#I’ve gotten a ton of nice asks lately sorry I’ve been slow responding to them!

[unbridgeabledistances]

final part of valentine’s day fic is here!! this is maximum fluff, i hope u enjoy:’)

--

Mickey sauntered into the Gallagher house, rubbing his hands together to warm them as he quickly slammed the front door shut to block out the bitter cold. He shuffled his coat off his shoulders, trying to go through the same mental checklist he’d been that had been running through his mind all week. Okay. 7 o’clock. He was right on time— now he just needed to shower, and put on a clean fucking shirt before he tried to get Ian to come with him…

Mickey turned the corner into the living room— and was met with Ian standing there, leaning against the back of the couch with his hands behind his back. The lights in the living room were dim, and the house was surprisingly silent for a Saturday evening; if Mickey didn’t know any better, it seemed like someone had coordinated having all the Gallaghers out of the house at the same time this evening.

His eyes flickered to meet Ian’s, who was watching him carefully and steadily from across the room, his gaze soft but piercing.

Mickey’s heart instantly started to thud, and he wasn’t really sure why— maybe it was the intensity of Ian’s gaze, or maybe it was the fact that all of a sudden, all his scheming from the past week had finally caught up with him. What if what he was planning for tonight was too much, what if Ian fucking hated it? Mickey tried to swallow down the anxiety gnawing at his insides, willing his heartbeat to settle back down to an even tempo. Be cool.

“Hey. Where is everybody?” Mickey asked, feigning nonchalance as he pulled off his shoes.

Ian gave a sheepish smile. “Might’ve suggested that they find other places to be tonight.”

Mickey smirked. Fucking sap. “Oh yeah?”

Ian’s gentle, closed-lip smile grew a little wider, and then he pulled a bouquet from behind his back, his gaze still hesitant but piercing, a laser beam burning a hole into Mickey’s chest.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mick,” he breathed.

At first, something deep inside Mickey made him want to squirm out of his skin, made him immediately feel the need to open his mouth to make some quick retort how gay and sappy it was to even think about getting Mickey a goddamn bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day, like he was some fucking girl— but before that sentence traveled from his brain to his mouth, Mickey noticed what type of flowers they were and the words got caught in his throat. These weren’t just some cheap fucking flowers Ian got him to try to fulfill a convention, or because he thought that that was what he was supposed to do— these were blue stargazer lilies, the flowers that Mickey had picked out for their wedding before everything went to shit, and all of Mickey’s towering expectations for the day had been forced to crash down and crumble to the wayside. These were flowers for Mickey— these were Ian showing that he listened, that he remembered, that he cared how important this shit had been to him. These weren’t flowers for anyone else.

Mickey realized he was standing frozen in the middle of the living room with his mouth gaping open for a millisecond too long. He quickly snapped it shut, and put his hand up to his brow like he always did when he was trying to keep his shit together. Ian just kept staring him down, his eyes gleaming as they caught the low light.

“Got these fuckers special ordered on some sketchy website yesterday,” Ian admitted in a low, throaty voice as he held the lilies out in front of him, rustling the cellophane and paper they were wrapped in. “I was pretty desperate. Cost a shit ton.”

Mickey cleared his throat. “For someone who didn’t care about all the wedding bullshit, you’ve got a good fucking memory.”

Ian smirked. “Yeah, well, listening is what marriage is all about, right?” He suddenly slouched slightly, like a weight had appeared on his shoulders. “Listen, Mick— I know you don’t really care about Valentine’s Day or whatever, but the other day with Franny just got me thinking about how I wanted to do something for you, just to say I’m sorry for how tough shit has been lately. M’sorry if you think it’s too… I don’t know, too fucking gay or whatever.”

Mickey smirked. Fucking Gallagher. He immediately took a long step towards Ian, bridging the gap between them, invading his personal space and tangling their fingers together. Ian’s eyes widened, his lips almost imperceptibly parting in surprise. Their faces were millimeters apart; Mickey could feel the warmth radiating off of Ian’s skin, the space between their lips hanging heavy with tension.

“Thank you for the goddamn flowers,” Mickey murmured, holding Ian’s heavy-lidded gaze.

“Welcome,” Ian exhaled, his breath tingling on Mickey’s lips.

And then Ian’s hands were digging into Mickey’s hipbones, and wrapping around his lower back to pull him in closer, and their lips were meeting with a searing tenderness that almost made Mickey’s chest ache. Their lips crashed together again and again— not like they were building towards anything, or scrambling to get their clothes off and rush into the bedroom like usual— but like everything was wrapped up in this kiss, like everything was pouring out in every press of their lips and every tug of Ian’s teeth at Mickey’s bottom lip. It was a kiss Mickey could lose himself in, with Ian’s hands cradling his neck and pulling on the back of his waist, holding him upright. And he almost would have— if he didn’t suddenly remember all the shit he had planned tonight.

Ian kept his eyes on Mickey as he pulled away, his pupils blown out and his hands still pinning Mickey into place.

“What d’you want to do now?” Ian asked in a low voice.

Mickey tried to hold back the grin threatening to burst across his face. “Well, I’ve got some fucking tricks up my sleeve too, Gallagher, so why don’t you go change into something nice and follow me?”

**

“Mickey, where the fuck are we going? It’s freezing, we should’ve asked Debbie to just drive us instead of taking the L.”

Mickey was briskly walking a couple of paces ahead of Ian like a man on a mission. He turned to Ian and flashed a mysterious smile over his shoulder— without slowing down, much to Ian’s irritation. “Quit your fucking whining. We’re almost there.”

Ian rolled his eyes, but jogged to catch up with Mickey and intertwined their gloved hands. “Better be,” he mumbled in a voice that was supposed to be annoyed but he knew came out overly fond.

Mickey just smirked, squeezing Ian’s hand and leaning into the touch.

Ian didn’t know what the fuck they were doing on this side of town— he and Mickey had never really been over here together, except during that whole shitshow with Byron and the engagement. Mickey definitely had something up his sleeve, but this was… definitely not where Ian had expected Mickey to drag him off to.

And weirder than that, Mickey seemed nervous— like, genuinely sweaty-palms nervous, which was not a state Mickey was in very often. Whatever the fuck Mickey had planned for them, Ian knew it was a big fucking deal for him; hell, Mickey even acknowledging that today was Valentine’s Day for Ian’s sake felt like a big deal in his book.

Finally, they turned the corner and Mickey’s pace slowed. They had reached a block of the city known for having a lot of fancy high-end restaurants, but tonight the street was dim— even though it was Valentine’s Day, indoor dining was still banned and all the restaurants on the block were closed, their dark front windows looming and reflecting the streetlights.

All the restaurants on the block, that was, except one— and it was the place that Mickey was towing Ian towards, to under a classy, warmly-lit sign reading “Sizzler’s Dining.”

Ian felt something rise in his throat, flushed heat flooding his face.

“Holy shit, I just realized something. We’ve never actually been on a real date.”

“Bullshit!”

“I’m serious— like, a date where you sit down, and you go to a nice restaurant, and you put on a nice shirt and you, like, eat with utensils.”

“You wanna do that?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“What, like at Sizzler’s?”

In an instant, that cool autumn night came flowing back to him— his scrawny, bloodied body hanging off of Mickey’s solid presence beside him, the fuzzy sensation of alcohol warming him from the inside out, making him feel normal for the first time in weeks before everything had split open and gotten messy again. Those were the days when things felt the darkest they had ever been, when all he and Mickey had to cling to was each other— until eventually even that got ripped away too, when Ian was shoved into the backseat of an unfamiliar car with tinted windows, and they settled for the fact that they would never get to have this.

They’d never had the chance to go on a real date, a date like Ian talked about that night, between then and now— Ian had been locked up, and then Mickey had been, and they’d barely gotten married or been together for long before COVID had hit and everything shut down. Sure, they’d gone to the mall food court a couple of times between Mickey getting released and all the shit with Paula and the engagement and the wedding—but never like this, never here.

For years the ground had been shifting beneath them, threatening to open up and swallow them whole— but now, they’d finally made it somewhere solid.

The glowing sign cast shadows onto Mickey’s face—Mickey, who was biting his lips and casting his eyes downward in trepidation, like he was waiting for Ian to say something, to pull something out of him.

“Mickey, are you fucking kidding me?”

Ian cupped his hand under Mickey’s chin before Mickey got the chance to respond, shifting his gaze up from the concrete.

“You said I had a good memory, but I was nothing compared to this. Fucking Sizzler’s?”

Mickey finally smirked, meeting Ian’s eyes with relief. “Why don’t we go inside.”

Ian shook his head with disbelief, smiling a crooked smile and playfully shoving his upper arm. “You’re softer than I am, Milkovich.” Mickey just rolled his eyes and reached out to grab Ian’s hand.

Ian fully expected them to go inside the door and grab some sort of take-out, then head back home to eat and spend the rest of the night in bed— but what Ian couldn’t have imagined, what absolutely no amount of knowing Mickey Milkovich could have prepared him for, was what met Ian’s eyes when they entered the restaurant. The entirety of the main room had been cleared— all the tables and chairs were pushed to the side, except for one single table in the middle of the room covered with a red tablecloth. The lighting was dim, jazz music was playing low, and there were candles flickering around the room; just like the hotel room they’d stayed in for their honeymoon, with the heart-shaped bed and the satin sheets, the whole thing was extravagant and kitschy and tacky beyond belief.

It was fucking cheesy and over-the-top and ridiculous, like a set straight out of a rom-com; and in spite of it all, Ian felt something welling in his chest. Mickey wanted to give me a normal Valentine’s Day.

Mickey walked towards the table, gesturing to the table halfheartedly.

“S’what you wanted, right? Romantic dinner and a box of chocolates and some sappy fucking note?”

“Mick…” Ian breathed out. He didn’t have the right words to describe what was welling in his lungs, in his throat, on his tongue. He couldn’t imagine how much coordination this must have taken— Mickey had rented the entire fucking restaurant, had made someone set all of this up— and had done it all when Ian didn’t have a goddamn clue. He hoped that his awestruck silence communicated to Mickey what words couldn’t.

His eyes flickered to the table—there were two place settings laid out, along with two wine glasses and way too many utensils than Ian knew what to do with. On the place setting opposite where Mickey was standing there was a tacky, red heart-shaped chocolate box that almost blended in with the tablecloth—and on top of that, a sealed white envelope.

Mickey noticed Ian’s eyes lingering. “You, uh. You can open it if you want. I fucking tried my best, but it’s not much.”

Ian reached deep into his pocket, pulling out a heavy cream-colored envelope.

“I got you a note too.” He took in a breath, trying to gather his thoughts. “I figured… I don’t know, you were so into the wedding and all that traditional bullshit, and I saw something online that said your first year together you’re supposed to get each other something paper. So, I, uh, I wrote you this.”

He held the envelope out in front of him—Mickey reached and took it from his hands like it was something delicate. They stood there for a moment.

“Wanna read them on three?”

Mickey smirked, breaking heaviness hanging in the air. “What is it with you and countdowns, Gallagher?”

Ian rolled his eyes, then pulled the chair out from the table and sat down, lifting the envelope from where it was nestled.

“One… two… three.”

Ian peeled the seal of the envelope, ripping it open. Inside was a plain white piece of paper, folded in half and clearly worn, like it had been creased and crumpled repeatedly. He unfolded it to a page of chunky handwriting, the ink smudged and blotched in places where Mickey had run his hand over the paper.

ian,

i’m bad with words, and you fucking know that, but you wanted a valentine’s card or some shit so. here it is. not sure what i’m supposed to write, either.

i always thought i was fucked for life, ever since i was a kid. but for some reason, i couldn’t shake your ginger ass off and it turns out that you were the best thing to happen to me. which you already know, but in case i don’t say it enough- you fucking saved me, gallagher. you’re everything i’ve got, and the happiest fucking days of my life have been spent near your crazy ass. so here’s to lots more years of doing crazy shit together, and making the south side our bitch for the rest of our lives.

i love you. for better or worse, in sickness and in health, im yours.

mickey

Ian swallowed down whatever he was feeling, and turned his gaze upwards to where Mickey was seated across from him, reading his note that was scribbled on a simple card he’d found at the dollar store:

Dear Mr. Gallavich,

Happy Valentine’s Day. If you’re reading this, this means that I’ve either forced you to, or you’re half as much of a soft motherfucker as I am. There’s nothing that I can put down in paper here that I haven’t said already- that I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you, that I always want to be where you are (and I always have). I guess the best way to put it is that no matter how much shit we’ve both been through, for some reason I still trust the universe, because the universe gave me you- whatever it throws at me, it gave me the thing that I needed the most to get through it. You’re everything, Mick- you’re the center of it all, and I feel so lucky every day that we made it here.  

So happy fucking Valentine’s day. I love you.

Ian

Ian rose from his seat—he knew his eyes were shiny, but he really didn’t care—and crossed to where Mickey was sitting, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Mickey stood too, wordlessly wrapping his arms to fold around Ian’s middle. They stood there, in the flickering candlelight, that yes, was nauseatingly corny, but also cast a soft glow across the space, letting Ian sink into the feeling of holding Mickey pressed tightly against him.

“Mick, we both gave each other the stuff we wanted, but never got,” Ian whispered into Mickey’s hair.

Ian felt Mickey’s lips curve into a smile against his collarbone. “Yeah, I guess we fucking did.”

part 1 of this fic here, part 2 here!

[liberolove]

Testing the Waters (pt. 2)

Summary: youve finally graduated high school and now youre moving on to college. youve decided to go to sendai university. its summer and youve become curious about checking out the dating pool in miyagi, so you download a dating app. you figure you might as well have fun before delving too deep into your studies

Part: [part two] out of ???

Pairings: nishinoya x reader / kuroo x reader / oikawa x reader / kiyoko x reader

A/N: theres tons of ships here, just me living out my hoe phase lmao please dont judge me. let me know what yall think

Genre: fluff, smut, crack

Warnings: flirting, college shinanigans

It’s been three days since the last time you saw Yuu. Gosh, even saying his name to yourself gave you goosebumps. You two have been texting non stop and honestly, it felt so refreshing. You were a pretty bad texter but he knew how to keep the conversation going. 

One of his favorite things to do was play 21 questions with you. He wasn’t like those fuckboys who would use this opportunity to ask you if you were a virgin or what your favorite position was. Yuu was different. He came up with the craziest scenarios and judged you on the way you answered. One time he asked you how you would escape a 300 lb lion that just broke out of the zoo you were visiting. You honestly had no idea how to respond but eventually you replied, 

“I’d make sure to run with a crowd and ‘accidentally’ trip a slow runner so that the lion could get distracted and probably (most likely) attack them. This would buy me some time to get the hell out there.”

This response caught Noya off guard but he loved the way you thought. You continued to come up with barbaric schemes to survive all the scenarios he would throw at you. He kept you guessing and that was what you liked so much about him. He was wild and so were you.

You were getting a little impatient over your next date so you took a deep breath and eventually asked him.

Y/N: Heeey, Yuu. I was wondering when you’d like to go out again. I’d really like to go out with you again.

Nishinoya Yuu: hey cutie! I’ve been wanting to see you again but I haven’t had any days off from work lately.. (; ･`д･´) IM DYING!! I just wanna see yoouuuuu

Y: Aw man.. :( That sucks. When do you think you’ll get your next day off?

N: idk tbh but hopefully it’s soon!!

Y: no worries, just let me know.

N: will do!!

Well, that was that. Now you wondered what you should do to pass the time. You were bored again and needed something to do. “Oh wait. I should check the app. I haven’t checked since I messaged Yuu on there. Maybe I have more matches.”

You opened up the app and you had 10 notifications. You had gotten some likes on the selfie you posted and several people viewed your profile. You checked who looked at your profile, and it was mostly ugly, older, men. “Gross,” you thought to yourself. Besides this, you noticed some new messages. 

You opened up the first message. 

“Hey sexy! Wanna come see me play? Click my link https://…..”

“Damn bots. So annoying.” You deleted the message. Next message:

“DTF?”

“I mean like yeah, but you could’ve been less forward in your message. What a turn off..” You had one last notification left. Maybe it wouldn’t be a let down.

“Are you made of Fluorine, Iodine, and Neon? 'Cause you are F-I-Ne.”

To be honest, this pick up line did make you giggle a little. You checked out the profile of the mysterious stranger who sent it and you were surprised that it was a bulked up biker. And damn, was he hot as hell. 

His hair stood up in an organized, weird bed head kind of way. It made him look like a rooster. Rather than smile in his photos, he smirked. And his eyes looked like he could undress you solely with his gaze. He looked like your typical bad boy, but that didn’t make sense. Why would he use a chemistry pick up line?

This made you become even more interested, so you replied back with another cheesy pick up line.

Y/N: I wish I were adenine because then I could get paired with U.

Kuroo Tetsuro: Hey, kitten. I thought you’d never reply. You had me waiting.

Y: umm??? calling me kitten already?

K: What’s wrong? Are you flustered already? We haven’t even met up yet.

Y: woah there cowboy! hold your horses

K: I’m not a cowboy, but I’ll gladly have you ride me instead.

Y: skskskks i cant even-

K: Sorry. Too much?

Y: YES TOO MUCH

K: Alright. Let me start over. Ahh, a fellow chemist, I presume?

Y: yeaaah, kind of. I have a love/hate relationship with chemistry.

K: Is that so? Maybe I can help with that.

Y: oh really? how so?

K: I am a chemistry major after all. I go to Sendai. Do you go to school?

Y: uhhh i’m going to start there in the fall. I still haven’t decided what to major in, just yet.

K: Maybe you’ll end up being a chemistry major like me and I can give you private one on one lessons? 

Y: I highly doubt that, but nice try. 

K: Have you gotten a tour of the campus yet? Or are you waiting for freshman orientation?

Y: nah, I haven’t seen all of it yet. 

K: Would you like to?

Y: um sure! When are you free for my private tour? (:

K: How about tomorrow in the morning? Maybe around 9am? I can pick you up too if you’d like.

Y: Sounds good and no thanks. I’m not riding on that motorcycle! Looks scary :(

K: Don’t worry, kitten. I’ll drive safely and make sure nothing happens to you.

Y: there you go again.

K: Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. No, but really. I don’t mind picking you up. Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?

Y: nope

K: Then, let’s change that. Send me your address tomorrow morning. And get some rest.

Y: alrighty it’s a plan then!

K: No. It’s a date.

Y: sksksk omg

After that conversation, all you could think about was how the hell did you get into this mess? Motorcycles are dangerous, yet this rooster convinced you so easily to take a ride with him.. 

It was an understatement to say that you were nervous for tomorrow.

You set an alarm for 7 am the next day and went to bed.

Your alarm woke you up and you immediately remembered why you were awake so early. You rushed into the shower and once you were out, you spent 30 minutes deciding on what to wear. You opted for some black, ripped skinny jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. 

At 8am on the dot, your phone’s notification bell went off. It was Kuroo.

“What’s your address, baby?”

You sent him the details and continued getting ready. You put on some light makeup and brushed your hair. You checked the time, and it was already 8:55 am. Then, your phone went off again.

“I’m outside.”

Your heart almost beat out of your chest. You grabbed your purse and put on some chapstick. You know, just in case..

You locked up your apartment and walked down the stairs. You were greeted by the biggest shit eating grin on the sexiest man you’d ever seen. You never went for the bad boys but college is a time for experimenting. 

“Hey, Y/N. You ready to ride? I brought an extra helmet for you.”

“Hi, Kuroo. And yeah, I guess,” your voice shook as you replied. You were really nervous but you tried to hide it.

“Don’t worry, baby. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll keep you safe.”

His words made you melt and you had just met him. The way he cooed at you and looked your way made you blush. You felt your cheeks get hotter by the second.

“Alright. Hop on and hold on to my waist. Hold on tight or else you’re gonna fly away when I take off. Okay?”

“..okay..” you managed to mutter. You were shaking but you put on the helmet he gave you and lifted up your leg to sit on the metal machine. You slowly hugged Kuroo from behind and held on as tight as you could. Your head was smashed right up against his large, broad back.

“Ready?” he asked.

“..yeah,” you squeaked.

Before you finished saying this, he had taken off like the devil was chasing him. If this was his meaning of safe driving, you didn’t want to find out his meaning of reckless driving.

The ride to Sendai University only took about 5 minutes, when realistically it would take 20 minutes by bus. You arrived and Kuroo teased, “are you going to let go, kitty?”

You hadn’t realized you were still gripping onto him for dear life. You released him from your hold and your hands still tingled from the amount of force you applied to his shirt. “Sorry!”

“No worries. Hey, look! I brought you here alive. Aren’t you glad?” he cackled. 

His laugh sounded like a dying hyena but it did sound a little cute at the same time. “Yeah. Thank goodness. Your driving is insane, dude.”

He showed you all over campus, from the administrative buildings to the gymnasium, to the fields. Sendai was a pretty big campus, and it made you glad that you had a personal guide to show you all the different buildings. 

After your little tour was over, he asked, “wanna grab a bite to eat? I’ll be a gentleman and pay for you too.”

Of course, you couldn’t say no to food. Much less, FREE FOOD! You nodded and got ready to ride the devil’s machinery again.

He took you to a nearby sushi bar. “Order whatever you’d like, princess. Today, I want to spoil you rotten.”

You melted at his words and also at the variety of rolls on the menu. You didn’t ask him if he really meant that you could order anything. You just kind of went for it. You ordered everything from shrimp tempura, to octopus, to eel. Sushi was your favorite and being told that you could order everything was a dream come true.

“Damn, girl! I had no idea you had such a huge appetite!  I didn’t know you’d take me seriously on my offer. You’re gonna run my pockets dry.”

You blushed and looked away. “Sorry, Kuroo. I really couldn’t help myself. I love sushi so much.”

“I’m just teasing you, baby. You deserve to be treated like this everyday.”

You had no idea how to respond so you just kept stuffing your face with sushi.

After you finally had your fill, it was time to go home. It was getting late. Kuroo took you home and you were definitely more relaxed this time on the bike. 

“I hope you had a great time today, kitty. And I hope I met your standards.”

“Yes, I did! Thank you so much, Kuroo! This was honestly so much fun. Thanks for everything.”

“Of course. Nothing but the best for you. I just need one little favor from you, baby.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Can I get a kiss from your soft lips? I know you want to. I saw the way you kept staring at me, today.”

“Oh.. uhh.. Y-yea-yeah. Sure, of course.. Yeah,” you stammered. 

You looked at him with soft, shy eyes and before you knew it, he leaned in quickly and kissed you on the lips. Your eyes were wide open in surprise but as he deepened the kiss, your eyes slowly shut.

The kiss felt like electricity coursing through your body. You didn’t know what it was, but this man definitely already had you wrapped around his long, slender finger. 

As soon as you realized his hold on you, he backed off, and left you wanting more. He was such a tease.

“I can’t just let you have everything today, kitten. I need you wanting more.”

You didn’t know what to respond so you looked down at the ground shyly. 

“I’ll message you later, y/n. Don’t make me wait too long, again.”

You waved and muttered, “Thank you, Kuroo.”

He revved up his bike and was gone in seconds.

You remained in a daze as you walked back up to your apartment. Once you got inside, you plopped down on your couch and released a long sigh. “Who knew that college was going to be so exciting..”

[link to kuroo pic i found]

[messagefromtheveins]

Dirty Little Secret (Who Has To Know?)

A/N: I don’t even know how to start. Probably by mentioning that this is a threesome fic between Shawn and Cez and the Reader. I honestly don’t think I would’ve ever finished it, much less would be posting it, without @waitonmedarling listening to my rambles and helping me out whenever I got stuck and most of all enduring all of my thirsty thoughts. Also for proof reading this. Thank you! 😘

Please keep in mind that I know close to nothing about Cez because it’s really hard to find anything about him 😂

Look at me trying to be ~edgy~ with these titles lately

Words: 10k

Pairing: Shawn/Cez/Reader

Warning: Smut. Threesome. 

Tour life was crazy and exhausting most of the time, so much that you sometimes found yourself wondering why you had chosen this life. But then, on nights off like this one, with the whole team gathered in a bar, you remembered why you enjoyed this lifestyle so much.

"Who's getting the next round?"

"I will," you responded and got up, stopping mid step when a hand curled around your wrist.

Worried dark eyes looked up to you before Shawn looked over his shoulder towards the crowded bar, mostly surrounded by guys. "Want me to come with you?" he offered, getting an immediate smile from you. That was part of the reason why you loved working for him- how caring and thoughtful he was, never letting the fame get to his head and always being the charming guy he is.

"I'll be fine, but thanks," you smiled, his touch leaving your wrist as you once again turned to step away from the table.

What you didn’t know was that you had two pairs of eyes following you as you walked over to the bar to order the next round of shots, both of them checking you out.

–—–—–—–—–—–

The night hadn't started like that, but at some point you found yourself sitting in between Shawn and Cez, both of them so close that their thighs kept brushing yours below the table- you were still trying to figure out if it was accidental. But you couldn't deny that you were absolutely enjoying yourself, surrounded by two incredibly attractive guys.

'I am sitting between 2 guys who are both too attractive to be true, who both smell too good to be true, are too funny to be true and they keep touching me in friendly ways that actually drive me insane. help!!'

That was the text that had started everything that would happen later that night. That text had turned into your friend interrogating you on both Shawn and Cez before it had somehow turned into a threesome talk. And to top the whole thing off you made the horrible mistake of leaving your phone on the table while you went to pee.

Cez's gaze caught your phone as the screen lit up with an incoming message, already about to look back up when he caught his name. Curiosity got best of him as he lightly leaned over so he could read the message before the screen would go black again.

'for real tho. A threesome with Shawn and Cez would be a dream come true, right?! I honestly don't get how you didn't give in to either one of them already'

Clearing his throat, he looked over his shoulder to check that you weren't just now coming back to the table before he took your phone while nudging Shawn across your empty chair.

Shawn turned to look at his tour manager and raised his eyebrows as Cez handed him the phone, but wordlessly took it and read the message. His eyes widened in an almost comical way before his head snapped up, searching the bar before he turned to Cez again. "What is this?"

–—–—–—–—–—–

You were blissfully unaware of what had happened while you had been in the bathroom, sitting down between the two guys again and reaching for your drink. You didn't notice the way they kept staring at you out of the corner of their eyes.

What you did notice was the way they suddenly turned even more touchy than before. The first touch of Cez's hand on your thigh startled you for a short moment, but you didn't read too much into it. You smiled as Shawn put his arm over the back of your chair and started playing with your hair, simply because you knew that he was quite the touchy person. But you had to bite back a moan as Cez's hand later placed on the back of your neck where he actually started to lightly massage your skin.

Even when you reached for your phone to answer your friends text with a few eye-roll emojis you still didn't make the connection.

Shawn leaned in closer to you, his lips lightly brushing the shell of your ear. You knew that it didn't seem like a strange thing to an outsider, especially with how loud it was in the bar, so it only looked like he was casually telling you something. But his words made you shiver. "What if I told you that Cez and I are down for it?"

Your eyes widened before you forced yourself to act calmly, knowing that tons of questions would be fired your way if someone noticed. Turning to look at him as he pulled back again, he gave you a soft grin as he noticed your shocked expression. "For what?" you asked, your voice weak as all kinds of fantasies crossed your mind while you didn't want to get your hopes up yet.

His only response was to tap the black screen of your phone. Swallowing heavily, you turned to look at Cez as he lightly placed his hand on your thigh again. "I might've seen the text. Sorry," he apologized in a quiet voice.

Your thoughts started racing as you tried to figure out what you had gotten yourself into and if you really weren't just dreaming. "You can't be serious, guys," you finally concluded, receiving a grin and a shrug from Cez while Shawn smirked at you.

Clearing his throat, Shawn leaned in again. "Why don't we head back to the hotel?" he murmured right when Cez's hand gently squeezed your thigh, your eyes widening for a moment as you swallowed heavily. Keeping your gaze on his hand- his thumb slowly brushing back and forth while he patiently waited for you to make a decision- you slowly lifted your head and looked from one guy to the other a few times before you found yourself nodding.

You were scared that it would seem suspicious, but no one seemed to question why the three of you left at the same time. The hotel was only a short walk away from the bar and it passed in silence, Shawn only quickly waving at the couple of fans waiting in front of the hotel before you entered the building.

"Mine or yours?" Cez murmured, the simple question making your heart skip a beat in excitement. You were really about to do this.

"Mine. You of all people should know that I got the best room," Shawn responded with a grin, chuckling as Cez shoved him with a smirk. Usually you would roll your eyes at them, but the fact that the three of you were waiting for the elevator to take you up to Shawn's room where you might experience the best night of your life kept you quiet.

Of course other people were getting in the elevator with you, your fantasies of getting pushed up against the mirrored walls and kissed until you were breathless getting destroyed immediately. But your heart started beating faster when a strong and tattooed arm snuck around your middle, gently tugging you back until you were pressed up against his front. You had to bite your lip as he slowly- in movements so light that an outsider definitely wouldn't notice them- rolled his hips against the curve of your ass.

You reached the floor before you even fully got to appreciate how nice it felt to have his arms wrapped around you like that, the three of you the only ones that got out. Cez wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you walked down the long hallways while Shawn dug his keycard out of the back pocket of his jeans, your head turning to look up to him. "You know you can tell us if you change your mind about this, right?" he asked quietly, giving you a comforting smile that had your heartbeat slow down.

You nodded. "I know," you responded and smiled as he placed a soft kiss on your cheek like he usually did right after greeting you. You reached the door right when Shawn unlocked it, holding it open and letting you step inside first with a soft smile. What you didn't know- but highly suspected- was that you had two pair of eyes staring at your butt before they followed you into the room.

You heard the lock click into place before you turned around to them to find Shawn tossing the card on the desk shoved against the wall while Cez took his jacket off and threw it over the back of one of the armchairs. You followed his example and took your shoes and socks off while you were at it before you straightened up again and gave them a grin. "I have to be honest with you guys, I've never done this before."

"You think we have?" Shawn chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, Cez clearing his throat beside him and immediately getting all of the attention.

Scratching the back of his neck, he shrugged and gave you a smirk. "Actually, I have," he confessed, your eyes widening while Shawn took a step back and stared at his tour manager with pure disbelief written in his eyes.

"You what?"

Cez shrugged. "Yeah. So?"

Crossing your arms in front of your chest with a big grin, you tilted your head at them. "But what would this do to your wholesome duo reputation?" you teased with a grin. "Imagine the shitstorm if your fans find out that their beloved Shawn isn't an innocent boy like they all assume."

Quickly looking over to his tour manager, he grinned before he approached you. His hands settled on your waist as soon as he was close enough, looking down on you with warm and dark eyes before he slowly leaned in closer. You instinctively reached up to grasp his upper arms as the tip of his nose lightly rubbed against yours while your eyelids fluttered. You couldn't decide if you wanted to close them already or keep them open until he would finally kiss you. "But you don't kiss and tell, do you?" he whispered, his lips almost brushing yours as he talked.

"Guess you have to find out," you breathed right before he closed the gap between you, his soft lips perfectly fitting against yours. You couldn't hold back the quiet whimper as he kissed you in a tender way, his grip on you tightening at the sound. Reaching up, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pushed yourself up on your tip toes in the process, your chest pressing up against his.

You were aware of the sound of Cez moving around, but you couldn't bring yourself to concentrate on it while Shawn gently coaxed you to part your lips- which you didn't hesitate to do- before he deepened the kiss, a low groan rumbling in his chest at the first taste of you. The feeling of another pair of hands settling on your hips startled you for a moment, but you found yourself relaxing into it as another body pressed up against your back.

You broke away from the kiss with a soft gasp as warm lips touched the side of your neck in gentle kisses, the feeling of his beard brushing over your skin giving you immediate goosebumps. Your fingers tugged on Shawn's hair as he didn't hesitate to dip his head down, peppering a bit rougher kisses over the other side of your neck.

"Shit, guys," you whimpered, your teeth harshly digging into your bottom lip as Cez boldly moved his hands up to cup your boobs, his low moan muffled against your skin. But then some part of your brain started working again, immediate panic bubbling up. "Hold on."

Your voice was barely more than a breath, but they both pulled back immediately. Dark eyes looked down on you, understanding written in them as he let go of you, letting you take a step back after Cez's touch left you. "It's okay. We don't have to do anything if you're not comfortable," Shawn reassured you, the smile he gave you only easing your worries a bit.

Running a hand through your hair, you sighed and met Cez's blue eyes as he stepped around you to look at you with concerned eyes. "That's really not the problem, guys," you mumbled, your teeth nervously biting your bottom lip.

"Then what is it?" Cez asked, his voice quiet and soothing.

You started pacing the hotel room, your heart racing in your chest. "How can you be so calm about this? What if things get weird after we do this? I mean, we're working together literally every day and-"

"Hey," Cez's voice was firm, his hands grasping your upper arms to bring your restless legs to a stop. Your eyes were wide as you looked up to him. "Deep breaths, yeah? It's not worth having a panic attack over this," he told you, smiling as you took a shaky breath and held it in your lungs for a long moment before slowly releasing it again.

It was quiet in the room for a moment before you spoke up again. "How do threesomes even work? Is there some guidebook?"

Both of them chuckled, Cez letting go of you when he was sure that you wouldn't start to panic again. "Why don't you ask Mister 'had a threesome before'?" Shawn sassed and nodded over to his tour manager who started to laugh.

"Are you mad that you don't have as much experience as I do?"

Shawn crossed his arms in front of his chest while leaning back against one of the armchairs, but before he could speak up your quiet and insecure voice reached them.

"Guys…"

"You're thinking way too much about this, honey," Shawn told you, his defensive stance having softened instantly as soon as his eyes had met yours. "I also don't know what will happen and how this whole thing will work," he continued, giving you an encouraging smile as you nervously nibbled around on your bottom lip. The realization that he was just as inexperienced as you were in this case calmed you immensely. "Just relax. We'll just… go with the flow, okay? Do whatever feels right. No pressure."

You took a calming breath before you nodded. "Okay. I can do that."

"So, if I were to kiss you, would that be okay?" Cez asked and slowly stepped closer to you again.

"That would be more than okay," you grinned and reached for him as soon as he was close enough, your hands cupping around his face while he leaned down to kiss you. Kissing him was so much different than kissing Shawn- the feeling of his beard on your skin had you swallowing down a moan, wondering what it would feel like on the inside of your thighs or even right against your-

The feeling of his hands settling on your hips brought you back to reality, tugging you closer to him while he deepened the kiss before his hands slid to rest on your butt, squeezing the cheeks gently. "Just-" you were interrupted as Cez kissed you again, your lips curling into a smile. "Just a quick question," you said as you finally managed to break away from him, your head tilting as he immediately attacked your neck in gentle kisses again while your hands moved to grasp his shoulders.

"What is it?" Shawn asked, staying right where he was and giving you a smirk as your eyelids fluttered when Cez found that one really sensitive spot on your neck. One of your hands tangled into Cez's hair at the back of his head as he concentrated on the spot, your back arching and chest pushing against his as he sucked on it.

"When did you even talk about this?" your voice was breathy, eyes falling closed as Cez moved a hand up to rest it on your back like he wanted to keep you pressed up against him like this.

Moving his head up, he gently nibbled on your earlobe and received a gasp from you, your fingers tugging on his hair. "When your friend sent that text," he answered, his voice deeper and sending a shiver down your back before he moved in to kiss you again. You moaned into his mouth, his hands slowly sliding beneath your long sleeve, fingers tickling your back.

You licked your bottom lip as he pulled away, eyes opening to find Shawn approaching. "And you managed to agree that you're both down for it while I was in the bathroom for just a couple of minutes?" you grinned up to Cez while Shawn stepped up behind you.

Grasping the hem of your sweater, Shawn grinned as you didn't hesitate to lift your arms up, allowing him to tug it off. Cez immediately moved his attention to your chest, your breasts perfectly spilling out of the cups of your bra. "Guess we're both fucked for you," Cez murmured and gave you a smirk.

Shawn slowly explored your back, his fingertips ghosting over your skin while your hips tilted back. A low growl rumbled in his chest behind you as your butt pushed against his crotch, Cez lightly toying with the straps of your bra and slowly brushing them off your shoulders.

Blue eyes looked down on you with a fond expression written in them as he noticed the blush on your cheeks. "Don't be shy, darling," he whispered and leaned in to place soft kisses over your jaw while his hands traced down your sides to curl around the side of your butt that was slowly grinding back, Shawn's sinfully quiet whimpers sounding like heaven to your ears.

Cez backed off as Shawn tugged you back against his toned chest, big hands spread over your lower stomach to keep you in place as he gently bit your shoulder, the sound he received going straight south. "We'll take good care of you tonight, honey," Shawn promised in a whisper, the two of you watching Cez as he pulled the curtains shut to give you a sense of privacy from the world outside. You breathlessly gasped Shawn's name as he slowly snuck his hand under your jeans before he hesitated, but the way you tilted your hips into his touch had him moving his hand fully down.

He grunted against your shoulder as a single finger dipped between your folds, your juices immediately coating his finger as he rubbed slow circles over your clit. Your knees buckled as you finally got some friction on your clit and your eyes were heavy lidded as you found Cez watching you with darkened eyes. You moved a hand back, Shawn's deep groan filling the room just a moment later as you palmed him over his jeans, his cock straining against the denim.

"God, baby," he murmured, wishing that your tight jeans would allow him to push his fingers into you and really feel you, "'got me so hard for you."

Turning your head, you found his lips in a bit of an awkward angle, but neither of you really seemed to care as he greedily devoured your lips. It didn't last as long as you had hoped for, instead you were interrupted when he moaned your name while you applied pressure on his tip through his jeans. "You two are quite the sight for sore eyes," Cez's voice reached you, your head turning back to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, palming himself over his jeans.

"See what you're doing to us?" Shawn whispered into your ear, his teeth tugging on your earlobe while his finger moved over your clit just perfectly. You whimpered as he pulled his hand back, not even getting the chance to complain before he gave you a gentle push towards Cez who held a hand out to you.

Your head was still spinning a bit when you took his hand as soon as you were close enough, letting him tug you between his spread legs. "Can't wait to get my mouth on you," he murmured and placed a couple of small pecks along the waistband of your jeans, your mouth dropping open without a sound coming out. It only took a swift move from him to have you flopping down on the bed, laying flat on your back on the bed with your legs dangling off the edge. Crawling over you, he braced his hands on either side of you while he held himself up above you, his lips meeting yours over and over in kisses that gradually turned longer and hotter.

You inhaled deeply and tilted your head back as he trailed soft kisses down your neck, your hands in his hair as he kissed over the swell of your breasts. His hands were eagerly exploring your bare skin, your eyes fluttering open as the bed dipped under another weight beside you. Shawn gave you a soft smile- by now in nothing but his black skinny jeans with the white waistband of his boxers peeking out- while he tossed an entire Durex pack on the bed beside him.

You grinned while Cez chuckled against your stomach, his head lifting. "Got a long night planned?" he teased while he moved to kneel on the floor in front of the bed, right between your legs. You got hot and cold at the sight, squirming in anticipation as his fingers reached for the button of your jeans.

Shawn smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "You don't?" he responded, not seeming to expect an answer as he turned to you. His features softened immediately, reaching out to brush your hair back while you lifted your hips off the bed to allow Cez to pull your jeans off. "You good, honey?" Shawn whispered and cupped a hand around the side of your face. You nodded, but before you could speak up you felt a broad tongue pushing against your clit with the fabric of your panties in between, a gasp falling from your lips while your back arched off the bed.

"Fuck, Cez," you moaned, your head tilting down to look at him, but Shawn quickly turned your head back to him so he could capture your lips in a passionate kiss. You were overwhelmed in the best way, torn between concentrating on Shawn's lips and his fingers that tickled on your chest or Cez's mouth working wonders on you, even though he didn't have full access to your core yet.

Reaching below yourself, you unclasped your bra and grinned as Shawn immediately helped you take it off before his mouth moved to your chest, lips wrapping around your nipple before he sucked on it. Cez guided your legs over his shoulders and simply pushed your panties aside before he dove back in, the feeling of his tongue on your clit and beard tickling on your skin with Shawn's lips and tongue teasing your sensitive nipples leaving you a moaning and whimpering mess beneath them.

Tangling a hand into Shawn's curls to tug on them, you reached your other hand down to find one of Cez's, smiling as he immediately intertwined his fingers with yours and let you dig your nails into the back of his hand. "Fuck, you sound so beautiful," Shawn murmured and moved up to kiss you again before he looked down, your gaze following his to where Cez's face was buried between your legs, the sight alone already making your knees weak. "How does she taste?" Shawn murmured as Cez opened his eyes to find the two of you watching him.

You gasped and jerked in surprise as he playfully nibbled on your clit before he pulled back, his mouth glistening. "Have a taste," he grinned. Shawn didn't hesitate to lean down, his necklace bumping against your lower stomach and his fingers holding your panties aside as he licked through your folds, his low groan vibrating against your core and making you gasp his name.

Cez gently placed your feet on the floor so he could get up, his gaze on Shawn's head moving between your thighs while he undressed, his sweater dropping to the floor first before his jeans followed. "Fuck, I gotta be the luckiest girl ever," you sighed, Shawn's head lifting as he chuckled before he placed a kiss on your hip and got up.

"You're wrong. We're the lucky ones here," Cez replied while he dropped the last piece of clothing on the floor while Shawn fumbled to take his jeans off. You sat up as Cez approached you, a smirk playing on his lips. You were dying to get your mouth on him, but he sat down beside you at the foot of the bed before you could reach out to pull him closer. "Because we get to spend the night with such an incredibly beautiful girl," he continued and guided you to straddle his lap, his hands exploring your legs on either side of him as soon as you settled on his thighs.

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you leaned in to kiss him and released a soft hum into his mouth as you tasted yourself on his tongue. Locking an arm around your hips, he tugged you closer and lightly bit your bottom lip as he had your clothed core pressed up against his throbbing cock, your hips immediately bucking to create a bit of friction.

Calloused fingertips traced over your back as Shawn stepped up behind you, goosebumps spreading over your arms as he slowly brushed your hair over your shoulders so it fell down your back in slightly messy curls. Lips disconnecting from Cez's, you smiled as Shawn immediately curled a hand around your chin and tilted your head back so he could capture your lips in an upside down kiss.

Letting himself fall back so he laid flat on his back with his feet still touching the floor, Cez adjusted you on top of him and growled as his length pushed between your folds so the tip rubbed against your clit with your panties still in between. Your gasp interrupted the kiss just shortly before Shawn connected his lips to yours again, your hands bracing on Cez's thighs behind you as you started to rock your hips, his shaft sliding back and forth against the fabric and giving both of you the perfect kind of friction.

Giving Shawn a smirk as he pulled back, you turned to Cez who had his eyebrows furrowed in pleasure with the way you were rolling your hips against him. Bending over him, you braced a hand beside his head and found his lips in a chaste kiss while you reached for the pack of condoms. Shawn licked his lips, his gaze eagerly trailing over your bare backside, hands caressing and squeezing your bum before his eyes focused on your hand that reached back to him, shiny square between two of your fingers.

Grinning widely, he took it and quickly ripped it open while you tangled your hands into Cez's hair, his lips chasing yours while his hands had settled on your hips, guiding your movements. Though, your motions stopped completely and your head dropped to rest on his chest as Shawn pressed into you after simply pushing your panties aside, your walls stretching open around him and a whimper falling from your lips as he bottomed out in a smooth thrust.

"Fuck," Shawn's moan filled the room, his blunt nails digging into your ass as he waited for you to adjust, only moving when you wriggled your hips against him.

You were limp and breathless, the position allowing him to thrust so deep that you were sure you'd be seeing stars soon while Cez's hands combed through your hair in a calming way. Blue eyes met yours as you lifted your head, his lips curving into a soft smile while his hands cupped your cheeks. The feeling of Shawn's length moving deep inside of you while Cez kissed you again had your mind spinning in the best way, your hips picking up their former movements.

You couldn't remember ever having felt so overwhelmed before- you were torn between concentrating on Shawn inside of you and Cez grinding against you, both of them delivering the best kind of pleasure you had ever received. Breaking away from Cez's lips, you braced a hand on his chest and reached the other one back, finding the back of Shawn's neck and pulling him closer. His chest flattened against your back without stopping the motions of his hips, his lips touching the crook of your neck in sloppy kisses.

It was only a rather brief moment when you and Shawn both looked down on Cez with dark eyes, but he had to swallow heavily. Having both of you looking at him like that definitely shouldn't turn him on as much as it did, he decided and placed his hands around your waist as he started to meet the movements of your hips while you turned your head to kiss Shawn again.

Shawn got quite vocal as he neared his high- his moans increased, beautiful quiet sounds falling from his lips while his head pushed against the side of your neck. His arms wrapped around your waist to keep you pressed up against him, still allowing you to grind against Cez while his thrusts quickened. Your name left his lips in a choked sound as he came, blunt nails scratching at your sides while he grunted against your neck, riding his high out with a few sloppy thrusts.

He knew you were close, so he clenched his jaw and tried to ignore how sensitive he was as he kept thrusting into you with slow movements of his hips while he mouthed at your neck.

Resting your cheek against Cez's chest, you clawed at his sides and trembled on top of him before you came with a cry. Your high quite literally knocked the breath out of you, your legs quivering as you gasped and whimpered, the feeling of Cez slowly rocking his hips back and forth to create a gentle friction while Shawn gave you a few lazy thrusts had your mind reeling. Your walls clenching around his sensitive cock made Shawn groan, his grip on you tightening as he slowly pulled out of you.

Leaving a few soft kisses over your back, Shawn eventually stepped back, his presence behind you disappearing completely.

You only released a soft hum as Cez turned the two of you over so you laid on your back beneath him, relaxing into the mattress while he shifted around, the crinkling sound of the condom wrapper reaching you before it was ripped open.

You slowly forced your eyes open as he leaned over you, hands bracing on either side of your head and a smile spreading over his lips. Your hands were still trembling a bit as you reached up to cup his face, pulling him down into a kiss that he kept slow and chaste while you caught your breath. Your heartbeat slowly went back to normal- or at least as normal as it could get with such an attractive and naked man on top of you. "Please," you mumbled between kisses.

He pulled back, his eyes caring as he gently brushed your hair back. "You sure, darling? I don't mind if you need a break," he whispered.

"Go easy on me?"

"Of course," he smiled and stole another quick kiss from you before he sat up. You caught sight of Shawn across the room, still fully naked and spread out over the couch, his head tilted back and eyes closed while his chest was still moving a bit faster than normal. You had to grin, relieved that you weren't the only one completely out of breath before your attention went back to Cez who guided your legs around his hips, your thighs resting over his. Your crotch was almost touching his, but yet he left a few inches between that had you squirming in an attempt to get closer, only giving up when he grasped onto your waist and held you in place. "Patience, baby," he chuckled softly and slowly caressed his fingertips over your bare torso, goosebumps breaking out on your skin.

You reached down to grasp his knees on either side of your hips, your teeth digging into your bottom lip as you realized that you were in for lots of teasing- and yet you couldn't help but feel excited.

He took his sweet time- his fingers exploring your soft skin, tracing along the curve of your boobs, but never actually touching you in the places you so desperately wanted him to. He noticed how you nibbled on your bottom lip and how your eyebrows furrowed in pleasure as he neared your nipples only to have frustration filling your features as his touch drifted down again. But deep down you loved it. And he knew it.

Your eyes fell shut as his fingers slowly and gently caressed your stomach, every now and then brushing along the waistband of your panties before he moved back again. He chuckled again as you lightly bucked your hips up whenever he neared your panties, though he never acted on it. And it wasn't until you stopped that he finally moved a hand lower, your eyes opening to look at him as your breath hitched in your throat at the feeling of his fingers lightly brushing over your sensitive clit through the fabric. You moaned his name in need and lightly dug your nails into his knees, spreading your legs a bit more as he put just a little bit more pressure behind his actions.

"Shh, we'll get there, darling. I promise," he whispered and moved his free hand up to give your nipples minimal attention. You pressed your lips together and muffled a moan, glaring at him as he smirked. A whine left your lips as he immediately stopped, his hands leaving your body and your back immediately arching like you searched for his touch, your eyes frustrated. "Attitude won’t get you anywhere, baby," he said, his voice not so soft anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you going to be good?"

You nodded and whispered a soft 'Yes', a little sound escaping your lips as his hands returned to your body after a teasing pause. It was torturous, the way he barely touched you, his fingers so light on your skin. Your eyebrows furrowed, teeth harshly digging into your bottom lip as you forced yourself to stay silent instead of complaining.

So when he suddenly pushed his index finger down on your clit with just the perfect amount of pressure and friction with the fabric in between you couldn't hold back the cry that left your lips, your hands tightly holding on to his thighs as your body squirmed against his hand. Moving his finger just a bit, he watched with satisfaction as your body reacted to the stimulation, your spine arching off the bed and chest heaving. "Please," you begged once more.

"Please what?" he grinned and slowly took his hand away, your body slumping into the mattress as you swallowed back a whine.

"Let me come. Fuck me. Anything," you begged, and if you weren't so far gone and so frustrated you'd probably laugh at yourself for actually begging him.

"Which one, darling?" he asked and grasped the waistband of your soaked panties, slowly peeling the fabric off your legs as you looked up to him with pleading eyes.

"The first."

Your eyes fell shut again as his fingers slowly circled around your clit, this time without any kind of fabric in between, teasing you for a moment before he put a little more pressure on and received a moan from you. You were so pretty, laid out and so willing, the sight of your hardened nipples having his mouth watering with desire to just lean down and devour your chest, but he didn't. Not yet.

It didn't take long for you to start squirming beneath him, your hips slowly moving to meet his actions as you neared your high, and you were so surprised that he let you that you didn't put too much thought into it. Which, you deeply regretted as you were right on the brink, just needing one more perfectly placed rub of his fingers when he withdrew his hand, chuckling at the whimper he received.

"Cez…"

"I'll let you come, I promise," he smiled, leaning down to capture your lips in a tender kiss. He pushed your legs apart a bit more, his body shifting as he didn't interrupt the kiss for a few more seconds before he slowly leaned back. A gasp left your lips at the feeling of the swollen crown of his cock pushing against your folds, stretching you open as he moved his hips forwards, his eyes staying locked on yours. Your eyes fluttered, but you forced them to stay open as he had his entire length buried inside you, stretching your walls and leaving you feeling satisfyingly full. His finger returned to your clit, your hands moving to grasp his shoulders as he gave the bundle of nerves a few skilled flicks before he had you coming undone beneath him, your walls clenching around his cock like you tried to pull him in deeper as your nails scratched at his skin, moans of his name spilling from your lips. He worked you through it, not stopping his motions on your clit while he slowly moved his hips back and forth to give you a little more friction, his eyes not leaving your face as he took in your blissed out expression.

And he knew when to pull his hand away, knowing that you'd get too sensitive if he continued like that now, instead moving so his body settled on top of yours while you slowly recovered, your eyes slowly focusing on him again. He gave you a soft smile that you returned a little weakly, your bones feeling heavy and spent as he leaned down to kiss you again. You cupped his face in trembling hands as he slowly moved his hips, pulling out just about halfway before he gently thrust back into you, knowing that you'd go into sensory overload if he'd start pounding into you now.

Pulling back, he braced his lower arms on either side of you as he looked at you with caring eyes, the head of his cock still slowly dragging back and forth along your walls. "You doing okay?" he whispered, turning his head to place a kiss on your palm as you let your thumb brush along his cheekbone. You nodded and gave him a small smile, his head dipping to your neck where he placed chaste kisses while keeping up the gentle pace of his hips moving against yours.

He kept his earlier promise- his thrusts were slow and gentle, patiently waiting until you gave him the sign to go faster while he placed soft kisses over your neck. "God, you feel so good," he groaned against your neck, reaching down to guide one of your thighs over his hip before he picked up the pace, his fingers curling into the sheets on either side of you.

Your hands clawed and lightly scratched his back, your moans and whimpers filling the quiet room. You were still so sensitive from your previous orgasms and you knew that he wouldn't be happy unless he got another one out of you.

A movement in the corner of your eye caught your attention, your gaze shifting over Cez's shoulder to catch Shawn's dark eyes staring right at you. His hand was wrapped around his already fully hard length again, giving himself some lazy pumps while a smirk played on his lips. The sight made you release a quiet moan that dragged into a whimper as Cez hit the perfect spot, your walls clenching around him and receiving a grunt from him.

You didn't know how, but Cez just managed to hit all the right spots in all the right ways. It was like he knew exactly how to roll his hips to have you panting beneath him. But it wasn't until he pushed an arm under your hips that you fully realized how he knew exactly what he was doing. Your back arched and you cried out as he hit your g-spot with every thrust, complete pleasure washing over you as you started to tremble. "Fuck," you moaned, his teeth gently digging into your shoulder.

Lifting his head, he nibbled on your earlobe while your body squirmed beneath him. "Can you come like this for me?" he murmured, his voice deeper and raspy, the sound making you release a quiet moan.

Your gaze went over to Shawn again who gave you the most seductive smirk you had ever seen. 'Come' he mouthed, biting his bottom lip as his thumb teased his sensitive tip. 'Come for us'

You didn't know what ended up pushing you over the edge- the sight of Shawn while he encouraged you to let go or Cez moving inside of you in all the right ways. Your nails dug into Cez's shoulders and your eyes squeezed shut as you trembled beneath him, your walls squeezing around his length while you whimpered over and over.

He knew exactly when to slow down again, leaving small pecks over your neck as your head lolled back. And even with the change of pace it didn't take him much longer to reach his high, his head pushing into the crook of your neck where he panted and groaned against your skin. His length heavily twitched against your walls while he jerkily thrust into you a few more times before he stilled.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly pulled out of you and placed several calming kisses over your jaw as you released a quiet whimper. Your eyelids were heavy as you looked up to him, his blue eyes satisfied and exhausted as he gave you a fond smile. "You did so well, darling," he murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

He helped you come down by combing his hands through your hair over and over while he left soft kisses all over your face, patiently waiting until your chest wasn't heaving anymore and you completely relaxed beneath him. "Thank you," you mumbled and gave him a lazy smile that made him grin.

Placing a soft kiss on your lips, he trailed a few more over your cheek until he reached your ear. "Why don't you make our Rockstar feel good again? Hmm, baby?" Cez murmured, your breath hitching in your throat. "Can you do that for me?" he added, reaching over to get another condom that he placed in your palm.

You inhaled deeply before you found yourself nodding, his body rolling off of yours and allowing you to get up.

"Wish you had less of your so called experience and more of my stamina now, huh?" Shawn teased, only receiving an amused chuckle from Cez. Your knees were shaky as you approached him where he was lounging on the couch, a smirk on his lips as he let go of his cock and instead sat up. He relaxed back against the couch while his eyes eagerly trailed over your naked body. "Hi, beautiful," he rasped, his hands reaching for you to grasp your hips as you threw a leg over him and straddled his thighs. Leaning in to capture his lips in a quick kiss, you gave him a grin before you sat back again and ripped the foil open. He sucked in a breath as he watched how you rolled the condom over his length before you shifted on top of him, his hands guiding you before he reached down to grip the base of his throbbing cock.

His eyes moved up to watch your reaction as you lowered yourself down on him, a moan falling from your lips and your head tilting back as he stretched you out once again, your sensitive walls gripping him. "Fuck, Shawn," you whimpered, your nails digging into his abs.

His hands gently curled around yours, fingers weaving through yours and feeling you cling to them. "Shhh, take your time, honey," he whispered, peppering soft kisses over your knuckles while you slowly rolled your hips against his. "No need to rush. I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, smiling up to you as you stopped your movements and took a deep breath. "C'mere," he breathed and tugged you closer, letting go of your hands to instead cup your face as he pulled you into a tender kiss. You relaxed on top of him, your chest flush against his with his length buried deep inside of you, occasionally lightly twitching against your walls.

Mid-kiss you slowly started to move your hips again, pushing yourself up just a bit before you lowered yourself down again, his moan muffled against your mouth. His hands moved down to cup your butt as he helped you move, but he didn't rush you. He didn't try to get you to move faster, instead let you go at your own pace, leaving soft kisses over your shoulders and neck once your lips disconnected from his.

He was so patient with you and you couldn't express how thankful you were for that. Your entire body was exhausted but yet you wanted to make him feel good once more.

"Do you think you can give me another one, baby?" he whispered as he realized that his high was slowly approaching, a comforting hand rubbing over your back as you inhaled sharply. "It's okay if you can't," he quickly added, knowing that your limits had been pushed immensely tonight.

"I'll try," you mumbled.

He grinned almost proudly. "That's my girl." The nickname made your heart skip a beat, but before you could dwell too much on it he dipped a hand between your legs. Your entire body jerked and you gasped his name as he circled two fingers over your clit. "Stop me if it gets too much."

You took a deep breath and nodded, your hands on his shoulders as you continued to steadily roll your hips against his.

It didn't take much for either of you to get close again- he was already so worked up from watching Cez getting you off. So he put more efforts into the patterns he rubbed over your clit, determined to get you to come before him this time. Your thighs immediately tensed up on either side of him while your body started to tremble, your grip on his shoulders tightening.

"I can't," you choked out and shook your head, your eyes heavy and full of desire.

"Come on, honey. I know you're right there," he encouraged you, your teeth tightly digging into your bottom lip and your eyes falling shut. It was more of a sob than a moan as you came around him, your whole body going limp as your walls wildly fluttered around him. You clung to him, arms wrapping around his neck and your quick pants right next to his ear.

Quickly twisting, he laid you down so he was on top of you, his weight crushing you in the best way as you wrapped your arms and legs around him while he delivered a few more forceful thrusts before he stilled completely. His arms clutched at your waist and his face was hidden in the crook of your neck as he whimpered against your skin, his length twitching deep inside of you. Your nails dug into his shoulders as you trembled beneath him, his hips jerking against yours a few more times while he rode out the last waves of his orgasm before he slumped on top of you.

Biting his bottom lip, he slowly pulled out of you and noticed how you tightened your legs around him like you wanted to keep him close. Smiling softly, he lifted his head and met your exhausted eyes. "You okay, honey?" he whispered, peppering a few chaste kisses over your forehead and temples. You swallowed heavily and nodded, your eyes falling shut as he found your lips in a couple of tender kisses before he pushed himself up. "Be right back," he murmured, placing one last kiss on your forehead before he got up.

You felt completely drained and exhausted as you turned to lay on your side and closed your eyes, your legs pulling up to your chest that was heaving as you struggled to breathe. You tuned them out completely, barely aware of their low murmurs until a gentle hand placed on your back, a whimper falling from your lips. "Shhh."

"Give her a minute to breathe," Cez's voice reached you, "it's been a lot for her."

"I just wanted to make sure she's fine," Shawn responded, his voice worried.

You swallowed heavily and took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"See? How would you feel if you just got fucked by two guys?"

"Probably very sore," Shawn giggled, Cez's chuckle following.

"You're an idiot."

It took you a few more minutes until you finally cracked your eyes open, finding the hotel room exactly how it was before. Clothes were still strewn all over the floor, the sheets on the bed were wrinkled and disheveled. The two of them were only in boxer briefs as they quietly talked, Shawn being the first one to catch your gaze. Giving you a soft smile, he approached you and quickly grabbed something hanging over one of the armchairs while you sat up. "Here, come on," Shawn murmured, careful as he helped you into the T-shirt he had gotten from his suitcase earlier, his smell completely surrounding you and putting you at ease. You grinned widely as he pulled your hair out from under the collar and smoothed down the tangled strands.

"I can dress myself, you know?" you giggled, looking up to him with carefree and tired eyes.

A wide grin spread over his lips, his finger playfully nudging the tip of your nose and receiving a laugh from you. "And I like to spoil you, so deal with it."

Cez approached, crouching down in front of you and giving you a fond smile. "You need anything, darling? I can run to your room and get you some stuff if you want me to."

You shook your head. "I think I'll be fine, thanks. I just need to regain any kind of feeling in my legs again," you grinned and wiggled your toes a bit.

The smirk that spread over Shawn’s lips immediately let you know that he was up to no good. You squealed in surprise as he grabbed you and easily threw you over his shoulder, finding yourself facing his back. "Cez, help!" you laughed followed by a surprised gasp as Shawn playfully smacked your bum. "Shawn!"

He only chuckled, his grip on your thighs secure as he crossed the hotel room and stepped into the bathroom where the light was still on. He was so careful as he set you down, only letting go of you once he was sure that you were steady on your feet. What he didn't expect was that you would wrap your arms around his waist and cling to him, worry settling in his chest as he gently brushed his hands through your hair before he placed a kiss on your head. "You sure you're doing okay, honey?" he whispered, keeping a hand on the back of your head while the other rubbed over your shoulders and down your back.

You didn't respond for a long moment before you inhaled deeply, your eyelashes brushing his chest every time you blinked. He placed another kiss on your head as you nodded. "Just overwhelmed. Like, in a good way, but still overwhelmed."

"Cez and I will help you calm down with cuddles after you're finished in here, okay?" he murmured and gave you a soft smile as you tilted your head up to look at him. "You're going to be okay until then?" he asked, worry lacing his voice.

"Absolutely."

–—–—–—–—–—–

They were both in bed when you stepped out of the bathroom, Cez still sitting up and leaning against the headboard with his phone in his hands while Shawn was laying down, a hand behind his head while the two of them laughed at something. Both of their gazes found you, pretty similar gentle smiles spreading over their lips. Leaning a shoulder against the doorway, you crossed your arms in front of your chest and raised an eyebrow at them. "What are you two giggling about?"

They both grinned widely, Shawn's gaze shamelessly trailing down your bare legs. "We were just saying how we should write your friend a thank-you card," Cez explained while placing his phone on the beside table before he turned back to you.

"God, please don't," you responded with a chuckle, "she'll never shut up about it if she ever hears about this."

"Even more reason to write a card," Shawn teased, giving you a wink as you glared at him. "Gonna come join us?" His voice had dropped to a murmur.

Cez patted the spot in the middle, right between them. "Got a spot saved for you. And I believe Shawn promised you cuddles."

The temptation to just walk over to them and join them was so high, but you forced yourself to stay right where you were. You lightly bit your bottom lip as you hesitated, immediately seeing the way both of them got worried. Shawn sat up, the covers bunching around his hips as he looked at you with attentive eyes. "Are you guys sure that spending the night like this is a good idea?" you asked and uncrossed your arms to instead toy with the hem of the T-shirt.

"What's the problem with it?" Shawn asked.

You shrugged and nibbled around on your bottom lip. "What if someone finds us like this in the morning?"

"The door is locked," Cez reminded you. "And we'll just make sure that no one sees us getting out of here when we sneak out in the morning” He added with a wink and a grin, actually managing to ease your worries. Your tense shoulders visibly relaxed as you nodded and took a deep breath. "So?" he asked and lifted the middle of the blanket as a silent invitation.

Smiling, you crossed the room and crawled on the bed, soon finding yourself between the two of them.

–—–—–—–—–—–

You woke up wrapped up in Cez's arms, his chest pressed up against your back and quiet snores muffled into your hair. Opening your eyes, you faced the semi dark room. And Shawn's eyes. He gave you a soft smile and took your hand into his as you reached out to him, fingers lacing through yours. "Go back to sleep," he whispered so quietly that you barely heard him.

"Why are you awake?" you mumbled sleepily.

"Why are you?"

A grin spread over your lips. "Good point," you giggled, Cez's arms tightening around you as he released a soft sigh, but didn't wake up. "You okay with everything that happened earlier?" you whispered, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I mean, we've only talked about me being okay all the time. That was quite a new thing for you too."

His features softened as he raised your tangled hands and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles. "To be really honest with you, I was also a bit scared that things would get weird. But we just can't let it get weird," he shrugged and grinned, "it's really that simple."

His eyelids fluttered and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as you reached your free hand over to him, gently cupping the side of his face. "The world would be a so much easier place if everyone was a bit more like you," you told him in a voice that was barely above a whisper, his eyes opening fully again as he looked at you with pure admiration written in his eyes. He gently squeezed your hand in return, his thumb slowly brushing back and forth. "Kiss me?"

He grinned as he shifted closer to you where you were still wrapped up in Cez's embrace, Shawn's soft lips finding yours in the dark. It was easy and gentle. No rush behind it. No intentions behind it.

–—–—–—–—–—–

A pair of arms wrapping around you woke you up for the second time that morning. He tugged you a bit closer to his comfortably warm body, letting you eagerly snuggle into his chest as he held you close. "I hate to say this, but you need to get up," Shawn murmured, his voice still full of sleep and his arms that tightened around you bringing an entirely different message across.

"Five more minutes?" you mumbled, so close to drifting off to sleep again with his body wrapped around you like this.

You heard the bathroom door open before a quiet sigh followed. "Fuck, it's so hard not to just get back into bed when I see you two like this," Cez said.

You smiled into Shawn's chest. "You're the meanie who decided that it's time to get up," Shawn grumbled and tangled his legs with yours.

"I mean, you guys can stay like this if you don't mind getting caught? Probably by Andrew?" Cez replied, sighing as the two of you stayed silent. Both of you whined as the covers were roughly yanked off your bodies just a moment later, your eyes opening to glare at Cez. "Don't think that will work on me," he grinned, reaching out to tickle your foot.

You immediately squirmed away with a giggle. "Okay, stop. I'll get up," you gave in, reluctantly detaching yourself from Shawn and stumbling into the bathroom. It didn't take long for you to get dressed, finding yourself ready to go just minutes later.

"You stay here. I'll make sure the coast is clear," Cez told you, a giggle falling from your lips as you watched how he snuck out of the room.

Turning to Shawn, you grinned as he sat on the edge of the bed, still only in a pair of boxers and hair beyond ruffled. "Thanks for last night," you mumbled and slowly stepped closer to him.

"Nuh-uh," he shook his head and yawned, his arms reaching out to you and tugging you in between his spread legs, his forehead bumping against your stomach. "Thank you. For trusting both me and Cez like that," he mumbled and sighed in content as you tangled your hands into his hair to gently scratch his scalp.

"'knew you'd be good to me," you responded, his grin hidden against your stomach before he tilted his head up to look at you with slightly dazed and sleepy eyes. Your phone vibrated in your pocket, making you pull away from him. "That's my sign. See you at the meeting later?"

"Of course," he grinned, his eyes following you until you closed the door and disappeared out of sight.

Cez was waiting in an empty elevator for you, a foot shoved between the doors to keep them from closing and a big grin spreading over his lips. "Not going to lie, I expected that I would have to go back to drag you out of bed again," he chuckled as you stepped into the elevator, the doors closing before it started moving down.

"Would you have punished me?" you teased and playfully bumped your shoulder against his as he released a breathy laugh.

Wrapping an arm around your shoulders, he planted a soft kiss on your temple before he placed his lips against your ear. "Don't start something you won't get to finish." Right in that moment the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened with a ding, your heart beating a bit faster in your chest as you detached yourself from him so you could step out of the elevator, turning back to look at him. "See you later, darling."

"Later," you breathed, a grin playing on his lips as the doors closed again.

S.Mendes+Team Taglist: @justanotherfangurl272 @alone-in-madness @waitonmedarling​ 

[shipping-n-handling]

hey idk if your still doing the writing prompt thing, but can you do one for bellarke?

Hey anon! Sorry for getting to this late, I’ve been doing a ton of schoolwork recently. I’ve been obsessed with the 100 and bellarke for a couple years now, so this was a nice change of pace from my normal content. Hope you enjoy, and I will be sending my therapist bills to you ;)

In the end, even stars must eventually die.

Clarke had been organizing the newly elected leaders of Sanctum and instructing them on the responsibilities of their roles. Raven was revamping the radiation shield surrounding the sanctuary and manufacturing more mobile stations to eventually expand it as the population grew. Murphy and Emori were somewhere in the Prime’s compound making that same population grow, while Indra, Octavia, and Diyoza were instructing Sanctum’s Wonkru-infused guard in hand-to-hand combat to further their skills. Gabriel, Niylah, and Jackson attempted to establish a larger hospital amongst the buildings of the sanctuary, while Gaia had taken it upon herself to create a history of the settled moon for posterity. Madi and Hope (reluctantly) were finally taking part in normal activities like school, while Bellamy, Echo, Miller, Jordan, and a dozen of Sanctum’s residents combed the nearby woods for supplies and isolated Children of Gabriel cells.

After Wonkru’s slow integration with Sanctum’s citizens and the downfall of the Primes, Clarke was beginning to imagine for the first time that they might finally be ready for peace. Russell Lightbourne had been exiled by demand of the people, realizing that a slow and sure death was a fitting punishment for one who had been running from it for so long. Octavia’s disappearance into the temporal anomaly along with Diyoza and her daughter’s reappearance had been enough of a headache for Clarke, who was now dealing with rebuilding a once-functioning society. The elected leaders, though they meant well, were very new to their positions and needed careful guidance. If left to their own devices, Clarke was almost certain Sanctum would starve or be embroiled in another war by the year’s end.

With an involuntary huff of frustration, she plopped down on the chair that headed the large table and rubbed her temples slowly. One of them, a native to Sanctum, droned on about the seasons on the moon and the traditions that came with the first harvest of the year, most of which had been centered on the Primes. In her mind, Clarke’s thoughts drifted outward beyond the meeting hall towards the woods, where Bellamy was undoubtedly trekking with the scouting party. A small smile flitted across her lips as she imagined him enduring Jordan’s growing love of corny jokes, which he had learned from book discovered in Sanctum. In her mind, she could almost picture both Bellamy and Miller rolling their eyes at the end of each punchline.

In the intervening months since the collapse of the temporal anomaly, Bellamy and Echo had slowly drifted apart. There was no big fight, no public declaration, but it soon became apparent to everyone that they had decided to call it quits. Both Echo and Bellamy separately told Clarke that they had just realized they were too different, their outlooks on the world too disparate. Despite their split, both remained friends and continued to build the sanctuary alongside Clarke and the others. Despite herself and the friendship she shared with both Bellamy and Echo, Clarke had felt a surge of hope when she pieced it together. Inwardly, she chastised herself over these feelings, that a relationship that appeared to make Bellamy happy had failed, but she could not help it. Sometime over the past several years, she had fallen in love with Bellamy Blake.  

While she could not point to a single moment that caused it, Clarke remembered vividly how she came to the realization. It was over a year into her isolation with Madi on Earth, when they had just gotten done with a fishing excursion. Like a ritual, Clarke had retreated to the rover and was beginning to set up the equipment to initiate her daily radio call towards the Ring. Madi had followed her to the rover and began watching her with a curious expression.

“Clarke,” She asked in Trig. “Why do you still do that?”

“Do what?” Came the muffled reply as she leaned forward to grab a particularly uncooperative cable.

Madi eyed her efforts with slight exasperation. “Call him. You said it’ll be a few more years before the ground is livable for everyone, and he hasn’t responded to any of your calls so far.”

Clarke paused before answering. Though she had assured Madi otherwise, there remained a possibility that Bellamy and the others had not been able to make it to the Ring. Or worse, that they did exist up there and were never able to come back down. The thought of never seeing Bellamy again haunted her nightmares. Oh, no. “I have to hope that h-they can hear me.” She responded finally, earning an raised eyebrow from the small girl. “It’s important to have hope. Besides,” She added teasingly. “If I don’t give them directions, they’ll completely miss us and I’ll be stuck alone with you forever.” Madi rolled her eyes and began walking back towards the camp.

“Whatever,” She called over her shoulder. “Say hi to Bellamy for me.”

Clarke’s heart lurched, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t the group she was desperately trying to reach, not entirely. Though she missed them terribly, it was Bellamy that she tried to contact each day. The thought of hearing his voice on the other end had been the only thing that staved off the nightmares, the image of him suddenly appearing enough to quell the despair she had gathered in her heart. Reaching back in her memories, it had always been Bellamy that she reached for when the situation turned sour, whenever they needed to face some great threat, it was always his hand that she grasped tightly like a lifeline. Through all the trials and heartaches, he had remained a constant in her life since their arrival on the ground.  Now that he was gone, Clarke was desperately trying to keep him alive in whatever was she could.

She loved him. Damn it, she thought. Love was a weakness. In the distance, Madi was cursing in Trig as the fish she was holding slipped from her grasp and landed on the ground. A small smile spread across Clarke’s face as she beheld the tiny warrior, who was angrily dusting off the fish with a rag. Warmth filled her heart and with it, the knowledge that she would fight to the death to defend Madi from whatever danger the future might hold. The strength her feelings caused Clarke to think again of Bellamy and the love she now realized coursed through her veins. Perhaps love was not weakness after all, she thought distantly.

Clarke’s memories shifted to the months following the fall of the Primes. With Bellamy and Echo no longer together, the former had begun spending most of his free time around Clarke. It wasn’t until Madi and Octavia separately pointed it out that she realized that he may feel the same way about her that she did for him. That revelation, Clarke remembered, had nearly knocked her off her feet. After all the things she had done, after everything that had happened to both of them, she still found it hard to accept when good things happened. The thought of Bellamy actually loving her back was reminiscent of the daydreams she used to have during her time with Madi.

Despite her knowledge of his supposed feelings and their near constant proximity, the two of them had been dancing around each other for the past several weeks. It was that sweet, sweet tension before one of them decided to take the final leap and openly state their feelings. Though they had already waited so long, Clarke could not deny the appeal of the buildup. Her thoughts constantly strayed towards him, her heart pounded furiously inside her chest whenever he was in the room, and he filled her every dream. She nearly kissed him yesterday when they had been sitting outside the compound watching the sunrise, seeing how the light caught his eyes and the way he seemed to instinctively lean into its warmth. It was maddening. Beautifully maddening.

Clarke was ripped out of her memory by a question fielded to her by one of the elected leaders, causing a flash of irritation. As she gave her answer, a sudden drop in her stomach preceded a loud alarm blaring across Sanctum. After years of constant fighting and danger, Clarke and the others had developed almost a sixth sense for when trouble was around the corner. While she ushered the leaders out of the room and rushed to see what the problem was, her heart began to clench in a way that told her everything was not right. Something was wrong.

She saw him before they managed to tell her.

A motionless figure was being carried by the remaining scouting party, covered in what appeared to be Bellamy’s coat. Looking around, Clarke could not see the coat’s owner, scouring the small crowd that had gathered around the returning group. Worry turned to panic as her breaths began coming out in short rasps, eyes still scanning the crowd. Octavia was there, so was Echo and Miller. Jordan was being carted away by two of the scouting party, looking slightly bloody and bound for some reason. Where was Bellamy?

Octavia walked slowly over to her, looking like someone had hollowed out her body and taken away her spirit. Tear-streaked cheeks lifted and bloodshot eyes found Clarke’s. A dull feeling appeared in the back of her head, her neck soon stiffening in panic to appear frozen as Octavia took a breath.

“Clarke,” She rasped, her voice sounding hoarse. Like she had been yelling. “Clarke, something happened.” The look on her face and the flat tone in her voice sent chills down Clarke’s spine.

Realization it her. No. “Octavia?” Her voice trembled, as her vision became blurry.

It had happened so fast.

Unknown to them, the influence of the Primes still ran deep in Sanctum. As part of the Adjustment Protocol, several members of the Sanctum populace had been indoctrinated to be loyal to the Primes. Quietly, over the past several weeks, they conspired to assassinate the new leadership and seek out the exiled Russell Lightbourne. The scouting mission had been suggested by one of the agents as a ruse to kill Bellamy, Octavia, Echo, and Miller. Jordan, it seemed, had been forcibly converted to their philosophy during his time recovering from his stab wound. Without warning, the loyalists turned on them once they had gone far enough from Sanctum, intending to kill them quickly and quietly.

Only the honed instincts of the group saved them, having sensed the movements of their would-be assassins only milliseconds beforehand. While Miller fought a crazed Jordan, trying to calm him down, Bellamy, Echo, and Octavia engaged the remaining party. In the chaos, one of the loyalists had thrown a knife at Miller. Without hesitating, Bellamy had jumped in front of the knife, hitting him squarely in the chest. This enraged the others, who quickly finished off their attackers and subdued a stunned Jordan, who seemed despondent after Bellamy’s actions. Octavia numbly told Clarke how she was with him as he died, having only a few precious seconds before the light left his eyes forever. The last words on his lips had been her name. That was too much for Clarke, who blinked back tears and shook her head furiously, refusing to believe this was all real.

He couldn’t be gone. Not now. Not when they were finally seeing what peace looked like.

Her throat constricted and she couldn’t speak. Her heart felt like it was being forced apart by hand, each half held by icy cold fingers. Wordlessly stepping away from Octavia, who still appeared to be numb, Clarke desperately made her way through the crowd towards where she guessed the body had been taken. Before long, she found herself standing in the hastily constructed medical wing, with both Jackson and Niylah looking at her worriedly. In front of her laid the long covered body of Bellamy Blake.

With shaking hands, Clarke removed the coat that covered his face and fell to her knees at the sight of his lifeless face. A strangled sob escaped her lips as she beheld him, the expression on his face strangely blank without the worries and burdens that she normally saw on it. One of her hands found the front of his shirt while the other came to rest on his cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she let out a wail, the sound of her heart breaking into a million pieces. She never got to tell him. Never got to tell him how much she loved him or live the life that she had finally dared to imagine with him. As Jackson and Niylah slowly left her alone with what remained of Bellamy, Clarke felt the despair that she had kept at bay all these years start to creep back into her heart. All was lost, and now she was alone. Alone against the growing darkness.

Madi found her hours later, still clinging to Bellamy with white-knuckled hands. Her bloodshot eyes staring blankly at his face, as if the sheer power of her gaze could somehow bring him back. A small hand carefully covered the one she had gripping Bellamy’s shirt. Clarke did not look at her, never taking her eyes off the face that would never smile again for her. Another one found Clarke’s shoulder, bigger and with more weight. Octavia had walked in and sat down beside her. Despite herself, Clarke found her gaze pulled toward the younger Blake sibling. A stab of pain flashed in her chest. The only Blake left.

While Octavia’s eyes were no longer red with grief, the expression behind them was reminiscent of how she appeared after Lincoln’s death. But she had grown, had faced her demons and defeated them, and now she looked at Clarke who seemed to be empty inside.

“I know that look.” She said carefully. “You can’t give up, Clarke. Not now.” Madi’s hand squeezed tighter as if to punctuate her Octavia’s words.

Clarke looked back at Bellamy, fresh tears streaming down the familiar paths on her face. “He’s g-gone.” She choked, her voice shaking. “Gone, Octavia. And I n-never…“ She couldn’t finish her sentence, but both Madi and Octavia understood.

“He knew, Clarke.” It was Madi that spoke this time, her voice cutting across the air like a bell. “He knew. We all did.” This statement did not comfort her, it only reminded her of all the wasted years.

“Look at me.” Madi’s voice rang again, its tone causing Clarke to meet her eyes. “It’s important to have hope,” She reminded her. Those words stomped on whatever remained of her heart, echoing in the chamber it used to reside in.

“He wouldn’t want you to give up.” Octavia added, forcefully this time. Almost enough that Clarke believed her.

In the end, all stars eventually die. Even the brightest, most extraordinary light in the sky must one day fade away. And all that will remain is the dark promise of an empty night, forever stretching beyond the world towards the infinite horizon.

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Secret Studies ch.8-When Worlds Collide

The Elementalist AU

Beckett x MC (Oriana)

Words: 1877

Co-Written with @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul

Beckett and Oriana begin to merge their lives. Will things go smoothly?

“Beckett” Oriana’s voice sounded from across the darkened room. “Beckett it’s morning sleepy head, I have something for you.”

Beckett fought himself as he turned over in the warm bed, eyes opening just enough to see barely any sunlight from the windows before closing them again. “What is it, 4 o’clock in the morning Ori?” He said almost annoyed.

 “Probably” Oriana called in a purposely loud voice “Guess I’ll have to fix that.”

 Beckett turned once again, fighting to keep his eyes open as they searched for Oriana.

  “How are you…” His word’s interrupted as he brought his hands to shield his face from the immense sunlight that shined directly in front of him. Still blinded from the unknown light source and morning dreariness, Beckett slid his legs from under the sheets, his skin greeted by the warm breeze of a fresh summer air, and his feet tickled by the slow movement of soft grass.

As his eyes began to adjust, they became instantly overwhelmed by the beauty of their surroundings. Tall wild flowers towered over the lush green grass, all of which flourished under the guiding light of the ball of fire in the sky. Standing under the sun was a silhouette of a beautiful women holding out a tray.

“Oriana?” Beckett said obviously in shock. “Where are we?”

 “We’re home Beckett.” She teased with a smile, pausing as she walked through the flowers toward him “I wanted to make it felt that way any way” she shrugged.

 “it’s perfect Ori” Beckett smiled inhaling the flowery scent surrounding them. “How did you…” he looked up at the sun shining above them before settling on the tray of food “is that bacon?”.

 Giggling, she disappeared beneath the sea of billowing petals “And coffee, I hope you don’t mind, I made you my specialty.”

“I believe anything made by you would be special.” He said following her through the flowers, revealing a small table, where she rested the tray of perfectly cooked bacon & breakfast sandwiches. “You really went out of your way with this, Ori. I can’t believe how fast your powers are growing.”

 “You’re right. Anything I make probably would be pretty good.” she said with a smirk, signaling him to sit at the table. “I’ve just felt really horrible about how I’ve treated you and how the others have treated you. I know people haven’t been completely…accepting of us.” She continued pouring hot coffee into a cat ear mug. “I wanted to say I’m sorry and do something to make up for all you’ve done for me.”

Beckett’s reply took a bit of time as he gorged himself “This bacon was made by the gods.” He said licking the leftovers from his lips.

 Oriana grinned “I’m really glad you’re enjoying everything; I know how stressed you’ve been with finals coming up” she paused for a moment reaching under the table and sprawling a blanket out before them.

Taking him by the hand they laid down together, cloud watching as the sun warmed their skin. Beckett sat his weight up on his elbow and kissed Oriana’s nose “this has been the most incredible morning. Every day with you is incredible.”

 Kissing her forehead, he snuggled her close to him “Really thank you for all of this, and your apology.  As long as I have you with me I know I can do anything.”

 For the rest of the morning, they spent sprawled out on the blanket, picking out crazy creatures in the cottony wisps.

Eventually, the imagery disappeared, and they headed to the school for lunch. Holding hands, they entered the dining hall together and walked over to Shreya, Zephyr, and Griffin. It was the first time Beckett had ever joined Oriana and her friends for a meal, and he was really nervous.

“They don’t like me, Oriana.” He had told her.

“They don’t know you. Give them a chance, and they’ll do the same. Besides, I love you and I’ll be there to keep everyone line. Especially you, since you’re a bit more…difficult to get to know.”

So, here they were, and a hush fell over the friends as the newly announced couple took their seats.

“Hey, guys.” Oriana said. “How’s it going?”

“Not bad, just shocked you’re here with…Beckett.” Griffin responded stiffly.  “I figured this…” He waved his hand between Oriana and Beckett, “…would have run its course by now.”

“There’s no course to have run.” Beckett acknowledged. “I meant what I said. I love her. I do hope you can all accept that, because I’m not going anywhere.”

He didn’t miss the surprised look cross Oriana’s face, and he looked at her smugly. That’s right, Ori. I will always defend us against anyone who even tries to make us feel bad. I learned my lesson.

“Good.” Zephyr spoke up. “This is actually pretty great…because now we can all study together for the exams coming up!! With Beckett on our side, we’re all going to get A’s for sure!!”

“I agree with Zeph.” Shreya said excitedly. “I mean, Beckett, you’ll help us study, and we’ll show you how to have fun! Not to mention, I’ll get to see Oriana a lot more than I have been!”

“What do you mean, ‘show me how to have fun’? I know how to have fun.” Beckett defended.

“Okay, reading huge books from the library does not count as fun, Beckett.” Zeph told him.

“I beg to differ. It’s really quite enjoyable learning things you normally wouldn’t in school.” Beckett frowned. “How do you think I get such good grades?”

He was met with silence, before he added. “Besides, there are benefits to such large stacks in the library. It really can provide some great…privacy.” He winked at Oriana.

“Oh, ew. I don’t need to know that.” Zeph said with a laugh. “Actually, I do. Give me all the details.”

“Okaaaaay and that’s enough of that.” Oriana broke in, as Beckett’s face flushed bright red with his admission of basically saying they’ve hooked up in the library.

“Well. Since I’m not in any of your classes, I guess I won’t need to be in your study sessions.” Griffin glared.

“Oh, come on, Griffin, of course we want you there!” Shreya exclaimed. “We’re all friends here, and friends help each other. You have exams too, we can help with that!”

Griffin sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Griffin, can I talk to you a minute?” Oriana asked. Beckett narrowed his eyes at her, as she stood and exited the room with Griffin.

Shreya turned to Beckett. “Don’t worry, Beckett. She’s probably just telling him to cool his attitude. He’s a bit hurt that you guys were sneaking off in secrecy.”

Beckett cast his eyes downward. “It was all me.” He muttered. “She wanted to tell the world. It was me holding back.”

“Okay, well, you literally ended up shouting it to the entire school, so I think that makes up for it. It was one of the best things I’ve ever seen.” Zeph grinned.

“Personally, I think you’re great together. Her moods make so much sense now. For a while she was on cloud nine. Then suddenly she was miserable. And now she’s back to cloud nine. I haven’t exactly seen a ton of interaction between you two, but that really says something.” Shreya said gently. “Griffin will come around. Just…play nice.”

Beckett raised an eyebrow. “Play nice? I’m not going to be nice if he’s not. My respect has to be earned, I don’t freely give it to people who are rude to me.”

“You mean like how you’re rude to everyone, but expect them to respect you?” Zeph smirked.

“I…fair point.” Beckett admitted.

“What’s a fair point?” Oriana asked, re-joining them along with Griffin.

“Yes, Beckett. Do tell us…what was fair?” Zeph looked at him slyly.

“Uhm…just…you know. Making up for being a jerk to…certain…people.” Beckett mumbled, turning red.

“Anyone in particular?” Shreya prompted

Beckett shot her a Look.  “In general.”

“Alright, well this is going nowhere.” Oriana cut in. “Everyone in for studying later tonight? At the library?”

The group nodded in agreement, including Griffin.

“Great, see you later, I’ve gotta run.” She told them, then quickly left. Beckett watched her retreating form, then got up and followed her.

“Ori…are you okay?” He asked, finally catching up.

“Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I’m good, I just remembered I’m supposed to see Professor Swan right now.”

“Are you sure?”

She smiled at him and pulled him in for a soft kiss. “Yes. Absolutely. This has really been a great day. I just completely forgot before Griffin reminded me just now.”

“He knows your schedule?” He frowned.

She shrugged. “Don’t you?”

He rolled his eyes. “But I’m different. I’m your boyfriend, and I love you, Ori.”

She grinned. “I love you too, Beck. Stop worrying about Griffin. All he asked was what I thought her exam may be like, and that’s when it clicked that I’m due for our lesson.”

“Okay. I believe you.” He said.

“No more jealous Beckett?”

“Well…maybe a little jealous. You are pretty irresistible after all. I know that guys…and girls…notice.” He grimaced at the thought, before breaking out in a chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” She asked.

“Just thinking that once again I beat all the competition. You’re mine. I won.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she burst out laughing.

“Alright, hot shot.” She lightly pushed him. “I’m really late now. I’ll see you later, okay?”

With one more kiss, they parted ways, leaving Beckett smiling after her.

Hours later, the friends met in the library with their books. With everyone involved, the studying went smoothly, and by the time they called it a night, all five of them were laughing together. As they were leaving, Griffin pulled Oriana and Beckett aside.

“I just wanted to let you know…I can see you’re clearly happy together. Oriana, as long as you’re happy then I’m happy. And Beckett…” He trailed off a moment. “I know we haven’t always gotten along, but…It’s nice knowing there’s a real person underneath your snobby exterior.”

“Uh…thanks?” Beckett replied, unsure if that was a compliment or an insult.

“You’re welcome.”

“And Griffin, just so you know…any friend of Ori’s is a friend of mine. And I mean that. Her life is my life now, and I will literally do anything for her.” Beckett said.

“You better.” Griffin replied shortly. “I’ll see you around.”

Griffin hastily left, and Oriana turned to Beckett. “Well, I think overall your integration is going well. Shreya and Zeph seem excited for us.”

“But not Griffin.” Beckett replied.

“Well...he’ll get there. When he sees how you continue to make me happy.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, gazing into his eyes. “Because you definitely make me happy Beckett Harrington.”

He smiled down at her, returning her embrace, a blush creeping up his neck. “I’ll play nice when he’s around.” He murmured, tilting his head to gently take her earlobe between his teeth.

“Mmmm” She moaned. “But we’re in private…maybe…nice is overrated.”

Beckett grinned against her neck, peppering her with kisses. “Why milady, are you suggesting we do something other than study in the library?”

“Oh, we can stay in the library.” She said breathily. “After all, the stacks are pretty tall.”

  @blackwidow2721 @sleepwalkingelite @flowerpowell @agent-bossypants @annekebbphotography @carabeth @gardeningourmet @eileendannie @alesana45 @zigortega4life

@marianagmt @divergentofhogwarts @flyawayboo @kate-omalleys @syltti78 @coldcollectornight08 @emerald-bijou @herdecisions @nerdynstoned @owleyes374 @thatcatlady0716 @damienswhore @imaginemulti @hypno-bear-tini @askdana @drakewalkerfantasy @noisysoulthing @confessionsofabrokegirl @meiyoko-trash @coffeebeandragon @sweetest-marbear @darley1101 @blackcoffee85 @bieberismysoulmate

[swanky-batman]

A Fatal Mistake

Sherlock x Reader

Warnings: swearing, drinking, adult situations, some violence

This is my entry for @thatfanficstuff‘s writing challenge with the prompt, “You do realize I sleep with a gun under my pillow, right?” I hope this works I had a ton of fun writing it!! :D

–

What happens when the great Sherlock Holmes won’t stop barging into your apartment? When he starts following you to dates? Y/N gets a taste of a slightly bored detective.

Masterlist  || Ko-Fi

———————-

“For the last time, Sherlock- you have to ring the buzzer.” You rolled your eyes, slamming the door closed behind the already seated detective.

“Why would I do that?” His eyebrow twitched.

“So that I have time to come to the door to make sure it’s you.”

“That takes too long and I’m far too impatient to wait in the street like a common idiot.” He scowled, looking towards your stack of books on the table.

You sighed, plopping down next to them and taking a sip of your coffee, “I’m too tired to argue. Well? What is it you need?”

He paused, studying you for a moment, “I take it your date didn’t go well last night.” He stated, looking away for a moment as if he were disinterested.

You waited, taking another sip of coffee with a slight frown. “What do you need help with?”

“Who says I need help?” He scoffed, meeting your eyes again which made you smirk.

“Then I am too impatient to wait for your response. Let me know when you come around to it.” You set your cup down and pulled the open book over to you again.

He stood immediately and crossed the room, looking over your shoulder. “Is this one new?”

You slammed it shut and stood, face to face with him. “What is with you today?”

You had known Sherlock Holmes and John Watson for a little over a year- you helped them with a case that happen to use your field of expertise on Astronomical research. Since then, Sherlock and John on multiple occasions have come to you with questions or even as a backboard for a fresh perspective. John would always come about for a few hours and help with whatever he could, while Sherlock would come and leave almost immediately after the problems were presented. Except for this particular day, apparently.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” He replied, his eyes flickering a little. You gave him a long look to which he responded, “I’m bored.”

“Good for you. Take a break, get some air.”

“Even more boring- at least dust has history. Air is… new.” He shuddered, sighing and falling into the chair next to you. “Come on- don’t you want to humor me?”

You sighed, taking a long slow sip of your coffee again before asking in a fake voice, “How did you know I had been on a date?” You blinked a few times, flourishing your eyelashes.

He tried to stop himself from smiling and failed, continuing anyways, “You looked tired but not from partying or socializing- it looks as though you had been drinking last night and you don’t drink unless you’re at home or around friends. Since there’s a mustard stain on your night shirt and it’s not only old but no respectable person eats anything that needs mustard in the morning it’s from last night. That means you had at least a late night snack here and not out, and your shoes are carelessly thrown off to the side of the door meaning your night had not gone as you had planned. There’s also a ticket that was crumpled near the top of the small trash can- recent and not enough to care or keep for a few days.”

You nodded, standing mid story to pour another cup of coffee and return. Once he stopped you gave a slow, sarcastic clap, “It is amazing how your mind works.” You grinned, leaning closer to him, “However, last night was a charity event for an exhibition at my internship- not a date.” You winked to him.

He frowned, “No.”

“Yes.” You laughed, “Although I will give you partial credit- I have a date tonight.”

He paused, his frown deepening. “Tonight? So you haven’t met…”

You shook your head, “No I haven’t. And no, I won’t give you his name.”

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, “Come on!” He stood suddenly, “It will be only a matter of minutes for me to find out-”

“Sherlock I have work to do. If there isn’t anything I can help you with then will you please stop goofing off and get out of here?”

“You infuriate me to no end.” He huffed as you pushed his long limbs towards the door.

“I know, I know- I’m a real villain.” You laughed and he dropped his weight on you. “Damnit, Sherlock.” You struggled a bit, “Get out.”

“No.” He protested, growing even heavier. After a few minutes of struggling, you finally pushed him out of the door.

Breathing a bit of relief, you rubbed your face before returning towards the table.

There was a knock on your door another minute later.

“I’m never going to get anything done.” You sighed, stomping towards the door and swinging it open. “Sherlock-”

He held up a phone and you realized after a few seconds it was yours. He grinned, pulling his hand back when you went for it. “You really should be more careful about where you keep your phone.”

You leaned into him, your face a few centimeters away from his, “You really should be more careful about taking my things.”

He taunted you with his eyes without moving and you quickly grabbed his ear and pulled. He dropped the phone out of instinct and you quickly caught it, slamming the door as fast as you could. You could hear a chuckle on the other side before you threw yourself on your bed.

–

Hours later, you had gotten ready and left for dinner. You were going to a new restaurant and apparently the person you were meeting had reservations.

You felt a chill as you walked in as if someone was watching you but you continued towards the door- stopping for a brief second to take in the front of the building.

“Good evening,” A voice greeted after a moment, “Do you have reservations?”

“Good evening,” You greeted in return, fumbling for a moment with your phone, “I’m supposed to meet a Roger Clementine-”

The person checked the list, and nodded, asking  you to follow them- and you did, all the way to the back of the place in a more private setting.

You stopped at a table and looked over the person sitting, “Roger?”

He stood immediately, offering a hand out to shake, “Y/N?”

You smiled and shook his hand- a little unsteady and slightly sweaty. Overall good looking, although you could swear you saw signs of makeup, overdoing the first date with a reservation so he could dress in a suit- over trying and trying to look more youthful, signs of a possible divorce. Given the slight tan lines on his finger, recent.

Damn. Sherlock and John were rubbing off.

You sat down and ordered water. A few minutes of awkward but polite conversation later you ordered some food. He seemed nice enough but there was something he was hiding- besides the fact he hadn’t mentioned the divorce or anything about his career. Was he self conscious or was he trying to hide it?

“Excuse me for a moment-” He smiled, standing up to presumably use the restroom.

You sighed a little, checking your watch.

“Just leave.” You heard from behind you and you jumped, your attention snapping towards it.

“Sherlock-” Your brows furrowed and then anger passed over your face, “Did you follow me or did you wait here?”

His features were amused, far too amused. “Followed you. Sort of.” He shrugged, and then looked over his shoulder, “The guy is boring you, you are far more interesting and much more intelligent than he- why are you still here?”

“Just because you’re bored-” You met his eyes, “Doesn’t mean you get to pick apart my life.”

“Not just because I’m bored but because it’s so much fun to.” He grinned as Roger walked in behind him.

“Uh, excuse me…”

Sherlock turned around with a wide fake grin, “So sorry, I think I’ve popped off to the wrong room-” He said apologetically, heading out.

Roger sat down in front of you but your mind stayed on Sherlock. He was strange today and very aggravating. What gave him the nerve to pop in one day suddenly and stalk you? And to give you an opinion about your date while you were still on it?

“Are you alright?”

Your attention snapped back towards Roger, “I’m so sorry, what were you saying?” You smiled towards him, remaining attentive for the rest of the night.

–

At the end, you said your goodbye outside, “This was- really nice.” Roger smiled timidly, meeting your eyes, “I’m sure I seemed off tonight, there’s just been a lot going on and… well, I haven’t been on a date for a while.”

“It was nice.” You smiled to him, trying to calm him down a bit.

He breathed, nodding. “Well, maybe we could do this again sometime.”

You breathed, “I’m not opposed to it.”

“I feel like there’s a but.” He bit his lip, looking over your features.

“I wouldn’t say we’re exclusive yet.” You teased a bit with a wink and he chuckled.

“I gotcha.” He holds his hands up a bit, “Maybe I can take another chance at that.” He teased back, making you laugh.

“Sure.” You grinned, “Good night, Roger. It was nice meeting you.”

“Good night- are you sure you’re okay heading home by yourself?” He asked, a little nervous.

“Oh, I feel like I have a guardian watching over me.” You grinned back, waving and walking away.

A block later, a pair of steps fell in line with yours.

“Did you enjoy the show?” You smirked, turning your head to meet his dark curls.

A smirk formed on his face, “I especially liked the part of me being the guardian.”

You snorted, rolling your eyes, “Of course that’s the part you mention.”

“After being appointed such a wonderful title, one could never forget.” A mischievous grin formed.

–

“Again?” You asked around the toothbrush in your mouth with disdain.

Sherlock chuckled, pushing his way back in. “You should know by now-”

“Why though?” You formed before walking towards the bathroom to spit. He had been making a daily trip to you for the last month and a half, no matter if he had a case or not.

He shrugged, “Getting into a habit, I guess. How’s Rick?”

You finished and moved back towards the living room, “Get out of the habit, I have a schedule change coming at work.”

“Then I’ll have to rotate it, surely.” He frowned a little, “And I’m guessing not well, since you’re avoiding the subject.”

“I’m avoiding having to correct you on his name again, now get out I have to get dressed.”

“So you’re meeting him.” He furrowed his brows, “Now? Why would you…” His face cleared and a smirk grinned, “Oh.”

“Oh nothing, move.” You kicked his leg before moving to your bedroom.

“You’re breaking it off with poor old Robert.”

“You have to be doing it on purpose now-” You rolled your eyes and turned, jumping a little, “Personal space, Holmes.”

He leaned in, his face hovering in front of yours, “You like it.”

“There’s no reason for you to be this close.” You sighed, turning to look at the closet- and getting pulled back towards him.

“Why can’t you humor me more often?” He asked, his breath hot on your face.

“Why do you care?” You asked back, standing up to him.

Frustration crossed his face mixed with something else…he grabbed your shoulders and shook you slightly, “Because-”

You waited and held your breath, your eyes scanning his. When he didn’t continue on, you broke the silence. “Because?” You asked, barely a whisper.

His hands moved around your waist and neck and his lips smashed down on yours. The surprise came over you in a wave and then your hands were moving through his hair. He groaned, pushing you back a little so you fell on the bed.

“You need someone like me.” He whispered in between kisses, “Someone to keep you on your toes…”

You giggled, “Isn’t that who you’re looking for?”

He stopped for a moment, grinning, “You don’t keep me on my toes, you’re predictable.”

“Am I?” Your eyes flashed, moving over on top of him, prompting him to laugh. You kissed his smug lips another time before moving off of him. You stood, removing your clothes and giving him a show before turning around and grabbing a dress from behind you and slipping it on.

“What-”

“Am I doing?” You giggled, winking towards him, “I’m sure you’ve guessed.” You walked out and slipped on your shoes before leaving the apartment.

You walked downstairs and caught a cab, stealing a glance upstairs to see Sherlock’s confused face in your window.

You gave the cab driver a place to go and walked quickly inside.

“There you are, I was beginning to worry about you.” Roger stood from the table to greet you.

“I’m sorry.” You spoke, not giving an excuse you would have to remember- you were still hot from what had happened.

“No worries,” He smiled, “So…” He fidgeted in his seat. You took him in for a moment and got nervous- he was sweating, more than usual, his smile seemed forced.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, taking a small sip of your water.

“I just… I was wondering.” He breathed in, “If you might want to do more with this. With us.”

Your smile tightened and you felt your face flush. You didn’t know there was an us- you had met with him once a week for the last month and a half and didn’t see the need to increase the visits. You internally frowned- why? There was nothing wrong with him, he was nice, clear enough and sensible, albeit a little predictable. Ugh, Sherlock- he drove you up a wall sometimes and nagged you to no ends… no- this was about Roger.

“I-” Your eyes flashed behind him and caught a head of dark curls a table away, making your heart skip a beat, “I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

His face fell and he looked like he was trying to process what happened, “Is it something I did?” He asked and you shook your head. “Did I say something wrong?” His tone got a little darker and a small chill came over you.

“No.” You answered, trying to stay calm, “I just… don’t feel-” He nodded, turning away and slamming his fist on the table.

The rest was an awkward mess that you wish you could say felt like a blur- but it wasn’t. Hours later you slumped into your bedroom and fell face first onto the bed.

Your eyes shut and after a few minutes you must have fallen asleep because you jolted open at a noise in your apartment. Your bedroom door creaked open and your hand snapped under your pillow.

At the same time you spun and shot around the light flicked on.

“Sherlock!” You screamed, breathing heavily, “What the hell?” You lowered your hands.

“Sorry- I suppose I should have rung first.” He gave a smirk.

“You do realize I sleep with a gun under my pillow, right?” You uncocked your weapon and placed it back on the bed.

He chuckled, “Now I do.” He held his hands up defensively, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“And you wanted to see me.” You stated, sitting down and patting the bed next to you.

He came over to sit down and brushed against you. There was a silence between you for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“You do surprise me. Being around you surprises and calms me. And-” He breathed and turned to meet your eyes, “As terrifying as this is- I feel like I need you.”

“So this is the day.” You smirked, “That the great Sherlock Holmes admits something.”

His face held a serious tone, “What do you think of me? Do you find me as annoying as you say?” He stood, his voice calm but his face a little scared.

“Sherlock-” Your heart skipped a beat as you stood to meet his lips again. As you did, you took his hand and placed it over your heart. “Does that answer anything?”

“It answers everything I need for the moment.” He grinned, pulling you in for yet another kiss.

You pushed him away, “You need to start buzzing in- and we need to get you a bell.”

Sherlock grinned as he walked back towards you. “Lucky for me you’re a horrible shot.” You smacked him before you let his lips get to yours again.

————–

Permanent Tags:

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Tags and Requests open! :D

[desolateice]

Fic Questionnaire

Tagged by @usaonetwothree

How many works do you have on Ao3?

5

What's your total AO3 word count?

362,752 

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? 

I’ll just do the ones on AO3

Karate Kid (current WIP)

Marvel Cinematic Universe/Captain America

Hannibal

Free! 

Sailor Moon

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

I only have 5 on Ao3...so err...I’m going to do the top 2

Not Enough Scotch for this Matchmaking Scheme- 499

Root Beer Floats and Green Tea- 338

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? 

It depends.

If people have questions I always try and answer them. (Depending on the question, some feel like they’re rhetorical or might lead to me spoiling something so I don’t answer those.)

Like I was asked for the smoothie recipe from Not Enough Scotch so I answered that. I do research so I’m always down for sharing the research. 

But I get a little overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say usually in response.

Comments always delight me and brighten my day. I like to talk about the story but I just don’t know how to go about it.

However, I want to with my current WIP, the problem is time. For my last two fics I challenged myself to a very intense writing/posting schedule. So right now it’s: do I keep up the chapter a day or do I respond to comments the way I want to?

I’ve picked writing at the moment. But I do want to respond to the comments I’ve gotten on this one. Everyone’s been very sweet. So I'm hoping to when I finish writing.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? 

I tend to promise happy endings because I can’t handle angsty endings. Now the beginning and middle? All the angst. Also a sprinkle of horror sometimes. With the current fic that would probably be the nightmares. 

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not that I can think of.

Do you write smut? 

For fic, not yet? For original works, I have but not all that often.

My current WIP is rated M, I don’t understand what the difference really is or where the line is between M and E, but we’re a long way off (maybe?) before I decide where I’m going with that.

We’ll see how it goes. Because I’ve never written a fic with an above T rating before. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. But who knows what’s happened to those old fics I haven’t gone back and checked on.

Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not that I’m aware of. Again I have some that I’ve stopped paying attention to. 

Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

No. I used to try and co-write original works as like a fun challenge but I learned that it can be really difficult. Kudos to those who can and do.

What's your all time favorite ship?

You can’t beat a classic schooner or Junk. I think if I could buy one/afford one I’d go for a kayak. 🛶 (ha, actual boat jokes, sorry.)

Honestly too many.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I always finish my fics. If I’m going to share it it’s either going to be a one shot or I’m going to put in the work to complete it. Which is why it completely derails the rest of my life. (Read: currently have no free time thus answering this has taken me like all week and why I haven't responded to comments for the most part.)

I get so crushed when I read something and it’s indefinitely unfinished. No one owes me a finished fic and every writer is different. I just get a little bummed, so when I started writing fic I promised myself I’d always finish what I started. 

Now original works...yeah that’s like all of them. I was in the middle of writing a novel when I started watching Cobra Kai and then fell down a rabbit hole and this fic happened. But if other people are actively reading something I make sure to finish it. All my original wips don’t have active readers just very busy friends reading at the pace of a sloth (I say this affectionately because I know they’re busy) so they tend to fall off the wayside. 

What are your writing strengths? 

Food? Does food count? I grew up reading a lot of fics with those elaborated food scenes (Redwall and like a bazillion others). So almost all my fics have food or drink in the titles and then usually some food in it. (Which I noticed only recently the correlation between what I grew up reading and how it’s influenced my work)

Right now I’m challenging myself to the slowest most molasse slow burn I’ve ever written. I think it’s going well. 

A balance between sweet and scary?

Evoking emotion I think is what I’m looking for. I’ve been crying a lot with the current fic and based of the comments, readers have been too. 

What are your writing weaknesses? 

Staying in the right tense. The amount of times I go back and find I’ve switched tense is really frustrating. It’s usually because I was writing at different times. I also should read it out loud to catch grammar and spelling but I don’t. So...sorry in advance.

You would not believe the amount of times I find “teh” instead of “the”. 

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?  Context: I don’t mind reading fics with dialogue in another language if it’s minor, very easily understood from context, or it’s translated right after. But if I have to scroll down to the bottom to read the translations then somehow scroll back to where I was without reading anything spoilery in the process, I’m not gonna be happy.

I’ve had more of that in this current WIP and I’m trying to find a balance. I’m trying to keep it all very minor. We’ll see how it goes. I don't mind.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

I don’t remember. Again there’s some on some other site I haven’t touched in years.

Although...I was given an assignment at school to continue a book in our English class so it might actually have been “the Outsiders”, just no one except my English teacher read that one. (I got an A :P)

What's your favorite fic you've ever written? 

I’ve been trying to do different things lately. To challenge myself. Originally I’d write fic because I got miffed at the story and needed to “fix it”. But these last two have been more fun? So Not Enough Scotch I wanted to try and cram as many romantic/rom com tropes into a fic as possible. And it was really fun to like take a different chapter and try and test it out. 

But honestly I’m having a ton of fun with my current fic. I like traveling so fitting travel and research in and then food that’s special to those places and cooking is just nice. Plus I’m usually impatient so it’s like a good challenge for myself to slow down and enjoy the scenic route instead of running head first into...well in this case the ship getting together.

Plus I’m not suffering alone. It’s shared. Which, aren’t some of the best journeys shared?

Tagging: If you write fic and you see this and haven’t done it consider yourself tagged. 😊

[chaymino]

The Comfort Zone Act 4 "Anxiety"

The rest of the day went by easy. Nothing happened that indicated that bracelet even existed. Well, except the guilt I suppose. I couldn’t stop thinking about the ocean -I mean- Palyma is just… sitting there. All alone. Possibly in danger? It doesn’t matter now though, I already threw the bracelet away and I have no way of getting it back without anyone finding out about this mess. When night came and I went to bed, everything was fine, no nightmare. Perfect, I think? Yeah. It’s alright. I got up early in the morning. Waking up early always helped me relax when I was on edge. I got upstairs and turned on the kettle to make some Tea. I figure maybe reading something while I have it could help take my mind off of the fact that I left Palyma sitting at the bottom of the harbour all alone with no means of defense against whatever it was that was out to get her and her bracelet. Was it even hers? She said she guarded it, but she never said who it belongs to. I looked through my shelf but didn’t find any interesting books to read that I haven’t already so I went back upstairs and checked the shelf up there. Mom loves to read when she’s home, and so does Sonia and the result is a ton of books scattered throughout the house. You’d think someone as tidy as Sonia would pick up her books but it’s the one thing she doesn’t do. As I approached the large bookshelf something stuck out to me right away. A book sitting on the shelf in front of all the others. It had a dark, subtle blue cover and a pair of blue and red multicolored eyes on it. My first thought was that it was one of Sonia’s meropian books that she’d left out after finishing it one morning. I picked it up and looked at the front. The title read “Door of the Sea Witch” and there was no author named on the front. I think I was right. The title sounds like that of a fictional story. Since the kettle was starting to boil I decided to read this one out of convenience. I put it down on the table and went to make my tea. The dishes were pretty much all dirty again, more specifically, all the cups. I sighed at the realization that I would have to wash one. I grabbed a dirty cup out of the sink and turned on the water. Washing dishes was never fun, I had to get my hands wet. Finally finished washing the cup, I made my tea and sat at the table. I started to read the book and it turns out, Sonia was right, it’s surprisingly interesting. The story was about this Witch who wanted to rule the ocean by stealing a magic artifact from her brother and his lover. It didn’t focus a lot on romance which was nice, I hate a whole lot of Romance in books. After what seemed like a brief period of time I got a message from Tails asking me to meet him at his workshop. “Isn’t it a bit early?” I messaged back. “It’s 2 in the afternoon?” Wait what?? I looked outside and the sun was high in the sky, and just as he said, the clock read 2:23PM despite me swearing it said 6:42 before I started reading that book… which, I had… just finished… Oh. “Be there in a flash!” I sent back, and ran out the door, leaving the finished book and empty mug on the table. When I got to Tails’ workshop I was surprised to find Amy there too. “Sonic!” She greeted as she ran over to me and gave me a big, painful hug as she usually does when she hasn’t seen me in a few days. “Uh, hey Amy. I wasn’t expecting to see you until Friday.” “Yeah well, Tails didn’t think you would be able to get all the work done that he needs, so I’m here to help!” Work done? What work? Oh no, this must have to do with whatever he was talking about at the harbor the other day when I met Palyma… “Earth to Sonic? Hellooo? Tails, what’s wrong with him? He seems out of it.” Amy turned to Tails, sounding a bit worried. “Maybe he’s getting sick? He was like this back when I first told him about the project too, he didn’t seem to be paying attention.” He looked at me expecting an answer. “No, I’m not sick. I’ve just been a bit… distracted lately. Sorry. What are we doing?” I wasn’t exactly sure why I felt the need to keep this a secret but every time I thought about telling someone I got a gripping feeling in my gut that I’ve never felt before. So I guess it’ll have to stay a secret. Out of sight out of mind, right? “I’m testing a prototype for some equipment. I told you about it the other day at the harbor. They’re for maneuvering and defence in water!” Water? Seriously?! Why me? Why is it that all of a sudden everything has to do with water? “O-oh. I see. I don’t have to test it do I?” “Not all of it. I have something that I want to test out of water too, that’ll be your job. I mostly need you for opinions. We should head to the harbor now though, I want to get it done as quick as we can, that way I can make the necessary improvements.” Tails instructed as he got a large duffle bag and swung the strap over his shoulder. The walk there was nice, it was really sunny and warm out today and there was a pleasant breeze too. Tails’ workshop was pretty close to the beach so the walk wasn’t too far. Once we got there, the gripping feeling came back despite me not saying anything about Palyma. Tails set the bag down and pulled a pair of boots out. “These are special jet boots meant for moving faster in water. Amy, you can test these out. I have a device you clip onto them to record data. I have something else, hang on…” He trailed on as he reached into the bag again. He pulled out a mask and handed it to her, he was saying something to her about it but I had lost focus and wound up staring at the ocean again. Now it just made me feel bad. Like, real bad. It felt like something was holding my heart and squeezing it as hard as possible. It hurt a lot and I didn’t know what it was. I got so distracted I didn’t notice Tails trying to hand me something. He jabbed my side gently but hard enough to regain my attention. “You really weren’t kidding when you said you were distracted huh?” He asked as he gave me a weird look. “Uh, no. I wasn’t.” He didn’t respond again, he just smiled and handed me a gun. It was a small blue pistol looking gun with a pretty blue color and a single white stripe going along it horizontally. Oh, but it didn’t have any room for bullets… huh? “Uh Tails? Why did you give me a gun? I don’t use guns.” “I know, but you’ll have to for this. This gun is special! Instead of using bullets, it charges energy and fires it instead, that way, it can be a lot smaller and be easier to shoot underwater. Amy’s gonna test it underwater, but I want it to work well enough in any situation, and I’m worried it may fire too quick and overheat with no water to slow the projectile speed and cool the charging unit.” Tails explained as he grabbed some small devices from the bag. “You can use these as targets.” He turned all 4 of them on and they floated in air where they were. “Okay Sonic, put these wherever and shoot them down, don’t shoot from too close though.” Tails directed as he pulled some more out, and proceeded to show Amy how to turn them on. The two walked away and I was left alone with the Drones. I lined them up and stood a decent distance from them, I don’t have the best aim, but I guess I’ll just have to keep shooting ‘till I can hit them. I held up the gun and tried to line up the shot. I thought it was a good shot, but of course I was way off. The gun fired in a split second and was way brighter than I was expecting, it kinda hurt my eyes a bit. The small weapon didn’t seem to have gotten much warmer so I tried another shot, this time though, I held the trigger down. I missed off to the left but as the shots of blinding blue energy came I pointed it over more to the right until it hit the drone with a bang, sending it spinning a few feet backwards. It was then I noticed the gun had a bit of smoke coming out the muzzle. I felt the barrel and it did feel pretty hot, not enough to burn my hand, but it was probably hotter than it was supposed to be. It seemed to pack a surprisingly strong punch for such a puny gun, with the right adjustments it could be pretty handy. I looked around for Tails and saw him over by where he set his bag down before, he was writing notes down in a notebook. As I approached him, he looked up and smiled at me. “How is it?” He asked me as I lowered myself onto my knees and looked at the gun in my hands. “It’s really bright when it fires and the barrel overheated after a few shots. Other than that it seems like a pretty good weapon. I don’t know much about guns though.” “It flashes when it fires? When I tested it myself in the early stages of design, it didn’t flash at all, let alone really bright.” He took it from me and examined it from the side, I don’t know what he was looking at but it didn’t really concern me either. “Did you test it in water?” “Yeah, why?” I raised an eyebrow at him and he seemed to catch on. “…oh. Right, of course the water blocks out the light from the flash, why didn’t I think of that? I’ll see if I can at least dim the flash when I try fixing the barrel overheating problem, but it’s supposed to be used primarily underwater so if it lowers the performance I don’t think I’ll want to alter it.” “Makes sense. Am I done now?” While I’d love to help Tails as much as I can, I don’t really want to be near the Ocean after I threw that bracelet away. It gave me a horrible feeling I’ve never felt before. “Yeah, but if it’s okay I’d prefer it if you stayed until we finished up? I have something I wanna talk to you about.” “Ohh uhh, okay I guess.” I hope whatever he wants to talk about doesn’t involve that bracelet, I’d rather not talk about it. I looked around the area a moment, then turned back to Tails. “ I’ll just go sit over there then.” I told him, gesturing over to a tree by the forest. He nodded and I walked away. I sat down and only then did I fully realize how tired I felt. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like falling asleep. I knew I couldn’t though because Amy’s probably almost done and I’ll have to get up in a few minutes. My eyes were getting heavy and I was struggling to keep them awake. They closed and I almost didn’t open them before falling asleep. When I did, I tried looking around to distract myself from dozing off. Of course, however, the one thing I was trying not to look at happened to catch my eye. Over by the beach Tails’ workshop was close to, I found myself looking at the water with that painful grip coming back to me. It wasn’t just the water I was looking at this time though, I could have sworn I was going crazy, I saw something blue glimmering in the water, and I thought I could hear a girl’s voice too. Could it be… no, there’s no way, I was way over by the other end of the harbor, and I threw the bracelet really far out, it couldn’t have washed up all the way over here!! I had to be sure though, so I got up and started walking towards it, I didn’t even notice Amy talking to Tails about his equipment, nor had I realized they were watching me with confused looks. I stopped at the edge of the dock beside the beach and looked down, this was where I saw the light, and as I listened to the voice, I realized that whoever it was, it definitely wasn’t Palyma’s. As I listened longer, I got even more tired and started to feel off balance and sleepy, I closed my eyes, and suddenly the voice stopped and I felt myself hit something, as if I had fallen down… Oh. I snapped open my eyes to see blue and felt the sting of water, I quickly stood up, and shook my head trying so get some of the water off my quills. “Sonic!! Are you okay???” Amy asked as she reached her arm down to help me out, I grabbed it and then put my other on the ledge, trying to pull myself up. “Wh- What just happened?” I asked, I was so confused, how did I fall asleep standing up, when I had gotten a full night’s sleep? Who’s voice was that? “You looked like you passed out… what’s wrong with you that you’re not telling us?” Tails added as he ran over. That’s when I realized that this must have been what he wanted to talk to me about. I wanted to tell them, I really did, but when I tried to say anything about it I started to hurt more, I just couldn’t get the words out. “I’m just uh… kinda tired, I think I’ll head home.” Before they had a chance to say anything I was already walking away. I wanted to just run home to be quick, especially since the sky was starting to get dark. It was probably going to rain, but I felt so sleepy, I didn’t even have the energy to run. I just dragged myself along the way home, soaking wet. As I was around halfway back, I was starting to dry off, but go figure - It started to rain! It wasn’t just a little either, it was pouring. Of course it was, why not? By the time I’d gotten home I was soaked, cold, and smelled bad. Well, I’m already soaking so I guess I might as well shower, at least it could help me warm up. I walked downstairs and into the washroom only to find a sticky note on the shower door. “Shower head broken, use upstairs washroom instead. - Mom” When was she even here to leave this note?? Ugh. Theres also the problem with the upstairs washroom, it didn’t have a shower, so if I go upstairs I’ll have to take a bath. Why do these things keep happening to me all of a sudden? I got up the stairs and noticed Sonia sitting at the table, she must have just sat down. “Why are you soaking wet?” “I just got back.” I responded as I gestured towards the window, she looked and immediately saw the storm outside. “Ah… so, I noticed my book was moved, I’m guessing you listened to me for once? What’d you think of the ending?” She must have been talking about that book about the sea witch. “It was okay, a bit corny but I guess it was handled well. I think the way they got rid of the witch was a bit harsh but I guess she had it coming.” “You think it was harsh? Really? After everything she did there’s no way being imprisoned would be too harsh! I personally think she deserved worse for tricking the main character like she did.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right, forget I said anything.” I waved her goodbye as I walked over to the stairs, I don’t really go up there since it’s mostly just mom’s room and the other washroom. I got into the fairly larger room and turned on the water. The room was really dimly lit because the only light source on was a night light plugged in by the sink. I turned on the bigger light and removed the night light from the wall then sat down and waited for the tub to fill. I wonder who I kept hearing back at the harbor, someone was definitely talking, and I know I saw something! I remember what Palyma’s voice sounded like, and it wasn’t her. Although… she did say someone was after her, could that be her? Why did her voice make me so sleepy? I probably would have kept questioning myself for who knows how long if it weren’t for the tub being full. Every time I start thinking about this whole dilemma time seems to go by 10 times as fast. Usually when I’m forced to think a lot it feels like a lifetime goes by, why is this so different? I really didn’t want to take bath, I hate them. Showers are much better, unfortunately I don’t have much of a choice though. I felt fairly uncomfortable for a few minutes but it got a bit less unpleasant afterwards. My mind started to travel again and I starting thinking about the weird voice I heard. I was trying to recall the voice to figure out whose it was, and now that I think about it, I couldn’t even remember what it was saying! I tried to get even a single word but I just couldn’t remember. Did I even know what she was saying when I heard her? Thinking about it made me sleepy and I definitely didn’t want to fall asleep in the bath, so I stopped thinking about it and got out 10 minutes later. Thankfully not much else happened for the rest of the day, mainly because I stayed inside. It wasn’t until the following afternoon that I came to terms with the fact that nothing had gone back to normal, and that throwing that bracelet away was a huge mistake. I was relaxing and had a glass of water next to me and at one point, I sneezed, the glass broke and the water in the cup decided gravity couldn’t hold it down. Those powers are still here, and I no longer have contact with the possibly the only person who can tell me what to do to get rid of, or at least control them. That night, instead of sleeping and possibly having another one of those terrifyingly vivid nightmares, I went out. Maybe I can figure out how to use these powers myself? At least well enough to get the bracelet out of the water and get Palyma’s help again. So that’s what I’m gonna do. When I got to the harbor however, I found that I couldn’t practice because someone was already there. I was gonna go somewhere else but before I could, I noticed who it was. It was… Shadow?

[superleeleehipster]

“Patience is a Virtue”

Hey guys. This is little Caryl ficlet was inspired when my week old fever finally decided to break a few nights ago. Woo!!... Except I was alone in my celebrations, ha!

Anyways, this takes place a few years after post-Negan, so our heroes have created a nice little life for themselves.

Rated M for some fluff and smut. Enjoy guys!

Carol had always been a light sleeper even before the Turn, and due to stresses and nightmares that this life has caused, it was still difficult to get a good 8 hours a night nowadays. But if you’ve been down for the count with a random virus that caused you to have a fever, a cough, and a runny nose, your energy levels drop, and the sleeps that you have had feel like you’ve been flirting with death. 

She had no idea where it came from, nor what it was specifically, but it had been a worry for about 5 days now. It was definitely mild comparatively to the flu, but the only difference between what she had and a normal cold was the fever that seemed to be dug in there like a tick, refusing to break. Getting sick nowadays was a little more nerve racking than before the Turn because antibiotics were used sparingly due to how rare they were to find outside the walls. So she was afraid what she had would turn into something worse like Pneumonia, which would cause her to take a fair amount of the antibiotics they’ve had in storage, not to mention the possibility of spreading the virus that caused it.

But if there was anything positive that she could point out about being sick, it was the amazing sleeps you’d get at night. 

She was amazed at how deep of a sleep she was getting every night, for she would pass out around 9pm and wake up late in the morning, not once waking up in between. Throughout this week she had apparently slept through a screaming Judith that did not let up for about three hours, a harsh summer storm, and a loud Rick banging on their door to get Daryl up for the run one day. 

But of course, there was always a limit to what you could sleep through...

“Hey,” she heard Daryl whisper in her ear. She moaned in response but made no effort in rousing herself. “Carol... wake up sweetheart,” he whispered again, only this time he was nuzzling his forehead against her temple.

She moaned loudly and stretched a little bit, making sure her face was away from Daryl’s so as he wouldn’t catch anything from her. “What’s up?”

“Think ya broke yer fever,” he said. 

She was about to ask how he’d know but then she realized that not only were her shirt and shorts drenched with sweat but so was a good portion of the bed. “Oh my god.” She got herself up on the side of the bed and felt just how soaked she was. “Oh my god I am so sorry.”

“Pfft, don’t care,” he responded. “S’ not like I haven’t had that sweaty body of yours against mine before.”

She snickered at him. “Shut up.” She couldn’t help but laugh at his statement though, and she slowly lifted herself off the bed. “I’m going to take a shower, I don’t even care how early it is.”

She got into the bathroom and peeled her wet clothes off before jumping in the shower. As she cleaned herself off, she took the time to check in on her body, and sure enough, she was feeling almost like her normal self again. The steam from the hot shower loosened things up in her throat as well as her nose, so that felt even better clearing everything out.

When she got dressed and came into their bedroom, she was pleasantly surprised to see new sheets on their bed as well as a glass of water on her nightstand. 

“Would you look at that, you put the bed sheets on correctly this time,” she teased.

“Stop,” he said, his face blushing.

“Thank you Daryl. That was very sweet of you to do for me.” she said with sincerity.

He smiled that warm smile that always caused her to swoon on the inside. “Ain’t nothin’.”

Daryl had been very patient and attentive while she was sick despite her best efforts of convincing him to stay away from her. Even though she tried to convince him it was just a mild bug, she could see the worry in his eyes, and he refused to part from her so that he could take care of her. She wanted to be frustrated at him for exposing himself, but instead she felt like her heart would burst from the care he’d given her.

She sat down and gulped down the glass of water before climbing back under the sheet, but not before she had some averting to do.

“Does that mean I can kiss ya now?” he asked with such a hopeful voice.

She sighed with a pitiful look. “Not yet hon, I still have a cough and I don’t want to give you that.”

“What?!” he said with the most devastating expression she’d ever seen. 

She couldn’t suppress the giggle that burst out due to the look on his face. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I know it’s aggravating and I know that my fever’s gone but-”

“Then I can kiss ya!” he persisted.

He quickly went in towards her lips but she was quicker, rolling her face into her pillow to dodge his soft lips that she missed so much. “Come on, woman!”

“No!” she shouted through the pillow.

“Why the fuck not?” he pouted before growling in between her shoulder blades, making her giggle into the pillow. “It’s been a week since we’ve even kissed each other. Let alone... other things.”

“Sorry hon, I don’t wanna get you sick,” she said into the pillow, refusing to move from it.

“I don’t get sick,” he argued. When he was met with a disbelieving noise he continued. “Seriously, I never get sick. Of all the years we’ve been together can ya remember a time when I got a cold?”

She tried her best to find an example but unfortunately she didn’t. “No.”

“Exactly,” he added. “I don’t get sick. Hell I’ve eaten dog food n’ bugs n’ I never got sick from that.” When she refused to move from her pillow he sighed and leaned his chin on her shoulder. “Don’t suffocate yerself,” he growled before pulling away from her and moved back to his side of the bed.

She hated refusing him, for he wasn’t the only one who craved the intimacy after a week long hiatus. After the war ended a few years ago, she and Daryl finally had all the time in the world to explore the depths of their deepening relationship. It didn’t take long for them reach the bedroom, for the spark they felt with just a simple kiss made them crave the intimacy that was so sparse for them earlier in their lives. Of course it was a little awkward at first, trying to get through their insecurities and learn more about each other in more intimate ways. But nowadays, they seldom wore more than one or two pieces of clothing in their bedroom because they loved the feel of skin on skin, that connection that occurs even without the sex.

Although if she were truthful, their sex life was anything but unsatisfactory.

But this past week she’d put on a figurative chastity belt to keep him from getting sick, for she’d feel awful if he got sick because of her, and refusing intimacy for a little longer was worth it in her mind. 

So when she thought enough time passed for him to fall asleep, she slowly moved her body to face away from him before carefully moving her face away from the pillow, trying to be quiet so as he wouldn’t notice her moving.

But suddenly a hand shot under her and rotated her shoulder so as she was on her back, and before she could react, Daryl swooped down and kissed her lips hungrily. She yelped into his mouth and tried to push him off but of course that was like trying to push a 10 ton boulder, it just wouldn’t move. God did she want to be mad at him, but she couldn’t help but whimper into the kiss that gave her body chills.

When he finally broke away, he stared down at her with lust filled eyes. But she was still frustrated at his stubbornness. “Damn you Daryl.”

He cupped her face. “Please, I won’t get sick. I just need ya so fuckin’ bad.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Please sweetheart. I miss ya.”

She sighed in frustration but she couldn’t say no to him despite being upset at him, for that kiss made both of them crave for so much more. Plus him hovering over her with no shirt on and his puppy dog face didn’t help her out at all. 

“Dammit,” she hissed before leaning up and kissing him hard, giving him his answer.

He immediately returned it with as much passion as he could muster, growling into her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. He kissed down her neck and thrusted his hips into her, dying to release a week’s worth of tension. She got rid of her shorts quickly and untied his sweatpants before shoving them down his legs. He leaned back just enough to kick them off before pulling her towards the middle of the bed.

“Goddamn,” he growled, admiring how sexy she looked with nothing but her small t-shirt on.

He pushed her legs apart and dove his face between her legs without warning, causing her to yelp and arch her back. He massaged her delicious core with his tongue, savoring her taste after not having it for a week, her musty yet sweet smell driving him crazy. She was panting heavily as her fingers raked through his hair, making him growl as she tugged on him. He gave her one more big lick before crawling back up and placing himself between her open legs, loving how worked up she’d gotten from him ravishing her core. But even in his heightened state of arousal, he looked at her face for consent, waiting for her call. 

No matter how many times they’ve done this or how far in the moment they were, he always checked before beginning, making sure she was okay with it. Of course he didn’t have to at this point, but it always squeezed her heart knowing he cared so much about her.

With her nod of approval, he slowly pushed inside of her until his pelvic bone was touching hers, and he smiled and sighed in relief from finally being joined with her. Without wasting time, he hooked one of her legs on his shoulder before giving a slow rhythm yet with strong thrusts, staring into her eyes as she writhed and moaned with pleasure beneath him. He pushed her shirt up just enough to expose her beautiful breasts and gently took turns massaging them as she arched up towards his hand, smiling in approval.

But the need to be closer to her became unbearable, and he gently placed her leg back on the bed before leaning on his elbows and nuzzling his face into her neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned at the new angle, grabbing onto his back as her long awaited climax was already approaching. 

When he nipped under her earlobe and sucked lightly, she hissed and dragged her nails down his back, rougher than what she would usually do since part of her was still frustrated at him. But apparently he didn’t mind it because he growled in her ear and leaned back before thrusting harder into her soft wetness. He watched in awe as her breasts bounced with each of his hard thrusts, and he dipped down before latching onto a nipple, making her yelp and arch her back as he sucked on it greedily. She whimpered as her core began to quiver, her nails digging into the back of his neck as her orgasm came barreling towards her. 

“Fuckin’ hell,” he snarled, the pain from her fingernails adding to his pleasure as he struggled to hold on. “Ya gonna fuckin’ kill me.”

“Kiss me,” she begged, startling him from his lustful mind. 

Although his rhythm never faltered, his gaze softened on hers and he bent down and gave her a passionate but tender kiss, a kiss he couldn’t bear to part from for it had all her love riding behind it. So he continued to kiss her soft lips, desperate to feel as much of her love as possible while trying to give her his. 

But suddenly she gasped, breaking off the kiss before throwing her head back into the pillow as she tipped over the edge, letting go a choked sob as her walls contracted powerfully around his already pulsing erection. He watched her as she came apart underneath him, whimpering his name as waves of pleasure coursed through her body. He couldn’t take it anymore, and he thrusted as hard as he could without hurting her before arching up spilling inside her with a rather loud groan. He continued to moan as his aching erection emptied the rest of himself inside her before laying his head onto her breast, listening to her erratic heartbeat as she tried to catch her breath. 

They stayed like that for a while, calming their bodies down as the highs from their peaks slowly receded. 

“See? Your sweaty body’s already touchin’ mine again,” he whispered with a chuckle. 

She simply hummed, not even having the strength to speak at this point. Her body had just gotten done with fighting whatever virus she had, but now that they’ve had amazingly vigorous sex, she was flat out exhausted.

“Hey, you good?” he asked before wiping a stray tear of her cheek. “Did... did I hurt ya?”

She gently shook her head before sniffing, not even realizing her eyes were watering. “Just... really missed you is all.”

He smiled and snuggled into her. “Missed ya too.”

She sighed. “And... I’m just so damn tired.”

He chuckled lightly. “Didn’t really help with that did I.” He sighed. “M’ sorry-”

“Stop,” she said. “Don’t ever be sorry about that.” She cupped his face and trailed her thumbs over his cheeks. “I know I was hesitant but not because I didn’t want to be with you... I really did miss you.”

He smiled and nuzzled his forehead on hers. “I get why ya didn’t want to but... bein’ with ya is worth the chance of gettin’ sick.” He sighed. “And no it ain’t ‘bout scratchin’ an itch it’s just... I feel so close to ya when I make love to ya.”

She smiled and nodded. “I understand Daryl, I know you’re not one of those guys who’s had sexual thoughts about every pretty girl ya see.”

He shook his head and smirked. “Na, yer the only ass I liked.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “And I like your cute little ass too.”

“Stop,” he said as his face turned red, getting a giggle out of her.

He carefully slipped out of her and fell to his side before ushering her to him, pulling her into his chest in a protective embrace as he kissed her forehead. But after a few minutes he piped up. “Damn near tore my back up though.”

She giggled into his chest. “You deserved it.”

He sighed before chuckling lightly. “Yeah I did.”

She smiled and kissed his chest before nuzzling into his neck, and he pulled her in close before kissing her forehead again, his hand trailing up and down her back. Once situated in a good position in each other’s arms, they let the pull of exhaustion take them into a dreamless sleep.

The next day, Carol walked over to where Rick and Aaron were standing near the front gate of Alexandria. They were going through the area in which Aaron and his scouting team should check out for extra medical supplies and other survivors. 

When Rick saw her he smiled and nodded towards her. “Hey Carol. How are you feeling?”

“A lot better, thanks,��� she said with a sincere smile.

“Good. Is Daryl coming soon?”

“Actually that’s what I was coming to tell you. He doesn’t feel good this morning so I’m pretty sure he’s skipping the scouting trip today.”

Rick sighed and rubbed his face. “Ya kidding? Daryl caught what ya had? That man never gets sick.”

“S’what he told me last night, so this is on his ignorant butt.”

Rick chuckled. “Alright. You feeling up to doing a few weapons classes today?”

“Yeah. Let’s just start with one and I’ll see how I feel.”

“Sounds good. I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Rick said with a smile before walking towards his house.

She nodded before giving a pitiful smile at Aaron. “Sorry for Daryl’s absence.”

Aaron waved her off. “No worries. I’ve got plenty of other people to ask. You go on and make sure he’s fine.”

“Thanks Aaron,” she said before leaving him to his plans.

She came back into her house and made some toast and hard boiled eggs for Daryl before walking upstairs to their room. 

“Daryl?” she called out, knocking on the door. “I have some food.”

A groan was the only thing she got, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as she walked in their bedroom. She put the tray of food next to his side of the bed before rousing him awake.

“How you feeling?”

“Like shit,” he growled, ducking his head under the covers as the sun shined through the drapes.

“Yep, sounds like what I had. Sorry hon but you’re probably going to suffer for a while.”

“But you were sick for a week.”

“Yep, I was,” she said with a shrug.

“Oh god, another week without kissing you?” he groaned.

She smiled at his adorable pouting. “Well let’s just hope what you have doesn’t last as long... or longer.”

He moaned and hit his pillow with a fist. “Don’t fuckin’ tell me that.”

“Well, I told you that you’d catch what I had,” she chided.

“No one likes a gloater,” he growled at her.

“Funny, I thought it was you who gloated last night about never getting sick.”

He growled into his pillow. “Why ya so mean to a sick person?”

She chuckled. “Well I’m going to make you some tea and then I’m gonna head out for the day alright?”

His head popped out of the covers immediately and glared at her, and it took everything in her power not to laugh at the cute bedhead he sported. “Ya not stayin’ here?”

“No I’m not staying. I’ll make sure to give you plenty of food during the day on my breaks but other than that I’m going to stay away from you... no offense but I don’t need this thing to bounce back and forth between us.”

He whimpered and threw his head on the pillow. “Thought ya liked me.”

“I do sweetie, just from afar for now,” she said with a smile. 

He pointed a finger at her. “When this shit’s outta my body we’re fuckin’ like rabbits, ya hear?”

“I was planning on it,” she said with a wink. “I’ll be right back with your tea.”

“Carooollll,” he whined. “Don’t leave me.”

She chuckled at how pitiful he sounded. “It won’t be for long. Just focus on getting rest, okay?”

She couldn’t help but laugh when she continued to hear his mumbling as she shut the door. But as she got the tea ready she couldn’t help but feel a slight amount of guilt for getting him sick. Of course she had no control over it, and if anyone was to blame it would be him wanting to kiss her after so long. But she was still technically the one that spread it to him, and she only hoped his sickness wouldn’t last as long as hers. 

But as she quietly came back in the room and placed the tea on his food tray, he gently grasped her wrist before moving it to grab her hand, giving it a squeeze. 

“Don’t feel bad, a’ight?”

She looked at him in surprise. “I... I don’t-”

“I can see when ya feel guilty, don’t hide it,” he said. “I know I’m gonna be a pain in the ass this next week but this ain’t yer fault... I’m just the worst kind of patient.”

“Really? Never thought you would be,” she said sarcastically with a smile.

He chuckled lightly before resting his head back on the pillow. “Don’t care how shitty I feel... last night was fuckin’ worth it,” he said with a soft smile despite his illness.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you think so. Now go on and sleep, I’ll check on ya in a few hours.”

She walked out of the room as the weight of the guilt lifted off her shoulders, and she almost closed the door when she heard him calling out to her. “Love ya.”

She smiled. “Love you Pookie,” she said before quietly closing the door.

[sensitiveheartless]

StressTM