Tumgik
#in the afternoon….when I like to do another shower just to rinse off the Outside….
badolmen · 8 months
Text
“Thank you for your patience and grace with this situation!” It’s not like I have a fucking choice after paying you fucks a few thousand dollars to live here fulltime.
4 notes · View notes
starzblvd · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media
Pampering your girlfriend to a soothing bath after a rough day from summers scorching heat then letting her use your hand to get herself off <33
an: modern!ellie, college!ellie, gf!ellie, got this idea while doing my extra long everything shower which originally just started off as fluff but yk, was supposed to post this like 2 weeks ago but then I got slumped with other stuff..anyways Ellie refers to you as angel because I love the pet name so much 🩷
Disgustingly hot was what the temperature is around this time of summer. The heat suffocating you immediately after stepping outside. Ellie curses herself on the drive home when the ac of her red 1989 Ford F-250 decided to stop working on one of the summers hottest days. Hot weather called for a hot tempered Ellie, god it’s the afternoon and it’s still this fucking hot.
She’d walk out of her car with an angry pout of a scowl irritated of the stickiness the sweat induced during her drive home to your shared apartment. Ellie’s skin was covered in a glossy sheen when she’d reach the door, whole day she was stuck dealing with the blistering heat with her lecture halls ac coincidentally broke down too. If one thing were to piss her off in this state she’d be ready to pull a hissy fit. She knocked with urgency to get the relief of cold air, a minute passed and another knock perused, two more minutes and she’s calling out your name slightly banging the door. Ellie reaches for her key from her back pocket jamming the key in loudly when you unlock it before she does greeting her wearing an apologetic smile, “didn’t mean to keep you out, was just fixing a bath for you”
You’d known she was beat from how hot she was the entire day by the spam of texts complaining about everything and anything “I hate this chair it’s so uncomfortable” or “can he talk any fucking faster so we can leave”
Ellie couldn’t be mad when you’d been so sweet waiting for her to come back, letting her shoulders drop their stiff lock allowing you to walk her away the shutting door. “You didn’t have to do all that, im just glad to even get outside that godman place, seriously how do all ac’s suddenly get an idea to break down today,”
You’d notice the glowing gleam layer of sweat she walked in with, after she’s pulling you into her gentle embrace contrasting her tone and expression
“but thank you angel, always so sweet to me”
She was tired and so was her voice, raspier than her typical tone. Couldn’t just leave her in her own when she’s so drained,
“let me do the work for you today”
Ellie’s eyebrows lifted confused to what you’re suggesting but follows your trail nonetheless, as your girlfriend she trusts you.
“just sit down and I’ll bathe you, you know?” You take your seat on the edge of the tub looking at her with such an adoring expression she didn’t hesitate to strip and climb into the tub. Her hair was tied back in effort to combat the heat, you take out the hair tie allowing her hair to fall for you to use a container to pour water over her. A giggle escapes her lips when she shuts her eyes from the water.
She enjoyed how dotting you were to her, enjoyed with the way your fingers move in little circles on her scalp messaging in the lathering shampoo, the little kiss you placed on her forehead after rinsing the pine lavender scented conditioner out.
“We should do this more often, like way more often,” Ellie was completely aloof getting taken care of and content with how loving your touch was, almost made her feel a bit guilty for the idea that was looming over her now, almost. “Yeah?” It’d feel just as peaceful for you to care for her. Reaching over for the body wash Ellie’s hand grasps onto your wrist, wet with small bubbles mixed in from the shampoo.
“you wouldn’t mind for me to use your hand a bit would you angel?” Her voice was softer now, any pent up irritation had washed away by now, looking to you with her slight smirk, the same smirk that’d leave your stomach coiling itself up knowing she only had this look when she’d have another one of her ideas.
“Go ahead,”
Still puzzled she lowers your hand to the water guiding your hand to touch the toned muscles of her torso that stiffed with anticipation. Your touch never failed to excite her no matter how long you’ve been together. Noticing the limpness of your hand Ellie spoke up in type of whisper,
“you can tell me to stop”
Taking the hint of what she was insinuating you slowly shift your fingers open to glide your touch over her warm body,
“No no, I want to keep going,”
You’d coo with all the reassurance she needed. Dragging your hand further down, she caressed the sides of her lips with your finger tips feeling the shock it brung earning a small grunt from her slowly teasing her entrance. Spreading her legs further apart Ellie’s hand adjusted your middle and ring finger onto her exposed folds to start some friction easily sliding them up and down with the mix of her slick and water. All you’d hear was the slow sloshing of water and the small whimpers she muffled through her lips.
She kept her eyes closed concentrating on getting to her high using you. Ellie guides your fingers to soothe her puffy clit only being met with your resistance holding her back, instead to run your fingers anywhere else but her clit.
“thought you were supposed to be helping me,” Ellie let’s out grunting into your ear.
despite her efforts to move you onto her ache you keep prodding her folds, writhing from your neglectful touch, she was so needy for you every second you denied her a rub to give her the release she chased for.
“Thought I was the one supposed to be doing the work for you tonight.”
Ellie was growing tired of the lack of attention she was desperate for, she shoved the two fingers down plunging them inside her, her lips parted allowing her sweet moans to fill the room and your ears.
“we both know you could be doing a better job at that right now angel.”
She couldn’t help herself pushing you deeper into her to touch the spot that always had her unfolding below you. Making her hand jerk faster to pump your fingers quicker to speed up she’d be getting closer to the orgasm her body was pleading for.
“Since you’re so pretty like this I guess I can try harder,” you smiled looking at how the muscles of her arm flexed each time she’d move in and out, you keep your open hand busy by gently rubbing her shoulder whilst bringing your underwater thumb to her clit pressing into her before finally giving in and pacing it into circles.
“cmon cmon cmon, keep going angel please”
Begging and unraveling right before you with a final fast pump and stroke to her clit Ellie’s back straightened and curved into an all familiar arch. Her eyes harshly shutting closed but you wanted to see the eyes you loved so much, lifting the hand from her shoulder to her jaw pulling her face to yours, Ellie’s still wanning off her orgasm by drowning her pace down until she’s finally done sliding you out from herself.
She brought your hand back to surface embracing your hard working fingers with a kiss keeping her hold onto you as Ellie slides down into the tub to just the point where her neck starts.
“you can finish your job now,” she was smiling looking forward to the next time.
1K notes · View notes
elaci · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The Fruits and the Berries
You help Shauna see the sweet beauty that comes from the wilderness, despite the ugly of the past.
crossposted on ao3
Shauna x gn!reader | req rules ⁞ request here
Tumblr media
Usually, when Shauna's eyes become stuck on the wild scenery outside, she’s quick to regain control of her mind. 
It rarely happens anymore, once a month at most. She will be busy in the kitchen after entertaining your family for lunch, clearing dishes because she insists you don’t do it right. The running sink that she rinses plates in, the cold water against her hands, the breeze that comes through the open window in front of her— all the food shared between loved ones.
She will freeze, if only for a few moments, and within those moments she will experience her every last teenage year again in full. She comes out of it as quickly as she goes in, with nothing but shaking hands to show for the trenches her mind had just sunken into. She will take a breath, one deep breath that fills her lungs with clean warm air, and exhale it all to make room for more. 
And when she returns to you, with that closed-lip smile that tells you ‘it’s happened again’, you pull her into a hug and kiss the gentle skin of her cheek and tell her, without words, that you’re there and she’s okay and that’s how it will be until the end of time.
You wish there was more to do. You’d wrench out your heart to replace the blackened parts of hers if you could, offer every last piece of yourself in service to her and rebuilding her love of life.
It’s late one night that Shauna tells you she doesn’t find much beauty in the outside world anymore. She’s fresh out of the shower, sitting between your legs as you comb your fingers through her damp hair. 
“I’d stay inside forever if I could,” she hums, resting her cheek against your knee. “Feels like there’s nothing good out there.”
It’s too dark to glance out the window and see much, but even if you could, you doubt you could point out many things that Shauna could watch from afar and find beautiful. The thought pulls at your heart, a loss for the love of life is something you wouldn't wish on a heart as deep as Shaunas. You massage her scalp as she remains lost in thought, and silently put into action a plan to show Shauna at least the little things that make up such a beautiful world.
It’s not until a week later that you finally have the time. Life had gotten in the way of your planning, from work to family gatherings to date nights you wouldn't miss for the world, you’d been lost on a moment to set up. However, Shauna is pulled away one afternoon— she had promised to drop Callie off at a friends on the other side of town and mentioned running some errands on the way home, giving you just enough time to run around the house putting the final touches on what you hope will be something beautiful for the woman you love.
She steps into the home with a tired sigh, rubbing at her eyes as she picks up on the soft tunes of her favourite music being played from the kitchen. She can’t help but smile, curious as to what’s up your sleeve. When she rounds the corner into the kitchen, she catches you just as you are shutting the lid on an old picnic basket you'd pulled from the attic.
“What’s this?” The question comes out a touch more accusatory than she means it to be, but you aren't fazed. 
“Date night,” you click the picnic baskets clasps in place and heave it from the countertop. You turn towards your lover, and take in her presence for a moment. “You look beautiful today, you know?”
Shauna frowns, unimpressed. “I’m wearing mom jeans.”
You grin, and twirl your free hand around, gesturing for her to do a spin. She stills for a moment, and then obliges, choking out a laugh at the absurdity of your doting. Shauna twirls, laughs, and laughs some more when you whistle and look at her with such a pure love in your eyes that it's felt in her bones. 
And before another word can be spared from her beautiful lips, you’re taking her hand in yours and leading her into the back garden like a high school sweetheart sneaking her out of the house. You wonder, only for a second, whether your love would be so strong had you met in high school, before the woes of the wilderness caused her caution as you lead her out under the sun.
“We can’t eat inside?” She questions, and shrugs when you look at her. “Bugs.”
You don’t speak, but rather lead her into the grass, your shoes abandoned. You walk into the shade of the largest and most beautiful tree of them all, and gesture to the red-and-white picnic blanket already laid down. Shauna lets your hand go as you sit, and she crosses her arms.
“You planned this out?”
“I was a party planner in my past life,” you pat the blanket next to you. “C’mon, hon.”
And because she’s never quite had the heart to keep you waiting, Shauna huffs out a breath of faux resignation, and lowers herself to the ground beside you. Her hair falls over her face as she peers into the picnic basket you unpack, and he can’t fight the smile that blooms. 
All of the fruits and berries she loves, wine, bread, cheese. A delicate feast of her favourites— you lay peaches out and fill a ceramic bowl with raspberries and blueberries alike. The dessert bread is paired with compôtes she has yet to try but still eyes when you visit the sunday morning markets. Strawberry wine in glassware gifted by your family for your housewarming party. 
There's a sweet silence between you, filled only by the sound of rustling leaves and birdsong. Shauna is lost on words, though she feels in no rush to speak. You hum softly as you finish unpacking the basket, and push a small bowl into her hands.
“Cherries,” she speaks.
“Fresh from,” you pause, “the grocery store.”
Shauna chokes on laughter, smiling down at the bowl of ripe red cherries. She takes a moment of thought, and then looks back at you. “Why’d you do all this?”
You look between her and the bowl, and then over to the house you both call home. It takes a moment to find the right words, but you eventually open your mouth to speak.
“I love you,” you start. “And if you want to shut and lock yourself inside until the end of time, I’ll change the locks whenever they rust and drive spikes into the sidewalk so no one bothers us. But, I look around and I see the same beauty in the world that I see in you, and it truly breaks my heart to know you can’t see it too. I’d like more evenings under the sun with you, until we’re too old to sit on the grass and too grumpy to ignore the bugs. You have taught me so many things about the world, Shauna. I hope you’ll let me teach you about the stupid fruits and the stupid berries and how much I love them.”
The sun lowers a little, pulled to the horizon line on clockwork. It casts a beautiful gold over Shauna, and animates the way she looks at you. Right into your soul, she lays claim to every inch of your heart, and you allow it all the same. 
Shauna nods. “Okay,” she says. “Okay.”
You reach over and run a hand through Shauna's hair, pulling it out of her face and in turn drifting closer to her. Your lips meet in a sweet symphony of wine and berries and a promise for another evening spent like this— learning to love the land and the hand that guides you through it. The kiss is long, and tender, and so full of love you need no picnic to sate your appetite.
And when you pull away, you have to wipe a tear from her cheek. You do so without thought, as you always will. You eat, and laugh, and kiss, and drink until all the berries taste the same and the sun sets entirely. When you finally decide to retire inside, leaving the mess of your ministries for sober you to pick up in the morning, Shauna is the one to lead you inside. You trip over your own feet a few times, and nearly stand on a jar or two, but make it inside with tired eyes and fuzzy brains.
Shauna slides the door shut, and looks at you. “Thank you,” she says. “I love you.”
And she locks the door, only until morning.
Tumblr media
yellowjackets masterlist
53 notes · View notes
imnotoverlyobsessive · 10 months
Text
In Your Dreams
Tumblr media
Moodboard by @softhecreator
Chapter Six: You Got Inside My Head & Set A Fire There Instead
AO3 info one two three four five six seven epilogue
All my work is 18+.
Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts, and we’ve got to find other ways to make it alone or keep a straight face. And I’ve always lived like this; keeping a comfortable distance, and up until now I had sworn to myself that I’m content with loneliness, ‘cause none of it was ever worth the risk.- Paramore, The Only Exception
Lea really hadn’t meant to stick around for so long. She’d figured that once he’d, uhhh, ‘claimed’ her or whatever, that would be enough, that she’d be able to go back to her shared shoebox apartment with its windows all facing brick walls and the kitchen she couldn’t turn around in and the doors that didn’t stay closed and her cold bed, to her rapidly increasing student loan debt and her crippling anxiety and the constant, neverending sense that something about her life was wrong.
In any case, she had intended to go home once Tim was in the clear.
She was showering the following afternoon, staring out the window that overlooked the city. Water droplets from the shower dripped down the glass, and Lea sighed, tilting her head back to finish rinsing her hair and wondering how in the hell she was gonna go back home after all this.
“Well that’s a sight I could get used to.”
She damn near jumped a foot in the air at Tim’s voice echoing off the marble floors, immediately rushing to hide behind the wall of the large shower.
He laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, I was just appreciating the view!”
Lea blinked rapidly, trying to process what was happening. She still hadn’t fully processed the night before, and here she was, butt naked, totally regretting using his shower rather than one of the ones in the guest rooms. He had fuckin’ five of them, so it wasn’t like there wasn’t space.
After several bests of silence, the only sound the running water from the shower, he softly said, “Are you afraid of me?”
Lea jolted towards the clear shower door, looking at him around the corner of the wall. “Of course not!” she squeaked, eyes wide.
He looked back at her, his gaze sad. “Then why are you hiding from me?”
She glanced down briefly at his body, only just now noticing his nudity. “I just…” She gulped. “I just feel weird about you, like. Seeing me this way, y’know?”
Frowning outright then, Tim asked, “I’ll admit I’m pretty casual about being naked, living as an incubus for several thousand years will do that, but why on earth would you be shy with me?” When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “I’ll respect your feelings, don’t get me wrong, I just— you’re my mate, we had sex a few hours ago, and I legitimately cannot fathom why you’d feel weird. Will you please help me understand?”
“I’m… not used to being naked in front of anyone,” she admitted softly, standing back upright to lean against the wall of the shower, hidden from him again. “Like, okay, how often do you have to, y’know. Feed?”
There were a few seconds of silence as he considered this. “I dunno. Every few weeks, maybe?”
“Right,” Lea confirmed her understanding, “and do you feed from a different woman every time?”
“Usually, yeah,” he said slowly, as if he were trying to figure out where she was going with this.
“And that’s even when you were in relationships?”
He was silent for a few moments again. “I can only feed from humans, and I haven’t been involved with one romantically in I don’t even know how long—centuries, at the very least, maybe longer—, so I had to… with other women.”
“You were with another human before?”
“Yes.”
“Who was she?”
“Her name was Alane.”
Lea’s heart thudded in her chest.
“Did you love her?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
He sighed, and she heard him slide down the outside wall of the shower.
“I’ll have to tell you eventually, I guess.”
“You don’t have to,” she assured him hurriedly.
“No, you need to know.” A deep breath. “She was a Gaul, captured by Romans. I knew what they did to women, so I went to help. No clue why, I’m fucking useless with that kinda thing, but I went to help. But when I got there…” He let out a hoarse laugh. “She’d killed two of them and was working on a third.”
“Jesus,” Lea muttered.
“Totally covered in blood,” he went on, “I think she would’ve tried to kill me, too, if I hadn’t blurted some random shit out in French. Gave her enough pause to let me help her escape, I guess.”
“Then… why aren’t you with her now?” Lea asked softly, hoping he wouldn’t notice the quiver in her voice.
“We were together for a few human lifetimes,” he admitted. “We were careful—we were so fucking careful—but birth control wasn’t an exact science then, and, well… I told you that most women can’t stay pregnant with an incubus’ baby.” Another snort. “Stubborn girl—she was a lot like you that way, actually; maybe that’s what attracted to me to her in the first place, was her similarities to my future mate—refused to let me get it flushed out of her. I told her, I told her she couldn’t survive it, but she was damned and determined to try anyway.”
“And then?” she asked shakily.
“She died.” His voice was soft, almost hesitant. Regretful. “She died because she loved me.”
Despite the rather intense jealousy she was feeling, her heart ached for the pain he’d been through. It was clear he blamed himself for Alane’s death.
Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Lea reached out and opened the shower door. The hot water was beating against her skin, the sound of it almost drowning her out when she whispered, “You can come in, too.” A slight hesitation. “If— if you want, I mean.”
There was silence for a few long moments before she heard him stand, and then he stepped into the shower.
His hair was tousled from sleep, but his skin wasn’t sallow anymore; the bags under his eyes were gone, too. He was still a bit thinner than she knew was normal for him, but he definitely looked better. Healthier.
He closed the door behind him, gazing down at her and not taking his eyes off hers. “It wasn’t your fault, Tim.” He grimaced, so she reiterated, “It was not your fault. It wasn’t your fault she got pregnant. It was an accident. It wasn’t your fault that she chose to continue the pregnancy, either. None of it was your fault.”
He wasn’t grimacing anymore, just kinda studying her expression. “You aren’t jealous?” He looked almost disappointed, the prick.
“I never said I wasn’t jealous,” Lea admitted slowly, “but I don’t want you to blame yourself for something that’s not your fault. I don’t like seeing you in pain.”
A small, soft smile twitched at the corners of his lips, and he took a step closer to her, taking one of her hands in his. “Everything’s less painful when I look at you,” he murmured. “Hearing your voice, seeing you smile, touching your skin— it sets me at ease. Even when I was close to death, whenever you were next to me, it felt like everything would be alright.”
Tears filled her eyes at that, and she looked away. “Tim…”
“I think,” he went on in that soft, sweet voice, “that I could conquer the world if you held my hand while I did it.” After a moment, he added, “Plus, you’re jealous, it’s very obvious, and it’s awesome—“
Lea flushed, crossing her arms over her breasts with a grumble of, “Like you wouldn’t be jealous, too, demon boy.”
“Psh,” he scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. “You kidding? I’m jealous of everyone that’s so much as looked at you.”
“You’re a dork,” she muttered, fighting off a smile.
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Or maybe I just love you.”
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling then.
“Are you done showering?” he asked quietly.
Lea blinked, surprised at the question. “I should probably rinse my hair again. Might still have conditioner in it.”
He stepped closer, and her heart lurched up into her throat at the anticipation of feeling his skin against hers again, but he just reached behind her and took the handheld shower nozzle. 
“Turn around.” It was a soft, gentle command, but it was a command nonetheless. Steadfastly ignoring the fluttering in her abdomen, she obeyed, turning to face the marble tiles of the wall and adjusting her hair so it fell in a wave of dark red curls down her back.
“Lean your head back,” he told her gently. She did so, keeping her eyes shut, and he held the nozzle close to her scalp and ran his fingers through her hair, careful not to miss anything. “Did you comb your hair out already?”
“Y— yeah,” she mumbled, pointing vaguely in the direction of the wide-tooth comb that sat on the ledge with the various shower-related items.
He hummed before continuing to rinse out her hair in silence.
Once he was done, he leaned forward to replace the shower nozzle again, and the one on the ceiling began to cascade down onto them once more. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her so her back was against his chest. And stomach, too, because he was a tall bastard.
Tim’s arms were around her waist, just below her breasts, and his thumb brushed the underside of one of them.
Lea gulped anxiously, wishing he’d touch her fully, grab her breast the way he’d done the night before. “How are you, uh… how are you feeling?”
“What d’you mean?” he mumbled into her hair.
“Well, you almost died yesterday,” she said slowly. “So, how are you feeling?”
His arms tightened around her. “I’m alive. You’re here. I’m alive because you’re here. So I’m doing pretty fuckin’ awesome, I’d say.”
She reached up and brushed her hand gently over one of his, lacing their fingers together.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
She felt him shrug. “I wasn’t expecting to be, but I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not thrilled about you loving me.” He paused momentarily before admitting, “And also that you let me fuck you. That was pretty great.”
He moved her hair to one side and started kissing her neck then, and she squeaked in surprise. “Are you, uh… are you hungry again? Not— not for food, I mean, but like, for… y’know…”
She could hear the smirk in his voice, feel it against the damp skin of her neck. “I only need to feed every few weeks,” he reminded her. “However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to fuck you again, because I very much do. It’s less about my biological need for it and more about my love for my incredibly sexy mate and the natural desire I have to watch said mate’s tits bounce as I fuck her until she cums on my cock.”
Lea’s face flamed, the sensation intensifying further when she realized he was hard behind her.
“But,” he was saying, “we don’t have to. I will never try to make you or convince you to do anything you don’t wanna do.”
“I know,” she said, tightening her fingers over his. “You almost died ‘cause you didn’t wanna risk guilting me.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want you,” he murmured, one of his hands sliding down her side to grasp her hip firmly. “God do I want you.”
“Tim,” she exhaled, leaning back against his chest.
“Baby.” His voice was hoarse, desperate, and he went on, “Do you want that? I won’t ask you to if you don’t want it, but if you do…” 
Flushing, she looked at her feet and said, “Maybe we could… go back to bed?”
“If you want.” He shrugged before gesturing to the windows. “The windows are tinted, though. No one can see in; they look completely black from outside.”
She blinked rapidly, eyes wide. “Oh?”
“Mhm,” Tim confirmed, taking her hand in his. “So why don’t you just jump up here—“ he guided her to the windowsill, encouraging her to sit down. “—And spread your legs for me?”
“Are you sure you wanna—“
“Lea,” he cut her off, voice serious, “knowing you want me, I think that I cannot possibly handle the prospect of not having you.”
“O— okay,” she managed. 
“Good girl,” he praised with a smirk, stepping between her legs, his hands on her knees. “Gonna make you feel good, baby.” He reached between them, gripping his dick and guiding it to her entrance, pressing against her.
Lea bit her lip, whimpering. “Please, Tim, I can’t—“
“Can’t what, sweetheart?” he crooned gently, rubbing his cock up and down her folds teasingly. “Tell me what you want.”
Embarrassment gone, she begged, “Want it, want you, want you inside me—“
“Good girl,” he told her again before sliding into her.
She moaned, her head falling back against the glass of the window.
“So fuckin’ tight,” he grunted, pulling out briefly before slamming back in. 
He was looking down at her, and she marveled at how gorgeous he was; the city lights behind her were glinting off his jawline and cheekbones and those red fucking eyes—god, he was feeding from her again, he was feeding from her again—, and his hair hung in soaked curls, longer than it usually was so it nearly brushed his shoulders, water droplets falling from the tips of the strands and onto his bare skin.
It was looking at him, at how insanely, ridiculously, unfairly sexy he was, that caused a desperate, fervent need to touch him to overtake her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. He obliged, slanting his lips over hers with a startling amount of ferocity, but it was short-lived because then he was trailing kisses down the column of her throat before taking the tender skin between his teeth and sucking. 
Moaning, she threaded her fingers through his hair, and he groaned at the sound she’d made, thrusting in again. “Made for me,” he grunted against her damp skin. “This pussy was fuckin’ made for me.”
Her fingers tightened around his curls, holding him against her neck as he repeatedly kissed the bruise he’d given her. “Feels— feels good,” she gasped out, spreading her legs wider, wanting him to fuck her senseless, fuck her until she couldn’t walk or move or breathe.
Tim righted himself again, leaning his forehead against hers, his red eyes boring into hers, pinning her there against the window as if each snap of his hips didn’t have the same effect. “You like it?” he wanted to know, the words an exhalation brushing against her lips. “You like it when I fuck you?”
Nodding jerkily, Lea arched into his touch when he reached down to grasp one of her breasts, tugging sharply on the nipple. “I like it,” she admitted, her voice breathless. “God, please don’t stop—“
His hips jackhammered against her, and he slid one hand up to cup her neck, the one on her breast moving to grasp her hip so as to hold her in place. “No god here, baby,” he muttered, stroking her skin affectionately. “Just you and me.”
Something about this statement made her feel as if she had the sun inside her, starlight under her skin, and she wanted nothing more than to keep him there, to stay there with him, safe in his apartment, their own little world. Nothing existed outside of what they had together, outside of what he was giving her, of what she was giving him. It was just the two of them, and she felt as if as long as he was touching her, nothing else ever could.
It was quiet and unprompted when she gasped out, “I love you. I love you, Tim.”
The hand he had on her neck slid up to her cheek, and he leaned down, kissing her with desperation equal to that of his thrusts into her. “I love you, too,” he said against her lips, into her mouth. “More than anything. You’re everything, Lea. Everything.”
She could’ve sworn that the sun inside her shone through at that, and if anyone looked at her, they’d go blind from it. Instead of responding, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. He let her, allowing her to kiss him as much as she wanted, returning her kiss with fervor. He took her lower lip between his teeth and tugged on it lightly, making her moan and close her eyes.
“No,” he growled when he released her lip. “Look at me. Look at me. I want you to see who’s fucking you, who’s making you feel like this. I don’t want you to ever forget.”
Lea opened her eyes, difficult as it was, and gasped out, “Could never forget you. Love you too much and you feel too good, fuck but you feel so good—“
His lips quirked into a smile against hers. “Yeah?” He kissed her again, the hand on her hip tightening, his fingers digging into her flesh. “Feels good when I give it to you, baby?”
“Mhm,” she whimpered, undulating her hips as best she could despite being seated and pressed up against the window. “More, I want more, please.”
“Such a polite request,” he mused, leaning down to kiss the bruises he’d left on her throat. “You know I’d never refuse you, don’t you? My sweet girl, all mine.”
He gave a particularly harsh thrust at that, and she moaned loudly in delight, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. “‘m yours,” she agreed immediately. “Yours, Tim, all yours— fuck—“
“Good girl,” he groaned, thrusting into her again. “Been waiting all my life for this, sweetheart, all my life for you, for your perfect little pussy, all for me, fuckin’ made for me, baby, made to take this cock.”
Something about what he was saying—babbling, if she were honest—made the heat that was already swirling in her abdomen to grow, intensifying further and spreading throughout her body, a tingling sensation that made her feel like she was burning, like there was fire beneath her skin, in her veins. She was made for him. She was his, she wanted to be his, to belong to him. How could she not, when belonging to him felt so good?
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, “can I make you cum? I wanna make you cum. I can feel the way you’re clenching around me, I know you want it, I can tell, just let me—“
“Yes,” she cut him off without hesitation. “Yes, you can make me cum, yes yes yes yes yes—“
“Fuck,” Tim grunted, snaking a hand between them to where they were joined and finding her clit with practiced ease. He may not have had much experience with her body specifically, but he knew exactly what to do anyway, how to make her quiver and shake and scream. Plus, by the time he brushed his fingertips over her clit, she was so turned on—by the way he was fucking her, the way he looked when he fucked her, how he was looking at her, the things he said as he pounded into her relentlessly, everything—that his touch had her moaning loudly, her toes curling. She was already so fucking close and he’d barely started stimulating her. “So good for me, sweetheart,” he groaned in her ear. “Give me those pretty little noises, baby, c’mon. Wanna hear you say my name.”
“Tim,” she moaned desperately. “Oh fuck, Tim, I’m gonna— I’m—”
“That’s it,” he encouraged gently, rubbing her clit faster. “Give it to me, Lea. Cum on my cock, wanna feel it.” When she moaned wordlessly—though his name could probably be deciphered if one tried hard enough—and tightened her legs around his waist, her core clenched down on him, and then a few more swipes to her clit combined with punishing thrusts had her bursting apart at the seams.
He fucked her through her orgasm, his eyes such a bright shade of red they almost glowed. Still, once it had ended, he didn’t stop rubbing at her, instead growling into her neck, “I want another. Gimme another, sweetheart.”
Lea’s pulse was thrumming in her clit already, so it wasn’t exactly a difficult feat to manage. He kissed her neck wetly, murmuring words she couldn’t quite hear into her skin. She couldn’t seem to formulate any speech at all, only capable of desperate, high-pitched keens of, “Ah, ah, ah, unh—” over and over again until his touch sent her over the edge a second time.
“Gonna fill you up, baby,” he grunted. “So pretty when you fall apart, gonna fill you with my cum, Lea, fill this sweet little pussy up, love you so much, baby, so fuckin’ much, fuckin’ take it—”
She could do nothing but whimper and cling to him, yearning for him to cum inside her, to fill her exactly as he was promising to.
And then he did, release finding him with an almost pained-sounding moan of her name.
Her head was buzzing, her ears were ringing, and the room—the shower, they were still in the shower—was wobbling. So when he panted against her neck for a few minutes before pulling back to kiss her briefly and step away, she nearly collapsed to the marble tiles of the shower floor.
Tim caught her, pulling her close with one arm and reaching to turn the shower off with the other. “‘s okay, baby,” he murmured, pressing a sweet, gentle kiss to her scalp. “Let’s get you back in bed, okay?”
“O— okay,” she mumbled, her voice sounding groggy even to her own ears.
Tim opened the shower door and grabbed a towel that was hanging on the rod and drying her off, having her lean against the wall as he did so.
Was sex always so exhausting, or was it just her? Maybe it was ‘cause she had no experience prior to him.
He hung the towel back up and took her hand again. “Do you want me to carry you, sweetheart?”
“No,” Lea assured him, horrified at the thought even through her exhaustion. “I can walk.”
“Okay,” he agreed, though he sounded a bit reluctant, “I’m gonna be right here, so fall against me if you need to.”
She hummed in acknowledgment as they made their way out of the bathroom and back to bed. He pulled the covers up over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I’m gonna go make you some food, okay?”
“Mmkay,” she mumbled.
And then she was dead to the world.
Tumblr media
Tim’s sweet, gentle voice eased her into wakefulness.
“Lea, sweetheart,” he said, a hand on her shoulder.
“Mmf,” she grunted into the pillow.
“I brought you some food,” he told her. “An omelet with hashbrowns and bacon. Extra crispy, just how you like it.”
The guy knew her well, he really did. But she was so tired.
“You’ll feel much better after you eat,” he promised. “Cmon, baby. Will you sit up for me?”
She groaned, pushing herself up onto her palms. “There you go, sweetheart,” Tim encouraged. “God, you’re so cute when you’re tired.”
“I feel like I shouldn’t be this tired,” she grumbled in annoyance, tucking the blankets under her arms so her chest was covered. “I just woke up a little while ago.”
Tim blushed, settling the tray of food in her lap. “It’s, uh… it’s an incubus thing. You’re tired because I’ve consumed your energy. I’m sorry. I’d avoid it if I could.”
“Oh,” Lea said with a hum, picking up her knife and fork. “It’s okay. If the consequence of you not starving is me being tired, I don’t mind.”
“You’re a fuckin’ saint,” he muttered, sitting down on the bed next to her.
She let out an inelegant snort. “You make me tired and then provide me with food. Not gonna complain about it.”
“I absolutely do not deserve you.”
Lea glanced up at him from her meal. “You literally brought me breakfast in bed.”
“Yeah, but—“
“Don’t care,” she cut him off. “You’re being sweet. No complaints.” She smiled softly at him in reassurance.
He took her hand, holding it tightly in his. “Okay.”
He didn’t let go of her hand the entire time she was eating.
Tumblr media
No, really. She really hadn’t meant to stay so long. She’d ended up staying for a month and a half, though. But in her defense, Tim was really sexy, and he was being so wonderful to her, and she loved him so much.
It was hard to reconcile with the fact that all of it was temporary, that she’d have to return to her boring, shoebox apartment and her day job.
And then she missed her period.
But it was nothing to worry about, right? There was no reason for her to be concerned. She was on birth control, had been for years. She’d missed periods before, usually when she was stressed. It was probably the next semester looming over her head.
Tim was ordering some delivery from the grocery store—he rarely went out for such things himself; a privacy concern, he’d said—and asked her if she needed anything.
He knew what sort of food she liked, so that wasn’t a concern. However, even if her period was late, she’d definitely be getting it soon.
“Uh, yeah,” she told him when he asked what she needed. “Some tampons, I think.” She paused. “And some Midol. And a heating pad.”
He blinked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Uh… okay, but why?”
She looked at him skeptically. “Why do you think? I’m about to get my period. It’s a little late, so it should be coming any day now.”
He frowned outright at that. “Um, Lea. There’s a reason your period is late.”
She hummed in acknowledgment, hunting through the drawer in his closet he’d temporarily dedicated to her clothes for a fresh pair of panties. “Stress about school, most likely.”
“No,” he said slowly. “It likely won’t be coming at all.”
She paused, turning around to face him. “Why not?”
“Because… because you’re almost certainly pregnant.”
Tumblr media
Tag list
@ellamaianderson @shika1200 @blackqueenstarseed1 @gatoenlaciudad @esmaada @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @softhecreator @timolaurence @timmymyluv @oddlyenoughiamweird @leecrunchybones @s-we-e-t-t-ea @almostg @leespparker @bubblebuttwade @glizzymcguirex @starberry-cake
To be added, please ask 💗
17 notes · View notes
itsaash · 7 months
Text
Hamptons cubs AU: monster
This is the second last part!! Wild. Thanks to @noots-fic-fests and @lumosinlove and to everyone who has been reading.
Tumblr media
He was nervous and excited for the big day, Leo’s food being photographed and the magazine editor trying his recipes. He wanted to help and maybe also wanted to hide. But, no, they didn’t know he had heard them, and after a nice evening all together and some sleep, he felt less mortified. Honestly, he was sad. They’d be leaving tonight, after the dinner. It was the last night that he’d have friends in his house and the spectre of a quiet week hung over him. He let the rhythm of his steps on the boardwalk lull him and the bad feelings slowly faded away. He’d help Leo, do anything he can to make the dinner a success, and see Leo again in a few short days. Finn loved how nothing seemed as bad after a run.
He walked through the kitchen to Logan making coffees.
“Hiho, Logan,” Finn said, chugging some water.
“You’ve already exercised? Gross,” Logan said. His hair was still sleep mussed and his voice was scratchy. “I had to promise Leo coffee in bed to convince him to not make another practice batch of boudin before this afternoon.”
Finn laughed. “Good man, and good luck,” he said with a salute and left the room to shower. He figured he should leave Leo and Logan alone, Logan knew how to support Leo better than he ever could. He hit the doorframe with his palm as he passed under it, feeling unsettled.
The nervous energy in the house was high the rest of the morning. Haley and Ramsey cleaned, Finn tried to work while Leo did the first steps of the boudin balls. He chopped onion and peppers and jalapeños into small cubes. Finn found himself in awe, just watching the knife move in meticulous motions, leaving each ingredient perfectly shaped. Leo went through the steps that even Finn was becoming familiar with, adding the meat and spices, setting the pot to simmer, having Logan taste it and adjust. Finn managed to work a bit while the pot was simmering, the smell started to spread through the air. He kept glancing outside, where Logan had led Leo by the hand to sit in the shade while he could. The mixture got processed and then they all ate lunch together, Leo serving the coleslaw he had made the day before, rice, and some of the boudin that hadn’t gone into the fridge to be made into balls. Finn set to washing the dishes so the kitchen would be ready when it was time to prep for Pandora to arrive. When they came back in, Leo took the batch out from the fridge and he had his game face on, which made Finn's heart expand in earnestness.
“Holy fuck I forgot the parsley,” Leo said, under his breath and in horror. Finn and Logan both snapped their heads up.
“Quoi?” Logan said, in shock.
“Ok, ok, you can mix it in still, right? Cut it super fine and mix it in?” Fine offered, shaking off his wet hands.
Leo was already moving to the fridge to get the fresh parsley. “Yeah, yeah, ok, shit, how could I forget this?”
Logan ran a hand up and down his back as he stood behind him.
“It’s ok love, you’re doing so much and it’s all going to be amazing. We can fix this.”
Leo nodded like a puppet and set to chopping the parsley.
He cut himself.
He had used those knives all week, and he was a professional. He was moving quickly, but he always cut safely. But shit happens, and maybe mercury was retrograding, or maybe it was fate or just bad fucking luck, but today was just the day that he happened to cut himself. It wasn’t good.
He stood in silence for a long second before the pain hit, in shock. When Leo gasped and swore in pain both Logan and Finn jumped towards him. Finn saw the blood and ran for the first aid kit in the bathroom, when he got back Logan had Leo’s hand wrapped in paper towel, still standing in the same spot he had been chopping.
“Ok Leo, it’s ok, just over here, ok? We’ve got you,” Finn led Leo to the sink. He peeled away the red paper towel and had Leo do a quick rinse under cold water so they could see the damage. Finn felt a wave of relief, the end of a finger was cut, but it wasn’t gaping or gushing and with a soft murmured question and a wince of pain, Leo agreed he could move his finger. Finn took some gauze from the kit and pressed it to Leo’s finger.
“Pressure. 5 minutes, no peeking. Just hold it.” Leo nodded, his blue eyes looking big and shiny. Finn wrapped his hand around both of Leo’s. “It’s ok, it’s going to be ok.”
Logan pushed a stool over to them, and Leo sat down into it and closed his eyes for a long second. One tear trailed down his cheek and Finn followed its progress raptly all the way down to his jaw.
“Fuck me,” Leo said and opened his eyes. Finn’s heart squeezed at the worry in his eyes.
“No, no, Leo, it’s ok. We’ll help. It’ll stop bleeding soon, and we’ll help you. We’re still getting you in that magazine.”
Logan had appeared at Leo’s side and pressed his body into the side of Leo’s. Leo tilted his head over, resting on Logan’s chest, and Finn was very aware that he was still holding Leo’s hand, but he didn’t let go.
“You stay here, soleil, I’ll clean up, c'est bon. Finn, more paper towels and some sort of cleaner?”
“Uh, some regular cleaner under the sink here, but I think the powerful stuff and more paper towels are in the closet upstairs.” He started to turn, but Logan waved him off.
“Ouais, I’ll find them,” he said, and hurried out of the kitchen.
Leo took a shaky breath and Finn brought his other hand up to Leo’s forearm and stepped closer.
“Are you ok? How much does it hurt?”
“It hurts. I’m more so mad at myself, why today?” Leo moaned, dropping his head back in frustration. “I wanted today to be perfect.”
“Hey, hey, Le, we are going to help you. I’ll cut the parsley. You can direct us. We’ve seen you do this, we can help. And you’ll stop bleeding and you’ll be able to do some of the steps later today. It’s all still good.” Fines was rubbing Leo’s arm as he spoke, trying to soothe him.
“Yeah, yeah ok, thanks Finn,” Leo said through a sigh and brought his head back down. And suddenly, they were much closer together than they had been. Leo’s face was so close, closer than Finn had ever seen it. His eyes were bright, and there were a few wet tracks down his cheeks. Freckles scattered lightly over his cheeks and there was the grey patch of hair at his forehead, blending in with the rest of his blond curls. Their eyes locked together for a long, heart thumping moment. Finn’s hand moved without thought, and brushed the hair back from Leo’s face. He was even closer now, so close. Finn could feel the heat coming off of Leo’s body and noticed for the first time he was standing between Leo’s legs. How had he not realised that before? He felt blood rush to his ears, a flush rising to his neck. He saw Leo’s eyes dart down to his lips and then they were even closer together, Finn could feel Leo’s shallow breaths through the small space between them.
“Found them!” Logan said, entering the kitchen. Finn jumped and straightened, but managed to not bolt, some part of his traitorous brain thankfully remembering he had Leo’s injured hand wrapped in his.
“Awesome, Tremzy,” Finn said, trying to sound normal, whatever the fuck normal would even mean amidst this fucking soap opera of a day.
“Has it stopped bleeding yet?” Logan asked as he sprayed and wiped the counter and floor.
“2 more minutes of compression before we check,” Finn said. He was thankful he had a reason to have a shaky voice. Leo was quiet, was just looking at him. “Can you grab Leo a tylenol when you’re done there, Tremz? From that cabinet there?”
Logan tossed the dirty cleaning supplies and got the tylenol, joined Leo and Finn. He stroked Leo’s hair as Finn just had been, and Finn felt his heart squeeze in guilt. Leo was Logan’s boyfriend. He was being a monster. He had to stop this.
“We’re going to need more parsley, right?” Finn asked, voice high. “I know where it is in the garden, I’ll be back.” And he finally let go of Leo’s hand, gently, letting Logan take it instead, and fled outside.
Before going back inside, Finn gathered himself for what felt like the 100th time that week. Why couldn’t his stupid body remember that the two of them were already together? It had been a good week, but also such a confusing one. He put the parsley to his nose and inhaled the savoury scent, using it to distract himself and focus. Leo was inside fucking bleeding and needed his help. He had to go help and make this day happen, for Leo.
So he slid the door open and went into the kitchen, which undeniably smelled amazing, although now with more than a hint of cleaner.
“You ok Leo?” Seeing him sitting on the stool, Logan between his legs now, his forehead resting on Logan’s chest, it was easy to just focus on what needed to be done. “Has it stopped bleeding?”
Leo tilted his head up at him. His face glistened with sweat and tears. “Yeah, it’s getting there. Just mad at myself.”
“Non, it’s not your fault and I don’t want to hear you say it is,” Logan said into Leo’s hair.
“Want me to chop this?” Finn asked, holding up the parsley.
“Yeah, thanks so much Finn, you’re a lifesaver.” Finn took a step towards the cutting board and Leo spoke again. “Actually, you could put it in the little smoothie blender. It’ll get tiny and then no one has to use knives again.”
“You sure? I can do it slow and steady?” Finn said.
“I’m sure, the blender will get it nice and small.”
So Finn processed the parsley and mixed it carefully into the boudin and put it all back in the fridge.
“D’accord, that has to sit for awhile yet? And there’s time. Let’s get your finger wrapped up.” Logan carefully unwrapped the digit and used a butterfly bandage, gauze, and a finger bandaid. He kissed the tip of each of Leo’s uninjured fingers and raised Leo’s hand above his head. Leo kept his arm up as Logan leaned in for a soft but deep kiss. “We’re ok, it’s ok,” he murmured. Finn busied himself cleaning up the first aid kit while Logan led Leo to the couch. Finn brought Leo a glass of iced tea and then turned back to his notes, not looking at how Logan and Leo’s hair mixed and contrasted when their heads were tilted together.
~~~~~~~
Like they were professional athletes at a starting line, at 2:00 the final preparations began. Finn’s parents vacated the area, and Logan and Finn helped Leo gather the ingredients from the fridge and pantry.
“Put on some music, Harzy?” Leo asked. “Give us something motivational or optimistic or even full on delusional, cause we have to get this done.”
They all laughed when the first bars of eye of the tiger started, so Finn let the song keep playing.
“Ok love, so you can’t use your left hand as your wet hand for the egg dipping, right? I think Finn and I can manage rolling the balls and dipping them in the egg and breadcrumbs? And you can probably manage frying them with one hand?” Logan said.
“You know the steps?” Leo said, impressed.
“Leo,” Finn laughed. “Do you know how many times you’ve made these this week? Ok I’m on egg, you take the breadcrumbs, Tremzy.”
And so they did. Finn formed the balls, Leo sitting across from them and approving the size and shape of each before he would dip the ball in egg and then place it into the dish with bread crumbs in it. Logan would shower it in breadcrumbs and line them up on a tray. A pot of oil was starting to sizzle on the stove. Logan and Finn gave each other an eggy and crumby high five when all the balls were coated and lined, and laughed as they cleaned up the space for Leo to start frying. After Leo struggled with the first few, they found another pattern of Finn helping to stabilise the ball onto a slotted spoon that Leo used to slowly lower them into the oil, and Logan had a paper towel and cooling rack lined tray right beside Leo to roll the balls off onto. Leo hardly needed to take a step, and their five hands worked in tandem, like a coordinated dance, music playing in the background and the trees waving through the window, for nearly an hour while they fried all the boudin balls.
Leo laughed in relief when he set the last one on the cooling tray. “Wow, that was probably ridiculous to watch, but we make a good team.” He took Logan under his arm and gave Finn a gentle fist bump with the other. “I appreciate y’all helping me.”
“Nothing else we’d rather do,” Logan said. “What’s next?”
Leo rolled his shoulders back, thinking. “Plate the coleslaw into one of the pretty pottery bowls, grill the veg, thank the lord they’re already chopped, cut the cornbread into cute squares and plate them, plate the boudin balls and the sauce, and I think that’s it.”
Finn shook his head, laughing. “I want to eat all of it right now,” he clapped his hands together. “Ok, chop chop then!”
Leo levelled him with a serious look. “No chopping jokes, thank you very much.”
Finn rested his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Ok, no problem. I’ll cut it out.”
Logan and Leo both groaned. “I’ll do dishes and get the stuff from the fridge,” Logan said with an eye roll.
“I’ll get the veggies all out to the barbeque, and then come back in and cut the bread,” Finn laughed.
“No, I want to cut the cornbread. I’m fine, I can do it,” Leo protested. Finn agreed, reluctantly and they all set to their tasks. Leo supervised and advised and chose which dishes to use, and set a few more aside in case the photographer wanted options, and it was generally organised chaos until everything was sitting arrayed on the kitchen island and they stood there proudly, nothing left to do.
“Leo,” Finn sighed. “It smells and looks so good. I can’t even believe we have to wait for the pictures to be done to get to eat it all.”
Leo just laughed and stretched his arms above his head. “I’m so nervous, and I can’t smell anything anymore. What if it’s all gross,” he groaned. Logan shook his head and shoved him towards the door, both of them going upstairs to change into fresh clothes.
Pandora arrived like a summer breeze, warm and airy and kind. She exclaimed over the smells and the house and the view. She started clicking photos and jotting down notes about the recipes almost the minute she arrived. Finn and Logan retreated to the dining table to give them space, and just watched Leo describe the food animatedly, watched him and Pandora arrange and rearrange the dishes. Moving them into and out of the dappled light coming through the windows. Beside the pretty backsplash, on the wood floor, then brought some of the dishes outside to photograph with a natural background.
Logan scooted his chair right beside Finn’s. “Look at him smile, he’s so happy,” he sighed.
Finn smiled back, responding to Logan’s bright smile. “Yeah, he’s really really good at this.”
“Ouais, he’s just so good overall? He’s amazing. I’m so lucky.”
“Yeah, he’s the best,” Finn agreed, the words so true he hadn’t thought to hold them back until they were out. He turned to Logan with a moment of worry that Logan wouldn’t like him saying that. But Logan was just looking at him softly.
“You’re pretty amazing too, Finn. Thank you so much for this week. It’s been so nice, to be somewhere this beautiful, this chill, with Leo,” he gestured out the door, then turned back to Finn, “with you.”
Finn crooked a smile at him. “Well I can’t take much credit for any of the beauty around here. Thank my parents, and like, the gardener I guess.” He was trying to downplay, but also couldn’t tear his gaze away from Logan’s. Logan was looking right back at him. He had a ring of hazel brown at the centre of his green eyes, only there when you were looking this closely, in the bright natural light of the kitchen. Finn could look at these eyes for hours, the colour was so deep and velvety. And then there were his lips. They were a bit dry, but such a full, perfect shape. Finn couldn’t look away and when he glanced back up to Logan’s eyes he saw that Logan was looking at him just as intently and for the second time today his heart sped up and heat spread up his neck. Two people, so different, but both so extraordinary, his heart felt like it was growing, making more room.
“I think you can take some credit,” Logan said lowly. What had they been talking about? “You are so generous, Finn. So fun to be around. This week, with you, has been really special.” Logan was even closer now, again, and Finn could now feel his breath gently against his skin, soft and sweet.
Pandora and Leo bustled back into the room, talking animatedly. Finn bounced away from Logan, and Logan sat back more slowly, smiling over at Leo. Finn stiffened, and stayed stiff the rest of the night. He didn’t let himself reach across Logan for the coleslaw, didn’t take Leo’s hand to inspect when he asked how his finger was feeling. He did everything he could to avoid the gravity that was pulling him towards Leo and Logan. They ate, and laughed. With his parents and Pandora at the table too, the conversation was free and easy even as Finn’s heart was tight and guilt gnawed at him. Pandora left, effervescent with praise for Leo and excited discussion about sharing and editing the photos. Finn’s parents shooed the boys from the kitchen, saying they would clean up tonight. Logan and Leo packed up and before Finn knew it they were all standing outside the front door, near where he had first seen Logan again for the first time in years, just 10 days ago. He melted a little into Leo’s deep hug, unable to stop himself from absorbing the sunshiney heat Leo’s presence always brought. Then Logan stepped forwards and part of Finn wanted to bolt, but as images of lowly lit study rooms and Harvard greens passed through his mind, he took Logan into his arms and inhaled deeply with his nose in Logan’s neck.
“It was so good to see you again, Tremzy,” Finn said, his voice shaky.
“You too Finn. This was, well this was the best surprise. And the best week.” Finn pulled away, knowing he was dangerously close to tears.
“Thanks for having us,” Logan said.
“No problem,” Finn said, overly bright. His eyes were stinging. “Anytime!”
He felt Leo and Logan’s gaze travel over him and he held himself tall and smiling, waving until they were in their Uber and driving away. Then he collapsed onto the front step, head in his hands as one ragged sob escaped his chest. They were so good, and here he was, wanting both of them.
I’m such a monster.
11 notes · View notes
thewayshedreamed · 3 years
Note
Congrats on the 800 followers bby you deserve it! I have a good one for you. I slipped and fell in the shower and the only person who can help me is my enemy for nessian 👀👀👀
Well, Sim, it was you who BLEW my word count. I should have seen it coming, I guess 👀
Although, I will say you didn't do it alone. I also combined @maastrash 's prompt "Are you hurt? What happened?" and one from anon, "You're cute when you're all worried."
They all went together so well that I couldn't resist. And as a result, you got this 3k+ beast. RIP 800-word limit.
Anyway, I hope you like it, my love! Enjoy!
--
Nesta wasn't sure why she had agreed to go to the beach with Feyre, Rhysand, and his brothers. Gwyn had come through in her time of need and agreed to join them, but she'd quickly flipped her allegiances to spend more time on the beach with the others instead of retreating back to the house with Nesta. She had a suspicion it had something to do with a certain tall, dark, and broody man who hoarded his smiles from the public eye.
Unless the public eye belonged to Gwyneth Berdara.
After the long trek to their rented beach house, Nesta stopped at the edge of the dock to knock the sand from her shoes. There was a small shower outside the backdoor to rinse the saltwater and stubborn sand from her body, and Nesta hissed against the stark cold that rained down on her legs. A proper shower was the only thing that was going to combat the chill in her blood, and that realization was enough to solidify her decision to stay inside the rest of the afternoon with a romance novel.
Her towel was full of sand, so she hanged it over the porch railing and headed directly to the bathroom. It was best if she peeled her bikini off in the shower to avoid scattering any lingering sand all over her bedroom, so she moved swiftly into the small bathroom and cranked the water nearly to the warmest setting. The firm grip of her arms around her body did very little to combat the goosebumps on her skin, and she let out a near moan at the feel of the hot water.
She closed the shower door behind her and stood beneath the spray properly to rinse her hair. Her bikini made a loud slopping sound against the tile in the corner. Dealing with it was a task for someone with any motivation beyond warmth and cleanliness.
Nesta lathered her hair and combed a generous amount of conditioner through her strands to help with the detangling process. The wind had created a monster, adding another notch against the beach in her book.
While her conditioner did the Cauldron's work, she grabbed a wash cloth and body wash. As she moved back beneath the spray, her foot slipped over the suds near the drain, but Nesta righted herself with a firm hand against the tile wall. The excessive amount of conditioner wasn't helping matters.
She rinsed her hair and body all at once to get to her lounge clothes as soon as possible. Stepping out of the spray to hang her washcloth on the nearby rack to dry was near torture now that she was properly warmed, and Nesta wasted no time in stepping back into the water for one last hit before shutting it off.
That was her intention, anyway. What happened instead is that her traitorous feet were no match for the slick tile, and the backward steps were all it took to send her careening to the floor. She slapped at the wall to no avail, finding no ally in reach. What she did find was insult to injury when various toiletry bottles rained down on top of her.
She had stupidly tried to brace her fall with her other hand, sending a spark of pain from her palm to her shoulder. Her groan echoed off the walls and the shower showed no mercy as the water rained onto her chest, all over her face.
A booming voice made her eyes snap open, only to snap them shut against the sting of the water.
"Nes?"
Her delay had been too long. The bathroom door burst open, and through the frosted glass, she saw Cassian's imposing form assessing the situation.
"Nesta? Are you hurt? What happened?"
This could not be happening. Of all the fuckers to be in the house at one of her lowest points, it had to be Cassian. Gwyn would be hearing about this.
"Go away."
She cringed against how dejected she sounded. Turning her head and shielding her eyes with her uninjured arm, she found that he did no such thing.
"Cassian," she warned. "Get the fuck out of here. Now."
He propped a hip on the bathroom counter. Arrogant bastard. At least, from what she could tell, his chin was turned up toward the ceiling rather than his gaze being fixed on the frosted glass.
"Something tells me things aren't going well if you've yet to peel yourself off the floor."
Nesta rolled her eyes and turned her face toward the water once more. Maybe she could drown.
"Let me help."
"I thought I was pretty clear. I'm not accepting help from you."
A deep sigh sounded in the bathroom, but before she could snap, his rough voice followed.
"Fine. Don't accept my help. Rhys came with me to grab snacks for the others. I'll have him switch with me."
"No," she roared, cringing against the command in her voice and her lack of options.
Every time she tried to sit up, pain tore through various parts of her body. Her ass, the hip that had taken most of the impact, her shoulder. She needed help, and while she hated the idea of accepting it from Cassian, she would rot in hell before Rhysand helped her out of the shower. How had she found herself in a situation where her only chance at help was the man who spent the majority of his life being as big of a pain in her ass as possible?
His voice sounded again, but it carried away from her. "Rhys, head back without me." His brother's voice came next, but Nesta couldn't hear him over the patter of water in the shower. "Nah, I'm good. Just taking a break from the sun. I'll catch up."
With that, he shut the bathroom door behind him. At least Cassian had the good sense to lie to Rhys rather than recruit any additional attention to her compromising position.
"Alright, Sweetheart. I've got a towel ready. I'm going to open up and shut the water off."
Nesta's breath hitched at the rush of cool air, at the form that cast her in shadow almost entirely. She pulled her legs up and shielded her chest with her good arm, earning a throaty chuckle from her savior.
"I'm not looking. I'd rather when a woman wants me to see them naked."
Why her need to launch jabs at him overpowered her pain was lost on her. "Must have been a while, then."
"Saw a good set out on the beach, actually. She was feeling pretty generous after watching me and Az play volleyball, I guess."
Nesta scowled. That tingling sensation down her spine didn't feel secondary to her injuries at hearing the story.
"You're a pig," she grumbled, but she let Cassian drape the towel over her front and ease her into a sitting position.
"It felt rude not to look."
Her huff of a laugh was genuine. Damn him. He moved to wrap the towel tightly around her shoulders.
"Think you can stand up?"
Nesta grimaced against the soreness in her hip. "Yeah. In a couple of minutes."
Without a word, Cassian hoisted her into his arms with measured gentleness. Her cheek rested against his shoulder since she didn't have her arms free to prop her up, but she barely had the energy anyway.
He maneuvered them out of the tight bathroom and down the hall to her room, easing her onto the edge of her bed. She opened her mouth to say thanks, but he had already spurred into action.
"What did you want to wear?"
"I'll get it."
He shot her a glare. "Fine. I'll pick."
Nesta growled her frustration, but Cassian only ticked his eyebrows upward in challenge. She hadn't realized initially that he wore only his swim trunks, half of his black hair pulled back and out of his face. The sun added color to his already bronze skin and left a soft blush on his cheeks that accented his hazel eyes. And she, to the contrary, was a lump beneath a massive towel. One that had managed to injure herself during a simple shower, evidenced by the soaked strands of hair plastered to her face and shoulders.
"There's a large night shirt in my suitcase and some sleep shorts."
Cassian grabbed them before turning toward her, a hand gripping the back of his neck. "Anything... underneath?"
Nesta allowed a sardonic laugh. "Underwear are for people with the use of both their arms."
He cleared his throat and left the clothes next to her on the bed. With a final instruction to call for him if she needed anything, he was gone.
She assessed the clothing and picked the shirt up first. One of her arms was through a sleeve in no time, but the second one was another story entirely. With a defeated whimper she gave up, dropping her arms into her lap with a hiss.
"Cassian!"
No response. Maybe he didn't hear her; the house was rather large. Her voice was louder the second time.
"Cassian!"
A muffled thud sounded, followed by a quick, "Coming!"
He appeared at the threshold of her door, dripping with water and suds. A large towel was wrapped around his waist, his grip white-knuckled to keep it in place.
"Everything alright? Where's the fire?"
Nesta blinked at him. "You said to call you if I needed anything," she pointed out, running her eyes over his state in accusation.
Cassian let out a long, suffering sigh. "I meant it, but you said you had this part covered. I take a 3-minute shower, tops."
"Well, I don't have it covered."
There was more bite to her voice than she'd intended, but self-pity and shame were settling into her bones. She hugged the nightshirt tighter against her body to serve as some form of armor, but it wasn't nearly enough.
Cassian's shoulders sagged, but she barely noticed in favor of watching beads of water travel down his torso, over his strong calves, and make a small puddle on the floor below. "I'm sorry. I was full of sweat and sand. I thought you'd be more likely to take help if I was clean."
Something in her chest softened at his forethought, even more so since he was right.
"Go finish your shower," she relented, settling her hips deeper into the mattress. "I can wait until you're done. I just— I need some help with my clothes."
He was on the balls of his feet, ready to haul himself straight to the shower. The water beneath his feet made her breath hitch. The words left her before she could think better of them.
"Careful! Don't rush." He blinked as if seeing her for the first time, but his usual cocky grin eventually stretched across lips. "I can't help you if you fall, too. And I'm not keeping you company on the ground until the rest of them come back."
Cassian's smile grew. He offered her a wink before he replied, "You're cute when you're all worried."
Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Go."
He hurried off on balanced feet, whether that was on Nesta's orders or a natural grace, she wasn't sure. While she waited, she opted to set them up as best as possible to make the process quick and painless. Well, minimally painful, considering there was a layer of awkwardness that was going nowhere fast. That was without counting the actual physical pain she would no doubt endure.
With a pathetic swatting motion, she knocked her sleep shorts to the floor and began shuffling them around with her feet. She'd managed to slip one into the proper leg hole before she heard Cassian's rich laugh from the doorway.
"Stubborn woman," he mused, seemingly allowing a sliver of affection to slip through. Nesta knew better.
She scowled, turning her chin up to make sure he knew how unwelcome his teasing was. He laughed harder and dropped to his knees in front of her, adjusting the tee he’d pulled over his head on his way into the room.
"What do you want to put on first? You're half-committed to both."
"Let's go with the shirt. It's long enough to cover me while we work on the shorts." Cassian nodded, reaching toward the crumpled article of clothing in her lap. Nesta jerked back to establish some expectations before moving forward. "You're about to see me naked."
"Yeah, probably," he sighed, as if it was a burden to him, too. "I won't look more than necessary though."
"Okay, good. And this doesn't change anything, so don't start acting weird around me. We take this to the grave, too. We'll never hear the end of it otherwise."
Cassian bit the inside of his cheek, pursing his lips in a failed attempt to hide his amusement. "You have my word."
He gently peeled the shirt from her grasp, sliding each sleeve beyond the crooks of her elbows before pulling the opening over her head. Nesta hissed at the pinch of pain through her shoulder but bit her tongue.
"I know. I'm sorry." He pulled the fabric down her sides and over her back. The backs of his knuckles dragged across her soft skin, and she barely contained her shiver.
Clearing his throat, he looked to the floor where her shorts were still tangled around her feet. He got to work on straightening them and allowed her to slip her other foot into the proper place. He didn't dare look up at her through his next request.
"Think you could put your weight on the leg that's not as sore?"
Nesta swallowed and said, “Yeah, I think so.”
“Use my shoulders to brace your weight, too.”
Her hands trembled as she reached for him. He was solid beneath her, the muscles in his shoulders unyielding under her grip. She had to resist flexing her fingers more firmly in a test of their resilience.
Cassian eased her shorts upward, the roughness of his knuckles tracing the same blazing path as they had over her back. His gaze was fixed resolutely on the floor, yet he managed to release them at the proper moment. The soft pop of the elastic snapped her out of whatever trance she was under, but the echo remained in the feel of his warm hands easing her hips back down to the mattress.
"Maybe we should have someone take a look at you; make sure you're okay." His brows came together when he realized she was already shaking her head in refusal.
"I'll rest a bit, and I'll be fine. I may be sore tomorrow, but I'm good."
Without a word, Cassian braced one of his legs outward and scooped Nesta into his arms. It grated her nerves how easily he'd lifted them both into a standing position.
"What are you doing? You can't make me go to the doctor."
Cassian leaned back and shook his head, trying to get his rogue hair out of his face. "I'm not manhandling you to the doctor, Nes. Settle down." His bottom lip jutted out to try and blow the strands away while he walked. "I'm taking you to the couch and getting you ice."
Oh. Well, that hadn't been what she expected. The gesture was enough to have her mindlessly raise a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. His eyes snapped to hers, his steps slowing to a stop in front of the couch. Their faces were close enough that she could run her nose along his if she wanted to, but she definitely didn't. Not even at the feel of his firm chest heaving against her.
They stayed that way, transfixed by the contact that was somehow more intimate than when he had draped clothes over her naked body. Their breathing settled into a rhythm together, and Nesta couldn't resist tracing the path of his sharp jaw. His slight stubble scraped against the pads of her fingers, all the way to his chin, where she grazed over his skin with her thumb. She snatched her hand away like he'd burned her.
Cassian's throat bobbed, and his fingers flexed against her ribs. His other hand did the same against her thigh, except his thumb traced a soft, idle path back and forth along the sensitive skin at the back. He made no moves to put her down.
Nesta knew she would regret the loss of his warmth immediately, but the line they flirted was thin. Not to mention, it was irresponsible to succumb to such a base urge considering, any other time, they would be poised to rip each others' heads off.
The shrieks of children at the neighboring beach house snapped their attention to something beyond the bubble they'd created for themselves. Cassian eased her to the couch and positioned pillows around her to keep as much pressure off of her aching joints as possible. He threw a blanket over her legs before heading to the nearby kitchen for ice.
Nesta watched his retreat with shameless appreciation. How had she never stopped to look at him through her current lens? Doing so may have been enough to make her more agreeable in nature. The thought made worry sink in her gut with what had transpired moments before, and she craved the oddly familiar banter they'd engaged in since he showed up to the scene of her demise.
"So," she called, eyes fixed on the intricately patterned throw pillow beneath her injured arm, "how much did you see?"
His voice was closer than she'd expected, but she managed not to startle. "Uh— I mean. I saw some things."
Nesta fixed her glare on him, and he gave her a sideways smile while he placed the ice strategically over her shoulder. She hissed against the cold, earning a look of apology.
"What things?"
He let out along breath. "A bit of everything, really. Not on purpose. " A slight blush turned the tips of his ears pink, but Nesta didn't comment on it. "Mostly, you know—" He gestured back and forth between his pecs. "—everything else was more... indirect, I guess."
Nesta groaned, allowing her forehead to fall to her good hand, cradling it in her palm. Cassian moved to the nearby armchair and took a sip of his bottled water.
"Don't be embarrassed, Sweetheart," he soothed, albeit mockingly. "They're not the worst ones I've seen today."
They had watched a movie in loaded silence until the others trudged up to the house near sunset. Nesta gave the cliff notes of how she'd wound up injured on the couch, making no mention of Cassian's help. The last thing they needed was an onslaught of questions from their nosy friends.
"I thought you were coming back out there. What happened to you?"
Cassian's brows drew together at Rhys' question. "Well, I saw Nesta laid up on the couch and offered to watch a movie with her. I lost track of time."
Rhysand eyed him skeptically, but no one questioned it. Cassian redirected everyone's attention to the matter of what they would cook as a group that night, but he was sure to give Nesta strict orders to stay planted on the couch. Overbearing prick.
With so many hands on deck, dinner was ready quickly. They all settled around the table, and Gwyn had made it a point to cushion Nesta's chair with pillows before letting her sit down. Her best friend must have sensed the verbal lashing that awaited her in the privacy of their shared room that night.
Laughter filled the space while they told stories from the day's events. Apparently, Azriel had rescued Gwyn from a feared creature of the deep while taking a dip in the water. He had hardly been able to stop laughing himself to tears long enough to complete the epic tale of how he defeated the bundle of seaweed that had threatened Gwyn's life so mercilessly. The latter hadn't found it quite so amusing, but Az offered her a broad smile in apology.
Nesta wasn't sure she had ever seen one quite so wide on his face, and holy gods. If she'd thought him to be beautiful before, she had been sorely mistaken.
As they usually did, Rhysand and Feyre settled close to each other as the other talked. Rhys was busy murmuring things into Feyre's ear that made her cheeks as red as Gwyn's sunburn, which earned a proper warning from Cassian to "stop being gross with his little sister". Nesta agreed with him enough to refrain from reminding him that he was in no way related to Feyre.
"Don't mind him, Darling," Rhys purred. "He's pouting because the only action he'll see during this trip will be self-directed."
Cassian nostrils flared in annoyance, and for whatever reason, Nesta found herself rising to his defense.
"I don't know," she sang, "I hear Cassian saw a pretty good set today."
A chorus of questions broke out, but he only had eyes for Nesta. The gleam in his eyes told her he knew she hadn't been referring to the ones flashed to him and Azriel after the beach volleyball game.
"I did," he agreed, sipping some of the amber liquid in his glass. "Perfect, actually."
The questions continued, and Azriel reluctantly began recounting the tale of he and Cassian's victory flashing. Nesta used her good arm to raise her wine to her lips, mouthing a subtle thank you over the glass for everything he'd done for her. The least she could do was preserve a bit of his dignity.
Cassian lifted his class in mock cheers and said everything he needed to with a single wink.
The pleasure was all mine.
133 notes · View notes
some-kindofgnome · 3 years
Text
sick day
Tumblr media
Hawks comes home after a few days away. You’ve come down with a nasty cold in his absence. 
characters: takami keigo (hawks) x f!reader
wc: 2.2k
warnings: smut (18+ please!), reader with a head cold (lil snot action here and there), soft soft SOFT hawks who goes down on u in the morning >:) 
requests: from 2 anons!: I have a request ! I love me some hawks taking care of his sick s/o and when they are better ! He pounces for sex ! Huzzah
&
I’m in desperate need of a hawks taking care of his sick s/o , also because I love your work and also because I’m sick and want to take care of me.
notes: i. adore. writing soft hawks. i just want him to take care of me oh-kay? let this man love. please! 💖 
Masterlist
Tumblr media
You’re so sick when Hawks get in, you’ve almost forgotten how long he was away.
After a growing mission took him away from the city for a few days, he gets back early in the afternoon with the sun streaming into the kitchen windows. And with you, hunched over your laptop at the counter with tissues littering the counter and floor around you.
“Hey, bluebird,” he calls as his keys jingle in the door. “God, it’s only getting colder out there by the minute now. How’s you- oh, no.”
When he spots the mess you’ve become, his little mission bag slips to the tiled floor, pulling you out of your fever-induced trance. You tear burning eyes away from your document, and the smile that crosses your face is sleepy and swollen.
“Hey babe,” you sniffle. It’s evident in your voice, your body language, everything. Keigo’s only been gone a couple of days, but it was long enough for you to come down with a nasty little bug.
“How was your trip?”
He cringes at the congested sound of your voice. Sucks in a deep little breath through his teeth.
“What are you doing?” He asks. “Are you working?”
You glance guiltily over your shoulder at your laptop. “Well, yeah, I-I was feeling alright this morning, so I-“
“No way,” he interrupts firmly. He’s already shrugging out of his hero clothes. They’re streaked with soot and mud, but he’s going to worry about himself later.
He comes up behind you jacketless, belt already unbuckled and jingling loose around his thighs. He sets one hand on your shoulder and the other on the back of the chair next to you.
“Email your boss,” he rumbles. “Tell her you’re taking the afternoon off. Tell her you’re sick, for the love of god.”
“Babe, I can work,” you plead. “It’s a cold. I’m not dying.”
“You need to rest,” he argues. He brings both hands to your shoulders, digging his thumbs gently against your aching muscles. You try your best to hide how sensitive they are, but you can’t help the little spasms that make you twitch and sigh.
“C’mon,” he hums, dipping close. He pushes a kiss against the sensitive spot behind your ear, and you catch the soft, musky scent of the sweat that clings to his hairline. He smells earthy and cold, like he’s been outside a while.
Maybe he flew all the way back here.
“We both need showers,” he offers. And when he rumbles it all low and tempting in your ear, there’s no way you can put up much of a fight.
“Okay,” you groan. Keigo turns away with a triumphant pump of his fist. You try to keep the idiotic grin off your face as you open a new email. To no avail.
You and your boss have a close enough relationship that it’s easy for you to type out a casual little email explaining everything to her. She gets back to you right away, and even though you’re too busy being dragged to the bathroom, you can tell by the first few lines of the email that it’s all fine by her.
You kind of regret not telling her before about the fever you’re running. But none of that matters now. You’ve got the last few hours of the afternoon off, and you intend on spending at least some of that time in the shower with Keigo.
He’s already naked and warming up the water for you. You want to ache for him- he’s been away all weekend, after all- but you’re both too exhausted to do anything but climb under the water together. You pause for a moment with rivulets running over both your bodies, and he cups your cheeks, biting his lower lip hard as conflict floods his features.
“I wanna kiss you so bad right now,” he groans.
“I missed you, too,” you giggle back, reaching up to push your wet fingers through his soaking hair. “But I wouldn’t wish this shit on my worst enemy.”
He knows you’re right, settling for a soft little kiss to your shoulder instead. He turns you around and lets warm water spray down your back as he rubs your shoulders, your neck, working all the tension from your muscles. The pain in your head whittles away the longer you stand there, and before long it’s nothing more than a dull throb while he’s reaching for the shampoo.
There’s no feeling you love more than Keigo washing your hair for you. His fingers are attentive and devoted, scratching itches you never realized were bothering you. He scrunches his fingers through the ends of your hair before reaching for the removable shower head, smoothing one rinsed palm over your forehead to tilt your head back.
“Eyes closed,” he coos. You’re still smiling like a goddamned idiot.
The suds sluice down your back as he passes the shower wand over your hair. The bubbles send wafts of fragrance through your senses. There’s nothing like coconut-scented shampoo when winter closes in on the city. It’s like a little trip to the beach, every time you get in the shower.
It was Keigo’s idea.  
He combs loving fingers coated with slippery conditioner through your hair. He lathers up your favourite body wash and trails his slick fingers over your tired skin. You can feel him getting excited behind you, but you’re both too tired to do anything about it. All he does is pull you lovingly back against his chest, letting his half-hard cock rest against the curve of your ass. He lays another soft kiss to the crook of your shoulder and you let out a deep, drippy sigh.
“C’mon,” he rumbles into your ear, tender like a dove. “Let’s get out before your nose starts to run, yeah?”
He dries himself off quickly, leaving you the bathroom for a few minutes. Wrapping your fluffy towel around your shoulders, you pad across the heated tile to pluck a tissue from the box by the mirror.
You blow. Hard. The steam lingering in the room helps to dislodge some of your congestion, and you emerge from the bathroom with the newfound ability to breathe through your left nostril.
Progress.
When you get into the bedroom, there are clothes laid out for you. Your favourite pair of clean sweatpants and one of Hawks’ t-shirts. You slip into the pants and give the t-shirt a little cuddle, burying your nose into the fabric and smiling when you catch the barest whiff of his spicy scent through your dulled senses.
You don’t even notice that the blankets are gone from the bed until you realize where they’ve been moved. As you emerge from your shared bedroom, you immediately spot the fluffy duvet and pillows spread out on the couch.
Hawks is in the kitchen, tapping away on his phone. When he spots you, he smiles so tender and soft it makes your sick little heart swell. He gives a little nod toward the couch as his wings bristle gently, encouraging.
“Go on,” he quips. “Get comfy.”
He comes around the side of the counter as you curl into the nest of pillows and gets down on his knees beside you.
“Here we go,” he hums. “A warm little nest for my cozy little bluebird.” He tugs the edges of the blanket back over and around you, wrapping you up in the fluffy comforter like a sick little sushi roll. Once you’re well tucked in, he smooths the hair back from your forehead. His chin juts forward- he wants to kiss you- but he restrains himself.
“I ordered you some food, okay?”
You snuggle deeper into your cozy retreat, until only your eyes and nose poke over the top of the blankets. The soft, soapy scent of the laundry detergent you use sends sweet washes of comfort through your tired brain.
“What kind of food?”
“Noodle soup,” he hums. You can tell he’s restraining the urge to grin as he looks you over. God, you’ve missed him. “From that place down the road.”
“Yum,” you gasp. You fiddle with the edges of your blanket to shove one hand out the side, grabbing his fingers and giving them a loving little squeeze. He chuckles, taking your hand between both of his and stroking the back of your palm over with both thumbs.
“Here,” he adds. He twists over one shoulder, grabbing the remote for the TV. “Put on anything you want. The food’ll be here soon, and then you can eat and go to bed, yeah?”
He glanced toward the armchair, not far from the couch. You try to hide the way your heart sinks.
He’s still got work to do.
“Sounds good,” you mumble, taking the cool plastic remote from his hand. You think about putting something on for the two of you, but he’s given you express instructions to indulge. So you find the show that brings you the most comfort and let its familiar sounds bring you down from the edge of a demanding work day.
When the food arrives, you sit up and slurp your noodles diligently. He keeps refilling your water, giving you a little dose of cold medication once you’ve got something in your stomach.
He’s ordered a bowl of soup for himself, too, but it stays largely untouched as he taps away on his laptop, finishing the report for the mission he’d raced back from, no doubt.
You don’t remember falling asleep, but you half-wake to the sleepy sensation of being lifted. In a drowsy stupor you don’t even open your eyes, simply letting your head rock forward against Keigo’s familiar chest as he carries you to bed.
The next morning, you feel like a changed person.
The first thing you realize when you open your eyes is that you can breathe through your nose. Both sides. The passages of your sinus are so clear they nearly hurt, but you take deep, greedy breaths, revelling in your ability to clear your sleepy head with fresh, cool oxygen.
The second thing you notice is the very mischievous bird in the sheets beside you.
“G’morning, bluebird.”
He snuggles close to you, dropping a sordid kiss to your shoulder. He trails kisses into the crook of your neck and his hot breath tickles your tender skin in a way that you’ve dearly missed.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” you conclude with a drowsy little smile. Your limbs have a pleasant, sleepy weight to them, but he’s quickly wearing the ache of rest from your tired eyes.
“Like… I’m probably not contagious anymore.”
You don’t have to tell him twice.
“God,” he sighs, rolling on top of you. He dips his mouth to yours, soft at first, then insistent. “I missed ya, kid.”
He kisses all the way down the side of your neck again, drawing tight little shivers from the length of your spine. He’s impatient, though, pushing your t-shirt up and curling his fingers into the loose hem of your sweatpants to rid you of them quickly.
He pushes your thighs apart, settling onto his belly between them. His wings dip and fold gracefully behind his back. You reach out and stroke the apex of one of them, making it flutter. He shoots you a sly grin and you watch the way his hips dip into the mattress.
Fuck, it feels good to be horny again.
Keigo kisses and nips a long path up the inside of one sensitive thigh, leaving tiny little welts where he sooths his tongue over your flesh. By the time he gets to the joint of your pelvis, you’re squirming for him, achy and needing.
“Fuck,” he sighs, nozing at the apex of one thigh. He takes a deep inhale and kisses there. “I missed this.”
He licks, gentle and loving. You keen and sigh. The sensation is beautifully familiar- even more so as he finds the swell of your clit, pushing a scruffy kiss to it and then starting to suck.
Keigo always eats you out sloppy. But it drives you crazy, the way he slides his arms under your thighs to leverage your hips against his face. The way he licks and slurps at you shamelessly, unafraid to overwhelm your sensitive form. His fingers dig gently into the meat of your thighs when he finds the tenderest angle from which to attack your clit, and you ride a wave of pleasure so smooth that it clears the last vestiges of your cloudy headache from the edges of your temples.
He makes you cum hard, letting you dive your fingers into his hair and pull while he feasts on your pussy. When he pulls back from between your thighs, his scruff is slick with spit and you and he’s licking his lips like they’re coated in honey.
“Hmm, fuck,” he groans, rolling his hips into the mattress again before climbing to his knees. “God. You gave me so much, bluebird.” He wipes his chin on the back of his hand, examining the sheen of your juices with a wolfish grin.
If he was hard before he’s straining now, but he bats his hands away before you can even get close.
“No way,” he quips, climbing out of bed. “You need to rest more.”
“Aw, c’mon,” you fuss. But Keigo’s firm.
“Stay in bed, bluebird. I gotcha.” He moves toward the door of your bedroom, then glances over his shoulder and grins.
“How d’you feel about pancakes?”
There’s no instance that Keigo’s tried to make pancakes that hasn’t ended in sheer disaster. But you’ve missed him too much not to adore him for trying. You pull the blankets back over your spent form, beaming at him from the pillows.
“Sounds good.”
586 notes · View notes
lcnelyinthesky · 4 years
Text
six to six - sakusa x reader
Tumblr media
a/n: i haven’t written fluff in forever it seems,, its only been a few days. in any case! heres some self indulgent sakusa! i hope youre all having a wonderful day!
genre: fluff
warnings: timeskip!jobs
word count: 1.6k
enjoy!! <3
Tumblr media
6:00
Sakusa wakes up for his morning run to an alarm that plays quiet, exclusively piano music. He kisses the shell of your ear as his eyes open, shifting your body slightly to get his arm out from under you without waking you up. You tend to sleep as the little spoon--it makes him sleep soundly knowing you’re fully protected in his embrace. He takes the cream colored comforter off of his larger frame and tucks it up to your chin, planting a kiss on your forehead before he gets changed into his running clothes. He walks around your shared apartment, turning the kitchen light on on his way out.
7:00
You continue to sleep soundly as the sun sends beams of yellow light in through the curtains. The warmth left in your bed from Sakusa’s body is still present as you sleep much lighter than the hours before. Your almost awake mind can tell he’s no longer there, but is too sleepy to start your day. You absent-mindedly take fistfuls of fabric up to your face, just over your nose, as your eyes and nose scrunch closed from the incoming light.
8:00
You hear the door unlock and the sounds of Kiyoomi’s lighter steps. Despite his height and the expectation, he takes very cautious steps as a habit. He walks like the top of his head is being pulled up by a string, and you probably wouldn’t have been able to hear if you weren’t waiting for the sound. A few minutes pass and he’s standing over your body, stroking your hair with a freshly washed hand as sweat dries on his forehead. He speaks in a quiet voice, almost like he doesn't want you to hear him. He doesn't want to disturb your peace, but knows he needs to. “Wake up, love.”
9:00
You’re both sitting around your kitchen island. Sakusa’s hair is being dried in a t-shirt to protect his curls while you sit next to him, still in your pajamas and refusing to get dressed like a small child. The grey granite countertops are adorned with plates that used to hold omelettes. You didn’t have anything going on that morning, so you decided to make a considerably nicer breakfast than usual. Sakusa watched and made sure you washed the raw egg off of your hands every time you cracked an egg. 
“Who taught you how to crack an egg? Those things are full of diseases. Make sure you actually wash it off, don’t just rinse them.” Sakusa leaned forward to grab the soap on the kitchen sink and squeezed it into your hand; both to be sure you used soap and so you didn’t “get the egg goop on the bottle.”
10:00
Sakusa left for volleyball practice and you went with him, planning to watch MSBY in their natural habitat and maybe poke some fun at Atsumu while you’re at it. He wore what you’d expect, but you had since showered and dressed up, wearing fancier, beige pants and a bright red button up shirt under a long brown jacket. Your shoes matched your shirt, the red of both pieces being fun without being overbearing. Sakusa told you he thought you looked “ravishing, love.”
His hands were in the pockets of his jacket and your arm was interlocked with his. He preferred having his hands tucked away if they could be, so this was always how you walked places. Besides that though, you looked like a power couple when you walked arm in arm. You looked like you both had it all together. 
11:00
“Get it Omi! When’d you learn to do that?” They were having a little in-team practice game and you couldn’t help but shout from the sidelines. Today was seemingly a free day for more than just you as you sat down next to Akaashi in the stands.
“L/N, I hate to say this again, but stop yelling!” The coach was not fond of your passion, but in the same second he said that, Bokuto shouted to Akaashi about something he did, asking the latter if he saw with the proudest smile on his face. Akaashi did, of course, even when writing vigorously, and shot a small but noticeable smile back at the excitable Bokuto, saying he did see and was proud of him. Bokuto beamed for the rest of practice. 
12:00
You left the gym to get yourself lunch, walking confidently down the sidewalk looking for something that tickles your fancy. You settled on a crepe from a street vendor, regretting nothing as you ate the thin, chocolate covered pancake. As you continued your stroll, you walked into a small shop riddled from one side to the other with small trinkets. The back wall of this small, colorful shop was covered in socks of all kinds with random prints on each one. You thought the ones with small aerosol cans of cleaning products were hysterical and decided to buy them for your boyfriend, knowing he’d love them just as much as he’d hate the teasing. 
On your way back to the gym to continue watching, you stumbled upon a small flower shop and decided to walk around, smelling some of the flowers before you complimented the owner on their work and continued on your way.
13:00
Technically, practice on this simple, Saturday afternoon was over--but you found yourself setting volleyballs into Kiyoomi’s hand as you listened to the rhythmic slamming of those same balls to the floor. You had never properly played volleyball, but you had become decent at setting over the years you had known Sakusa. He was one with a fighting, passionate spirit. He’d always do whatever he needed to win. This meant, though, having arm muscles you never actually need and having volleyball skills that could rival an over-confident middle schooler. 
It was thrilling though, and you’d never say you weren’t absolutely enthralled with his abilities. He was a very cold, distanced person, but seeing him in his element made you meet a whole different version of him. It excited you to no end.
14:00
You and Sakusa were both dripping with shower water. He went in to rinse off his sweat, and you joined him with a devilish grin on your face. He massaged shampoo into your hair as you closed your eyes and melted into the feeling of his hands and the warm water, blissfully forgetting the outside world for as long as you possibly could. He made you feel safe and at home, and nothing felt nicer than when he showed physical affection; especially as that affection was few and far between sometimes. 
15:00
Your living room had a white leather sectional in it. You always took the corner, aiming your feet towards the tv, while Sakusa either sat next to you with his feet on the glass coffee table or with his back against the arm, aiming his feet towards you. You sat and wrote while you listened to your favorite record as it played softly, occasionally moving your head to the beat. Sakusa scrolled through some random social media app and read every stupid thing he was shown, giggling sometimes to break the comfortable silence. Your favorite song came on, and the second Sakusa heard the first beat he stood up and outstretched his hand to you, asking you to dance with him. He was different in private. Far more confident and a lot less scared, and when he was with you it was like nothing mattered at all. He was truly at home with you, and you were more grateful for that than you could explain. 
16:00
With that one dance came plenty more, changing the record when one ended to another with more spunk. Both of you were worn out though, laying on the perfectly clean, white carpet in your living room while trying to catch your breath. Sakusa’s back was on the floor while your head was comfortably on his chest. You curled up against his frame as he stroked your hair.
“Hey, Omi?” Your voice was soft and kind. You spoke in a way where even if other people were around they wouldn’t be able to hear you. Just you and Kiyoomi.
“Yes, Y/N?” He propped himself up with his elbows and looked into your eyes as you turned to look into his.
“I kinda really like you.” You still spoke softly, a small blush going over your face as he giggled at what you said.
“I kinda really like you too, dork.”
17:00
You and Sakusa always cooked together, especially when raw ingredients were involved. He stayed away as you dealt with the uncooked food, and you stayed away as he worked on the rest, mouth watering as he made you wait. Sakusa wore an apron when he cooked. It was one you found at a shop full of handmade goods. It had watermelon on it.
You walked up to him as he slaved over the stove, asking to taste the rice in the pan before he told you no and to turn around. You pouted in response, but sat again at your spot on the kitchen island, holding your head up by your arms as you almost tasted the flavors in the air. 
18:00
Both of you were full after eating and you sat again on the couch. Sakusa cued up an episode of the objectively terrible show you were binging together and put his arm around your shoulders, allowing you to nuzzle your face into his chest. You both laughed hysterically as you made jokes jabbing at the plot, becoming completely present in the situation one stupid sentence at a time. 
Sakusa Kiyoomi was holding you in his arms, and even though it took a long time for him to get to that point, you’re thankful everyday for the end result. He was yours; this was the bliss you always wanted. 
Tumblr media
504 notes · View notes
raleighcarrera · 4 years
Text
make way
open heart | bryce lahela x mc (casey valentine)
the prompt said: ‘bryce tells mc that he loves her while she's falling asleep and the next morning she just assumes it was a dream bc she was just so tired’
also for @choicesseptemberchallenge20 day 1 which worked out nicely (tired)
tags: @choicesarehard ; @zigtheeortega ; @omgjasminesimone ; @beccadavenport ; @pixeljazzy 💕
~2.3k words | T
she’s coming off of thirty-six hours straight at the hospital when it happens.
it’s been an exceedingly long week. balancing her work on the diagnostics team along with her regular responsibilities and managing her intern would be difficult enough without the added wrench of a bus crash thrown into her day, but, of course, that’s the way life at edenbrook goes: every day has its own new bus crash, in one way or another.
regardless, there’s new injured patients to treat and old ones to check up on and high-profile cases to worry about in the interim, so she can use her strategy to save the hospital and then rub dr. ramsey’s self-righteous nose in her success (in that order).
there’s a lot going on, and not much time to sleep. there’s brief breaks, here and there -- just enough for a quick nap in the on-call rooms -- but then it’s right back to work.
and before she knows it, it’s been thirty-six hours and bryce is forcibly dragging her onto the t in her scrubs, and she’s falling asleep with her head on his shoulder and almost definitely drooling onto his jacket.
because he’s bryce, and he’s perfect, he doesn’t say anything about that. he only runs his fingers through her hair and takes her home to his blessedly quiet, roommate-less apartment, where the pizza delivery’s been timed so perfectly that the driver is actually coming up in the elevator at the same time they are.
casey’s so grateful she could cry. instead, she waits until her mouth is half-full with her third slice to look over at her boyfriend with wide, appreciative eyes and groan, “god, you’re wonderful.”
bryce laughs at her. “please. i’m just glad i found you before you actually collapsed in ramsey’s office.”
she nods, finally chewing and swallowing the bite she’d paused to sing his praises. “i am going to sleep -- all day tomorrow.” her head is throbbing. it’s a massive effort just to remember what day it is, but there’s one thing sticking out to her, a fuzzy memory from when they’d compared schedules last weekend. “wait. you have to work?”
he sighs, dusting off his hands. “yeah.” bryce pulls a face as if to imply that it’s the single worst thing that’s ever happened to him. “sorry, babe. wish i could kick it here with you.”
“it’s okay.” a wide yawn stretches her mouth open. “you don’t mind if i stay here?”
“nah.” bryce’s smile is easygoing and a little excited. “stay as long as you want. knowing you’re here will make my day go by faster.”
maybe, she thinks deliriously, her limbs feeling even heavier now that she’s eaten than they had on their commute home, she can do something nice for him tomorrow. make dinner, or something -- after she’s slept.
casey blinks, realizing all at once that she’s completely zoned out again. “what? sorry. i’m just --”
“i know.” there’s a fondness in his voice and a softness in his eyes when he stands and pulls her to her feet, tugging her in so she can lean against him. she does so immediately, burrowing into the warmth of his chest. “come on. let’s get you to bed.”
she isn’t sure exactly how it happens, but when she yawns at him next, it’s from the lush safety of his mattress and the blankets on his bed; casey cuddles into the pillows and blinks sleepily up at him, waiting for bryce to join her. the only thing in the world that could make going to sleep now, at eight o’clock with a day off ahead of her, is having her boyfriend’s body heat beside her to soak up.
but bryce laughs at her again, shaking his head. “i gotta put the food away. i’ll be in in a minute.”
“fine,” casey mumbles. the word breaks with another yawn halfway through. her eyelids are already fluttering. “just -- hurry up.”
“of course.” she feels the brush of his lips against her forehead, and then her mouth, bryce’s kiss so gentle it’s almost not there. his fingers slip through her hair again.
the sound she makes is somewhere between a delighted groan and a sigh of pure content. she isn’t sure she’s ever been so comfortable in her life; bryce’s bed is warm and cozy and the sheets are clean -- they smell like him, and so does the shirt she’s wearing. her whole body is heavy with exhaustion and the satisfaction of the work she’s done. she feels cared for. she’s happy.
just before everything goes dark, somewhere, in the space she’s floating in between sleep and wakefulness, she hears bryce’s voice -- one last hesitant murmur of her name. it’s only on the very edge of her conscious, but she’s positive the words he says are, “i love you, casey.”
*
the apartment is predictably silent when she wakes up.
there’s nothing like the peacefulness that comes from waking up in an empty apartment. with so many roommates, it isn’t something that casey’s accustomed to, and she relishes it now, soaking up the stillness of bryce’s bedroom joyfully.
there’s birds chirping outside. she turns her face into the pillows and breathes in slowly, burrowing a little further into the sheets.
there’s nothing on the horizon, for today -- no work, no chores, no responsibilities. it’s the perfect way to start her day, if only her boyfriend was in bed beside her.
speaking of. casey reaches her hand out, fumbling blindly on the nightstand until it closes around her cellphone. she finally blinks her eyes open when she pulls the device under the sheets with her, balking at the time displayed on the home screen.
it’s past two-thirty in the afternoon.
she blinks, knuckling sleep out of her eyes. she really had been exhausted.
there’s a slew of text messages waiting for her, mostly from her roommates. the group chat is abuzz with wondering where she is and if she’s alive; casey holds off on answering them in favor of navigating to her thread with bryce, where he’s texted good morning beautiful and text me when you wake up. getting out of bed this morning was impossible with you in it
her teeth bite at her bottom lip to stifle the smile that’s threatening. eight months of being official with bryce and it still never gets old, to be on the receiving end of those cheesy, over-the-top compliments. no boyfriend of hers before him had ever sent a good morning text message.
hiiiiiiiiii she writes back, spreading out in his bed, just woke up. hope today’s going well for you. can’t wait to get you back in this bed with me
his reply is almost immediate. fuck you, it says, making her grin up at the ceiling, i’m about to go into surgery. you’re evil
casey settles for an onslaught of heart emojis, as she rolls out of said bed and heads for the kitchen. as expected, there’s no food in bryce’s fridge, but there is coffee, and she takes her time enjoying it and flipping through the channels on bryce’s tv -- they don’t have cable, at her place -- before finally making her way into the shower.
she’s in the middle of shampooing her hair when she remembers what happened last night. it comes back to her abruptly, the memory too vivid to be true. bryce’s lips, brushing against hers -- his hands pulling the comforter up to her shoulders -- and then...
i love you, casey.
she frowns, tipping her head back under the water to rinse her hair.
that has to have been a dream, right?
she’d remember it, if it were real. she’d’ve said something to him, last night, or... today. he’d’ve said something about it.
right?
casey marinates on it for the entirety of her shower, waffling back and forth. it both feels like a dream and not, making it difficult to ascertain what really happened. she was exhausted last night -- she barely remembers leaving the hospital, after all. but if bryce had really said... for the first time...
she’d have to remember that, wouldn’t she?
she thinks about it when she gets dressed and heads to the store to find something passable she can make for dinner (though it’s definitely going to be pasta, again). last night was a blur; her memory of everything that happened after bryce found her in the on-call room is in bits and pieces. there’s only the vague outline of their evening flashing in her mind: sleeping on him on the t, eating pizza shoulder-to-shoulder on the couch, stumbling into his bedroom and falling into bed...
and then the same bit she can’t stop thinking about, as clear as day -- his kiss, and the soft, hesitant sound of his voice when he’d said those three words and that reverent utterance of her name.
it plays in her head on a loop in the check-out line. it has to have been a dream, that’s the only explanation for it.
he wouldn’t -- they don’t -- because he’s not...
...except that he might be.
he might be, because she’s pretty sure that she is, and -- if he felt the same way, that would be... life-changing. exceptional. pretty much the greatest thing to ever happen to her, outside of her professional accomplishments.
because bryce is pretty much the greatest thing to ever happen to her. he is everything she’s ever wanted and didn’t know she was looking for -- completely different from her usual ‘type’ in the best way. bryce is smart and thoughtful and funny and witty and devastatingly sexy -- complex and considerate and an amazing listener and a world-class shoulder massager...
someone so easy to fall in love with she hadn’t even realized it was happening until it was too late.
so her stupid, useless brain had probably imagined that he’d said it first to give her something pleasant to dream about. casey glares bitterly at the tomatoes she’s blistering when the realization washes over her.
and that’s how bryce finds her: in the kitchen, stirring spaghetti in sweats she stole out of his closet, her long hair still drying where it’s damp on her shoulders. he’s loud when he crowds in behind her at the stove, talking a mile a minute about his day, how good it smells in the apartment and how much he missed her, all at once.
he buries his face in the crook of her neck and inhales, pressing his lips lightly against the side of her throat. “you sleep okay?”
casey relaxes despite herself and her annoyance, melting a little against his chest. she nods. “yeah. thanks for taking care of me last night.”
bryce’s hands are warm when they slip under the hem of her (his) hoodie. his hands fan out over her hips. “of course,” he murmurs, nuzzling his nose at the base of her neck, “anything for you, babe.”
maybe he had said it.
she thinks about it some more as she spoons pasta into two plates and they tumble back onto the couch together. the words bounce around in her brain while he slurps spaghetti beside her, interspersed with more compliments: how good dinner is, how thoughtful she is, how multi-talented she manages to be.
well, there’s only one way to find out.
casey lets him clear the plates away and load the dishwasher because she cooked, and it’s only fair, and waits until he’s back on the couch with her with that inviting space at his side wide open.
then, she slips into it, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him. bryce’s arm curls around her shoulders in turn, and his lips press a delicate kiss to the top of her head.
“i love you,” casey sighs. the words leave her lips so easily she’s hardly able to believe that there was once a point in time where she felt nervous to be the first to say so.
it’s true, after all. she’s not sure if she’s ever been in love, before -- she thought she had, but it wasn’t like this (nothing could ever be like this) -- but she’s positive about bryce. with her life constantly in flux, filled with so much chaos, being with bryce is the one thing she feels like she’s actually gotten right.
his hand stills from where he’d been rubbing her shoulder, hesitating for just a moment. then, he says, “i love you, too.”
casey turns her cheek to look up at him, her eyes wide. “really?”
the laugh he gives is low and fond, sending a thrill of happiness straight down her spine and to her toes. “how could i not?”
“so... you did say that last night. i thought it was a dream.” the swarm of butterflies in her stomach beat their wings harder at the very idea.
bryce makes a noncommittal hum into her hair. “i wasn’t sure if you heard me. i meant it, though. i love you, case.”
casey opens her mouth to crack a joke, but her throat feels suspiciously tight. how emotional she is catches her completely off guard, surprising her silent.
so -- she’s loved. by probably the most perfect man on the east coast, if not in the entire united states of america. or the world.
weird. part of her had thought something like this might never happen for her.
“i...” she trails off, shaking her head. it’s overwhelming, just how happy she is. her arms press bryce a little closer, pulling him to her a little tighter. “um, thank you.”
he laughs again, sounding taken aback. “for what?”
“for loving me,” casey answers, as though it should be obvious.
she can feel bryce’s shrug against her side; the movement jostles her against him, a little -- but then he squeezes her back, crushing her into the broad planes of his chest.
“it’s easy,” he promises, and though he’s the first person to ever say so, she believes him.
118 notes · View notes
imagineaworlds · 3 years
Text
I Love You (Part Twenty-Eight)
Written By: @desperately-bisexual​
Request: None.
Warnings: SMUT!! Cursing. Unprotected sex. Wrap it before you tap it, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary sibs. Dom/sub relationship. Sir kink. Impregnation kink. Fingering. Oral (fem receiving). Over stimulation. Soft sex. Emotional sex. The reader does go by they/them pronouns, however, Hotch refers to them as female when saying “good girl”.
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Greenaway!Reader
Word Count: 5005
Timeline: Right after part twenty-seven.
Tumblr media
An uninterrupted, speed limit obeying road trip from Cincinnati to Quantico would have taken me and Hotch about eight hours to complete. The team probably figured that was our plan, but we actually took up Rossi’s advice to take back roads, and to take our time. We chose the long route, which went South, through West Virginia, which added another hour to the “scheduled” trip time. But what should have been only a few hours’ drive quickly turned into a three day adventure. We split up the drive into three days of two to three hours of driving, then stopping in a city to take some time to ourselves. Hell, we even did a little site seeing, even though that wasn’t really our thing. It was just nice to slow down for a bit. With everything that had been going on recently, I liked spending hours stuck inside a car with him, holding his hand, kissing his knuckles, singing along to music that he didn’t know. I enjoyed being in his company because there was a good hour or so in New York where I thought that I would never get moments like these. Every second with him mattered more now. Every fleeting moment was appreciated tenfold. I would never forget that.
On the first day, Hotch and I made a stop in Huntington, West Virginia. We found a hotel to hole up in, and we spent the day just relaxing, sleeping, and eating. We discovered a cute diner around the corner from the place we were staying at, and we learned for ourselves that they had the best milkshakes we ever had. It was there that we called Haley and Jack to let them know that “a case was running a bit longer than anticipated”, and we wouldn’t be home as soon as we thought. Haley was understanding, and just asked that we would call whenever we were about to fly home. She still didn’t know that Hotch wasn’t in good shape, and that was probably for the best. We didn’t want to worry her and Jack. I was already worried to death about him, they didn’t need that pressure, too.
On the second day, we drove from Huntington to Roanoke, Virginia. We knew that the way we planned the trip, it was only going to last three days and two nights, but that was better than nothing. Granted, it was already more than we should’ve taken off, anyhow. We would have to get back to work and Jack sooner than later. Anything more than three days would’ve sent the whole team into disarray. If Rossi were having trouble keeping them from sending out a search party for us already, I couldn’t imagine what would happen after seventy-two hours of not hearing from us. Rossi wouldn’t be able to hold them back very long, and that was alright.
I didn’t let Hotch drive at all. He kept insisting that he wanted to switch off, to give me a break, but I still refused. His hearing wasn’t necessarily getting better, but it wasn’t getting worse anymore, either. If the music were too quiet, he couldn’t hear it. If I mumbled something under my breath, he couldn’t hear it. If his phone started ringing, he couldn’t hear it. He was trying. I could tell that he was spending all of his energy on getting better for me and on acting like everything was normal, but I knew him. I knew when something was wrong, and I knew when he was lying to me. That was why I couldn’t let him drive. It wasn’t safe. Besides, I needed him to just take a break. After the bombing and his surgery, his body was still trying to heal. If he were behind the wheel and needed to make a sudden, calculated move in the case of emergency, I couldn’t trust that he’d actually be able to do it. Therefore, he was forced to sit in the passenger’s seat at all times.
Driving wasn’t the only thing I babied him over. Since telling me the truth about his ears and what the doctors told him, he had shown me the medicine that he was meant to be taking. There were a couple of different pills from his surgery, one to help with his headaches, and there was a bonding agent ear drop bottle— which happened to actually be the most important thing. At first, he insisted that he could do it himself, but when I caught him struggling to get the drops in his ear before we went to bed in Huntington, I made the executive decision that I’d be keeping track of his medication and that he was actually taking it. Hotch was surprisingly squirmy when it came to the drops. When I tried to help him for the first time that night, he fought against me until I sat on his lap and told him to just hold my hips. It managed to calm him down long enough for me to squeeze the drops in and move onto sorting out his pills. He was a little stubborn— actually, very fucking stubborn about me babying him. But I had to keep telling him that this was what happens when he would refuse to take care of himself. He proved that he wasn’t willing to do it, so I was having to do it for him. I didn’t think he appreciated the fact that I was bossing him around when he was used to that being his job in our relationship. I kind of liked it, though.
When we stopped in Roanoke for the second night of our trip, we stopped to grab lunch at a pizza place just a few blocks away from our hotel. After getting our food, I got Hotch’s pills out and started sorting the ones he needed to take in the afternoon, especially the ones he needed to take with food. He reluctantly took them, popping them in his mouth and drowning them down his throat with a swig of iced tea. He wanted a soda, but I glared at him and told him, “Over my dead body”, and I ordered a tea for him instead. Like I said, babying. But it was also like I said, he did this to himself. If he just would’ve obeyed the doctor’s original orders, then I would have never known that something was wrong, and I therefore wouldn’t’ve gotten involved. But now I was worried twice as much as before, and now I was spending all of my time making sure that he was only going to get better, and that he wasn’t going to do anything dumb to put his health in jeopardy again. Drinking a soda wasn’t the end of the world, I knew that. But if he wanted one so damn much, he shouldn’t have lied to me. It was as simple as that.
At the hotel, Hotch and I showered to get rid of the disgusting feel that came with sitting in a car all day. Hotch was taller than me, I’d be the first one to admit that, but that didn’t stop me from trying to wash the back of his hair when he seemed to struggle with that simple task. It was hard to miss how he cringed every time he rose his arms above his head, and how he still had to limp because his right leg wasn’t healed. His arms, chest, and left leg were all working overtime to try to keep up with me and prove that nothing was wrong. Every time he tried to wash his own hair, he’d bring his soapy hands to the front, and he could manage to lather it on slightly before giving up and deciding to let the water just rinse it through the rest of his hair. It wasn’t exactly the most effective way to do it. When I noticed his trick, though, that was when I jumped onto my tip-toes and tried doing it for him. He held my waist in his wet hands to keep me steady while I stretched to run my soapy fingers through his hair. That was much better than whatever the hell it was he was trying to do. It also didn’t hurt that it seemed to relax him.
I kissed him under the water as we spun around to face me so that he could wash the soap out of his hair. “I love you,” I mumbled against his lips. He kissed me harder, ignoring how the soap was dripping down his face. He squinted to make sure it wouldn’t sting his eyes. I smiled and wiped his face with my hands, using the water to help me wash it all away. “There. That’s better.”
He opened his eyes before kissing my cheek. “I love you.”
I reached around him to turn off the water. “Better?” I asked.
Hotch nodded and opened the shower curtain to grab us a towel each. He stepped out first. After he had his towel wrapped around his waist, he held his hand out for me to help me out. When we were both out of the shower, towels tight around our bodies, we headed to the bedroom to get changed into comfortable clothes. Then, when we were done, we crawled onto the bed to lay down for a couple of hours.
Hotch was laying on his back to my right while reading a book that he had picked up at a store a couple of small towns back. I was right beside him, my head tucked under his left arm, my torso pressed against his side as I hugged him close. One of his hands was holding his book open, the other one was on the outside of my left thigh, slowly and lightly rubbing circles over the bare skin. It was meant to be an innocent and comforting touch— and originally it was— but the longer he did it, and the wider the circle got, the more I took notice of how it was anything but innocent. Maybe in his mind he figured it was nothing, but his hands were clearly wandering, and I wasn’t naive.
At first, I tried to just ignore it and stay still in order to not give him the satisfaction of earning a response from me, but when his fingers slid their way up to my hip bone, it sent a chill down my spine that made me shiver and whine quietly. His fingers slid back down to my thigh and continued to circle slowly. Every second that passed, I could feel my stomach twisting into knots and my clit was throbbing with need. I let out a quiet sigh into his side, trying my best to hide it from him. He halted his movements and asked me if something was wrong, but I shook my head insistently, so he continued.
My hand that was flung over his chest and resting on his other side started inching back onto his body. I slid it up to the collar of his shirt and fisted the fabric in my grip as he slid back up to my hip bone again. I whimpered again, but he didn’t stop. He spent a few more agonizingly long seconds on teasing my hip with his fingertips before he laid his entire palm against my thigh, squeezed gently, and pulled my left leg over his. My shorts rode up higher on my thighs and he held me in place like that for a minute.
“Your fingers are cold,” I croaked.
“Maybe you should warm them up for me,” he responded, though he was still focused on his book.
Hotch’s left hand released my thigh and slowly slid down between my legs. I hissed at the feeling of his freezing cold fingers making space for themselves between my warm, shaking thighs. He was so close to where I needed him most. I wondered if he knew that. I wondered to myself if he knew that I was already soaking my panties and I was on the verge of begging for him. Maybe he did, because he began kneading the inside of my right thigh carefully and I finally let out a quiet moan.
“Sir…” I gasped, hiding my face in his side again.
“Shh...” he cooed, “I’m trying to read.”
I whimpered again and tried to pull my left leg off of him, but he trapped my ankle between his calves so that I couldn’t escape. I sighed, knowing that this wasn’t going to be good for me in the long run. Hotch had me stuck in a position that wasn’t realistic for letting me move or giving him access to where I needed him most. He wanted me exactly like that because there were so many ways he could play with me that didn’t include touching me where it would feel the best. He had proven to himself and me that just touching my skin slowly and lightly was enough to set me on fire, and he wasn’t about to give that game up yet.
The hand I had fisted around the collar of his shirt carefully let go. As his hand continued to grope the inside of my right thigh, I moved my hand down his chest, feeling how he tensed at my touch, and I rested it just below his belly button. He stayed tense, but he still didn’t look away from his book. In fact, he used his thumb to flip to the next page rather than tear his hand away from between my thighs to do so. I thought of a thousand different curse words that I wanted to throw at him, but I kept it all to myself as I dared to use my hand to wander down his body further.
“I’m trying to focus,” he said to me. His breath hitched and his hand grabbed my thigh roughly as I ventured under the waistband of his pajamas and felt how hard he was. “Baby…” he mumbled, biting back a moan.
I tried to pull my leg away again, thinking that he had let his guard down enough to allow me to do so, but when I made my attempt, his calves only captured my ankle again and with more force. The moan he had been holding back left his throat as I took his length in my hand and slowly pumped twice. Without warning, he threw his book to the side carelessly and pulled his hand out from between my thighs and used it to pull my own hand off of his length. Holding my wrist, his legs let go of my ankle, and he pushed me onto my back as he shifted on top of me.
He held my wrist against the mattress, but he stared at me with passion rather than uncontrollable lust, unlike what I was so used to. His eyes looked between my eyes and my lips before he finally said what was on his mind, “Can we just…” He swallowed hard. “Can we go back to basics for a second?”
I searched his eyes for a moment to make sure that he was okay. I didn’t want to pressure him into anything, and I certainly didn’t want to push him when he was still physically and emotionally recovering from New York. If he wasn’t ready, then he wasn’t ready. I wasn’t about to make him do anything he didn’t want to. I wanted whatever he wanted. If that meant just going back to cuddling, I was fine with that. If he wanted to fuck me into the mattress until I couldn’t walk, I was fine with that, too. Whatever he wanted. Whatever he needed. I figured that I’d let him take the lead, so I nodded.
Hotch leaned down and kissed me gently, his hand releasing my wrist. Both of his hands were planted on either side of my shoulders now, his knees were resting between mine, and his lips were gently pressed against mine, no tongue yet. My hands went up to his face and I cupped his cheeks earnestly. His hips dipped down and he grinded desperately against me through both of our pants. I moaned into his mouth, finally giving him access to dominate the kiss with his tongue.
He was so hard, and I was so wet. I just needed him inside me… I bucked my hips up against his, a plea for more, and he listened. He balanced his weight on his knees and one hand as he brought the other between us and snaked his fingers to my shorts and panties. He pulled them down with one effortless tug. He smirked as he threw them to the floor. I bit my lip while looking up at him, my eyes following his as he leaned over me again.
“Aaron,” I moaned when his fingers found my clit.
“Manners still,” he begged while grinding his hips down.
“Yes, Sir,” I nodded, holding his face in my hands.
“I love you.”
I swallowed his words as he slid two fingers into me, and I moaned a string of curse words before he kissed me deeply. Every inch of me was on fire— more than before. Hotch hovered over me with his mouth on mine to silence my words, his fingers working in and out of me at an intricately slow pace. They curled as they pumped inside of me slowly again, and as a result, my back arched off the bed, my head falling against my pillow, my eyes screwed shut. I was so used to Hotch either going so painfully slow in order to tease me for hours on end or so fast that as he was racing to catch my orgasms one after the other, I could see stars. There usually wasn’t any in between, and that was fine because it was fun to see where my games with him would land me on the spectrum of punishments to rewards. But this…
My hips bucked again as his thumb pushed against my clit and started rubbing figure eights.
This was absolute bliss and euphoria. He wasn’t trying to tease and edge me or force multiple orgasms out of me. His pace, mixed with the way he would spread and curl his fingers while buried deep inside of me were all for the sake of telling me: “I love you more than the moon loves the stars you see behind your eyelids right now.” And I had never felt more breathless in my life as my orgasm began to approach.
Hotch’s fingers curled right into my g-spot, and once he found it, he didn’t stop going for it. My mouth was agape as the back of my head buried itself further into the pillow underneath, and I cursed and cursed like it was the only thing I knew how to do besides moaning. When his thumb changed page and direction on my clit, that was when I was a goner. Hotch sat all the way back on his heels so that he could use his other hand to hold my hips still as I cried out his name, clenched my walls around his fingers, and came as hard as ever.
He smirked to himself and his little victory as I continued to buck around wildly, despite his attempt to pin me. Next thing I knew, after I had the strength to tell him to wipe that grin off his face, Hotch shrugged and leaned down to replace his thumb on my clit with his tongue. I yelped, thrashing around in response to the sensitivity of my throbbing clit and his unrelenting fingers inside of me.
“I know you can handle it, baby girl,” he whispered before licking a long, slow stripe up from his fingers in my core to my aching clit.
I nodded eagerly. “Yes— Yes, Sir—” Another moan broke away from me just when he added another finger and he spread me open ever so slightly. It certainly didn’t feel like being as full as when his cock was inside of me— nowhere near that length and girth— but when he spread them apart in order to stretch me… Fuck… “Please, Sir.”
“Please what?”
“Please make me cum again for you, Sir.”
“Good girl,” he complimented.
In an instant, his lips wrapped around my clit, and he used a mixture of licking and gentle sucking to set me on fire again. God, I loved learning the U.S. State Capitals. By Denver, my fingers were tangled in Hotch’s hair in order to keep him where he was, a silent plea to make him keep going. And he didn’t stop. Tallahassee sent me over the edge for the second time that night, but he didn’t relent. The three fingers inside of me ignored how hard I was squeezing around them in order to keep rubbing against my g-spot. My orgasm had barely just ended, and I felt the desperate need to cum again; but I just wanted him. I wanted every inch of his cock inside of me. Nothing else. I could keep learning the State Capitals all day, but we had only just reached the end of Atlanta and I never needed him more.
“Sir,” I moaned, tugging on his hair lightly to gain his attention. “Fuck me. Please.”
Hotch looked up at me through his lashes, still halfway through Honolulu, and I felt a third orgasm approaching, the knot in my stomach tightening, and my thighs tried pressing together around his head. The ‘B’ in Boise was what did it for me.
“Hotch, please!” I cried out. “Please, baby… Just fuck me. Please.”
Hotch’s fingers stilled inside of me once he was sure that I had come down from my high, then they carefully slid out. I gasped at feeling so empty suddenly but caught my breath when he brought them to my open mouth. I sucked on all three of them, focusing on the task he had given me rather than the fact that he was trying to clean up the mess he made with his tongue, which would surely make me cum again if he just added a little more speed and pressure— which he wouldn’t… but he could… if he wanted to.
He pulled his fingers from my mouth after he finally sat up again. “Baby girl,” he cooed.
“I know. I’m sorry.” I softened my eyes. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to say his name, but it had slipped from me while I was nothing but puddy in his hands and unable to think about literally anything. If I could have, I wouldn’t have said anything to him at all, but my desperation for him had been so strong that I knew that saying his name was a sure way to catch his attention. “It won’t happen again.”
Hotch smiled and tucked some of my hair behind my ear with his dry hand. “You did so well, baby girl,” he complimented. “I’m not mad.” That was a relief. I watched him, my hips still grinding against the mattress with anticipation, while Hotch struggled to get out of his pants. Once they were around his ankles, though, he gave up, figuring that it was good enough since he was just desperate to be inside of me. “I love you,” he whispered while hovering over me.
After I leaned up slightly and grabbed his face in my hands, I whispered, “I love you, too.” And in an instant, I felt his tip circle my clit then slide down to my entrance. “I love you, I love you, I love you…” I kept going as he entered me with everything he had to offer.
He groaned roughly as he bottomed out inside of me. “Fuck, baby girl. How are you still so fucking tight?” He pulled his hips back, nearly pulling out of me entirely, then he slid back in. “God…” he buried his face in the crook of my neck.
There was a point in New York, when Morgan and I were still in the car after getting the call about the bombing and we weren’t sure if Hotch and Kate were involved yet, that I asked myself if I would ever know this feeling again. I was so terrified that I had lost him, and I wondered if I would ever feel the warmth and kindness of his kiss, or if I would ever get to feel at home in his arms, or if I would ever get to feel on cloud 9 with him buried to the hilt inside of me ever again. He was the only person I had ever met who mattered enough to me like that. And the fear of nearly losing him still hadn’t left me yet, but getting the chance to be trapped in his arms as he hugged me close while his hips did all the work and he kissed me as passionately as he could… that was all I could ask for. That was only the tip of the iceberg of what I was scared of losing when I thought I had lost him forever, but I had him, and I wasn’t about to let him go ever again.
Crying during sex was less than ideal normally, but there was something about that evening. Between us, we usually spent our time in the bedroom fucking each other until our games could come to an end and we were entirely worn out. But that evening, there was a silent, mutual understanding that we weren’t there to play or just fuck. This was the truest, strongest way of telling one another: “I love you. I can’t lose you. Ever.” And I felt that with how fried and strained our emotions had been since New York, we were both just… broken, tired, and so grateful to be with one another. So as he lifted his head from my neck and I saw how soft and red his eyes were, so similar to mine, I kissed him before it could get out of hand.
Hotch’s right arm pulled out from underneath my back and he brought his hand to my face. After wiping away a tear from my cheek, and I returned the favor, he drove into me again with a little more force. “I love you so much,” he gasped against my jawline before nibbling down slightly. His cock hit just the right spot after stretching me further than his fingers ever could.
“Shit—” I moaned. “Please… Oh, fuck…”
He was going fast and hard now. Not like usual, but certainly a noticeable improvement from his slow hip thrusts only seconds ago. He was chasing his orgasm now, wanting to cum deep inside of me, and I wanted nothing less than that. He had given so much to me between the gingerly placed touches, the orgasms that just didn’t seem to stop, and showering me in so much love that could last a thousand lifetimes. I wanted all of him. Everything. I didn’t want the kisses to ever stop, I never wanted to leave his arms, and I wanted to feel the fullness he gave me every time.
He huffed as his muscles flexed while holding me. “I’m gonna…” I wiped my hand over his forehead as it wrinkled with concentration. He was so close; I could feel him tensing while his thrusts got increasingly sloppy. “Y/N,” he moaned my name into my mouth, and I begged him to do it again. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, Y/N…”
“Aaron—” I whined, almost as a warning. Once again, I was so close to the edge, too.
He let out an animalistic groan as his hold on my check tightened slightly and he came inside of me. I writhed around, holding him tighter, my hands moving to his back and clawing stripes into his skin as I came, too. He held me through our orgasms, moaning with every twitch his cock gave. When he stopped moving, he collapsed slightly, still careful not to crush me. I ran my fingers through his hair, feeling both the sexual and sensual relief waving over me.
He was there. He was with me. He was in me. He loved me. I loved him. We were going to be okay. I wasn’t going to lose him. I wasn’t going to let him go.
“I love you,” I whispered into his ear, feeling his arms snake around me so that he could hug me. “I’m here.”
After taking another moment to just hold me close, Hotch rolled off me, pulling out slowly, then falling onto the bed. His arms continued to stay wrapped around me, keeping me close to his chest as he laid down. He adjusted his head on the pillows, trying to get comfortable. I put my head on his chest, returning to the original cuddle position we had started out in the first place.
“Basics...” I patted his shoulder. “Basics is good.”
He let out a slight chuckle, “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah,” I sighed, relaxing in his arms once more. I looked up at him slightly. “I love you, Aaron. I feel like I don’t say it enough.”
He pouted his eyes and wiped a tear from my cheek. “Every time you look at me, I know you’re thinking it. When you’re not saying it, I know it. That’s all I can ask for.”
“I love you.” I leaned up and kissed him. “I love you.” I hugged his shoulders. “I love you.” I wrapped my legs around his hips. “I love you.”
He held me close. “I love you.” He kissed me passionately. “I love you.” He grabbed my hips. “I love you.” He flipped us over again. “I love you.” He kissed my lips again. “I love you, Y/N. More than anything.”
We both leaned in for a passionate kiss.
“I love you,” we both said.
32 notes · View notes
knifeshoeoreofight · 4 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Part 5/?
(part 1 here) (part 2 here) (part 3 here) (part 4 here)
tw: emetophobia
Note: I wrote the storm bit before Tropical Storm Isaias happened, I intend no connection to or disrespect towards a serious real world event. 
A month really is a long time. Sid sets up an office of sorts, where he can throw the shutters open to let in the sun and the sea air. He spends some time setting up his laptop securely as best he can. He hopes the VPN helps. He’s not a computer guy, that was always Flower’s department. 
Flower. He misses his friends, and his family. He has some time before anyone will start to wonder why they haven’t heard from him, so he can try and decide what the safest course of action would be once people start to worry about his radio silence. Maybe letters, so nothing can be tracked electronically? 
He keeps as low a profile as possible. He goes to the supermarket late at night, when the only other people around are tired and also hoping to avoid interaction. 
His favorite thing about the area is the roadside fruit stand he finds the one time he wanders further than the grocery store. It’s run by a little old Cuban lady, who seems perpetually inclined to not want to talk to anyone, which suits him just fine. He returns home with a old plastic bag stretched thin with a fragrant burden of ripe guavas and papayas. 
The papaya’s floral, salmon-pink flesh is the best thing he’s ever eaten and he vows to have some on hand for Zhenya to try when he emerges. 
He does a little half-hearted poking at his research, but there’s not a lot he can do without lab equipment. He works out using YouTube videos. He lays out in the sun and discovers, to his annoyance, that his shoulders have a tendency to freckle as they tan. 
He walks along the beach and goes snorkeling with an old mask and fins he finds in a closet. He sees clouds of silver fish and even a stingray. He wishes Zhenya were here to see it too. 
Every night, before he heads to bed, he checks on the pod. Nothing looks different from day to day.
He has strange dreams at night, colors and sensations so disconcerting and, well, alien, that he often wakes up in a sweat. In many, he sees himself but distorted and strange, cast in shades of ultraviolet and blue. 
It’s comforting. Zhenya is alive, and dreaming. 
***
It might be his imagination, but the air feels charged when he wakes up on the morning of the thirtieth day. Zhenya had told him the time span was approximate, but he still rolls out of bed and heads out to the ship as soon as he throws on some clothes. 
The air is muggy and the sky is overcast. A storm brewing, maybe. The pod, when he reaches it, is intact and unchanged. 
The day drags, the hours creeping by bloated and slow. He goes for a run, he rinses off in the sea. The salt water dries tacky on his skin so he showers it off. Switches on the local news. Registers nothing. Makes himself eat. Makes himself wait another two hours before he checks the ship again in the early afternoon. Nothing. 
As he suspected it might, thunder rumbles through the low-hanging clouds around 3 pm. He watches the wind pick up and toss the fronds of the palms outside the living room window. He checks the weather on his phone, and decides to close the storm shutters on the house. 
The house is stifling and claustrophobic after that. He listens to the pitch of the wind increase and the first bit of drizzle begin to pat against the shutters. 
The news had called it a tropical depression, but as the rainsong outside builds to a roar, though, Sid reasons that a storm is a fucking storm. 
He can’t stop thinking about Zhenya--  about what might happen if he emerges to this chaos alone, disoriented by human senses. Sid makes the decision in an instant. He grabs a flashlight and his phone, and yanks the door open into the driving wind. 
The rain is strangely temperate as it soaks through his clothes. He stands there in the yard for a minute, taking in the dissonant feeling of wind and rain that don’t carry the icy winter teeth he’s used to. 
When a palm frond tears loose and whips him across the face, he hurries to the ship. The noise of the storm is abruptly silenced as soon as the airlock door closes behind him with a sucking hiss. 
Surprise, surprise, nothing has changed. Sid sighs, and goes to try and find something cloth-like to dry off with. Poking around the ship’s bedroom for a bit results in finding a compartment with an assortment of soft, folded textiles. The texture of them is impossibly strange, but they’re clearly woven material of some kind and they absorb water well enough. 
There are a few items that look different, set off to one side of the storage compartment. They’re too small for Zhenya’s original form, and they look recognizably like human clothing, in loose, forgiving shapes. Clothes intended for Zhenya post-reconfiguration, he thinks. He sets them carefully aside, and takes one of the more blanket-y things back into the room containing the pod. With a sigh, he sits against the wall and wraps himself in the blanket. 
The white noise hum of the ship’s machinery pulls him into a trance, then a fitful doze that sends him in and out of awareness like a slow motion stone, skipping on the surface of a pond.
***
He isn’t sure what eventually wakes him. A sound, a sudden fountain of garbled words and images that he only senses in his mind, the coppery tang of blood. 
He jerks to consciousness with a start. The pod is open. Curled up on the floor in front of it, in a spreading pool of viscous liquid, is Zhenya. 
“Zhenya! Oh my god--” 
As Sid staggers to his feet, he registers that the link is there, but all he’s getting is a flood of panic and can’tbreathecan’tbreathecan’t-
He falls to his knees at Zhenya’s side, heedless of the mess. He can’t fully remember what you do for someone choking. Zhenya is an unwieldy deadweight as Sid wraps his arms around his torso and hauls him up. One, two, three blows between the shoulder blades to no avail. He clenches his hands together at Zhenya’s waist and jabs up and in, sharply. Once, twice. He’s had first aid training in the Heimlich but he’s never had to use it before. 
Zhenya’s body convulses, and then he’s leaning forward, vomiting. His sides heave and he draws in a harsh, gasping breath. 
Zhenya Sid thinks frantically. Can you hear me? Can you breathe? 
Zhenya groans, and coughs. The mad throb of panic is fading from their link.  His breaths are coming more evenly now, and Sid rubs his hand over Zhenya’s back in slow, soothing circles. 
“That’s it,” he finds himself crooning. “That’s it, there you go.” 
For the first time, what Zhenya actually looks like now registers. Sid can’t see his face, curled over as he is, but he’s. 
He’s human. Or, he looks it. 
Winter-pale skin, limbs that still seem miles long, broad shoulders and a strong back. Dark hair plastered to his bent head. 
The vulnerable nape of his neck makes something go tight and painful in Sid’s chest. 
“Zhenya,” he says, out loud. 
Zhenya takes a deep, shuddering breath and raises his head. And turns to look at him. 
His eyes are glowing bright, bright blue, but as Sid watches, they fade, going dark and fathomless: human. Long lashes, spiky and wet against his skin as he blinks, slow. Strong, harsh features that he can see Natalia in, even cast in such a masculine mould. 
He’s staring at Sid, and Sid can almost read the emotion that flits like scudding clouds across his new face. Incredulity? Surprise? Not quite those, but close. 
“Hi,” Sid says, and smiles, because he’s so relieved and he can’t help it. 
Zhenya makes a soft, helpless noise and his hands grip Sid’s arms, as if he wants to rise.
Sid stands, and anchors Zhenya as he slowly, laboriously, gets one knee up, and lurches to his feet. 
“Oh, damn,” Sid says. Zhenya is a good couple feet shorter than he used to be, but he still towers over Sid. 
“Can you breathe okay now?” he asks Zhenya, and Zhenya coughs again, clearing his throat. He nods, and Sid’s shoulders slump. “Thank fuck.” 
Crisis over.
Sid lets himself keep looking at him. Stubborn jaw, long, lean torso, narrow hips. His hands are big enough to encircle Sid’s not insubstantial forearms.  
He meets Zhenya’s gaze again. He still feels like he’s looking at a stranger’s face, not at the being who he’d grown so fond of. He’d felt something from the link earlier, but can they still-- 
Sid, Zhenya says into his mind, and relief knifes sweetly through him. It’s still Zhenya. If he closes his eyes, it’s like nothing has changed.
Sid- Sid open them, open your eyes-- 
Sid does, and Zhenya is right there, leaning in closer, staring down at him. His eyes have gone wide and his mouth is slack with surprise. Clumsily, but incredibly gently, he lets go with one hand to tilt Sid’s chin up. And keeps staring.
I didn’t know Zhenya thinks, finally. 
Sid lets out a nervous, airless laugh. “Know...what?” 
I didn’t know that your eyes were that color. 
Sid swallows. The look in Zhenya’s eyes is terrifyingly close to wonder. 
“They’re just hazel,” he says, face going hot, but Zhenya shakes his head. 
I saw in a different spectrum, before, and I had no idea. They’re beautiful. 
Sid feels like the bottom has dropped out of his stomach. “I, uh. Thank you?” 
Zhenya tilts his head to the side, and, slowly, his lips curve up into a smile. 
Or that you sounded like that. To other human eardrums, at least.
Sid thought he was flushing before but apparently his face can get even warmer. 
“I have a stupid voice. I even, like, try to pitch it lower, and stuff.” He’s babbling. “Flower always teases me about having the vocal fry of a Kardashian, but--” 
Your voice is lovely, Zhenya thinks indignantly. All of you, is lovely. 
It’s not something Sid has really ever heard another man tell him, before. He knows what he looks like, a lot of men have had a lot to say about his lips, his ass, et cetera, et cetera. He’s been called good-looking, or even pretty, especially when he was younger. Not lovely. 
“Yeah, well.” His voice cracks a little. “You don’t look too bad, yourself. “
All of Zhenya’s emotions seem to flit across his face as unconsciously and freely as a child’s. He smiles now, wide and bright. 
Really? Good. 
The grin morphs into a smirk that, oh no. Nope. Uh-uh. 
How is my height? And my-- 
“We are not talking about your dick!” Sid squawks, and Zhenya laughs out loud, startling them both. He raises a hand to his mouth, looking so indignant at the noise his body made without his express permission that Sid has to laugh too.
Oh, fine. I see. I was merely going to ask about my eye color, and now you’re laughing at me? 
Zhenya’s eyes dance, and he’s still smiling, so Sid just shakes his head. 
“They’re nice. Really, uh, dark brown.” 
Sleepy, gentle. Soulful. 
Bedroom eyes, a traitorous part of his brain insists, and Sid wills it to shut the fuck up. 
“Let’s, um” His voice cracks. “”Let’s get you cleaned up.” 
***
67 notes · View notes
woodstockbtswriter · 4 years
Text
Voyagers
Tumblr media
Genre: Fluff/Headcanon
Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (Female)
Summary: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join BTS on a Bon Voyage adventure leads to once-in-a-lifetime love.
Author’s Note: Okay, I just have to say, watching the boys try to filet a fish and not being able to tell them that they were using the wrong knife was painful for me. 😄 Anyway, hope you enjoy this latest installment! 💕
GIF Credit: MONOSUGA
Part Sixteen
Back to Civilization
At the conclusion of your fishing trip, you returned to your campsite to meet up with the rest of the boys, pack everything up, and head to Queenstown
You watched the sun fall lower and lower in the sky from the passenger’s seat as Yoongi drove into the city
By the time you reached your accommodation, the night was completely black
For the last two nights of your trip, you’d be staying in a rental, and though it was hard to see in the dark, you could tell just from the outside that the large, modern house was luxurious
As soon as Yoongi parked the SUV and Jungkook parked the camper, everyone grabbed their suitcases and headed inside
The second you walked in the door, you and the boys were amazed, and the interior designer in you geeked out just a little bit
The house was open-concept, with the living room, kitchen, and dining room all in one large space, and the whole back wall was floor-to-ceiling windows
The design was clean and contemporary, featuring all neutral colors and mixed materials like glass and stone
It was a far cry from the cabins, tents, and camper you’d stayed in the last few nights
And as several of you admired the incredible view of the twinkling city skyline, you agreed it was nice to be back in civilization
Collapsing onto the sofas after bringing in all the luggage, food, and supplies, the boys began discussing how to decide rooms
There were five bedrooms to choose from: three would have to be shared and two would be private
Jin suggested you play the bottle cap game, and Hoseok cleared off the coffee table in preparation
After a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, it was determined that Yoongi would go first, and he casually flicked the plastic bottle cap a little over halfway across the table
Surprisingly, his mediocre shot was enough to win, as everyone else - including you - either overshot or came up short
Having won first pick of the bedrooms, Yoongi chose the private room with the twin-size bed
Which allowed you, as the runner-up, to choose your own room with a full-size bed
Then the rest of the boys scattered, checking out the remaining bedrooms and picking their spots
Jin and Hoseok claimed the room with the king-size bed
Namjoon and Jungkook chose to share the room with the queen-size bed
And Jimin and Taehyung naturally wanted to room together, so they decided on the room with the other full-size bed
Once you were situated in your rooms, everyone began taking turns washing up, and you enjoyed a long, hot shower
Dinner Prep
When you were dried off and dressed in comfy clothes, you made your way to the kitchen
You found a freshly-bathed Yoongi there at the counter, attempting to cut up the salmon you’d caught that afternoon
He appeared to be struggling, so you asked if you could help, but he said the only thing he needed help with was peeling garlic
Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook were already seated around the kitchen table with a half-peeled mound of garlic bulbs between them, so you joined them
Though you had really hoped Yoongi wanted you by his side
You watched him from the table as he continued to wrestle with the fish until he finally admitted defeat
You were about to get up to assist him, but Jin insisted that Yoongi let him try
Jin had some trouble cutting up the fish too, but soon figured it out well enough to prepare passable sashimi
When you and the other garlic peelers finished your task, you moved to the counter to watch Yoongi and Jin work, standing ready if either of them needed your help
Eventually, after putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, Yoongi asked - without looking at you - if you could toast some bread, and you happily obliged
Dinner and Dessert
When the salmon, garlic shrimp, and pasta were ready, everyone took their place at the dining table, and you ended up seated between Hoseok and Taehyung
As you and the boys began filling your plates, Hoseok commented that you all had only one more day of the show left, and the unwelcome reminder made your stomach clench
You couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at Yoongi, hating the thought of your time together coming to an end
Especially after the way he’d been so distant all day
To your surprise, Yoongi was looking directly at you, but quickly turned his gaze toward his lap when he noticed your gaze on him
Then Hoseok lifted his drink, toasting to enjoying the experience until the last moment, and you joined the others in clinking your glasses and bottles together
It was a fitting toast, and as you started on your dinner, you hoped you would be able to enjoy every last moment of this experience
While you ate, the boys began discussing dinner for the next night, saying they’d like to have Korean food
But it suddenly dawned on you that if it was the final night, it would be your last opportunity to make your traditional food for them
So you spoke up, and offered to cook them all dinner the next night
The boys liked the idea, agreeing unanimously and enthusiastically, and you started planning your menu in your mind
After dinner, Jungkook brought out a box of mint chocolate chip ice cream cones and handed them out
Jin lamented that he hated mint chocolate, and Namjoon agreed that it was like mouthwash
Unwrapping his cone, Yoongi said food was food and he wasn’t very picky
You agreed as far as ice cream goes, enjoying your own cone and saying you’d yet to find a flavor you didn’t like
BTS UNO
When you finished your dessert, Namjoon, Taehyung, and Hoseok took charge of cleaning up dinner
While you waited for them to finish, the rest of your group relaxed in the living room, and Jin started shuffling a deck of UNO cards
It was getting late, and as soon as the production crew set up a ring of GoPro cameras in the middle of the coffee table, they wrapped filming and said goodnight
As they left the house and headed for their own accommodations, you and the boys encircled the table and Jin dealt everyone cards
It wouldn’t be a game with BTS if there wasn’t a penalty, so it was agreed before play started that the loser would have to wake everyone else up in the morning
Though you were all tired after a long day, the game was lively, with everyone singing and dancing and laughing as they played
Taehyung wasn’t familiar with the rules, but you grew up playing UNO with your family, so you and Jimin coached him each time it was his turn
But a heated debate occurred when the boys tried to make Yoongi draw ten cards
You immediately came to his defense, telling them they couldn’t stack +2 and +4 cards
Jimin and Jungkook insisted that they could, and you went back and forth until you pulled up the official rules on your phone
They weren’t happy about it, and grumbled as they drew their cards, but you were right
And though Yoongi kept his focus on his hand, a smirk was curling his lips
“At least now I know who’s on my side.” He said, playing his card onto the center pile, and you couldn’t hold back a self-satisfied grin
Play continued for a while, the game lasting longer with so many players, until Jin was finally the first person to go out
The remaining players kept playing, going out one-by-one, until it was down to Yoongi, Jimin, and Taehyung
With only three players, the game went much faster, and Yoongi and Jimin both went out one after the other, leaving Taehyung in last place
Unsurprised, he humbly accepted his defeat and his wake-up penalty, and everyone decided to call it a night
Another Late Night
As the boys dispersed, you hung back, taking your time heading to your room, but it was quickly apparent that Yoongi did not have the same idea
You’d been waiting all night, anxious to finally get an opportunity to talk to him without the cameras
He’d been giving you mixed signals all day, and you were dying to know exactly what he was thinking and where you stood
But as Yoongi disappeared into his bedroom, closing his door behind him, your heart dropped to the floor
Taking a deep breath then exhaling shakily, you entered your own room, trying your best to stay calm
He was just tired, you told yourself
You’d had a long day, and he probably just wanted to go to sleep
That’s all
There’s no reason to freak out
It’s late anyway, and everyone should go to sleep
Reflexively, you pulled your phone from your pocket to check the time and convince yourself of the lateness of the hour
But before you even saw the clock, your eyes were instantly drawn to the notification banner waiting on your screen
You had one unread message from Min Yoongi
You couldn’t tap it open and read it fast enough
Not sure you read it right, you read it again
And again
And again, reading it one word at a time
You then racked your brain, deciding how to answer, before finally sending a casual response
Tumblr media
Shoving your phone back in your pocket, you hurried into your bathroom and brushed your teeth as fast as you could, your heart now racing in anticipation instead of sinking in disappointment
As soon as you’d rinsed your mouth out and checked your face in the mirror, you found the small camera mounted in the corner of your bedroom
You gave the lens a bright smile and a cheerful goodnight, then firmly pushed the power button, ensuring the recording light was off
Crossing the room, you smoothed down your clothes and lowered yourself onto the edge of your bed
And your leg began bouncing as you sat
All you could do now…
...was wait
Previous - Next
Taglist: @bucky-thorin-winchester @yvemoon @serpentiinequeen @neilpoetssociety @narcissism-iskey
71 notes · View notes
addercharmer · 3 years
Text
Izumi had slept next to Keigo again, he had woken just after midnight with a scream and both Izumi and Nezu had raced their way into his room to find the boy curling up as small as possible under the desk in his room. 
It took half an hour for the stoat to coax Keigo out and back into his bed, where the elder had shuffled around blankets and pillows until it felt more like a true nest. 
Nezu then had Izumi climb into the base of the bed, Keigo had quickly snuggled into her side, Nezu then climbed into the nest and settled above their heads. They had all fallen back asleep and no other nightmares had woken them. 
Izumi's inner alarm woke her and she groaned a little at the weight that was sprawled on her chest. A squeaking laugh from near her head had Izumi sighing at the fact that Nezu now would have photo evidence of them sleeping together. 
"Morning dad." Izumi croaked out, then she started to wiggle her way out from the nestling. 
"Bathroom, then we gotta talk." She tells him, there hadn't been any time the night before. Nezu had gotten an emergency call to do some analysis on a well known villain group of this time. 
Izumi stumbled to the bathroom, she emptied her bladder and washed her hands, before making the snap decision to take a shower. 
She didn't let herself linger under the spray no matter how much she wanted to, she washed her hair and put in the conditioner to soak in as she washed her body, then rinsed out the creamy substance. 
Wrapping her hair and body in towels she then scurried to her room. Izumi had no plans to do anything today unless it involved her rosefinch so she pulled on a pair of black leggings and a lightweight sweater dress. She stopped in the bathroom long enough to grab a brush and hair ties, and hang her towels up to dry. 
Skipping down the stairs Izumi was greeted with the mingling smell of coffee and tea, in the kitchen there were cereal boxes and a half liter of milk already on the table, along with bowls and spoons. 
Izumi sat quickly and combined the cereal and milk into a bowl, she dug in with a hum of enjoyment at the sugary meal. Nezu slipped a large cup of coffee on the table by her elbow before taking his own seat. 
"I didn't get to tell you, but some stuff happened at the mall." Izumi started the conversation after they had both finished their food. 
"When we got the preening brushes I suggested we look at the ones for hawks and Keigo flinched pretty hard." Nezu's eyebrows scrunched a little and he let out a hum. 
"The specialty stores for physical mutations had hardly anything for winged people, but when I was little originality my mom was friends with fashion designers...if you were okay with it I could try to make contact, they were family friends and I could maybe tell them that Inko is my sister, aunt Mitsuki never had the best memory, and if we could find and doctor some photos it would work as evidence." Izumi rambled, she was a little nervous about suggesting this, but at the same time she believed it could be good for the future if she could put herself in an older sibling or aunt role for some of her friends. 
"Good idea, what would you say about wanting to get back in contact?" Nezu asked her. 
Clearing her throat a little, Izumi thought carefully as she sipped her coffee. 
"Aunt Mitsuki has always had a huge soft spot for kids, not that anyone could tell. Inko from what her medical history says had been in and out of rehab for the last four years, it's caused a lot of problems with her mental health. It would make sense to say that you adopted me after you found me bleeding from being bullied at a foster home, and not in Inko's care." 
Izumi sighed deeply. "But that's more the in depth story, in reality I could simply explain I am Inko's sister trying to get in contact with Mitsuki because I remember she was into fashion and I need help with my newly adopted siblings wing mutation." 
"Hmmm, good good." Nezu's tea cup clacks when it's put back on the table. "Let's go braid your hair and we can work more on the back story and get those photos ready." The stoat directs already moving to the living room.
Izumi followers close on his tail, sitting in front of him after putting the hair brush and ties on the couch. She's also pulling the coffee table and her laptop closer so she can find pictures as her dad works his magic on her hair. 
"Lay out your life as Inko's sister." Nezu tells her as he starts running the brush through her hair. 
"Well, I was a sickly child, I spent most of my early life in hospital. It wasn't until I was ten that I got better, I was back in my parents care for a year and a half before the accident that took their lives happened. I was quickly placed into foster care when Inko refused to take me in, five months later you found me and adopted me. Then we can just say the truth from there. My quirk developed under extreme stress, I had a lot of healing, I finished school within six months of living with you, I have several degrees, I am a fashion disaster, and now you are adopting a severely abused boy." As Izumi speaks she's hacking through Inko's computer, phone and cloud account for photos.
Nezu is finished braiding her hair into twin tails when there are feet thumping their way down the stairs. Nezu gets up and goes to help Keigo in the kitchen as Izumi starts doctoring the photos to include her. 
She can hears dishes flatted as Nezu loads them into the dishwasher, then he's dragging a box into the kitchen, it's one of his case file boxes that he gets from the police force to help solve crimes. 
 
It takes two hours for Izumi to doctor the photos, replace the originals with hers in both Mitsuki and Inko's devices and cloud account. When she's done Keigo is just sitting down next to her with his hair and wings still wet and a towel in his hand. 
"Let me help rosefinch." She laughs lightly. 
Gently she rubs the towel through her hair, it's not as thick as her own so it takes less time to get it only damp, with his wings she carefully runs it down in the same direction that his feather go, it takes time but soon they are only slightly damp as well. 
"Give them a fluff and a shake for me." Izumi tell Keigo, she had looked up some care tips before she first went to bed last night. 
Keigo follows her direction without any hesitation, when he's done he looks like a fluffy baby bird and Izumi falls a little more in love. 
"Go get your oil and comb, I'll give you a preen before we figure out what to do today." Izumi drops the towel she had been using over Keigo's head and it earns her a laugh before the boy is sprinting away.
He's back faster than Izumi thought he would be, just before he sits again Keigo fluffs his wings and Izumi spots his hair fluffing up with the feathers, Izumi has to work hard to stop herself from laughing. 
Once the oil is in her hands and the comb is sitting on the couch between them Keigo stretches his left wing out, Izumi opens the bottle noticing it's a light vanilla scent as she posts some out into a cupped hand. 
Snapping the bottle shut again she puts it beside the comb and then runs her hands together. 
Making her hands into loose claws she starts at the joint where wing meets skin, she takes her fingers through the feathers twice just to be sure she has them all coated before moving on to the rest with the same care. Izumi needs to recoat her hands with oil three more times before the whole wing is finished. 
Next she picks up a wide toothed wooden comb and starts to drag it through the feathers again, realigning any with her free hand as she goes. Izumi does this twice before she and Keigo switch sides to do the right wing. 
The longer Izumi presents Keigo's feathers the more relaxed he becomes, little chirps and coos leaving him. 
"All done." Izumi tells Keigo, she hands him back the preening items and gets up herself to clean off her hands. 
"Nee-chan, what are we going to do today?" Keigo asked Izumi from the stairs. 
"What do you want to do?" Izumi asks right back, as she starts pulling out things to make sandwiches. "Lunch first though. You too dad." 
Izumi quickly puts the sandwiches together and on one big plate. Keigo had come and grabbed smaller plates for each of them to use. 
"Can we play a game after?" Keigo asks as he grabs a sandwich. 
"What kind of game? I know my friends picked a few out, those should be in your room. But we can go outside too." Izumi eyes Nezu who still hadn't taken a sandwich, as he hits to reach for another paper Izumi taps his paw and pointed looks at the food. 
"Really?" Keigo asks, sounding more excited about being outside than he had about playing a game. 
"Mmmyep, I even know where the park is." Izumi tries to sweeten the deal, and with all the cyber stalking she has done on Endeavour she knows that Rei takes the kids there every Sunday afternoon. 
Nezu must hear something in her voice that has his head snapping towards her, she lets her grin turn a little feral. 
"Mmm dad will even come, I saw a family there, two children had ice quirks and one had a really powerful fire quirk, the fire user looks about your age." Nezu's answering toothy grin is enough for Izumi to know she was understood. 
"I haven't been to the park since I was taken." Keigo says with a sad sniffle. 
"Why don't we make it even better and I can invite my friends too, then you can meet Oboro and Nemuri." Izumi offers, she knows that it's going to be hard, Keigo had been deprived of so much that everything was going to be a new experience again. 
"Shō-nii and Zashi-nii?" Keigo perks up a little, and Izumi is so happy that her little rosefinch liked them. 
"Yep!" Izumi says back just as chipper. "I just have to message them and ask, dad has to clean up his papers and the dishes."
Mouse?Bear?Human?: My rosefinch hasn't been to the park since the commission took him, he would like to play with you all. 
IBreakGlass: be there in under 2 hours gotta finish my chores ಥﭛಥ
FemFatale: shō and I will be there in 30
LoudAssCloud: u sure? 
                           : I just mean what if were 2 much?
Mouse?Bear?Human?: He will be fine, he loves Zashi and Shō. 
                                        : He's already dubbed them Zashi-nii and Shō-nii, and I'm sure you will be Obo-nii soon enough. 
LoudAssCloud: ( -_・) ︻デ═一 ▸
                           : (*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*) .。.:*♡
                           : be there when I can
LoudAssCloud is offline.
3 notes · View notes
jaimesam · 3 years
Text
Sawtooth
We woke up on the morning of our fourth day in the Sawtooth wilderness feeling spry. It can take a day, or two, or three before the rhythm of backpacking— wake up, wolf down some instant oatmeal, slurp up some instant coffee, shoulder a 35 pound pack and start the day’s climb—begins to feel right. This was our morning.
A miracle: the skies had truly cleared of wildfire smoke for the first time since setting off from Grandjean. Good timing, too: our day ahead would be perhaps the best of the trip — up and over Cramer Pass, beneath “The Temple,” down past the Cramer Lakes and up again to Alpine Lake, reputedly a gem. We hit the trail with bounce in our step.
Three, four, five miles into our hike we were still having fun, even as we began to wonder — was it possible that Hidden Lake was, in fact, so hidden that we wouldn’t see it from the trail? When would we hit the killer climb up to Cramer Pass? Slogging through overgrown brush and clambering over deadfall — all of which felt oddly familiar — we encountered a group of five friendly outdoorsmen from Seattle.
“Morning.”
“Afternoon.”
“Am I right that we’ve got a climb ahead?”
“Oh no, it’s all downhill from here.”
“Hmm.”
“Where are you trying to get to?”
“Well we were aiming for Cramer Lakes…”
“Oh you’re a long way from there. This trail goes down to Grandjean.”
“Oh my god.”
Jaime caught up.
“We took a wrong turn.”
“I thought so.”
“It’s a bad one.”
“How bad?”
“The good news is that we’ve been making great time. Covered a lot of miles.”
“And?”
“That lake was Elk Lake. This is the trail we hiked in on our first day.”
“How…”
“Five miles ago. Missed a turn.”
“God damn it.”
“Actually more like five and a half.”
Oh yes, there were signs. Including literal signs made of actual wood. Two of which we somehow blew blindly past, and a third: seen but egregiously misinterpreted. Also the creek we had crossed thrice, which, had we been paying close attention, we might have noticed was flowing in the wrong direction. Or beautiful Smith Falls, which we had passed two days before. Or the 2.4 miles of the South Fork of the Payette Trail we had hiked on day one — the most grueling and unattractive stretch of trail we had yet encountered — you would think we might have realized something was amiss. And yet.
“We could just hike out.”
“It would be eleven more miles.”
“So we backtrack.”
“Five and a half. Uphill.”
“We’re spending an extra night out here, aren’t we?”
“I think so.”
“Do we have extra food?”
“We have enough food.”
“I hate this.”
So we backtracked. An eleven mile detour, all told, with 1500 feet of elevation lost and then gained agin, for no reason, on unremarkable, overgrown, valley trails with views of nothing but dense forest, overgrown with scrubby mountain brush. The last few miles, a steady and grueling climb, brought us back to where we had missed our first sign, six hours before. We collapsed at the intersection, refilled our bottles, and snacked on salami — the promise of which was all that had gotten us up the hill. Mosquitoes and black flies swarmed, and the sky, which had begun the day clear, turned a pinkish gray as wildfire smoke began to dim the sun again.
“Why do we do this?”
“Good question.”
Onward to Hidden Lake, not so hidden after all. After dragging ourselves over 14 miles — 3 miles of forward progress from our last camp — we collapsed on a grassy shoreline, and rinsed our scratched and bruised bodies in the glassy frigid water. The lake sat beneath two pointed cliffs, side by side — one of red stone, the other gray— and the sun set early in the narrow valley. Trout jumped, snatching flies from the water’s surface, and pair of mergansers jetted around the lake, snatching the fish in turn. Exhausted, we fell asleep listening to hermit thrushes whistling their fluting ethereal song over the quiet rush of cascades tumbling down the cliffs, filling the lake.
Tumblr media
We woke up, wolfed down some instant oatmeal, slurped up some instant coffee, and began the day’s climb. Up and over Cramer Pass, beneath “The Temple,” a tower of red sandstone capped with a knobby monolith that might well have been the icon of some desert religion. We descended again to the three Cramer Lakes, each one cascading to the next, down further to cross a rushing stream of snowmelt and spring water. We dipped our hats and bandannas in the almost-freezing water to drip down our necks and backs in the hot afternoon. Then we’re climbing again, this time twice as high, twice as far, to Alpine Lake, a pristine tarn carved into the side of the slope, a fine place for a salami break. Then higher, sweating our way up to the day’s second pass. We looked down on the Baron Lakes, where we would camp for the night, and across the lakes to Warbonnet Peak and Monte Verita, grey and purple in the late afternoon shadows.
“This is why we do this.”
“Yeah.”
One reason, anyway. The most obvious reason. If you did a survey of the people who somehow ended up at the top of the pass above Baron Lakes, this would be the number one reason cited for braving the insects and the varmints, dealing with the aches and the rashes, and slogging up a mountain with a heavy pack: the views, the vistas, the landscapes, the panoramas. The drama of the mountains. It’s like cooking your own meal — it tastes better when you’ve worked for it, earned it, done it yourself. The view from the pass is more beautiful for the sweat and exertion dragging your body and your pack up the climb.
We got more the following day as we descended from the Baron Lakes, our final day on the trail. An oceanic valley opened up beneath us, ringed by steep cliffs and rockslides of red and grey and purple, Baron Creek turning into a 30 foot waterfall. You can’t find this outside the mountains, this sense of three-dimensional space. Of looking down a valley two miles wide as it falls away from your feet, three thousand feet down. Like standing in the greatest of civilization’s cathedrals, but one with enough open space to park a carrier group, with more room for a fleet of attack submarines below.
Tumblr media
After five nights and six days, we have become the land. Smeared with the dust of an arid country, we blend in with the rock and dirt. And despite our daily dips in the alpine lakes of the Sawtooth, we smell like it too. That first shower will feel great. The first meal — Jaime’s been fantasizing about a tuna melt and French fries, Sam has been inexplicably craving pancakes — even better. This is also why we backpack. It feels awfully good to have done it.
More than just the relief and indulgence of returning to civilization, a week in the mountains offers a welcome reset on city life. I am a city person. I like living in a density of people, living within a stroll of most everything I need, nearby neighbors and friends. But I crave the balance offered by nature, by a week in the woods, a month in the mountains. We’ll return feeling refreshed, glad to be back, awed by the commonplace luxuries of modern urban living: a world’s worth of cuisines, at my doorstep in 20 minutes; humanity’s complete works of recorded music, in my pocket. We’ll be very glad to have done it, for all its ups and downs. And, more immediately, we’re glad to be done.
“I’m sore.”
“Me too.”
“My blister just popped.”
“Ew.”
“I feel great.”
“Me too.”
Leaning on the car, we ease off our boots. The horseflies are back at this lower elevation, and their buzzing takes us back to last week when we tightened our laces and adjusted the straps on our pack in preparation for starting our trip. We had arrived at Grandjean just a few hours behind the first wave of wildfire smoke. Hiking in July, we thought we’d beat the wildfires to the punch; no such luck. So we started our hike in a haze - literal and figurative - wondering if we’d be walking up mountains for 54 miles with the reward of smoggy vistas waiting at the passes and peaks.
The first day’s hike didn’t lift that haze. The trail was overgrown, not often used, with deadfall lying across our path requiring us to clamber over dead trunks or bushwhack through brush to get around. Horseflies dogged us, buzzing and biting. As we climbed, sweating, copses of trembling aspen yielded to a forest of ponderosa pine, white spruce, douglas fir, and horseflies yielded to mosquitoes. Six miles up the trail, we encountered two fellow hikers, who informed us that the first good campsite was another eight miles ahead, and that they were churning out 20 miles in a day to get out of this godforsaken wilderness pronto. Terrific.
Fortunately, they were wrong, and we soon found a very fine place to pitch a tent next to a small waterfall. The Payette River’s headwaters split and cascaded down on either side of a great red rock, and every few seconds, the waters surged and a shower of snowmelt would surge over the rock itself, spraying into the air.
Tumblr media
A western tanager — electric yellow body, reddish head, and jet black wings — flitted through the campsite. So did chipmunks, rushing around frantically to spread the good news that a pair of slovenly campers had finally arrived, and the summer’s harvest was here at last.
“Look at the cheeks on that little guy.”
“He’s just dying to fill them up with our trail mix.”
Joke’s on us. His cheeks were already full. We turn around, and our bag of trail mix has been chewed open, our week’s supply of almonds, cashews, chocolate, and cranberries pawed through and looted.
“Oh no!”
“Tou thieving little bastard! You bandit! Son of a bitch!”
He was long gone, and presumably the life of the party in whatever chipmunk den he had retreated to. Not wanting to contract whatever rodent virus the chipmunks might have left on our nuts — and not wanting to reward their banditry — I fed our entire supply of trail mix to the fish, swearing profusely as each morsel washed downstream. We have enough food without it, I think.
Our second morning, we awoke to what appeared as a fine morning mist; the pines in the middle distance enveloped in a grey cloud; the ridgeline hazy. But central Idaho is a dry country, this time of year. There is no mist. The wildfire smoke has thickened, and an image of peace transforms to a vague and grim picture of threat and foreboding. We shoulder our packs and resume the climb; eleven more miles on the trail, plus half a mile vertically.
As we walk we get our first glimpses of sawtooth silhouette. Steep rocky cliffs capped with jagged ridgelines, hazy and dark in the smoke against the grey sky. We cross a cold stream, boots off, sandals on, almost knee deep in the rushing icy water. We stop to rest — our first salami break of the trip! — beside Smith Falls, a roaring cascade.
“Do you have the hand sanitizer?”
“I thought you had it.”
“Nope.”
“Where’s the soap?”
“Packed with the hand sanitizer.”
“We’re disgusting.”
The day has gotten hot, and our final mile is a savage climb, switchbacking up the rough talus slope of Mt. Everly. Closing in on 9000’ feet of elevation, we stop to catch our breath every few steps and soak in the panorama behind us: smoky and grey, but astounding nonetheless, with miles of views into wilderness valleys ringed by sawtooth ridges.
Finally, we climb high enough that a lake reveals itself as a sliver of blue, and then it’s at our feet. Everly Lake is a sapphire droplet, water clear to the bottom, the gently rippling surface sparkling azure in the late afternoon sun. It sits beneath the east face of Mt. Everly, a scree cliff dropping a thousand feet to the water’s edge, across from where we set up camp. We haven’t seen another soul all day, and we have this lake very much to ourselves.
Tumblr media
Why do we do this? An interesting question because, in case it’s not obvious, backpacking trips involve a considerable quantity of suffering. We do it for the satisfaction and rejuvenation of completing a trip, certainly. And obviously the views — even when they’re gray and hazy. But this — this is really why we hump heavy packs up rocky cliffs, put up with clouds of insects and wildfire smoke, endure blisters and aches and altitude sickness. There is freedom in solitude (dual solitude, in our case), and real solitude is a hard thing to come by. Hot and sweaty and ragged from the climb, I splash into the glass-clear snowmelt of Everly Lake, naked as a wild animal.
When telling people about our big trip west, our route through Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, the most frequent first response was “ah, you’re doing the parks.” Meaning the National Parks, those natural American wonders with scenic byways leading drivers to the parks’ iconic sights, visitors’ centers full of gifts and amenities and fun facts, and influencers dangling their immaculate bodies over sheer cliffs to rack up the likes. Not so. We are, in fact, avoiding the Parks at all costs, instead seeking solitude in forests and wilderness — the likes of the Sawtooth.
In March, we took a trip to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, hoping to hike and revel in some of the finest scenery you’ll find east of the Mississippi. The joke was very much on us. Day one, we spent two hours in the car, inching toward a trailhead, in a miles-long snake of cars and trucks and RVs. In July and August, Yellowstone National Park transmutes from the largest national park in the lower 48 into the biggest parking lot on the North American continent. People sleep in their cars on the road to Zion, in the hopes of snagging a shot at a sunrise selfie.
It’s been fifty years since Edward Abbey wrote Desert Solitaire, which I’ve been reading on the trail. The book is an account of his summers as a ranger in the park that would eventually become Arches. He lamented road-building in National Parks, and proposed banning cars altogether, a fine idea. Many of our Parks did alright for decades, even with their roads and scenic byways; today’s plauge, clogging those roads and viewpoints and even some of the trails, is known as Instagram. The secret is out about the natural beauty of the American west, and the hoards have flocked.
Of course, not everyone out here in nature is seeking solitude. That’s fine. Certainly, every person has a right to see and experience earth’s great wonders. But even for the casual nature tourist, I would posit that the Grand Canyon would be better enjoyed with enough room to swing one’s arms. What to do about it? Who knows. The French are de-marketing their national parks, advertising the flaws and shortcomings of the country’s great natural sites; another fine idea, maybe there are others. At any rate, Abbey is lucky to be dead; the sight of hoards of selfie-snappers crowding for the perfect pic at Mesa Arch would kill him over again.
For those who do seek something approaching solitude, it’s harder and harder to find. We’ve avoided the National Parks, but even many of the forest campgrounds are full beyond the brim. We’ve spent evenings driving around the backwoods, trying in vain to find a good place to camp that isn’t already clogged with RVs. And I’m not here to tell anyone how to enjoy nature, but I am here to tell you that the RV is a blight upon American wilderness. Pulling into a campground in a forgotten corner of the Black Hills, and listening to a fleet of generators run for hours is, shall we say, irritating. If your idea of exploring America’s natural beauty involves parking a bus that costs as much as Lamborghini in the woods and running a generator 16 hours a day to keep your A/C running and your TV on, why not save yourself the trouble — and do the rest of us a favor — and stay home?
As one friend likes to say, gazing up at a spectacular mountain view and taking a contented sigh: “We mean nothing.” In the city, it’s hard to see yourself outside the contemporary, the immediate, the urgent. Put yourself in nature, in the shadow of a great peak or at the bottom of a colossal canyon, and it becomes possible to see your ego and your consciousness in a more accurate perspective: transient, insignificant. There’s freedom in that. And peace.
Tumblr media
The chipmunks of Everly Lake share the thieving attitude of their cousins down the mountain. As we sat absorbing the last of the orange sun’s rays, we heard a rustling behind us, and caught one in the act trying to seize our sesame crisps. Rather than chewing through the bag and filling his fat cheeks with whatever they could carry, this greedy fellow had his tiny arms wrapped around the entire ziploc bag, attempting to make off with the whole kit and kaboodle. Not today, chipmunk. We learned our lesson. Our food bag didn’t leave our sight the rest of the trip.
We awoke the next morning to the smell of a campfire burning outside our tent. Poking my head out into the grey predawn light — no campfire, just a thick cloud of wildfire smoke. The far shore was shrouded in haze, and our sparkling blue lake had turned dull; a grim sense of foreboding gripped us as we wolfed down our instant oatmeal, slurped up our instant coffee, and shouldered our packs to descend from Everly.
We hop from lake to lake through the southern Sawtooth, and, mercifully, the cloud of smoke thins as we go. Not a soul on the trail, as we dip our toes in lakes with wonderful names — Ingeborg, Spangle, Ardeth— and some quotidian names — Rock Slide, Vernon, Benedict. I regret leaving my binoculars in the car, we try to ID our avian companions anyway. Most will end up in our books as LBBs (little brown birds), curious peepers and cheepers. We do grow fond of the white-capped sparrow, which looks like it’s wearing a bike helmet and sings a song that sounds like the opening refrain of Baby Shark. Funny little fellow.
We arrive at Lake Edna, our camp for the night, and the skies have cleared. We are treated to sunset over a glassy indigo surface. We watch the sun fall behind the same mountain that it has set behind for hundreds, thousands of summer evenings previous. It’s harder and harder to find pristine nature like this, unaltered by humanity. If some other person had felt compelled to make the same hike, climb the same hill 500 or 5000 Julys ago, they would have seen the same thing, heard the same birds, enjoyed the shade of the same trees. There is magic in that.
We woke up on the morning of our fourth day in the Sawtooth wilderness feeling spry.
Tumblr media
This essay borrows liberally and consciously in structure and style from Messrs. Edward Abbey & John McPhee.
3 notes · View notes
Text
The Show Must Go On! - A Youtuber AU you didn’t want and didn’t need
Hisoka Morrow, italian Makeup Youtuber, enjoys his life in the comfort and occasional drama of his profession. But nothing brings more drama into his life than the eldest son of the Zoldyck fashion magazine empire.
Meanwhile, aspiring australian Twitch Streamer Gon Freecs forms a special bond to a Speedrunner commonly going by "Kil".
Chapter 1 
FF.net link - AO3 link 
Beep Beep. beep Beep. Click
8:00 am. Hisoka rolled over in his queen-sized bed, groaning at the interruption of his beauty sleep. Setting an early alarm after editing until 2 am was a horrible idea.
He grabbed his phone from his nightstand and rolls onto his back, following his ritual of checking all his notifications in the morning. The video he had uploaded after editing was well received, many comments about how he should try more looks with purple eyeshadow. About 3 years ago he had started his channel “Bubblegumbitch Makeup” as more of a throwaway joke after someone insulted his makeup on Instagram. However, an audience grew quite quickly, and Hisoka had to admit that he enjoyed the attention and luxury of it all. Making money by sitting in front of a camera and applying Makeup while people tell you how good looking you are is a great ego boost.
Half-heartedly he scrolled through his subscription feed, just to see what his competition was up to, though barely anyone had really uploaded during the night. Amateurs and their 'healthy' sleep schedules. A true influencer knows that an audience never sleeps.
 He disregarded his phone somewhere into the pile of pillows that make up his bed and made his way into the bathroom. His morning showers are more functional than enjoyable, quickly rinsing on whatever spirits of sleep may linger on him.
After that, the Makeup artist applied his usual morning creams, body lotion, towel dries his hair, and threw on a pair of grey low-waist sweats and a comfortable white razor-back shirt. Need. Coffee.
 Hisokas flat was a quaint little thing just outside of Rieti. An open imitation marble kitchen, facing the living room equipped with a black leather couch and wall mounted flat screen TV, opening to a relatively small balcony housing a few plants.
Exiting his bedroom, he grabbed the TV remote and switched unto a random morning news show, just needing background noise while he waits for his coffee to brew.
"And preparations are running wild for the annual Fashion Week in Rome. This year the line-up features many new promising designers from all over the globe. Tune in at 10 for more-"
The fashion week! Hisoka grinned, having nearly forgotten about this important event that he had always followed closely. Though rarely attending himself, he had been requested on multiple occasions as a make-up artist for certain models. But there was something more important connected to that special week. He grabbed his fresh cappuccino and strolled back to his room, fishing his phone from the depths of pillow mountain.
"Hisoka: Gooooood Morning! Roma's Fashion Week is coming up, are you going to stop on by? ~"
It didn’t take long before his phone chimed with the familiar Ping of a private Message.
“Bellissimo <3: I will be going to the Show for 4 days. If it proves convenient, I’d drop by for a short collaboration.”
“Hisoka: I’ll be keeping my bed warm~♥️”
“Bellissimo<3: Gross and unnecessary. I will book a room in my usual hotel in Rome. I’ll drop by for the Collaboration on Monday afternoon, and leave after.”
“Bellissimo<3: I will send you some sample pieces later, please come up with a look for one of them, and don’t just ‘wing it’ like last time.”
Hisoka giggled before disregarding his phone again. Illumi Zoldyck, breakthrough Fashion Designer from England, and eldest son of Zoldyck fashion magazine empire, who often uploaded videos of his artistic process on his channel “I. Zoldyck Fashion”. They had met 2 years ago, at a smaller Paris fashion show, the first one Hisoka ever attended. A model had requested Hisoka as her makeup artist, while Illumi had been working on a dress for her, and the two of them ended up working closely together to properly coordinate colours with each other. And though Illumi expressed great annoyance with Hisoka, they exchanged numbers, and started to make collab videos whenever they fell into the same place. Something about working together with Illumi got Hisokas heart racing. Seeing the camera-shy man get increasingly more frustrated with his antics was a joy that could hardly be topped.
But he didn’t have time to dwell in good memories and spine-tingling anticipation. He had work to do. And so once again he chucked his phone back into the pillow-cave system and made his way into his recording room.
It was a small office space, on one side an office Desk with a Desktop Computer, a couple of small succulent plants framing it, and a comfy black office chair. On the other side a set-up to record videos, with a white-pink gradient wall, a stainless white desk with a small mirror standing on it, and a less-comfy stool to sit on. In a smooth motion, Hisoka downed the rest of his coffee, set the cup aside, and started the camera. The night before he had laid out everything for his next video, a review for a new eyeshadow palette released by another Beauty Youtuber, still trying to get into the game. How Cute.
Hisoka clapped his hands together, putting on his best camera smile. “Hey, Scum! ~ Today I have a very special treat for you all. I got my hands on the new Togari Palette ‘Hunting for Your Dreams’, his first release.” He held up the shimmering silver case and opened it up for the camera to reveal 6 eyeshadows in various shades of orange and red. About half an hour and a couple try hard glamour shots later, Hisoka dropped the Palette with a grin, staring directly into the Camera. In addition to his signature Star and Teardrop under his eyes, he had attempted to imitate a flame-inspired eyeshadow look. “Well, this has been an absolute disaster. I feel like I’m losing clumps of eyeshadow every time I blink, and it feels sandy and irritating on my skin. But you have got to give it to Togari: I have never seen a Palette that features colours that are eye-biting and yet completely bland before. Though the surprise gift of a long, brown hair inside the sealed Palette wasn’t for me. But you know, if you see these Palettes in your local bargain bin, I’d say go for it.” He gave a cheeky wink, before rattling off his usual goodbyes, like and subscribe, yadda yadda.
Click.
Hisoka took the camera and set it by his computer. Before he could even think about editing, he must wipe away whatever the hell was in that shabby palette. Of course it wasn’t the worst make-up he had ever worn; it probably wouldn’t even make it in the bottom 10, he wasn’t here to make friends and spoon-feed his competition compliments. If a creator dares to churn out a subpar product, they have to deal with the consequences.
After practically subjecting himself to water torture via make-up remover towels, the man grabbed another whiteclaw from the fridge, and settled into his office chair. Digging through business emails was a boring, repetitive task, deleting promo-email after promo-email, practically begging him to promote some skin-care vitamins or boring phone app. Clicking the nails of his free hand against his desk, he tapped away at the delete button in a rhythm only known to him.
Finally reaching the bottom of his inbox, he switched to his private Inbox with a satisfied smile, an expected email already waiting for him. “From: I. Zoldyck: Roma Fashion Week Promos”.  To my private Email, dear Illumi? How shockingly Intimate~ Hisoka mocked in his head while opening the mail.  
“Hisoka.
Attached are 3 Designs I plan to show off at the show. Chose one for the collaboration and let me know in time.
Sincerely,
Illumi Zoldyck.”
Under his signature, 3 files were lined up, boringly titled “Design Roma 1/2/3”. Hisoka opened the first file and is greeted by a 2-piece suit with a light pink base colour, and blue-green flower highlights that frame the pockets and seams of the jacket, and the belt of the pants. Not bad, not bad.
The second file contained another 2-piece suit, this time with a black base colour, and a repeating roman-vase pattern in eye-catching blues, pinks, and oranges. Lovely pattern, and what a revealing jacket cut~. He was sure he had found his favourite, already planning a matching make-up look. But it wouldn’t hurt looking at the last design for pity, right?
Hisoka audibly gasped in a mixture of shock and flattery and laid a hand over his heart to complete the star performance. Staring back at him was a beautiful white-jeans design, patterned with colourful card-suits dotting the jacket and pants. The pattern was ever so slightly washed out, faking a vintage look. This is it. Mine. His heart was beating through his chest, and for the first time in a while he was truly speechless.
He had 3 more weeks until the show, but his mind was already bursting with inspiration, and when he later laid in bed, he couldn’t contain his grin as he texted.
“Hisoka: You already know which one im choosing~♥️♥️♥️”
 --------------------------------------------
Gon had been streaming for a good hour or so, talking excitedly to his chat about the new Season of Fortnite, admiring new skins that he was definitely going to try and get. Every new pass just meant a new challenge for him to prove himself, and it was undeniable that it was satisfying to work and game hard to get what he wanted. Just as he was about to ask chat if he should go another row, or change games for the night, a discord message drew his attention away.
“Kil: Yo, wanna team up? :p”
Filled with even more excitement, Gon returned his attention back to his stream. “Everyone, today we are going to feature a special guest!”
40 notes · View notes
caughtupinmyfeels · 3 years
Text
Every night at 12 o'clock on the dot, it never fails, you call me up. Talking 'bout you had a bad day, so you're pullin' up. So I pour up a cup of just what you need, 'cause I know what you need. | #WhenWillILearn?
Tumblr media
You know that kind of sleep where you’re straight up dead to the world? The kind of sleep where you can just turn over and fall even deeper into slumber because your body was so relaxed and needed the chance to recharge? I was in that place and it felt fucking amazing. I stretched with feline-like precision, my bare legs tangling in the bed sheets as I pulled them up over my shoulders. The room had dropped in temperature overnight, a subtle chill in the air making me want to bury myself deeper into the comfortable warmth. I wasn’t even sure what time it was, and frankly I didn’t care. Morning, noon or night, I had nowhere to be in that moment and I was glad. I turned onto my stomach, my lips parting in a soft yawn as my brain stirred, starting to fire up. It was so quiet. So peaceful. It was either really early, or really fucking late. The fact that I couldn’t hear music of any kind or the sound of movement outside my door had me reaching under my pillow for my phone. Holy shit. It was late. Had I really slept the day away? It was a natural reaction to feel the stirrings of what the fuck, but I reminded myself that it didn’t really matter. I lifted my head, glancing towards the window, the darkness comforting. My phone screen brightness was at the lowest setting, the sleep cycle app that was running blocking all notifications so that I wouldn’t be disturbed. Thank goodness for small mercies. My eyes flickered shut again, another yawn escaping as I shifted onto my back, pulling my hair over my shoulder as I dismissed do not disturb, my stomach twisting into a knot when I saw the multiple missed calls and text messages on my screen. Immediately, I swiped left to clear them, but the damage was done. My mind had gone from being gently awoken to firing on all cylinders. Fuck. I sighed, dropping my phone before my hand lifted to rub at my eyes, making a face when I saw the black smeared across it. I’d forgotten to take my make up off again. Getting home so late had me just kicking off my heels, peeling off my jeans and diving into bed. Sometimes, you need that. To not just give a fuck. Lately? I had run right out of them.
Whipping back the covers, I swung my bare legs over the side of the bed, standing to my feet. A shiver ran down my spine as the cold hit, pulling my T-shirt as far down over my ass as I could. I needed coffee and a hot shower. Pulling open my bedroom door, even though I knew nobody was here, I still tiptoed from my room to the bathroom. Slipping my hand behind the shower curtain, I flipped the shower on, turning it up to get the temperature nice and hot. While I let it run, I sought out the nectar of the gods. A soft snicker escaped as I saw the post it note ontop of the Keurig. ‘Just hit the button’ was all it said, @Dillon’s perfect handwriting making me laugh. I did as he suggested and leaned against the counter as the machine started to brew, the scent of French vanilla filling the kitchen. Heaven. I grabbed my creamer from the fridge, watching the coffee flow in a steady stream into my cup. When the machine stopped, I loaded my cup up and took it to the bathroom with me. Steam was billowing out of the shower, the warmth taking away the chill of the apartment. Taking a sip from my cup before I set it down, I groaned as the sweetness of the creamer hit my tongue. So freaking good. Pulling my shirt over my head, I let it drop to the floor before I pushed my panties down and stepped out of them. I wasn’t even daring a glance into the mirror before I got into the shower. I had no doubt I was a hot mess. I let the steam envelop me, the heat of the water hitting my skin with welcome pressure. A sigh of relief escaped as I lifted my hand to run through my hair, the other resting against the cool tile wall. My mind was racing. It always did when #Noah decided he had the balls to come back round again. It was always the same old routine. The phone calls and texts would start. When he realized he was getting ignored, he would hang round outside the bar, hoping to get at me that way. Sometimes he did. Sometimes he didn’t. It had been nearly six months since I last saw him. Six blissful, quiet months in which nobody had tried to play with my head or my heart. It was complicated. In fact, that was a bit of an understatement. We made complicated look pretty simple. No matter how hard I tried to stop myself from reminiscing, I never could. I had learned to detach myself from the memories, but the echoes of the feelings were still there. I closed my eyes, image after image assaulting my mind. When you love someone, it never really goes away. It burns for the rest of your life or it changes you. There are so many different types of love that you’re never really out of it. You’re just in a different state. Six months ago? My wounds had been reopened. The stitches that I’d sloppily inflicted on my heart never had the hope of healing. Yet, I kept on doing it. I’d swore it was the last time and in my mind, it was. I’d made it clear, hadn’t I? We weren’t good for each other. We never had been. If we were? Our relationship would have worked out the first time around. #Noah didn’t agree. The second, third and fourth times weren’t much better and each of them did a hell of a number on my heart. It was the back and forth, unsteady steps and uncertainty that finally had me calling time on us. Every time I got pulled in, he played to my weaknesses. I love you. I need you. Poof went my sense and down went my panties. We would fall into bed and I would tell myself that it was just a one time thing. We would fuck and fight. Swear to stay away from each other. Then the texts would start. The late night phone calls that would go on for hours. We’d promise that we could be friends. Date other people. It would work for a while. Then, the cycle would start again.
I miss you. Can I come over? I would get stuck thinking about the crappy date I’d been on that week, or remember that night I got too drunk and ended up with a noname who needed a fucking map to find my clit. Every time, #Noah would swoop in and make me feel like it was the first time all over again. He would kiss me and the fire would start again and need would take over. It didn’t matter if we were in the middle of a bar or in the backseat of his car. It was impossible to resist. His hand would be in my panties while he whispered dirty little things into my ear. It was like an addiction that had no cure and I had no will to fight it. Except the last time -was- the last time. I’d fallen for his sweet talk yet again, my cooch and heart doing the thinking. I’d gone into it legs open and got fucked in ways I wasn’t prepared for. The one thing you don’t want to hear from a guy when you’ve spent most of the afternoon with his dick in your mouth and his head between your legs? I’ve met someone. It was like a switch had been flipped in me. There were no niceties. We didn’t part as friends. We didn’t part as anything. It was done. I’d come to the realization that he’d never made an effort to let me go because he loved me, he just didn’t want anyone else to have me. I was just too stupid to see it. Dicknotized. I wasn’t falling for it again. Squeezing a glob of shampoo into my hand, I lathered up my hair, before I reached for my puff and body wash. No matter how many times I scrubbed myself, I could still feel him on me. Inside me. The memories felt like fingertips gripping my hips. Like bruises that never faded. Painful. Everlasting. Yet invisible to the eyes. I thought that they had healed, but clearly, I wasn’t quite there yet. I hated the scent of the body wash. It reminded me of him. Of the one too many times that Dillon had caught us in here, loudly proclaiming that we were fucking animals who should be on display in a zoo. He was one of the main reasons why I’d stayed away from #Noah. Every time I had a moment, he’d remind me of the ten pounds I gained from inhaling nothing but Ben and Jerry’s in the days that followed our last go round. He would remind me that no dick was worth gaining a double chin for. Especially dick that drove a truck and said y’all far too much. He was my saving grace. My best friend. The one who put me to bed after too much wine and knew my coffee order off by heart. He said everything I needed to hear without saying a word. If he was straight? I probably would’ve fallen head over heels for him. All the best ones were gay. Thankful that my mind was turning around, I rinsed my hair and washed my face, determined to leave #Noah locked up tight at the back of my mind, where he belonged.
My coffee was still warm when I got out of the shower, and I chugged it back before I decided to eat something more substantial than the poptart I’d crammed after I got home last night. I turned up the air in the apartment, rubbing a towel through my wet hair after I got dressed. I was nothing but nipples in this ice box. Dumping the towel in my laundry basket, I grabbed my phone and took it with me into the living room. Getting comfortable on the sofa, I saw several more missed calls, blowing out a breath at the way it made me feel. Nervous. Apprehensive. The thing that surprised me the most? The lack of my heart skipping a beat. There was none of that weird energy that usually filled me, making me feel like I couldn’t sit still. Maybe I really was finally getting over Noah. Letting go of all the hurt, resentment and frustration was good for my soul. So was Chinese food. Muting Noah’s number so he would fade into the oblivion of missed notifications, I ordered dinner, firing off a text to Dillon to tell him I’d ordered his favorite orange chicken and was planning to eat it all. The minute my phone pinged with his response, I was laughing. “You’re going to die alone and fat. With a dozen cats that will eat your face.” I set my phone down, grabbing the Apple TV remote from the coffee table. Every girl needed some McDreamy on a Friday night. Dillon had already spoiled it for me, so I knew my days with Derek Shepard were numbered. Meredith Grey was a lucky bitch. I needed all that pick me, choose me, love me crap. Men like him didn’t really exist and it gave women like me unrealistic expectations. It was probably why I kept going back to a guy who could promise me nothing but multiple orgasms. The sigh that left my lips was real. I’d heard every pick up line, every cheesy come-on. Working at a bar had served me well over the years. I’d been a therapist, agony aunt and a consoler of the heartbroken for years. Heard every kind of scandalous story you could imagine, and seen more bathroom stall sex than I cared to. I’d also been hit on so many times that I was immune to it. I could shoot the shit with just about anyone without a single dent in my bumper. Well, except for the Noah sized one, and I was looking for a good mechanic to pop that out. I got swept away in the show, jumping out of my skin when the doorbell rang. Shit. I grabbed some cash from my purse, counting it as I went to the door. Yeah, I had enough and then some for a tip. I went to pull the door open, soft laughter escaping when I realized that Dillon had double locked the door. Flipping the latch back, I pulled the door open, my breath hitching in my throat when I saw #Noah on the other side of the door. “We need to talk.”
Story first published on Twitter. Find me on @GiveMeAThrilI.
10 notes · View notes