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bratzforchris · 3 months

Note

what about really soft virgin!reader sex where her and luke have been going out for a while and they’re older and she’s just never felt so strong about losing it until now after they come back from a dinner date, and he’s very soft and reassuring and they confess their love to each other in the middle of it ♥︎

Yours

❃

Summary: In which you decide to finally let Luke know how much you love him<3

Warnings: Smut, vanilla sex, missionary, making out, virgin!reader, fluffy aftercare

Word Count: 1.9k

A/N: I'm am so terribly sorry for the late post, anon :) I have been going through...a lot in my personal life, as well as working on a full-length fic with lots of queer and neurodiverse rep (hint hint ;)). Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy and thank you for such a sweet prompt!

❃

You smiled, blushing and averting your eyes as Luke kissed your knuckles from across the dinner table. You two were currently out for dinner at a wonderfully luxurious French restaurant for Valentine’s Day, and Luke was making the butterflies in your stomach go wild. You’d been dating for a little over a year now, but he still made you feel like a young girl, giggling and blushing over her school crush.

“You are so beautiful,” the blond hummed, gazing at you as the candles on the table lit up his blue eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

“More like how did I get so lucky?” You smiled softly, sipping your wine.

Luke kissed your knuckles again, taking his time to admire how beautiful you were. He knew that you were rather insecure about still dating in your late twenties while all your friends were married, but he felt so beyond lucky to have you that he felt a strong pull to make sure you really knew just how much better you made his life.

“More wine?” Luke asked you, nodding his head towards your empty glass.

“I was actually thinking that we could head back to yours?” You asked softly, blushing the whole time.

You’d recently been thinking about your life and how you felt about Luke, and realized that you wanted him on a deeper level. You knew Luke was your person, soulmate, if you would. You watched as Luke’s smile grew at what you said. He quickly called over the waiter, paying the bill, and standing up, taking your hand.

“That sounds perfect to me.” he smiled, kissing the top of your head.

One of your favorite things about Luke was how protective and loving he was. He refused to treat you as anything less than a lady, and that was evident as he held your hand through the restaurant. The evening air was chilly as you walked out of the restaurant, and Luke held you close as you walked to his Range Rover, giggling softly at how adorable he thought you were. He had never had a girlfriend that was as wonderful as you were, and he absolutely relished in the fact that he could spoil you, but you still respected him as more than a cash cow.

“God, you make it so easy to love you.” You told him, kissing his cheek as Luke started the car and helped you in.

“I’m amazing, aren’t I?” he asked with a satirical hair flip.

You giggled as Luke began to drive, leaning your head against the window as you watched the lights of downtown go by. You had recently moved in with Luke on the outskirts of LA where many celebrities and musicians lived, and getting to have this life with your boyfriend made you so eternally grateful. It was a stark contrast to how you had grown up, and even to your early 20s, but it was amazing nonetheless. Luke took care of you in the best possible ways, making sure that you were cared for not only physically and financially, but emotionally and mentally as well.

Which is why you took his hand, tugging him to the master bedroom once you two had arrived home. “I wanted to talk to you.” You hummed, sitting down on the bed.

“Is everything alright?” the blond asked, worry creasing around his blue eyes as he took off his watch.

“Yes,” Your blush deepend. “It’s just…you know I’m a virgin.”

“I do know that,” Luke walked over to where you were sitting and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? Because you know I’m okay with waiting until whenever you’re ready.” he whispered softly.

“That’s just it. I am ready.” Your eyes sparkled as you looked up at Luke.

You could see the expression on his face change from one of concern, to one of eagerness. His eyes roamed up and down your body, spending an extra bit of time at your cleavage.

“Are you sure?” Luke kissed you softly, running his thumb across your jawline. “Don’t do it for me, baby girl. Do what feels right for you.”

“I’m sure,” You nodded firmly, kissing him back. “I want to lose my virginity to you, Luke. Tonight.”

“Well in that case,” Luke chuckled, running his hands along your back and then under your shirt until they met the clasp of your bra. “May I?”

You nodded, moaning softly at the electric touch that was Luke’s warm hands on your skin. He slowly undid your bra and then pulled it off along with your shirt. The blond quickly unbuttoned his own white button-down, tossing it onto the bedroom floor.

“My gorgeous, gorgeous girl,” he whispered, trailing kisses from your lips, across your cheeks, to the sweet spot behind your ear. “Tonight is all about you.” Luke told you with a soft growl, beginning to suckle softly.

You ran your hands along his bare back, feeling the warmth seep into your own skin. The feeling of Luke leaving hickeys along your neck was alighting your nerves, making you buck your hips closer to him. You were filled with want for your boyfriend, and you were pretty sure this was the first time you’d ever felt truly horny. Your clit throbbed against the seams of your underwear in your jeans and you nearly had to cross your legs to fight the feeling.

Luke laid you back against the soft, cushiony pillows of your shared king-sized bed, straddling you and hooking his finger into the waistband of your jeans before speaking. “Is it alright if I take these off?”

You could feel the blond’s hardening cock brushing against your already sensitive crotch, and you let out a small whine. “Please.”

Luke kissed your tummy, slowly undoing the button of your jeans and sliding them down your legs. “You are so, so beautiful. I’m so honored that I get to be your first.” he whispered, planting a kiss on your lacy, pink underwear.

The blond was being extra slow and gentle, and you loved him for it. Most men would jump at taking a woman’s virginity, not even considering how she might be feeling, but not Luke. He was taking his time, worshiping every inch and curve of your body and leaving soft kisses and hickeys all over your skin. Luke pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned on a slow, romantic R&B playlist, before setting it on the nightstand and focusing on you again.

This was exactly how you had imagined losing your virginity would go, and to say it was perfect was an understatement. Luke was grinding his own hips into yours with the beat of the music, quite literally ‘making love’ to you as his soft, blond curls fell in his face. He paused for a moment to remove his own dress pants, leaving the both of you in nothing but your underwear.

“Is there something you would like me to try?” Luke asked you, his deep blue eyes looking into your own as he brushed a strand of hair from your face.

“Please, Lu. Just fuck me,” You whined out. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

Luke chuckled, kissing you as he slid your panties off. “Someone’s already losing her innocence, huh?”

You giggled and blushed, pecking his lips. “Only for you.”

Your boyfriend removed his own underwear, and you nearly gasped at the sight. You had seen Luke naked before, of course, and you’d seen him hard through his underwear, but you’d never seen what his dick looked like free from boxers while he was hard. He was huge. A part of you worried that there was no way all eight inches of him was going to fit, but at the same time, you knew Luke would take care of you.

He rolled a condom onto his throbbing cock, topping it with some lube. “Are you ready? I want to make sure you want this too.”

You nodded quickly, your walls already clenching with want for him. “Please, Luke. Do it.”

“Tell me if you need me to stop, okay? My love’s comfort is my number one concern.” Luke kissed your lips deeply again.

The blond wasn’t a virgin by any means, but he knew you were, and that made him feel extra protective over you. Luke left one last kiss on you before he slowly inserted his dick into you, practically moaning at how good you felt. You winced from the pain of suddenly being full, but slowly eased into it, enjoying the sensation.

“God. This feels…good.” You whimpered, already running your nails down your back.

Luke knew you would probably be extra sensitive, so he took his time riding you, finding just the perfect rhythm. You panted as he rode you, not used to the feeling of being so aroused. You had never gotten yourself off before, so all of this was a whole new experience. Slightly unsure of what to do with yourself, you tangled your hands in Luke’s blond curls, panting heavily.

“You doing okay, baby?” the blond asked you, beginning to ride you harder.

You gasped and whined, nodding frantically. “Oh my god, Luke.”

“You look so pretty, baby. Look like you’re about to have your first orgasm, darling.” he smirked.

You blushed under his gaze, still getting used to the feeling of him inside of you. Your lower tummy had been building up with a warm heat ever since Luke had started teasing you, and it was only getting hotter. Luke caressed every inch of your body, humming sweet nothings and leaving slight hickeys as he continued the exact same motion, knowing it would make you cum.

“You’re so wet for me, baby,” he moaned loudly. “You and your tight little cunt.”

Letting out a high-pitched squeal, you ran your nails along Luke’s back. “Please,” You whined. “Think I’m gonna cum.”

The blond railed into you one last time before speaking in a deep, sultry voice. “Go ahead, baby girl. Show me how much you like having me take your virginity.”

You gasped as your cunt suddenly clenched around Luke’s cock, your cum coating his condom-covered dick. “Oh my god,” You yelped. “Oh god, Luke. Feels so good.”

Luke chuckled as he came himself, panting heavily. “God, you're such a good girl.”

You blushed, feeling yourself tighten again at his words. You had heard of a praise kink before, and you were pretty sure that that was your thing, seeing as how your pussy was practically dripping every time Luke complimented you. Your boyfriend slowly pulled out, removing the condom and tying it up, before throwing it into the trash can beside the bed.

“Was that okay?” he asked you with a smile on his face.

You giggled, eyes glazed over from being fucked out. It wasn’t a lot, but for someone who had never had an orgasm before, you were wiped. “It was perfect.”

The blond smiled, grabbing a bottle of lotion off his nightstand and beginning to rub it across your body. Your skin was slightly red and had a few scattered bruises blooming from where his fingers had dug into your hips, and Luke wanted to make sure you felt as loved as possible. He rubbed the cream onto your skin, taking great care to treat your body with love. You had just given him a great honor, after all, and he wanted to respect that.

“You were perfect, you know that?” he hummed. “My perfect girl.”

You blushed as Luke finished, curling up next to him and pulling the sheet over your naked bodies. “That was the way I always imagined losing my virginity to go, you know?”

Luke smiled and kissed you. “I love you, darling.”

“I love you, Luke. Thank you. For everything.”

And as you two fell asleep, he knew you really meant it. You were his girl. Forever.

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grimesgirll · 16 days

Text

alexandria is the break you've been yearning for since shit hit the fan.

an independent walled and gated community is exactly the place to catch your breath. the past eighteen months had been a blur of grit and gore; you deserve to decompress in a pretty house, not that you spent all of your time in your new settlement inside. you made a point to take judith on daily walks.

you're returning from one of your new routine walks to get judith down for her afternoon nap when you find olivia - the neighbor lady who ran the armory and the pantry - on the porch, greeting your name.

��hi,” you reply with a smile, bolstering the cooing baby on your hip. “what do i owe you the pleasure, olivia?”

“i’ve been meaning to get over here ever since shane brought it up to me-,” you pause. “-i wouldn’t mind having another set of hands around the armory at all, especially with the background shane mentioned you had.”

you purse your lips. “thanks. could we talk about this another time? maybe after the weekend? i’ll stop by.” you gesture to the little girl on your hip. “it’s just that i want to get her down now so her routine isn’t all out of whack later tonight.”

olivia nods, glasses bouncing a bit. “of course. come see me whenever you’re ready.”

you’re smiling and thanking her again before crossing the threshold with a huffy chest. it takes patience on your part not to slam the door but with judith in your arms, you slowly close it.

why would shane sign you up to work in the armory? is he stupid? you ponder. he didn’t even ask if you wanted to do something like that. you dismiss the thought the best you can and just focus on getting judith to sleep.

thank god for the blackout curtains jessie had sent over. judith sleeps like the dead with those things drawn.

a little rocking and the dark room do well to help the infant fall asleep in no time. that allows you to meander down the living room and hear the door swinging open.

"babe, we're back.”

you perk your head up when you see shane and rick come through the door. “hey, guys,” you forget to ask them how their day’s been when you see their new uniforms.

you have to pick up your jaw when you see the two men dressed in matching constable’s uniforms. you and shane hadn’t been dating for long when the world went to shit. he’d met you right after work before, even picked you up in the cruiser before but you forgot how strapping he looked in a uniform. brown and form fitting, you’re thanking the constable’s office inventory for stocking such flattering apparel.

you almost forget the frustration you’re harboring - the anger that had boiled, all because of how his ass looked in those brown fucking slacks.

“good to see you,” rick says with the same tone he had back on the side of the road when he helped you step back into your underwear.

“good to see you too,” you repeat, biting your lip.

a smirk appears on shane’s lips once he realizes you’re checking out their asses as you take their coats.

"why don't you head upstairs? we'll be up in a few minutes."

you nearly drop the jackets from your arms. “for what?” you ask, playing dumb.

rick is wordless and shane just smiles at you, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops. “you’ll see. we’ll see you soon enough.”

the bedroom is your next destination.

you’re tiptoeing up the stairs as not to disrupt nap time. those light treading feet are carrying you straight to the bed where you crumple into the comforter.

long was your day, longer would be your night. this is by virtue of the fact that you’ll have to ask shane about why olivia was about to onboard you to work in alexandria’s armory. and you’ll probably get split in half by an eight inch cock by the end of the night. you decide to put off your conversation with shane when your mind wanders to the newly clean shaven constable downstairs.

god, did he fit those pants wonderfully.

the man had been on your mind ever since this situationship of sorts emerged between the three of you - sans labels. awkward as it seemed, given all of your histories.

and then there’s shane.

don’t get you wrong, shane would give you the world if he could. whatever it would take to keep you nice and happy and purring “yes, shane” at his every word. he goes to greater lengths not just for your safety but for your convenience.

the man who’d circled back on a run after realizing he didn’t bring back your favorite brand of tampons. then again when the tampons be found had cardboard applicators. the one who held you at night in your shared cell back at the prison, kissed you and petted your hair, nuzzling as close as possible and telling you it would be alright. the man who trusted you to take care of his baby girl.

the one who had taken the time to give you not one but multiple masterclasses on firearms, shooting, and gun maintenance. he insisted that you know how to take care of yourself if it ever came down to and it boy, had it come down to it. more than once, you’d found yourself aiming your pistol and being forced to make a split second decision. the same man embraced you and reassured you in the aftermath of your beretta’s rounds claiming your first non-walker kill.

the man who’s about to fuck you into the mattress with his best friend.

you try to hold onto that thought as you shimmy out of the blue levi’s, deserting them on the floor thoughtlessly in search something cozier. digging through shane’s newly filled dresser drawers seems like an easy enough solution.

speak of the devil, he walks in with rick while you’re appraising a pair of gray sweatpants with a georgetown insignia on them.

“thought you had your own sweats.” shane’s behind you in an instant. just like rick, he’d noticed the way your sweatshirt falls to your thighs. “why don’t you just save those for later and let me help you take the rest off, huh?”

a telltale smirk takes over your face. a slant back into shane tells him all he needs to know.

he waits to toss you over his shoulder and situate you on the bed before he's yanking your boy briefs down your legs and brushing your clit with his fat finger. it's only natural that he's chuckling into your skin when you tense beneath him. prodding and playing with your newly awakened nerves, shane still managed to signal rick over to begin a maddening campaign, attacking your flush skin with their lips.

the lips on your that skin feel so deliciously inviting that you disregard how tender they turn you.

of course, shane is the one that can’t stand to wait.

“down you go, pretty girl.”

in an instant, he’s behind you with a finger in your pussy. you want to be upset that he's not still paying attention to the blushed out surface of your body but you’re too preoccupied with the hand in between your shoulder blades, encouraging your forearms down to the mattress. shane’s maintaining his grip on your hips and propping them up to send your ass straight towards the ceiling.

the moment that you feel a warm tongue, licking painfully slowly, and thoroughly towards your center, your hips jerk. shane is already bracing them, cooing, “easy, girl,” into your thigh before continuing the languid assault on your lips.

the lips on your face are pecked, if only briefly, by your boyfriend’s former crimefighting partner. licking your lips, you’re wishing he would circle back to connect your mouths again when a sharp sting interrupts your thoughts.

“fuck!” you cry into the comforter.

the obvious culprit is already testing the skin of your ass with his palm again. another yelp has blue eyes boring down, as if trying to memorize each moment you react - so expressively - to shane’s ministrations.

“what was that for?” you question, rotating your head to stealth a glance at him.

“fun.”

you’re about to tell shane about his idea of fun before a final slap and a sudden return to teasing your core spurs you away from the thought. pressure and heat course through you; shane just raises your internal temperature with a purposeful finger. you're whimpering at just the first stretch. past your throbbing rings of muscle, shane weaves a path with a single finger.

a heaved out moan has shane licking his lips. “gettin’ worked up off my fingers, baby?”

you nod. without a doubt.

another finger continues the mission of prying your tight cunt open for the men that would be taking turns with you until you’d come all over both their cocks. knuckle deep inside of you, the pressure is going to kill you before that third finger does.

“shane,” you’re hissing when he adopts a pace that has you clawing at his two fingers. “why are you being so aggressive with your fingers?”

“weren’t you complainin’ that it was ‘too much,’” he denotes with air quotes, “last time?”

rick seems to give you some breathing room at his friend’s taunt. he slinks back like his massive cock wasn’t the reason you’d been a sobbing mess in cowgirl on top of him the night before your group had reached noah’s old community in richmond.

you’d come so pornographically hard around him that you swear it’d been in your top five orgasms. but your cervix was still shot.

rick felt guilty. so guilty that he hasn’t fucked you since. only your mouth. of course he treated you to his mouth, his perfect tongue and his hands but you crave him inside of you. the thought of it with shane’s two pronged touch has you nearly grinding up the bed.

“fuck, shane,” you’re mumbling into the comforter, fists clenching when another finger worms into you.

“you ‘bout ready, baby?” shane asks, placing a strategic stripe down your clit as he fully buries his middle three fingers in you.

“mhmm.”

“wanna ask?”

a steady sentence isn’t going to come out of your mouth with how shane’s thrusting his fingers in and out of you. “please,” you sputter when he entrenches his fingers deeper inside of you.

“what was that?” the condescension in his voice has you squelching around his fast moving fingers.

you’re blushing at rick who has a hand on his cock and is staring straight into your teary eyes. “i want you to fuck me now, shane.” you don’t break eye contact with rick. “please.”

another smack lands on your reddening backside and suddenly those pleasure granting fingers are digging into your hip and you feel shane’s girth at your entrance.

“what do you want, baby?” shane asks. “you want me to fill you up?”

“yes, i want it so bad,” you’re begging through pouted lips.

rick doesn’t miss your doe eyes or how you moan shane’s name as he fulfills your fucked out request and fills you. even someone in the hallway can hear the wet sound from shane teasing your leaking cunt.

a few experimental strokes and shane is already balls deep. he didn’t heed the same new code of chivalry rick had adopted upon finding a hint of blood on the tip of his dick. that experience made you want to pull your hair out. stupid fucking cervix, you’d thought, ruining me getting fucked. rick didn’t usually treat you to such a pounding but the road did that to one. besides, he was freshly addicted to your cunt.

the electric feeling from how he’d taken you with shane that first time reignite as your boyfriend adjusts himself to brush against your g-spot. the fucked out look on your face can’t be missed as you let shane shovel his hips into you and closer to the only finish line you’d ever had no problem crossing. just like rick had plowed you into the mattress of the barracks you’d all stayed at in norfolk.

these thoughts of rick can’t escape you - even with shane groaning your name. the swats to your ass just go straight to your cunt and do little to rouse you from your daydreaming about the man lining himself up with your mouth.

yeah, you’re out of your mind already and he doesn’t even have his dick inside of you again.

“so good for me, baby,” shane’s gasping, his hand sliding down your ass to brace your thigh and fuck you deeper. “so good for us.”

rick nods, fingers pushing your hair out of your face and letting you take your time with him in your mouth. you hollow your cheeks and rock forward with shane when he cants into you. he’s gazing down at you as if this is the prettiest he’s ever seen you.

you could keep your eyes on him forever if it weren’t for the orgasm searing through you. it’d built up as you backed into shane and imagined how full rick would have you feeling - how connected, how close you’d feel with him inside of you.

“should’ve knocked you up back at the farm.”

god, that would’ve been inconvenient. you just focus on the pleasure you’re receiving and how you’re in alexandria with two men amazingly attractive men. it’s not the time but then again, shane doesn’t give you much of a choice with how revved up this whole coming in you business seems to be getting him. you can’t lie; it’s affecting you too.

so much that you’re nearly protesting when rick withdraws his twitching cock from between your lush lips, less than when shane pulls out of you. you won’t be protesting about what comes next though.

the first time rick had fucked your pussy you’d been whining, and you’re doing the same thing now.

“you wanna get on top?” shane questions, requiring you to repeat yourself before rick leans against the headboard.

still snickering at the whine that came out of you, your boyfriend helps to lift you and lower your hips onto rick who’s sprawled on his back, bronzed curls against the propped up pillow. rick hisses when his tip makes contact with your drowning heat again.

shane doesn’t waste any time. his hands are off you so he can situate himself on the bed to accommodate the best view of you two.

unfortunately, you’re not in shane’s lap so rick has him beat for the best seat in the house. or do you hold that seat?

your boyfriend hadn’t seemed too worried about you sliding too far down onto rick but rick was. his hands are firm on your hips - holding them in a semi-permanent place, only maneuvering for you as you rotate your hips down onto him.

“rick,” you rasp, wrapping your arms around his neck. you want to hear more from him so badly - to hear him panting your name. that’s your goal when you hurry your hips against him. you can tell that he’s hesitating, holding you back at first until you wiggle enough for him to allow you to break free.

grinding onto him, you watch a puffed out series of breaths escape his mouth. not missing a beat, you reposition your hips to sink deeper, hissing with rick and leaning into him. that’s when your clit begins to explode with pleasure from the friction.

“fuck,” you’re chanting. “fuck, that’s good. feels so good. fuck. fuck, that’s perfect.”

“dirty girl.” shane is teasing.

“just feels so fuckin’ good,” you’re twisting on top of rick, angling yourself against his pulsing member to stimulate all the perfect parts of your pelvis.

“is rick fucking you good, honey?”

you nod, having been given full license to be honest about how rick is making you gush.

“how good?” shane asks, hazel eyes on you while you ride rick.

your lip quivers. you feel rick thrum inside of you. “soooo good.” you’re saying in the lust addled way only you would. “you both make me feel so on.”

shane’s cock jumps and rick is picking up the pace. whatever motion your clit’s endured against rick is nothing once he crescents his fingertips into your sides. nice and deep, rick is threatening your cervix again but you don’t need to worry because he’s just taking the scenic route to your g-spot.

the same spot that’s making your toes curl and you chant for rick. “i’m close again,” you warn him. your head is falling onto his shoulder, blocking shane from view.

“you’ve got it, almost there, sweetheart,” rick rumbles into your ear.

his now gravelly voice against your ear has your cunt tightening. teeth pressed into your shoulder, you yelp and moan when rick brushes the flesh of your skin with his teeth. the purple marks being sown onto you will bloom later on but you don’t mind. not when your legs are shaking and you’re whimpering, “god, rick, you make me feel so fucking good.”

and suddenly you’re being fucked through your orgasm face down.

“so jessie cut your hair?”

rick nods and you’re hyper aware of how short his hair is. he’s so polished too. not that it’s terribly difficult to be after traveling on the road for so long.

“i liked your long hair. you should grow it out again.”

the new constable raises an eyebrow, leaning up on his forearms to sit up. “gotta’ shape up at some point.”

you would argue but shane’s distracting you with kisses to your shoulders and promises of morning sex already. you’re not distracted enough to miss rick’s weight absent from the pliable surface.

rick rises from the bed and you whine.

“i want rick to stay.”

shane scoffs. he extends his brawny arms across the bed. “baby, there’s barely enough room in the bed for the two of us.”

you shake your head, sitting up on your knees. “i think we can make it work. please,” you take a breath. “i just feel safer with you two in bed.”

“honey, there’s no room.”

“okay, i’ll just sleep on top of him then.”

you end up basically on top of rick - not that he minds. the night is spent with cuddled up into his chest; shane cupping the occasional hand around the curve of your ass.

weirdly, you’re falling asleep in no time. the steady thrum of his heartbeat lulls you. sleeping on top of rick might have to become a part of your bedtime routine.

shane wants you to pull a hostile takeover of the armory.

you stand with your arms crossed, giving the man one of your signature frowns. "why would i want to keep an eye on olivia in the armory?"

shane looks at you as if it's obvious. "it's good to have a hand on things," he explains, sighing your name. "it's good to have someone on the inside, in case..."

"-in case what?" you question.

shane stares at his feet.

you smolder. "you seriously can't be expecting to have to seize their guns, shane. we just got here for christ's sake."

"it's not even like that, baby," shane says, trying to walk back his conspiracy plots from you. “i just would feel better having you there. besides, it’s not like it’d be all the time and you could learn more about gun storage, whatever you want now

“that doesn’t sound like whatever i want, it sounds like you’re shoving me in the armory.”

“baby, you don’t have to do anything, i’m just sayin’-,”

“i’ll work in the armory if you stop giving me shit about going hunting.”

shane frowns af you. “now, you know that’s different.”

you cross your arms. “it’s not. i need a change of scenery, maybe some greenery to be specific.”

shane presses a flexed hand against the wainscoting he’s leaned up against. he shakes his head. “maybe once we know things are stable here, but for right now these people are far less capable than we are. i’d feel better with you in the armory.”

you want to ask him to consider what you want for a change. you honestly want to tell him to go fuck himself but then you remember.

ah, the thing that you want. the man that you want. the man you can only have with shane’s smirking approval.

so you just smile, walk over and take him by surprise, planting a kiss on cheek and telling him you’ll start tomorrow. it’ll all pay off in the long run.

the welcome party is a success.

if not for the fact that shane didn’t kill spencer just for saying hello to you, then for the fact that you got trashed.

so trashed that rick had ended up hauling your ass home when you hurled in one of deanna’s planters and shane was too embroiled in a push-up contest with abraham to even think about heading home. not that shane had ended up any better. the man drank so much johnny walker that even he came home and passed out face first in the bed bedside you.

you’re hungover the next morning, so hungover that rick moved you out of shane’s bed and into his to hang off the edge and puke your guts up.

rick even roped carol into coming over to cook and watch judith while you and shane recovered.

he even brings you soup.

“damn, look who’s still out of it.”

seems shane had recovered.

“she drinks like she’s still in kappa delta.”

rick rubs a circle or two into your back. “what’d you say? you won’t puke all over your bed, will ya’?”

when you’re well enough, you patter downstairs

“you’re looking better.”

“thanks, carol,” you return her jab with a wry smile.

“so,” the gray haired woman braces her hands on the picnic table at the base of the orchard. “are you going to help me with these apricots are what?” your gaze falls from the woman to her basket and circles back to the trees overhead. “the apricots came in early here. what do you think of apricots in march?”

you shrug. “i really don’t know much about fruits,” you admit as you take the chestnut colored basket into your hand.

it’s so odd seeing carol in her little pseudo-mr. rogers act, costume and all. the cardigan and capris paint a picture of the picture homemaker - a real martha stewart type.

and one of the most tactful, five steps ahead of you types that you’d ever met.

you wonder if this carol had laid dormant for some years.

the two of you work through the trees, plucking the precious fruit that was ready for harvest and leaving the rest.

“so, you having fun playing house?”

your mouth gapes open. you nearly drop your basket and waste quite a lot of apricots.

carol snorts at you. “i’m just kidding.” she sends you a look like you’re incredulous or something. “do what you want.” you pluck an apricot from the tree before you. gossamer head tilting when your apricot picking partner speaks again. “but just keep your priorities straight.”

you stiffen. that’s not what you were expecting. maybe some more sage or cunning advice is what you thought would be coming out of her mouth. priorities? you don’t wanna think about them. the priorities that you’ve been saddled with.

you moan someone about your hangover and muddle through the rest of your apricot picking, trying to keep your mind from defining your priorities.

the two of you part when at the sidewalk in front of your porch, with her last words to you being:

“you be careful.”

“gonna have to go out and find a king sized bed if rick’s gonna be stayin’ over this often.” shane comments and rolls onto his side to face you.

you shrug. “i’m fine with the arrangement the way it is.”

“yeah? sleeping on top of rick?”

you continue brushing your hair. “beds are hard to come by, especially great gigantic sized beds.”

“i’m sure there’s a king somewhere.”

“yeah.”

shane’s eyes don’t leave you as you set your hairbrush down on the vanity and tie it back. he’s even closer once you settle into your spot on the mattress. arms clutch you into him and lazy patterns begin to materialize on your skin, from massages into the nap of your neck to a dull squeeze of your ass. it makes you feel easy - subdued almost by shane’s unhurried touch. but you’re still wound up. you don’t know how you can be anything else nowadays.

"night, baby," shane mumbles into your ear.

"night." you reply, eyes focused on the single beam of moonlight tumbling through the window.

with rick down the hall, you won’t be sleeping tonight.