Calum smirks and replies, “Maybe I just need some more spice in my life.” Pepper Guy laughs, and just like everything else about him, it’s cute, and Calum wants to hear it again. “I’m Calum, by the way.”

“Ashton. Nice to meet you, man.”

Calum leans a little closer so that it’s easier to hold a conversation over the loud music and asks, “What’s the deal with the super realistic pepper grinder costume?”

Ashton makes a strange noise, somewhere between a laugh and a groan, and says, “I got it off some random sketchy website, but it was supposed to be a chess piece. Something clearly went wrong somewhere in production, and my friend Luke said that I might as well sharpie a “P” onto it and just go with it.”

Calum makes a noise of agreement, mind stuck on a dumb idea. Before he can reconsider, he sends Michael a quick text that says if u’ve already taken over as dj, can u play that come grind w me song? and a few seconds later, he hears the opening notes and grins.

“Hey, Ashton?”

“Yeah?” Ashton replies, as realization slips across his face.

Right in time with the singer’s voice, Calum says, “Come grind with me,” and he laughingly pulls Ashton towards the makeshift dance floor. Neither of them can really dance, so it’s a mess of laughter and limbs flopping around, but Calum feels an unmistakable electricity between them too, and once the song is over, they stay for the next few, enraptured by each other. When they finally exhaust themselves with all the laughing and mock-twerking, Ashton asks Calum if he wants a refill, and when Calum nods, he grabs his hand and starts pulling him towards the kitchen.

Once they’re there, Calum goes for another serving of the glow in the dark punch, which is steadily dimming as the glow sticks run out of light. Since that’s really the only light source in the kitchen, Calum doesn’t see Ashton until he’s turning around and Ashton is right in front of him, reaching around him for a cup. Calum’s kind of trapped with his back against the counter, Ashton’s pepper grinder costume tall enough to really block out the view of the rest of the party, and the world narrows, all of it contained in where their eyes connect, and then, after Calum has safely set his drink back on the counter, that narrow point expands just a bit to where their mouths land on each other’s. The colander gets knocked off Calum’s head as he lifts himself up to sit on the counter, wrapping his legs around Ashton’s waist to pull him closer, as close as he can possibly get him.

Ashton’s sucking a mark into Calum’s neck when Calum has his first coherent thought of the past few minutes and pulls back, breathlessly asking “Wait, wait, you’re not a Sig Nu, are you?” fully expecting the answer to be no.

Ashton steps back a little too, and it takes him a second to register the question before he groans, “Of course you’re a fucking Sig Pi, that’s the only explanation that makes sense for me never seeing you anywhere before. You’re too hot for me to not notice otherwise.”

Calum flushes and mentally curses out whatever idiots had started the rivalry between Sig Nu and Sig Pi before he grabs his stupid colander off the ground and gives Ashton an awkward wave goodbye.

Once he’s out of the kitchen, he quickly glances around in search of Michael, and when he can’t immediately find him, he just gives up and leaves entirely. Fuck Sig Nu.

He spends most of the next day bitching about his hangover, and then, a few hours later, bitching about his hangover while helping to set up the house for that night’s party.

He doesn’t really have much more of a costume for tonight, throwing on a gray shirt and sharpie-ing some whiskers on his face. Michael takes pity on him and makes him a headband with an approximation of what they both think mouse ears are, and Calum is mildly entertained by going up to everyone and saying, “I’m a mouse, duh.”

His heart’s really not in the right place to party tonight, which is probably breaking the cardinal rule of being in a frat, so he sticks close to Michael, who has taken over the role of DJ, once again. Zayn from Alpha Sig strolls over after about half an hour, devil horns askew, and quietly says to Calum, “Cat and mouse, huh? Didn’t think you had it in you, Hood, that’s proper cute. Not as cute as me and Lou, mind you, but still, I respect the effort.”

Calum is reluctant to look up and see who he’s accidentally matching with today, because, with his luck, it’s probably another guy from Sig Nu. When he does eventually look up, he immediately makes eye contact with Ashton, who happens to be walking by, dressed in all black and with whiskers sharpie’d onto his face too. Calum wants to bang his head into a wall because the universe clearly hates him if it’s having him match with Ashton again. Even beyond that, Ashton looks so good out of the stupid pepper grinder and in all black that Calum wants to make out with him again.

Ashton is clearly having similar thoughts when he gestures Calum over and leads them towards a little pocket of quiet space in one of the lesser used hallways.

Calum really wants to hook his thumb into one of Ashton’s belt loops, so he does, as Ashton looks him up and down a few times. “Is the mouse costume your way of telling me you want me to chase you?”

Calum murmurs, “Shut up,” before leaning in to kiss him, frat rivalry be damned. It’s just as good as it was the night before, maybe even more so, now that the pepper costume isn’t in their way. At this point, there’s no denying the chemistry. It can’t be blamed on being drunk since Calum’s been nursing the same beer all night, and the part of his brain that’s protesting against being this close to a Sig Nu is getting smaller and smaller as he and Ashton continue to kiss.

They stay in that hallway for the rest of the night, eventually sliding down to sit on the ground, legs pressed together, sharing stupid stories about their respective frats. Calum’s surprised when the music shuts off because it feels like it’s only been an hour at most, that’s how easy it is to talk to Ashton. Ashton heaves himself up and reaches both hands down to help Calum up, too.

“I don’t think there’s any way you can match your costume to mine tomorrow, but I’ll come find you anyways,” Ashton says, as he leaves Calum with a kiss on the cheek.

Calum’s too wired to sleep much, so he opts to help clean up the house instead, and that takes up enough of his day that when nighttime rolls around, he’s stood staring at his closet without a costume idea for the third time in as many days. After ten minutes of consideration, he digs through one of his drawers to pull out the fake vampire fangs that he had somehow remembered to bring with him, and he goes down the hall to ask Jack to put some fake blood on his mouth and neck. Jack always goes all out for Halloween.

Once he’s at the party, he doesn’t have to wait long to find Ashton, who looks incredibly good in his werewolf costume. There’s fake blood on him too, which is really the only way their costumes could be understood to be matching, or so Calum thinks. Tonight, Jack and Alex are the ones to tease him, “You know what, I agree. Jacob and Edward should have ended up together, Bella was boring as shit.”

Calum’s really not bothered by the comments at all, so much so that he’s already thinking of couples’ costumes ideas for next year when he finds his way over to Ashton and whispers, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Are you trying to make a move on me? I’m a respectable Sigma Nu, I don’t know if I can allow that.”

Calum laughs and tugs him out the door, “Told you I wanted some more spice in my life.”

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clumsyclifford · 3 years

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“I got my ass kicked but you held the ice” jalex?

sure thing, anon. i've been watching a lot of bones lately so maybe that explains...i dunno. the vibe here.

tw for minor blood & injuries, mentions of alcohol

read here on ao3

There’s blood on Jack’s face.

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?” feels like the right first question.

Jack staggers into the open seat across from Alex. “Got slugged.”

“You sound proud.”

“I am.”

“But you’re bleeding,” Alex says, aghast. He’s out of his seat and sliding in beside Jack before he can even really think. “Why— why are you bleeding? From getting punched?”

Jack shrugs and winces. Alex looks closer, hesitant to touch him. “Dude had rings or something. Hurt like a bitch.”

“You got scratched,” Alex says. Even he can hear the concern seeping into his voice, but if Jack notices he doesn’t seem to care. “Jack, you should clean this. We— you should let me clean this.”

“No, it’s cool.”

“Uh, I actually wasn’t giving you the option,” Alex says. He wraps an arm around Jack’s forearm and pulls him out of the booth. The seating area is far enough from the bar that Alex can justify somehow missing whatever scuffle Jack got into when he was supposedly getting them both drinks, but he wishes he hadn’t. Trust Jack to get into a fight the moment he’s left to his own devices.

“This isn’t necessary,” Jack says once they’ve reached the bathroom, though he’s letting Alex manhandle him anyway, which Alex appreciates. On account of the fact that it feels extremely necessary.

“You’re fucking bleeding from your face, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that,” says Alex, casting a glance around for anything to wash Jack’s face off with.

“And I’m supposed to bleed from other places?”

“No! No places.” Alex hits him on the arm. “No bleeding at all. Wanna tell me what happened? You were gone for like five minutes. I thought you were getting another round.”

“I was.”

Alex raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Well you obviously didn’t succeed, so what the fuck gives?”

“Got into a fight,” Jack says.

“That’s unlike you.”

“Do not use your fucking shirt to clean my bloody face,” Jack says, ignoring Alex, and Alex stalls in his motion lifting the hem of his shirt.

“Why not?”

“Oh my God, think rationally? You’ll ruin your shirt?”

“You got into a bar fight and you’re telling me to think rationally?”

“It hardly counts as a bar fight,” Jack says, and then sighs heavily. “Use mine. It’s black, it won’t show up, and I’m pretty sure there’s blood on it already anyway.”

Alex presses his lips together and frowns. The blood on Jack’s face isn’t really dripping. “How could there be blood on your shirt?”

Jack lifts his shoulders, shrugging off his leather jacket into Alex’s outstretched hand. “Dude pushed me.”

“...You said he punched you.”

“He did. And then pushed me, you know, with his fists, you know.”

“So he punched you again.”

“No, no, he—” Jack frowns. “I don’t know, who cares?”

“Me! I care! Who the fuck did you fight with? And why? And can I kill him?”

“No, it was stupid, and it doesn’t matter,” Jack says. “Answered your questions in reverse order.” He crosses his arms across his chest and tugs his shirt up over his head, offering it up to Alex inside-out.

“Well, at least you recognize that it was stupid,” Alex mutters. He steers Jack towards the sink counter. “Sit.”

“Come on,” Jack complains. “This is ridiculous. It’s just blood.”

“Everything you say makes me more worried about your well-being. Do you have no sense of self-preservation? Can I never actually leave you alone again?”

“It’s blood, I’ve bled a million times,” Jack says, exasperated. “And for the record, it was noble.”

“Really? Or was it stupid?”

“Can’t it have been both?” Jack sighs, and tilts his head back to look at the ceiling.

Alex grabs his chin and pulls his head back down. “Maybe. Can’t make a judgement until I know what you got into a fight about. And you have to look at me so I can clean your fucking face, which is bleeding, which is generally regarded as bad.”

“Sorry, mom.”

Alex runs Jack’s shirt under the faucet until it’s soaked through. He wrings out the excess water. “Sit still.”

“Okay, mom.”

Alex rolls his eyes. If it gets Jack to listen, Alex will accept being called mom. He’d like to think that cleaning a friend’s injuries is a thing that any decent human being would do, not just a mother. Not that it really matters. The point is it’s an Alex thing that he’s now doing for Jack.

It’s not something he’d ever anticipated doing. Jack’s not the type to get into fights. He’s a little bit of a thrill-seeker, sure, but he’s not an idiot. Which is why Alex really does kind of believe the fight may have been noble. Jack wouldn’t pick a fight for a stupid reason, but for a noble reason? Sure. Why not.

Jack hisses as Alex starts dabbing the wet t-shirt at his bloody face. His jaw tenses under Alex’s fingertips until finally he mutters, “Okay, ow, stop, stop it, that really hurts, can’t I do it myself?”

Alex’s hand drops from Jack’s face. “I’ll be more careful.”

“You’re not the problem. It’s— I got fucking decked. Everything hurts.” Jack casts a sidelong glance at Alex and exhales loudly. “Give me your hand, I’ll just do the squeeze-when-it-hurts thing.”

Alex offers up his left hand. “You sure?”

Their fingers interlace. Jack nods slowly. “Yeah. Go. I did this to myself.”

“Technically speaking, that dude you fought with did this to you,” Alex mumbles absently as he resumes his task. Jack groans and his grip on Alex’s hand becomes viselike. Alex does what he can, but it’s hard without another hand to keep Jack’s head stable. It’s also hard when his hand is being literally crushed.

“Ow,” Alex says, snatching his hand away. “Jesus, JB, you’ve got a fucking grip.”

“Sorry.”

“I need this hand,” Alex says, semi-apologetically. He’d be more apologetic if Jack hadn’t just been liquifying the bones in his hand. “You keep moving.”

“I’m not trying to.”

“No, I know that. I just—”

“Okay, it’s fine,” Jack mutters. “It’s fine.”

As delicately as he can manage it, Alex settles his fingers along Jack’s jaw, tilting his head in the most convenient direction. Jack continues bemoaning how painful this is, and Alex tunes it out. If it gets desperate, he’s sure Jack will hit him or something.

No assault occurs. Alex gets all of the blood off Jack’s face without further incident. “Okay,” he finally breathes. The sigh of relief that escapes Jack makes his posture fall. Slumped over with his elbows on his knees, he looks suddenly exhausted.

“I think that hurt more than being punched.”

“I doubt it,” Alex says. He rubs a sympathetic hand over Jack’s shoulders. They’re secluded, as much as they can be in the bathroom of a bar. Underwater by the way the walls muffle the music and chatter. Dim light washes over Jack. “Let’s go home.”

“No, we don’t have to.”

“I’m ready to leave and I think you are too.”

“Sorry,” Jack says quietly. “I wasn’t trying to ruin the night.”

“You didn’t.”

“We were just supposed to be getting a drink.”

“I have to say, I think I’m more impressed that you got into a fight while mostly sober.”

“I think I regret it.” Jack winces and curls further into himself. “And now I’m also cold.”

“Here,” Alex says, tugging his arms out of his flannel. “We can go back to my place. Watch a movie. Throw your bloody shirt into the laundry.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack says again.

Alex shakes his head. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“It was stupid.”

“You know, I want to believe that, but I just don’t,” Alex says, sighing deeply. “I actually believe it was infuriatingly noble, because you are just that kind of person.”

Jack glances at Alex as he begins buttoning up the flannel. Looks back at the floor. “I don’t know if it was noble. I could have left it alone. That would’ve been the smart thing to do.”

“Hey, I didn’t say it was smart. I’m sure it wasn’t.” Alex squeezes Jack’s knee and Jack looks up at him, surprised at the gesture. A small, almost indiscernible smile tugs at his lips.

“Some creep at the bar hitting on the bartender,” he admits. “Being really gross, really loud. Clearly making her uncomfortable. I said I was her boyfriend. Told him to back off. Guy didn’t like that.” He shrugs. “I pushed him, he punched me. Guess that was cause enough to get him kicked out. I mean, they should probably have kicked me out, too, but…the bartender seemed grateful.”

A soft smile crosses Alex’s face despite himself. “So I was right. It was noble.”

“Worth it,” Jack mumbles. “I hate creepy guys in bars. Ruining the experience for all of us. And look, I get hitting on a bartender, but don’t push it when she says no, you know? Anyway. I’d do it again.”

Alex reaches up and flips the collar of the flannel down, and his eyes meet Jack’s. “Did you get her number?”

Jack looks confused. “I didn’t want it. I was just being decent, you know.”

“Oh.” That’s new. Jack loves to collect phone numbers. Feeds his ego or something.

“‘Oh,’ what?”

“No, nothing, I’m just surprised,” Alex says, adjusting the collar. Jack shifts his shoulders. “You’re usually all over that shit.”

“Yeah, well. I’m…otherwise preoccupied. Not interested in a random hookup.”

“What?” Alex fakes a gasp, pretends to be positively scandalized. “What have you done with Jack Barakat?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Well? Preoccupied with who? I won’t tell.”

“That’s true, you won’t,” Jack says. “Because I’m not telling you.”

“What? Jack! I swear.”

“It’s not that I think you’re going to tell anyone,” Jack says, rolling his eyes and his sleeves. “What are we, eleven? I just don’t want to say. It’s complicated. I’m still thinking about it.”

Alex squints. “Someone I know?”

“Declining to answer any of your questions starting now.”

“Sure, sure. But is it someone I know?”

“Alex.”

“Okay, fine,” Alex says. “Don’t tell me.”

“Same page,” Jack says dryly, gesturing between them. Alex steps away and gives Jack a critical once-over.

“Let’s go home,” he says. “You should put ice on that.”

Jack slides off the sink counter. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s go.”

They’d anticipated being drunk on the way home, so they have to catch a cab. Jack winces when he thinks Alex isn’t looking, and Alex does him the courtesy of pretending not to see. It’s not until they’re back at Alex’s apartment, under the bright living room lights, that the bruise on Jack’s face becomes apparent.

Even Alex winces. “Oh, shit,” he says. He reaches for Jack without thinking and only stops himself just before his fingers graze Jack’s face. “That’s…damn. That’s a shiner.”

“Thank you,” Jack says. “People find this kind of thing hot, right?”

“Uh, damaged people, I guess,” Alex says. Like he’s not, at that exact moment, trying to suppress the thought that it is hot. So is Jack in his flannel. Alex already knows he’s damaged.

“Cool,” Jack says.

Alex wraps an ice pack from the freezer in a dish towel — not that anyone’s counting, but he’s fairly certain it belongs to Rian — and brings it back to the couch. The TV is on. Jack is flicking through titles on Netflix.

“Here,” says Alex. He sits next to Jack and Jack makes as if to take the ice pack, but Alex shakes his head. “I’ve got it.”

“You don’t have to. I’m a big boy. I can hold my own ice pack.”

“I know,” Alex says. He can’t quite figure out why he’s so dead set on doing it anyway, but Jack must read it in his tone, because he turns back to the TV without arguing.

“What are we watching?”

“Dunno, what’s on?”

“The entire Netflix library.”

“A constantly-changing selection,” says Alex, and braces the back of Jack’s head with his free hand. Jack leans into the touch. “Criminal Minds?”

“Great choice,” Jack says. He flinches when Alex holds the ice to his face, but only for a second. Alex is steady and then Jack is too. The Criminal Minds cover fills the TV screen. “Not a movie, but arguably better.”

“I don’t think that’s arguable,” Alex says quietly. Even with the dish towel, the ice is starting to make Alex’s hand cold. He doesn’t mention it.

Jack hits play on whatever episode of the show has come up. They’ve both watched this show all the way through, but it’s nice to have a show like that to share. On the one hand, neither of them ever tire of it. On the other, they’ve seen it all before, which means they don’t have to become invested or pay close attention.

Jack leans into Alex as the episode starts. Alex’s arm wraps around Jack’s shoulders. They stay that way until the episode ends, and Alex would call it convenient for holding the ice pack, but he sets the ice pack down about six minutes in, whispering that he can’t feel his fingers.

In response, Jack sandwiches Alex’s hand between his own without a word. Alex doesn’t say anything.

He sort of doesn’t think he needs to.

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jackinalex · 3 years

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Also, you RP? I hardly know anyone who does anymore! I don’t do group bc it stresses me out but I do one on one on discord! And I also write jalex fics religiously 😂😂😂

I do! I haven’t rp’d in a group in forever and I probably won’t again bc so many of them have Jack banned as a face claim (😒😒😒), but I’m always down to do one on one on discord (IF you’re not a minor of course!). I wanna read your fics!!

#kalina answers #earthtokatie barakatboy #Jalex rp

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ashtcnirwin · 3 years

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god typing your url is always so hard for me i don't know why but i always want to type ashtocn ANYWAY how about this: gimme a director's cut for jalex in paris, change my mind fic, or makeup artist ashton fic. yes those are the three you wrote for me. i'm giving you the option to only break down one of them if you don't wanna have to dig into all three. but like you can hit all three if you wanna! go crazy. whatever floats your boat. love youuu xoxo bella

you and me both, i keep spelling it as aschtnirwin whenever i have to type it out🤡

hmm giving me choices... i like that, thank u miss bella! i haven’t really talked much about any of these fics (that i can remember), and i can’t quite make up (heh heh) my mind (heh heh) so i’ll just do all three and here’s to hoping i can keep it at least a little bit short

⭐ we’re doing director’s cut of fics guys⭐

jalex in paris aka we go together (or we don’t go down at all)

writing this fic was really hard in one way because i’d never written a fic for a fandom that i barely knew anything about, and i remember that i spent that whole morning/early afternoon looking at atl interviews and miscellaneous vids to get a tiny teeny grasp of their vibes. and it’s like...when you’re part of a fandom, you keep picking up all these little pieces of information about whatever/whoever it is you’re a fan of, things that you won’t find on a wiki page or anything, but to try and pick up all those little details in one day just wasn’t gonna happen obviously.

i think you, bella, commented on smth in the fic, a little detail or smth that didn’t add up with the real people, and i never went back to fix it (cos it just...didn’t matter to the story at all really) but i remember thinking to myself like “ah fuck...okay making little mistakes like that is really irritating cos if this was 5sos (or 1d for that matter) i’d never ever make a mistake like that”, yk?

anyway, i love paris a lot, i’ve been there a few times, and i’d been meaning to write you some jalex for a while when...either sam or meghna said smth about jalex in paris, and i thought...yeah...i can do that...mhm. so i did. and you know me, i’m usually all about the angst and the emotional torture and the heartbreak and all that stuff, BUT in addition to this fic being written for you and i know you’re all about the easy love, writing this as angsty or have jalex have a bigass argument over their relationship or anything like that just didn’t feel right AT ALL.

in my mind at least, the combination of how jalex act irl, both as individuals and as a duo, and the general vibe i was going for in the fic, the easy love-path was the only thing that made sense. it was just like...they spent a day wandering around paris, being a little chaotic, and ended with them sitting at a restaurant in the early evening, waiting for their dinner, and then jack just being like “are we on a date?”, totally casual, and then that was it, sort of. no conflict, no long conversation, no colliding expectations, etc etc, and it was lovely to write.

(but ofc, in true me-fashion, i had to throw SOMETHING in there, hence the nods towards a fwb-arrangement)

(in my defense, if it wasn’t for that, there never would’ve been a ‘is this a date?’-question tho so)

and i really, really enjoyed writing this piece, far more than i thought i would, and getting to write about parisian vibes (and cute boys complaining about awfully hot parisian summer weather) was just...i felt like a soft boiled egg by the time i finished and posted it😌

change my mind-fic aka we dance along

would you believe that this was the first fic i ever wrote that was inspired by a song? actually, so far it’s the only song-inspired fic i’ve written, i haven’t written another one since. why haven’t i? it was so much fun...huh

well i’m a wh*re for 1d, i was deep into the fandom back in the heyday, and this song was my sad jam back when tmh came out, so writing a fic for it eight years later and for a different fandom was...it felt a little odd, ngl, especially since i wrote it as non-au? which would indicate that 1d exists in this universe? and that 5sos went on tour with them? i don’t think i put a direct timestamp on the fic, but they were in stockholm when the events of the fic went down and it was established that they were in sheffield a week prior, so that would have been the myt tour, so...yeah, they would have toured with 1d a few years prior, and now they’re hanging out, drunk, in an hotel room, speaking in 1d lyrics? that’s a vibe

just like the jalex in paris-fic, there’s easy love here, too. i think i said something in the club a little while back (it might have been in response to...nik asking for general writing tips?) about how sometimes, people just...do things, they don’t think it through, they don’t stress out about it or anything; they want something and they go for it, and it just isn’t deeper than that. not everything has to be super fucking deep, right?

and i remember thinking as i was getting started on writing malum’s whole conversation about what went down in sheffield, that if any 5sos ship was gonna hook up and then a week later be like “ykw? i like you, i liked kissing you, i liked hooking up with you, so let’s just run with it and see where it takes us” with just a brief, minor freakout and not getting themselves into a whole pining, angsty situation over it, it would be malum. cos the basic premise of this fic COULD have been turned into an angsty slow burn, no doubt, but it made sense to me to drop the argument all together and just go for a soft and easy conversation

makeup artist ashton au aka something old, something new

ah awkward, nervous luke...loml. this one was SO FUCKING HARD to write for the sole reason that idk shit about makeup, like i’m literally barely able to paint my own face without ending up looking like heath ledger in the dark knight, u feel? had it only been hairdresser!ashton. i know way more about hair. well anyway doesn’t matter.

it’s been so long since i wrote that fic now (or, it feels like it’s been super long, in all actuality it’s only been like half a year) and i wrote it so quickly that i can’t remember a lot about my thought process as i wrote it, tbh?

the only thing that stands out to me is the line in the fic that goes, “He chooses to not say anything about the fact that it’s the judgement he’s passing on himself that’s the main problem.” because while i’m obviously not gonna sit here and speak for everyone else, i often find that when i make a big change in my life, be it with my looks or my job or my studies or in personal relationships or whatever else, i tend to be more focused on judging myself for whatever it is i just did than i am on whatever judgement other people may be passing on me.

i wrote luke as being super nervous and unsure about asking ashton to put makeup on him, but his nerves definitely came more from being scared of taking that step than from worrying about other people judging him. i didn’t elaborate on it in the fic as far as i can remember, but i imagine that the reason he was so nervous was that he was scared of taking another leap away from traditional masculinity and what it might lead to. i feel like...a part of him was hoping that he wouldn’t like his face with makeup on, simply because then he could take it all off and carry on with his life, but well, that didn’t happen. he’s a pretty boi, even prettier with makeup.

also, in hindsight, i realise that this is one of those fics that could have been left pairing-less and it wouldn’t really have changed the story much at all. the focus of the fic was very much on luke, not as much on the interactions between him and ashton, and i think the main reason why i did include some flirting (or, clumsy attempts at flirting at least (luke just going ‘hey do u have snapchat? pls? i wanna talk to u more)) was that it’s become more or less second nature to me when writing fic to include at least a nod or two towards a romantic relationship?

yeah i did not manage to keep any of these particularly short? surprise surprise but thank u bella for giving me the chance to talk abt these fics that i have a tendency to forget abt, ily🧡

#this was neat #not the fics i think abt very often (or at all) but getting the chance to do it was really really great so thank u bella #ask #bella #fic ask

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frussiaislove · 3 years

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hi, you can call me sana. this is a 🔞 blog so no minors following w this blog thank you. not really nsfw though! if it is i will tag it

i’m a nonbinary lesbian, they/them is fine

the ships i like and want to talk about here:

obikin (obi wan x anakin)

frussia (france x russia)

andrigo (berlin x professor)

jalex (justin x alex)

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alexandramontague · 6 years

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Sparring Lesson | Jalex

Parties: @alexandramontague and @jim-ofalltrades-montague

Date: June 3rd

Location: Jim’s apartment

Triggers/Other Notes: Jim takes it upon himself to teach Alex some self defense. Some of the tension between them finally cracks.

Alex didn't really know what she was expecting from all this, but Jim had practically been adamant about her being trained and learning self defense so what'd happened last week at the bar would never happen again so...here she was, bright and early. It didn't help matters that things had felt a bit tense with him. She knew better than to grow attached to someone in the family, to develop--nope, she wasn't even going to allow herself to finish that though. She was being dumb and she needed to snap out of it. Besides, what could Jim even possibly see in her? She was a mess of a person that no one should have to put up with. So much so that she regretted telling Oz months ago she'd be willing to be entered into an arranged claim if need be for the decree because really, she'd feel bad for whoever got stuck with her. ..Those too were all thoughts she pushed away and instead she moved to the door of Jim's place, biting her lip as she knocked and waited for the Dom to answer.

Jim had been hoping he could connect Alex with a good self defense coach to make sure she didn't actually get herself killed, but basically every teacher needed another week or two before they could take her on as a student. And considering Alex's track record, he didn't think it was safe to wait that long. For his own peace of mind, he needed to know that she could get herself out of basic situations. So she was coming here. Unfortunately, he had a car in his workshop right now so they couldn't use that space. Instead, he'd cleared his playroom of anything obviously suggestive and shoved it in his bedroom so they'd have a clear space away from his tv. As soon as he heard the knock on his door, he swung over to answer it. "Hey. Come in."

Alex 's idea of 'workouts' consisted of jogging in the park and hefting heavy books around at the library all day, so she was pretty nervous about all this too and how bad she might be. Still, she came prepared, even going as far as wearing some of the few workout clothes she owned and when the door opened she blinked up, unable to help the little smile that tugged at her lips, "Hi." she nodded and moved, walking inside when motioned to.

Jim didn't think this was going to be a huge workout for him, so he was dressed for comfort in a sleeveless black tea and black sweats. "Ok, so I'm gonna teach you a couple basics to get you started. Do you have any questions?" As he spoke, he lead her back to the newly cleared room with mats on the floor.

Alex followed him through the apartment and to a room she hadn't been to the last time she was here, pausing for a second to look him over and focusing on the stark blank ink on his shoulder; it was the first time she'd ever really seen his Dominant mark and she found herself staring at it for a second before ever so slightly shaking her head to snap out of it. "Um...not really. Maybe just more of a warning for you in that I've never even thrown a punch in my life? So you're gonna have your work cut out for you."

Jim thought he caught her looking at his tattoo, and smirked slightly. There were a lot of things he had trouble with, but acknowledging that his symbol looked incredible was not one of them. "Ok, first thing, you're not gonna learn how to punch. Movies make punches look cool, but they're the easiest way to fuck up your hand. Even when you know what you're doing. So unless you're gonna take lessons for the next couple years, forget about that."

Alex felt the heat on her face rising when she realized she got caught staring and she just rolled her lips into her mouth and looked away before nodding. As he continued though she huffed out a little breath, tilting her head slightly, "Case in point?" She asked with her own little smirk, nodding over to his hand that'd gotten injured in the first place. "But okay, then what're some of the basics you're planning on teaching me then, Obi Wan?"

Jim shrugged with a bit of a self satisfied smirk. "I do know what I'm doing. I didn't break any bones." His injury was incredibly minor for a punch to the face, and a lot of years of practice had gone into that point. "We're gonna start with some basic blocks and the best places to hit to get someone to leave you alone quick."

Alex rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah, yeah." She teased, shaking her head. It could've been worse though, she knew that. And she knew he was right in that he hadn't at least broken anything. So she'd take it. When he began explaining what they were going to do she nodded, stepping up onto the mats with him and walking over to where he was, stopping just a few inches away and blinking up at him, "Alright, so...lesson one?"

Jim: "Ok, lesson one. Your biggest goal in a fight is to stay on your feet, protect your head, and do whatever it takes to give yourself time to get away. It's not about winning. It's about getting out. So the best block is to make sure that punch never hits anything important and don't take anything head on. Even if you shift a fraction so the blow glances off, you're in better shape. Make sense?"

Alex listened as he spoke, watching him, and she nodded every now and then before humming softly in response, "Stay standing and keep my head safe, got it." she made a point of shifting her stance too, grounding her feet with one leg in front of the other in the way she'd see them do it in movies and such and just assuming that was the right way.

Jim: "Ok, the other big part of it is you want to do everything you can to keep their hands from hitting you. That means, you don't block like you see in boxing matches. Instead, take a swing at me, and I'll show you what it should look like instead."

Alex rose a brow at him when he told her to take a swing, honestly looking a bit dumbfounded because, like she'd said, she'd never thrown a punch before. "Okay.." Still, she moved closer, biting her lip and hesitating a second before shifting and aiming a half-hearted punch at him, feeling a bit ridiculous all the while.

Jim: Her moves were telegraphed from a mile away, but that wasn't a big deal. As she did so, he threw out his arm, keeping it slightly bent at the elbow, but it meant he stopped the motion of her forearm with his, and it kept her hand far away from his body. "See what I did?"

Alex wasn't expecting the way he blocked the punch, his arm outstretching towards her instead of blocking his head, but it was effective since her hand was nowhere near him. She looked his arm over again before nodding and dropping her arm, waiting for him to give the okay before she struck again, a bit more purposeful this time and quicker.

Jim: "Ok, we'll try it this way a couple more times before he reverse it. Don't lock your arm or you'll break your elbow. Ok. Go." He let her take a few more swings at him, demonstrating the block a couple more times with each hand so she could see it. "Ready to do the block yourself?"

Alex nodded, more focused now and serious as time went on, adding a bit more force and speed to the next few punches so he could demonstrate more realistically and nodding whenever he gave her more tips, trying to commit it all to memory. When he asked if she was ready to switch roles she rolled her lips into her mouth, hesitating before nodding, "Just don't make fun of me if I'm horrible at it." She warned as she shifted her stance.

Jim: Jim didn't even bother to respond to that comment about making fun of her, not considering it worth the breath it would take to dispute. Instead, when he was sure she was ready, he swung towards her head, keeping it slow enough she should be able to block it easily and start to get the feel of it.

Alex watched him shift as well before throwing his punch and she snapped her arm out, trying to mimic his movements as well as she could, and when she did it right and blocked his punch she smiled a bit, feeling pretty proud of herself for doing it even if his swing had been purposefully slow and easy to block. "Again."

Jim: As she blocked his swing solidly, his lips quirked towards a smile, feeling ridiculously pleased. He could see that she'd surprised herself by managing to accomplish it. Immediately he swung again, increasing his speed slightly and adding a little strength so she could get a better feel for it.

Alex again rose her arm up, blocking the punch and even moving more, trying to catch him off guard and swat his arm away completely. She was smiling still, happy she'd gotten it right and after a few more tries she finally nodded to him, letting out a breath, "I think I've got it down. ..Lesson two?"

Jim: By the time they'd stopped, he was up to about the usual speed most guys used in a fight, so he was feeling pretty confident that she could handle this a little better than she did before. "Good. We're only gonna do a bit more today because I'm still not as good as an actual teacher. But if you are gonna hit someone, go for an open hand strike. Use the heel of your hand and go for nose, ear, neck, anything kinda soft and painful."

Alex felt her heart racing a bit more as time went on, adrenaline starting to kick in as he went again ad again, using more strength and speed but she blocked and pushed him off each time, feeling more than a little proud of herself. "Again, not like you last week?" She teased as she let out a breath, remembering as he very much didn't use an open hand when punching the guy's nose. Still, she shifted again, holding her hand out and tipping it up back so the heel of her palm was extended out more, waiting for the okay before she moved her hand out to pretend to strike him, stopping a few inches off.

Jim: Jim let out a short laugh, relaxing more as they kept to something he understood and felt in control of. "Yeah, well, I didn't do a lot of fighting for defense growing up." His arms were evidence of this with a random scattering of white healed small lines, some of which disappeared under his shirt. He shifted again so he was more in a defensive stance and gave her a nod, waiting for her to swing. This time he used a block that stopped her close to his face so she could get a better sense of where she would strike. "Come on, put some effort into it. Don't worry about me - I can block it or dodge it easy."

Alex smiled back at him, feeling lighter than she had in a while, relaxed even despite the adrenaline still pumping and she nodded as she moved to strike, watching him block it. When he told her to hit harder she rose a brow, hesitating before going for it again, doing as told and putting more force behind it.

Jim: He let her get in a few more swings, blocking each one so she could start to get comfortable with it. Then he decided to surprise her. When she tried to hit him that last time, he used the block he'd shown her, keeping her hand far away, and then he swung at her with his free hand, trying to see if she'd remember the block.

Alex put more force behind the next few, swinging harder, faster, and she started getting a bit lost in it, thinking less about holding back and more just going with the flow. Her heart was pumping faster by then, her cheeks tinging pink from a bit of exertion but she was still focused on what she was doing and when he suddenly swung out back at her she startled but quickly shot her arm back up, the block not as perfect as it'd been when training it but it was good enough to block him and she retaliated, pulling her first arm back and trying to swing again.

Jim: When she shot her arm out and blocked his swing, he grinned again, feeling something akin to pride at the way she had picked up what he was teaching her. At least next time she was out she would have this much knowledge. As she swung again, he ducked and let it go over his head, shifting so he could come up on her other side and go for another punch, keeping it open handed like he'd shown her before.

Alex pursed her lips a bit when he ducked her punch and when he struck out again she couldn't block it properly in time but she still brought her arm up enough that he hit her forearm instead of near her head and she looked up at him, a little glint in her eye, "Aren't street fights dirty though?" She asked, her voice a bit breathier, and she knocked his arm back before shifting, aiming lower towards his torso instead of his head this time.

Jim tensed his muscles and shifted enough that the punch to his stomach glanced off to the side instead of hitting him straight on. "Yeah they are. That's why you don't let anyone's hand near your neck." As she started to pull her hand back towards her body, he grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her arm up behind her back, stepping in close so he could speak into her ear. "What do you do now to make me let go of you?"

Alex tried not to huff when he still managed to dodge her, but before she could even pull her arm back to try and strike again he was moving and in the blink of an eye he grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm back and she gasped, sucking in a sharp breath. He was close, closer than he'd ever been with his body pressed to hers and she felt her heart skip, her breath catching in her throat as he leaned down close enough to whisper in her ear. It felt like something crackling in the air, buzzing between them and for a second she was struck silent, her body practically ready to go limp in the Dom's arms and easily admit defeat. And she almost did. But then she snapped out of it, closing her eyes for a second before she swallowed and struggled a bit, trying to tug her arm away before attempting to strike again with her free arm to catch him off guard.

Jim: Standing behind her with her arm pressed between them, Jim felt something crackle in the air. If he'd been thinking it through, he could have identified the energy easily enough. But in the moment, he was too focused on what he was doing. As she struggled a little, he tightened his grip on her wrist. "Come on, make me let go of you. You have a free hand, you've got two feet, you can use your head. Get creative. Fight dirty."

Alex couldn't help the little whimper that slipped out of her when he tightened his grip and pulled more on her arm and her head tipped back against his shoulder for a second, her breathing slightly labored. She closed her eyes again as he spoke, trying to focus on what he was saying instead of how low his voice was in her ear. Fight dirty. Right. She could do this. She shoved back against him then, trying again catch him off guard before swiping her leg back in an attempt to knock him off balance.

Jim: It was the whimper that had him loosening his grip, concerned for a moment that he'd actually hurt her. He started to take a step back, and when he was mid step, she swung her leg back. Since she caught him in midstep and he started to tilt backwards. Reacting instinctively, he let go of her and twisted so he came down on his hands instead, rolling so he laid on his back.

Alex was more than a little surprised that it'd actually worked, feeling his grip loosen. But then he was moving, letting go as he fell backwards but as he did she turned to try and grab for him and in the process ended up getting tangled up by his leg. She fell to her knees beside him though and without really thinking about it immediately moved to climb over him, straddling his lap and grinning down at him. "Does this mean I win?" She breathed out, still a bit out of breath and pink-faced but her eyes were bright as she looked down at him.

Jim was about to compliment her on the move, even if it was partly helped along by him. But before he had the chance to say anything, suddenly she was straddling his waist. And the energy that had started to simmer in the air before crackled to life once again. And this time, he couldn't ignore or talk his way out of the fact that he was attracted as hell to this bright eyed woman staring down at him. So of course, he smirked and then immediately rolled, taking her with him so that he ended up on top. Grabbing hold of her wrists he pressed them to the floor above her head. "You don't win that easily."

Alex realized seconds later just what position she'd put them in and she felt her flush darkening at the same time she felt a sharp twist low in her belly. The buzz from before was back, amplified, and she found her eyes drifting over his face for a moment before suddenly he was smirking and moving and the next thing she knew she was on her back. The air knocked out of her again as she blinked up at him but still he was moving, grabbing her arms then and pinning her wrists above her head, keeping her down. She tried halfheartedly to buck her hips up against him to get him off but the hold to her wrists was relentless and the weight of his body pinning her down had her body reacting immediately. She felt herself go limp, her chest heaving a bit as she breathed heavily and her lashes fluttered slightly, her whole body instinctively submitting to him.

Jim felt the movement of her hips and knew he was in trouble. But it was when she stopped struggling, glancing down, and clearly submitting to his motion that he realized he was fucked. He could have handled her continuing to struggle, even in this awkward position. Except he'd done it entirely to himself. That need to be Dominant roared to satisfied life seeing her life this. He wanted her like this all the time. He wanted to see her bound and writhing, aware only of what he was doing to her. And as much as he knew this was probably the worst idea in a life characterized by a whole lot of bad ones, he couldn't stop himself. "Fuck it," he whispered before leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

Alex never felt a shift this instantly in her life- her submissive side taking over like a switch flipping, all the fight flooding out of her so quickly it left her dizzy, leaving her only with the need to submit, to let him take control. It was almost overwhelming. A part of her expected him to just roll away and leave her lying there, having to gather up her senses again. But then he was looking down at her, his gaze intense in a way she'd never seen before and the next thing she knew he was whispering to himself and leaning down and what little thought she had left flew out the window. A little noise escaped her almost like a mewl and she barely hesitated before kissing him back, tipping her head up just enough keep close while still letting him have control of it (of her), her heart pounding wildly all the while.

Jim: There had been a part of him hoping she would pull away or act disgusted to bring him back to his senses. She would be appalled and leave, he would hate himself a little bit, and then they would both get on with their lives the way they should. Instead, she was kissing him back, and that was all the permission his dominant side needed to confirm he didn't want to be anywhere else. He shifted the angle of the kiss and ran his tongue along her lip, proprietarily, demanding entrance to her mouth as if it was his right. His grip on her wrists tightened fractionally, a slight reminder that he still had her captive in this way.

Alex felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest as he kissed her hard, possessively, making a shiver run down her spine and at the touch of his tongue to her lip she let out a tiny little noise, obediently parting her lips for him even before she felt his grip tightening on her wrists. She was drowning in the dominance surrounding her, dizzy with it. But she loved it--her whole being responding all too easily to it and happily submitting, letting him have all the control.

Jim: As soon as she opened her mouth to him, he growled in satisfaction. She was already so obedient to these little commands, it was exactly what he wanted. Shifting the grip of his hands, he held both of her wrists with only one of his hands, freeing up the other to run his hand possessively down the side of her body before settling to grip her waist. He let himself explore her mouth leisurely, wanting to take everything of this moment he could. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb after all.

Alex felt a shudder run through her as she heard the noise he let out, her insides twisting hotly at being the cause of it. And when his hands moved, shifting so he was only holding her down with one she experimentally pushed up with her arms, a little thrill running through her at the fact that he could still keep her down one handed. She found it as hot as him singlehandedly beating down three other guys without hardly breaking a sweat. The hand running down her side felt like fire trailing over her body and she wanted to feel more of it, wanted to know how his hands felt without the fabric between them, to feel the heat of his skin on hers..but she knew better than to beg right then. Instead she just let out another needy little noise as he controlled the speed of the kiss, leaving her aching for more.

Jim: When she tried to test his grip, he made sure he remained immovable. And as much as he liked her obedience, he loved the fact that she tested him. It proved to himself, he could hold her. He drew out the kiss, but as she let out another of those incredible noises, he pulled back from the kiss and kissed down her neck, scraping his teeth over the pulse point.

Alex shifted once more before going limp again, conceding to him, practically melting underneath him. All of a sudden though he was breaking the kiss- way before she was ready for him to- and she whined at the loss, trying to tilt her head to chase his lips. But he wasn't moving away, he was moving lower, his lips making their way over her neck and at the feeling of his teeth against the delicate skin of her neck she moaned, soft and breathless as she tilted her head to the side for him, baring her neck for him, giving him access and room for more.

Jim: Jim grinned in satisfaction as he felt her go limp under him as she bared her neck to him. It was one of those simple, ultimate acts of submission which both excited and appeased some deep seated part of him he'd never bothered to question. He placed several open mouthed kisses on her neck, fingers digging into her hip as if to ground him. And before he could think about it, he'd concentrated his attention at the point just above where her neck met her clavicle, sucking at the skin to mark her. As if to prove that he was here and she had allowed this to happen. His little mouse.

Alex had lost all train of thought at that point, just giving in completely to her desires, to her submissive side that felt more in charge than ever before. She sucked in a sharp breath as he kissed hotly down her neck, his fingers tight enough on her hip to leave little marks there and she wanted it. She wanted his marks on her skin, tangible proof of this happening. And as the seconds ticked by she got just that- his mouth focusing on one spot, sucking a mark into her skin and she moaned again, louder this time, her body visibly shuddering an without even thinking about it she shifted up against him again, her hips twitching up ever so slightly on their own accord.

Jim: He pulled back just far enough that he could stare at his handiwork, the beginning stages of the bruise that would remain long after that moment. But as her hips brushed up against him, he had an instant flash of the possibility of stripping her and taking her against the floor, giving in to what he wanted. And that was enough to stop him cold. Alex wasn't one of his one night stands, she was a Montague and someone who deserved a lot better. In general, and certainly than him. But he was the one who had sent her into sub space with his stupidity, and that meant he needed to ease her out of it. Letting go of her hip, he reached both hands up so he could twine his fingers with hers and bring her hands back down to her sides instead of feeling trapped overhead. At the same time, he kissed his way gently back up her neck and kissed her again, using that to gentle the fires that had been started before and try to bring her back down towards level. Anything to try and fix the damage he'd certainly caused.

Alex had her eyes closed, her head spinning too much to focus on anything other than the amazing feeling of his body on top of hers and his lips on her neck, marking her as his. The pressure on her side vanished seconds later though, making her squirm a bit at the loss, her lashes fluttering slightly. But then his hands were on hers again, his fingers this time tangling between hers and she loosely laced her fingers back over his, holding on and letting him ground her. She let him move her arms down, her head still tilted to the side at the feeling of his lips on her neck until he was kissing her properly again, softer this time, slower- a far-cry from the rough, heated kisses from earlier--and as much as her body had been wanting more, she still let him take control and guide her movements, letting him slow things down.

Jim: Through a series of increasingly light kisses, he slowed it down until he thought she was feeling a little closer to level. When he thought it was safe, he carefully eased off her and sat up, pulling her onto his lap so he could wrap his arms around her. They hadn't talked about aftercare of any kind, because he hadn't expected to ever get here. But he had already noticed she was a pretty tactile person. So he hoped this was right. He knew that he should say something, but he couldn't even begin to find words for the storm raging inside him. So he hoped this was a good enough start.

Alex slowly (reluctantly) felt that heat inside herself simmering down, the desires tampering off, and soon enough his lips were off of hers altogether, his hands sliding away from hers before his whole body was gone, leaving her feeling cold and alone. Before it even fully registered in her to start panicking though he was there again, tugging her over and into his lap and she let out a shaky breath, calming down again as she leaned heavily into him. She slowly felt her brain starting to kick back on again, that fog lifting away from her thoughts and she found herself nuzzling into him more, pressing her face into his neck and unconsciously syncing up her breathing with his as she came down from it all.

Jim: He heard that shaky breath as she curled into him, and he felt fractionally better. Apparently that had been the right step to help her finish centering herself so he hadn't harmed her more than he already had. As she nuzzled into him, he closed his eyes, as if he could close out the panic and hurt there she couldn't see. She deserved so much better. And he had completely taken advantage of her. Why, he couldn't say, but he'd have to figure out how to make up for it. He couldn't say how long they sat there, him holding her and resting his chin on her head so she was cradled as much as possible. But he wanted to let her make the next move when she was ready.

Alex stayed quiet for a few minutes after, coming back to herself fully and finally digesting what'd just happened. She hadn't been expecting this when she came here this morning, and she definitely hadn't expected anything with Jim to be so...intense. Intense enough that it sent her spiraling into subspace within a matter of minutes. She'd never experienced anything like that before. It was almost overwhelming. Thankfully though he didn't let her slip too deep and he coaxed her back slowly, leaving her feeling tired but overall okay, and after a few minutes she finally moved, shifting one hand behind him and slowly sliding it up his back and then down, keeping her hand there as she finally pulled her head up and blinked her eyes open, her vision a bit hazed for a second before she blinked to try and clear it. "A...Are you okay?" it was the first question that came to mind, her voice a bit hoarser than normal, quiet. She knew how he was by now and honestly? She could practically feel how nervous he was.

Jim: As she shifted her head, he raised his own so she had a little more freedom of movement, relieved in some small measure that she was starting to regain her usual faculties. But then, of course, she was asking about him. It was a submissive thing. But more, he'd already learned it was a her thing. She would worry about the people around her, and she cared about him a stupid amount. "Yeah I'm fine. Are you ok? That was. Um. Sudden." He wanted to apologize for everything he'd done, but he also knew now wasn't the right time. She would start to blame herself and that was the last thing he wanted.

Alex still felt a bit dazed, a bit drained, but as the seconds ticked by she was feeling more in control again too, her submissive side sated for now and going more dormant. She looked into his eyes for a few moments, closer to them than she'd ever been and she searched his gaze, wanting to see if he was telling the truth before she finally nodded, "Yeah. Yes, I...I'm okay. Very okay." She assured him softly, licking over her lips and trying not to think about the little thrill rushing through her when she still tasted him on her tongue.

Jim: "Ok. Good. That's. That's good." It would have to be enough for now. He was still churned up inside, but that was something he was going to have to try and handle once she was gone. The thing was, he wasn't sure where exactly to go from here. This was so far outside his typical experience, he wasn't sure what would come next. Absently, he ran his hand in small circles on her back, not really realizing what he was doing.

Alex still had her palm against his back, his skin warm even though the fabric of his shirt and when he spoke she nodded, her eyes dipping down to his lips for just a quick second before looking back to his eyes, her cheeks pinking at the thoughts fluttering through her head. She felt his hand moving rhythmically over her back and she let out a long, slow breath, watching his eyes for a few moments before she moved her free hand up, her heart skipping as she lightly grazed the pad of her thumb under one of his eyes, "Stop thinking so loud. ...I can feel your worrying from here."

Jim: He chuckled softly at her comment. "Bad habit of mine. My brain doesn't really shut off." It was easier to make a joke about that half of her statement instead of acknowledging that she could tell he was concerned. If he let her dwell on that, she might ask questions, and he didn't have good answers. "I guess we can call this the end of self defense training for the day," he commented drily. There was no way he could go back to any kind of typical lesson with her after that.

Alex “so I’ve noticed.” She replied easily, letting out a breath and brushing her hand over his cheek for a moment more before letting her hand move to rest against his shoulder. When he spoke again she let out a breath, nodding as she hesitantly looked up to meet his eyes “I....yeah. Yeah I guess..” she agreed even though she didn’t move—and his arms were still wrapped around her, keeping her close.

Jim: There was a part of Jim that didn't want to move and risk breaking this moment. But it was that exact part he decided to ignore, telling himself it was for her own good. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms from around and gave her a small nudge so she could leave his lap herself without him directly dumping her on the ground.

Alex was kind of hoping he'd say nevermind and go back to kissing her, but she knew Jim well enough to know by now that that just..wasn't going to happen. So when his arms slid away from her and she felt the nudge she got the hint and finally moved, letting her hands fall away from him and shifting so she could crawl off his lap. Her legs felt a bit like jelly once she moved to stand though, swaying for a second as she regained her balance with a little huff, the remnants of the intense slip into subspace still apparent.

Jim: Jim caught the beginning of the sway and was on his feet in an instant, putting an arm around her to brace her. She might have been ok, but she still wasn't well enough to leave. "Come on, we can grab something to drink in the kitchen. O wat. Or both. Whatever works." He didn't wait for her to respond, instead starting to walk with her out there so he could get her to sit down and end the risk of her falling over.

Alex hadn't even realized he moved until suddenly he was standing next to her, his arm strong and secure around her, holding her to his side and she couldn't help the way she leaned into it. She also couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit against him, how she could easily rest her head against his chest, and she resisted the urge to do just that in the same way she resisted wrapping her arm around his middle as he walked them, giving her no chance to respond so she just nodded, humming a bit as she walked with him. "Yes Sir."

Jim: When they made it to the kitchen, he sat her down in one of the chairs by the table before moving away to get the both of them glasses of water. He needed something to counteract the dryness in his throat. "What else do you need?" If this had been even halfway planned, he would have talked to her about aftercare before so these questions wouldn't be necessary now.

Alex settled into the chair he brought her to, looking around his kitchen. Everything looked a bit different during the daytime, with the natural light instead of being past midnight like the last time she was here and she took it all in before hearing the question and she blinked over to him. For you to stop being so far away. "Nothing. Water is fine." She assured, not wanting him to be worried. "I'm okay." She tacked on after a few moments, wanting to assure him of that too.

Jim: He heard the emphasis, but her swaying like that was enough of a red flag. Besides, if nothing else, he was hungry. They had been working out for awhile before their little side adventure. "Ok. I'm gonna grab some food, and you can have some if you want." Pulling some premade bags out of a cupboard, he had homemade sweet potato chips and some of his mom's chocolate peanut butter energy bite things. Once they were on the table he slid into one of his own chairs and lounged across from her, eating steadily from the bowls.

Alex exhaled but nodded, taking the glass when it was given to her and sipping silently, just watching him again. There was something...strangely intimate in watching someone move around their personal space but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She vaguely wondered how many other people got to see this side of him, where his walls were down. She found herself hoping it was a small number. When he came back she hesitated before reaching for the chocolate, sugar always helping her feel better even if she didn't want to admit it, didn't want to seem like too much of a burden. "Thank you." She spoke after a few minutes, eyes on her glass instead of at him, suddenly feeling nervous speaking about what'd happened despite, well...it having happened. "For um..for taking care of me. It...seems to be a reoccurring thing, huh."

Jim: Jim looked at her, amusement clear in his eyes as he crunched into another of the chips. "Do I actually need to remind you that a week ago, you were the one patching me up?" Besides, he didn't feel like what he was doing at the moment was anything to be thanked for. The basic duty of a Dom was to take care of their sub after a scene. And despite the sheer number of strangers he tended to use to satisfy the biological need, he was always scrupulous about making sure aftercare happened. It was necessary for both of them. He noticed in a passive way that she had focused on the chocolate over the chips and filed that away. Not that it was going to be needed again, but it was there now.

Alex pursed her lips a bit at that, rolling her eyes as she glanced over at him, "You know what I mean.." She told him softly even as her eyes glanced over to his hand, the bandages gone but the worst of it still scabbed over, still healing. She'd also noticed during their lessons the other scars on his arms and shoulders and wondered just how many more he had, how he got them all to begin with. She figured it'd be a question for another day though. "I've um...I've had..occasions, where the other person really didn't pay as much mind to me afterwards as you are, so.." She added quietly, not really sure why she was telling him all this, but it was out there now, so. She ate another of the bites and drank more water, feeling more like herself as the time passed.

Jim: He shrugged, taking another bite. He didn't think the fight counted either. That was self defense and standing up to a bully - because he hadn't lost that childish instinct to get involved in situations that were none of his business. No matter how much he tried to tell himself he could learn to do otherwise. "Well they were assholes and I hope they got their asses kicked for it at some point." His tone was flat as he spoke, a statement of fact as he saw the world. "Basic aftercare isn't just about you anyway, it's about centering ourselves. It's as much a mutual thing as the scene. Since I don't really want you to hate my guts, yeah, I'm gonna try and make sure you're back on your feet."

Alex looked down at her arm for a moment, at the yellowed skin on her bicep from the bruise that wasn't quite fully healed yet before she hummed, shrugging, "He left Verona, so I'm not really sure." She replied before finishing off her water, obviously thirstier than she thought she was. She listened as he spoke though, explaining how aftercare helped a Dom as much as a sub and at the last bit she felt her lips quirk up into a little smile and she shook her head, "I don't hate you. Not at all. And I..." She hesitated, rolling her lips into her mouth. I don't hate what happened either. Not at all. "I don't regret anything. If...that's something you're worried about."

Jim: Ok. There was a story there, he was sure. He was curious, but since he absolutely had no right to that curiosity he was going to let that go. It wasn't like he was going to start sharing all his experience right away. He had a lot he still needed to process about what had happened before he could begin to figure out what he was going to do next. Especially since she'd probably regret everything as soon as she was away from his place and in a place where she could think clearly. "I should get you home. It's getting late and it's been a full day."

Alex felt that same little smile dim as he spoke but she just nodded, not wanting to argue it. She couldn't help but feel like...even if she didn't regret it? He might. And maybe just like the last time she'd stupidly gotten involved with someone in the family, he might disappear on her now too. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought, something cold trickling through her veins. "You..you don't have to. I can call a cab or..something. It's alright."

Jim: "Yeah, no. You saying that hasn't worked any of the other times you've been here, and it's not going to work this time. You come to my place, I drive you home. House rule." He dumped the rest of the chocolate bites in a plastic bag and handed them to her before walking back towards the garage door, grabbing his leather jacket and his keys in the process.

Alex opened her mouth to argue but nothing came out so she closed it again. He did have a point- he never let her leave alone since the first day they met.. She watched him pack up the remaining chocolates, surprised he was giving them to her, the smile once again slightly back on her face as she took them before she stood up as well, feeling better on her feet this time as she followed him to head out, still not sure where this all left them now and not sure if now was the time to ask.

Jim: The ride back was quiet and uneventful, which he frankly needed after the roller coaster that had been the afternoon. He used the excuse of concentrating on the road to keep silent, even though he knew the route so well he could have done this in his sleep. Before long, they were parked back in front of Montague Tower. "So, just in case, try and keep practicing what I showed you today. Get comfortable with it. When I can, I'll send you info about a real class you can take. You wont' have to worry about any kind of muggers again."

Alex didn't fill the silence with questions or anything, didn't think it'd be the best idea. She could feel...something lingering in the air between them, something unnamed, but she would leave it be for now since he apparently was too. All too soon though they were in front of the Tower and she turned her head, blinking up at it through the window for a moment before back to him. She'd almost entirely forgotten about the training today, the whole reason she'd be with him to begin wth, but she nodded, letting out a breath, "Okay." she agreed before humming softly, "Here's to hoping two attacks is all I'll ever have to deal with. Otherwise I might start worrying." She joked quietly. She went quiet again, stuck for a moment. Part of her wanted to at least reach over for his hand and give it a squeeze. Another part of her wanted to lean over and just kiss him again. Instead she just gave him a soft little smile "I...thank you. For helping me."

Jim: "We'll see. At this point you're close to having the same track record for fights I had back in Sicily - and Avery can tell you that's pretty damn impressive." Wait, shit. He shouldn't have said that. Avery had already been saying crazy things about him and Alex, and she knew all of his childhood stories. Well, enough of them. Sending Alex to her was probably the stupidest thing he could do if he wanted to try and figure out how to back off and get back on an even keel. But oh well, it was too late now. "Yeah. You're welcome I guess. I'll, uh, see you around."

Alex looked at him for a moment. Sicily. She didn't know that part... And Avery? The name somewhat rang a bell, vaguely remembering that a new girl in the Tower had that name, so maybe that was it.. She noticed the way he paused after he'd said it though, like he was surprised he'd let it slip so she'd just tuck that bit of information away for now and instead just nodded. She had deja'vu of last week being in the same situation, parked outside the Tower like this, and like last week she had the urge to at the very least kiss his cheek...but she didn't. Something had shifted between them and she didn't know what was going to happen next. She just hoped it wouldn't all end horribly. "Yeah...see you." She moved then, unbuckling herself and climbing out and she stood in the doorway for just a second, just looking at him once more before giving him a hopeful little smile and closing the door, her thoughts spinning as she walked back into the Tower.

#para #para: 010 #para: jim #chatzy #para: sl

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