#bryan kneef series

[storiesofsvu]

Journey to the Past Ch 23

Bryan Kneef x reader

It was very safe to say that the next week was one hell of an awkward one. You were irritated that you weren’t able to get into a doctor right away, wanting to get this sorted out as soon as possible but the earliest appointment you could snag was Friday at four in the afternoon. The pessimist side of you was certain that the tests had been flukes, that this was a warning sign of something worse going on in your reproductive system, another bad cyst or something of the like. Maybe the tests had been expired, you’d forgotten to even check until you were sitting in your office on Monday pretending to work. You were thankful at least that you still had your apartment, able to spend some extra hours in the office and blame the late night and not wanting to drive across town to avoid Bryan, not wanting to let him know and thus panic before you had confirmation. You hated it, having to spend a full week in limbo, but your hope wasn’t very high considering your history and none of that was affecting anything positively.

You were even more thankful with just how patient he was with you, giving you the space without asking too many questions, accepting the excuse of a long hard week of work, overwhelmed with cases. He still went out of his way to drive up to your firm, making sure you had lunch (and a fresh coffee you pretended to sip at while he was still there) and were taken care of. You knew that he loved you no matter what and was just hoping that would extend to your current stipulation. You’d spent a couple of nights at his place (that was now both of yours), but retired to bed early, the exhaustion setting in heavily being a nice excuse to avoid the nightly wine.

Which is exactly why on Friday Bryan had left work early to make sure the apartment was not only clean, but as close to spotless as he could get it. He knew he’d been lagging in that department this week and felt bad about it, so he did as much as he could. Laundry was tossed into the machines, sheets were changed and refreshed, the living room was tidied and vacuumed and the pile up of coffee mugs in the sink got put in the dishwasher and ran through. He’d stopped at the grocery store on the way home, picking up things for a lavish dinner including appetizers and a pricey bottle of Argentinian wine. He knew you’d had a long stressful week and wanted to make sure you were well taken care of, and he figured you probably wouldn’t want to go out tonight after it all. The appetizers were easy to take care of, setting the display up on the kitchen island so he could start on the main course, wanting it to be ready as close as possible to when you got home.

Once the chicken was in the oven he poured out a glass of leftover wine from the previous night for himself while he waited, retreating further into the house to change into something more comfortable before swapping over a load of laundry. A case file lay open on the island that he was going over when he heard the front door open and the tell tale sign of your heels on the hardwood. You rounded the corner of the hallway and let out a small sigh, a tiny smile on your cheeks when Bryan’s eyes met yours.

“Hey.” He greeted with a warm grin and you hummed in response, dropping your bag and blazer onto the couch, practically kicking off your heels before letting out a groan at the shoes no longer pinching at your feet and making a beeline to Bryan.

“Hi.” You murmured into the crook of his neck, appreciating the way his arms tightly wound around you, letting you rest in his embrace for a few moments as you let out a couple of breaths, his lips brushing against your hairline.

“Long day?”

“Long week.” You replied, finally letting go, accepting the gentle kiss he gave you.

“Well, here.” He reached around you, pouring a glass of the lavish wine out for you, handing you the glass and you let out a little sigh, turning in his arms to face the island.

“What is all this?” You asked, your brow furrowing. You could smell that he was cooking dinner from the moment you’d set foot in the apartment but hadn’t taken into account the platters set up on the island. Bryan let out a soft chuckle, wrapping you in his arms from behind, his lips kissing at your neck gently.

“I felt like you were having a bit of a rough go this week.” He murmured, his words broken up by kisses, “wanted to treat you but I figured you wouldn’t want to go out, so why not bring the fancy restaurant to you?”

“You’re too sweet.” You picked up his hand in yours, brushing your lips across his knuckles and he gently squeezed at you. Your eyes glided across the island and you couldn’t help but let out an ironic laugh at the sight, Bryan had set up a plate of oysters, a homemade charcuterie and cheese board beside it and of course, the wine.

“What?” He asked, teeth nipping at your skin, “you already knew I could cook, is this that much of a surprise to you? You know I love you.” His lips trailed across your skin as he spoke.

“I don’t know how you managed to fucking do it, but I can’t eat any of this.” You stifled another laugh, Bryan still distracted in nuzzling against your skin.

“Oh c’mon.” He chuckled, “you love oysters.”

“I do.” You nodded, “doesn’t mean I can eat them.”

“You know they’re an aphrodisiac?” He muttered, finally turning you half in his arms so he was facing you, your sides to the island as he cupped at your cheek, lips chasing after yours.

“You really think you need an aphrodisiac to get me in bed?”

“No but figured it couldn’t hurt.” One of his hands vanished from your waist, drizzling some hot sauce onto an oyster that he then sucked back, “they’re fresh, and fucking delicious.”

“Bry…” you laughed, unable to keep the grin off your cheeks at the devilish look in his eyes as he continued to tease you, shifting you in his arms again so you were facing the island and all the bits and bites.

“Try the cheese, that lavender honey goes fantastically with the blue.” He nuzzled into the crook of your neck again, “it took me an hour to figure out the fucking salami roses.” His hand started to reach out for the soft cheese and you finally found your words again.

“Give me the gruyere.”

“Knew I’d get you somehow.” He chuckled, picking up a cube and guiding it to your mouth before he shifted again to face you, his hip resting against the island, “it pairs perfectly with the wine.” He picked up your glass and your fingers gently pushed it back to the island and he let out a scoff of a laugh. “What?”

“Out of the things on this island, there’s approximately five things I can eat and that includes the pickles.”

“Did you eat already?” His brow furrowed, “Larissa said you’d left work early for something.”

“No. I—”

“Dinner’s almost ready,” he smiled, pecking your cheek softly, “settle in, have some wine, trust me, it’s a good bottle.” He slid the glass toward you again and you let out a small laugh,

“Bry, I can’t.”

“You had rough week, let the past be in the past, have some incredible wine.” He laughed, stepping toward the stove when the timer went off to move a pot off a burner. “it’s what you deserve.” He moved back to you, an arm winding around your waist while he took a sip of his own wine, “I’ve got to be able to spoil my girl, that’s all I was trying to do sweetheart.”

“I know.” You smiled softly, accepting the kiss he left on your lips.

“I’m fine if you ate without me,” his lips started to trail across your jaw, “I can eat later… cause I can definitely think of something I’d rather eat right now instead.”

“Bry!” You laughed, hands attempting to grasp at his body as his mouth began to make its way down your neck.

“What’d’you say, have some wine and relax then let me make you even more relaxed? Hmm? Enjoy the food later after you’ve worked up an appetite again?”

“Bryan…” you nudged at his chin and all he did in return was attempt to hand you the glass of wine again before burying himself in the crook of your neck, “Bry…” you couldn’t help but giggle at the sensation of his beard scratching against your skin, “Bryan, c’mon.”

“Take a sip and I’ll stop.” He murmured, his tongue soothing the spot he’d just bit and your fingers threaded into his hair in a very unsuccessful attempt to tug him off you.

“Bryan…I’m pregnant.”

The words slipped from your lips; it wasn’t exactly how you’d been planning on telling him but it seemed to be the only way to gain his full attention. Even then it took a few moments for him to actually hear you, his lips continuing to kiss at your skin before you finally felt his body tense for a second before he pulled his face from the crook of your neck.

“Wait… can you seriously not eat cheese while you’re pregnant?” He asked, a worried look on his face and you couldn’t help the bark of a laugh.

“Is that seriously your first question here?” You asked, watching the way his eyes suddenly darted from yours down to your stomach and back up. He felt the all too familiar sensation suddenly burning in his gut and start to creep up his throat as he scrambled through his thoughts to try and form proper words.

“You’re pregnant?” He asked quietly and you nodded, he felt a pang within him at the fact that you didn’t have an excited smile on your face, nor did you look like you were panicking, you were stoic, nearly unreadable in the moment. “Are… are you sure?”

“Yeah.” You let out a small breath, “Kim was freaking out last week ‘cause she was late, I took a test with her to help calm her nerves.”

“You’ve known all week?” Bryan stilled in front of you, a moment of irritation flashing over his features and you gave him a knowing glance as you let out a huff.

“No.” You shook your head, gently squeezing at his hand “I was certain it was a false positive. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. I didn’t want to freak you out for no reason and I mean, there might still not be any reason to freak out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I may have cleared the twelve week mark but considering my age and history, who knows how things’ll turn out.” You watched as his brow furrowed, the wheels turning in his head, “what?” Your voice suddenly soft, timid as it left your lips, worry etching its way across your face before Bryan glanced back up at you.

“You’re three months along?”

“Almost four.” You replied, wringing your hands, “listen…” your hand met his lapel gently, “I know there’s a lot to unpack here…” you felt the butterflies building in your gut, terrified that you were about to lose the man you loved because of your decision. “Even if I wanted to, it’s too late to terminate. But this is what I’ve always wanted, a baby, a family… I thought I’d lost that opportunity nearly a decade ago.” Tears began to blur into your eyes, “but sometimes life kicks our asses in the greatest way and gives us the second chance we never thought we’d have. I’m having this baby. And I know that might not be what you imagined for your future, so I understand if this is the end for us.”

Bryan looked up at you with an unreadable expression on his face, you could see the slight pain deep in his eyes but weren’t sure exactly where it was coming from. He on the other hand saw nothing but worry in yours, knowing just how many things you were probably terrified of right now. His hand shifted to cup at your cheek, thumb stroking at your skin gently before he spoke.

“I told you I wanted a future with you.” He said gently, his voice impeccably soft as his chest swelled, “no matter what kind of future that is, I still want it.” He felt you let out a breath, your shoulders sagging in relief as your body relaxed in front of him, “I may have a lot of reluctance in myself as a father but I know you’ll be the most incredible mother in the entire world. It may take some baby steps on my behalf but I know you’ll be able to help me become the parent our baby deserves.”

“Our baby…” You nearly whispered, looking up at him with a happy smile.

“We’re having a baby…” He let out a bright laugh and you shrieked as he suddenly pulled you to him in a tight hug, lifting you up off the floor as you laughed. He only let go of you when the timer for the oven went off and he let out a quiet swear, reluctantly stepping away from you to pull the tray from the oven and grab plates from the cupboard as you crossed through the room. You grabbed your purse, crossing back over to the island.

“Smells amazing.”

“Oh fuck.” Bryan swore, his head shooting in your direction, “can you have cream cheese? It’s cooked?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his sheer innocence on the subject at hand considering just how brilliant his brain was when it came to the legal world.

“Yes I can.”

“You said almost four months…” Despite being calm Bryan also felt his mind going a million miles a minute as it raced through everything he did know about babies and pregnancy, “isn’t that when people start telling people?”

“Yeah,” you let out a small sigh, “but I’d really rather not do that yet.” He noticed the shyness in your voice, the way you nearly wrapped around yourself as you leant against the island and he stepped toward you, tilting your chin up to find a misting of tears in your eyes, a frown tugging at the corner of your lips.

“Hey… hey…” he assured softly, a hand resting on your hip, “I thought this was supposed to be a happy thing, why the melancholy face?”

“I’m scared.” You admitted after a minute, your voice doing its best not to shake, “I’m in my forties, I had a huge struggle getting pregnant before…this probably isn’t going to be an easy walk in the park or anything… all the risks are higher, I swear I got a bigger stack of brochures about the risks than the positives.”

“Are there any they’re particularly worried about right now?” He asked and you shook your head, “was it just a pregnancy test today?”

“It was the one thing after another. I explained the test I took, my history, they did another test, a blood test and then rushed me for an ultrasound.” You reached out, grabbing at his arm, “I’m sorry I didn’t call you I just didn’t have time and didn’t know how to explain everything over the phone, I would’ve much rather had you been there.”

“They did an ultrasound?”

“Yeah…” your hands slipped into your purse, flitting through until you pulled the small black and white photograph from within it, placing it down on the island in front of Bryan, “so far it’s one happy healthy baby…”

“Oh shit…” he almost timidly reached out for it, picking it up off the counter before his eyes flitted between it and your stomach, finally meeting your gaze as his hand reached out to stroke at your cheek, “and mom?”

“Healthy.” You nodded, the smile unable to be restrained as you nodded and Bryan let out a sigh of relief, kissing your forehead before he turned around, pinning the ultrasound to the fridge with a magnet and turned back to you, cupping your cheeks.

“Then we take the rest of this one day at a time.” He kissed you softly, “I’ll do everything I can to catch myself up to speed, but in the meantime we’ve got the money, we’ve got the connections, you’re going to have the best doctors in the country, we’ll run every test that’s safe for the baby and we’re going to do this.”

“Are you sure?” Tears began to blur into your eyes as a tiny laugh escaped your lips, “you really want this?”

“I do.” He kissed you gently, “you’re my future. And now this little bean is too.” One of his hands dropped to your stomach, resting gently there for a moment before your hand curved over top of his, fingers slipping between his.

“We’re having a baby….” You whispered, pure adoration pouring from your eyes up to his as he smiled back down at you, feeling his chest about to explode with the total and complete love wrapping around the two of you in that moment, only able to press a tender kiss to your lips before he replied.

“We’re having a baby.”

_____________________________

@detective-giggles @plaidbooks @thatesqcrush @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @bisexual-dreamer02 @amelia-song-pond @madamsnape921 @whimsicallymad @mrsrafaelbarba @mysticfalls01 @ssaic-jareau @caracalwithchips @barbasbodaciousbeard @alwaysachorusgirll @beardedbarba @michael-rooker @rafivadafreddy @lustvolle-liebe @anlin2058 @fandom-princess-forevermore @tinyboxxtink @alexusonfire @xovalliegirlxo @somethingimaginative17 @momlifebehard @misscharlielulu @fighterkimburgess

[thatesqcrush]

Fall From Grace, Pt. 10.5

Bryan Kneef x reader. Part of the Fall From Grace series. NSFW for graphic smut, obscene language (right under the cut). Y'all already know the drill. Proceed at your own risk.

AN: Story crosses over with Suits. Yeah, that other lawyer show. Also feats. some of the language of the pilot from Suits when Mike & Bryan meet (where in the show Mike shows off his eidetic memory to Harvey).

AN3: This fic was very much inspired by Vampire & Bad Idea, Right? by Olivia Rodrigo. See if you can spot the lyrics.

WC: 4K

The sun poured into the bedroom. You groaned, trying to block out the light. The sounds of the city coming to life filled the air stirring you awake. The buzz of your phone alarm filled the room and you rolled over with a groan to shut it off. It was ten to 6. Despite the end of summer drawing near, it was still bright out. Clocks wouldn’t change for another month.

You blinked a few times before recalling that you weren’t alone. You looked over to the side where Bryan was asleep on his stomach. You smiled and it was in that moment that Bryan himself woke up.

“Hey.” He had a bit of a frog in his throat. He cleared his throat and repeated himself. “Good morning.”

“You know, I'm really glad that you came. And told me how you felt,” you replied, your voice quiet, but wistful. “I’ve really missed you.” You laid on your side, noting to yourself how adorable Bryan looked with his hair all mussed up from sleeping. He started to go gray in his temples, just smatterings of salt intermixed with pepper. It skyrocketed his handsomeness. You could pinch yourself over the fact that despite everything, it was you that he wanted.

Bryan reached over, a single finger tracing your cheek. “I’ve really missed you too.” He propped himself up on his elbow.

“Which begs the question, what if I hadn’t been so… forgiving?”

“Oh, I don't know,” Bryan hummed. “All that unresolved sexual tension? It was kind of fun.”

You let out a giggle as you nodded. “It was, wasn't it?”

Bryan wrapped a large hand behind your neck and pulled you in for a kiss, soft and tender. It quickly deepened and became more needy and passionate. You let out a moan as Bryan’s very talented hands began to venture further south. He rucked your negligee up, exposing your tits. 

You pulled back and sat straight up, pulling off the lavender satin negligee you changed into at some point in the middle of the night. 

Bryan palmed your tits, enjoying the weight of them in his hands. His thumbs ghosted your nipples, already rock hard due to the combination of cool air and arousal. You could feel how hard he was beneath you. You ran your hands through your hair, pushing it back and off your face.

“Wanna throat fuck me til I cry?”

Bryan’s normally tranquil green eyes darkened, his pupils blown wide with arousal, and he gave you a lascivious grin. You let out a yelp as he flipped you over, so you were on your back. 

Bryan flattened his hand along your body, over the swell of your breasts, down your sternum and across your stomach. Your skin goosebumped under his touch. 

Bryan took your thighs in his hands, and gently spread them apart. He grabbed your calves and positioned them so that your legs draped over his shoulders. He placed open wet kisses along your inner thighs. The wiry hair of his beard was rough against your skin, burning in a delicious way. You shivered involuntarily as his breath hovered over your folds. 

Bryan gave a small chuckle against your legs and you propped yourself onto your elbows. “What’s so funny?”

Bryan met your gaze. “Getting used to you with a full bush. All the other times that we fucked, you were bare or you had just a landing strip.”

You arched your brow. “Are you fucking serious right now? I haven’t had time to take care of that.” You paused for a beat before continuing. “And it’s not like I had a steady stream of suitors beating down my door.”

“Shame for them,” Bryan murmured. His thumbs dragged up your lips and pulled them apart, exposing the pink of your flesh, already so wet for him. He leaned forward and inhaled your scent before pulling back slightly to spit. Bryan used the pad of his index finger to stroke  along the seam of your folds to your clit, spreading and mixing your wetness with his spit. 

You collapse onto the bed and closed your eyes as Bryan dove into your folds. His tongue performed in ways you didn’t think was humanly possible. His tongue was warm and wet, and you could hear the obscene sound of wetness in the room. Your pussy juices drip, coating his beard as Bryan continued his onslaught, devouring you hungrily. 

He flattened his tongue and licked the whole length of you, tasting you. He kept at it, licking you with big, broad strokes, before trapping your swollen, sensitive clit between his lips. At first he focused on your clit with his tongue before moving onto scraping it just ever slightly with his teeth. Your hips jerked from the intensity, and he laid a heavy arm over you, keeping you in place.

“You taste so good,” Bryan murmured in between breaths. “Fucking soaked— dripping for me. Best fucking pussy.”

Bryan resumed his oral ministrations, his tongue massaging furiously, before moving his mouth lower again, letting his tongue dip inside you slightly. Your hips undulated against his mouth as he fucked you with his tongue. 

You whimpered above him, gripping the sheets as Bryan slid two thick fingers inside you. It may have been months since the two of you were together but he still remembered how to work you, hitting you exactly where you needed him to. His thumb rubbed your clit and you felt the all too familiar coil in your lower belly begin to tighten.

“Bry… oh fuck! Gonna come!” 

Bryan increased the pace of his fingers. “Give it to me sweetheart. Soak my face.” His mouth returned to your clit, torturing and abusing it in the best way.

You reached down and gripped his hair tightly, keeping him in place. Bryan grunted in response.

You find yourself holding your breath, stiffening as the coil snapped, careening you through orgasmic bliss. Bryan you through your climax, groaning as you soaked his face and fingers. You let out a deep guttural groan of his name.

Bryan’s fingers kept a steady rhythm inside you. His thumb ghosted your clit and you jerked in response, oversensitive.

You tried to move, but Bryan pinned you tightly against bed. “One more sweetheart, can you be a good girl and come for daddy again?”

Bryan crooked his fingers, finding that one spot that all your prior relationships could never find. Your legs start to tremble, abdominal muscles tensing. The pressure is intense, more so than before. His fingers fuck you with such a rapid rhythm and before you know it, your body arches as you come again, this time in a big wet gush all over his face and fingers. “Good girl, my good fucking girl.” His voice is low and gruff, adding another layer of intensity.

As you come down, Bryan cleaned you up with his tongue softly, languidly. He released your clit with a big wet squelch and made his way back up your body. You are trembling in the aftershocks of it all. 

“What a way to wake up,” you sighed contentedly. Bryan kissed you and you tasted yourself on his lips. Your breath is running ragged, your chest heaving. You stretched in place before rolling onto your knees. “It’s your turn.”

You took a pillow and threw it onto the ground. Bryan grinned and settled himself on the edge of the bed. His cock was red and angry. Cum weeper from the head dripping down a meaty vein. 

Your mouth watered at the sight and your cunt clenched around nothing, already aching and desperate for more. You longed to taste the salt of his essence, feeling the weight of his big cock on your tongue. You looked up at him from under your lashes. 

“Like I said earlier, throat fuck me til I cry.”

Bryan twisted a hand into your hair and tugged, forcing you to look at him.

“Is that what you want? Gonna let me fuck your face til you cry?”

You nodded and let out a whimper. “Please.”

Bryan released his grip and took his cock in his hand. He tapped the head of his cock against your lips. “Open up sweetheart. This cock isn’t gonna suck itself.”

You smiled at him before opening your mouth wide.

***

Eventually you managed to pry yourself away from bed and Bryan, to get ready for work. Bryan planned to work from your apartment, but not before checking out of his hotel room and having his belongings brought over. 

You sat on the edge of the bed, pulling up your thigh high stockings. Bryan was in the shower and it took everything in you to not join him. 

You had decided on the mint green lingerie set - the same one you wore back when you were in the Hamptons, complete with garters. You chose a pencil skirt and silk sleeveless blouse. You finished doing your hair and makeup as Bryan emerged from the shower. You couldn’t help but gape as he sauntered in completely nude, peacocking for all to see.

“Jesus Christ.”

Bryan preened. “You sure I can’t tempt you to take the day?”

You looked at him and then at your watch. “I really, really want to… but I have a bunch of time sensitive stuff to get out. I’ll leave early though - I’ll text you on my way out.”

Bryan walked over to you and kissed you deeply, effectively ruining your lipstick. You were breathless when the kiss broke. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye babe,” you murmured. You turned and Bryan gave your ass a smack. You giggled and turned to look at him. You blew a kiss towards him before you shut the door behind you with a quiet click.

Later that workday, you found yourself in Rachel’s office personally dropping off some files so that you could spill to her and get her advice.

“But, God, Rach when I look at him, my brain goes, "’ahhhh’, like I can’t hear my thoughts like blah-blah-blah. And yes I know he’s my ex, but can’t two people reconnect?”

“The next thing you’ll say is he’s just a friend. That’s the biggest lie you have ever said.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “I— 

“So he tripped and fell into your bed?” Rachel asked in disbelief as she took a sip of her coffee. “When I last texted you, you said you were asleep.”

You swallowed your own iced coffee and let out a snort. “I just never said where or in whose sheets.”

Rachel sighed. “Do you not recall what led you to leaving Chicago? He broke your heart. And now you’re getting back together after just one date? He needs to prove himself.”

“I— he— yes, everyone told me he was bad, bad news. God, I hate the way I called them crazy too. With him - I see the parties and the diamonds when I close my eyes. And it’s not like I did not try the NYC dating scene which was a bust. And I am sure I’ve seen much hotter men, but I can’t remember when.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “You’re my friend - I love you. I cannot stand to see you get hurt again. The four of us should go out to dinner. He hasn’t gone back to Chicago yet has he?”

You shook your head. “No, he leaves at the end of the week. He was originally going to boomerang back to Chicago after the depo but he wants to spend more time with me–”

“In bed,” Rachel cut off.

“Well, yeah. I mean why not? I certainly am not complaining,” you laughed. You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms. 

Rachel sighed once more, this time not as irritated as before. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“I appreciate it, Rach, really I do. I owe it to me - to this relationship to give it a real second try. I truly love him.”

“It sounds like your mind is made up. But again, let’s have dinner with the four of us. See if the great Bryan Kneef can charm Mike and I as much as he has charmed the pants off you.”

—

You returned to your apartment with the day’s mail in tow. “Knock knock… Bryan? I’m home.”

Bryan looked up from your couch where he had just been furiously typing. “Sweetheart - welcome home.”

To Bryan you were a sight for sore eyes. He had been working on a brief that was causing him more grief the longer he plugged away at it. But there you were, blurred eyeliner and messy bun, even a run in your stocking. In that moment, he never found you more beautiful.

“Change of plans,” you replied tiredly. “We are going to have dinner with Mike and Rach. Figured STK would be good for us all.”

Bryan groaned. “I was hoping we could order in, stay in bed. Make good on my limited time here.”

You dropped your purse onto the couch and climbed onto Bryan’s lap. You wrapped your arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips. Bryan’s arms wrapped around you and pulled you closer to him. You trailed your fingers along his chest and picked off a piece of imaginary lint. “I know,” you replied quietly. “I just want the people I love to get to know the man I love.”

Bryan grabbed your hand and kissed the top of it. “Besides,” you continued as you moved to nuzzle his neck, “didn’t you agree that all of the unresolved sexual tension was fun? Just think of dinner as such and we’ll be so keyed up after that–”

Bryan reached up to cup the back of your head, gently steering you against his mouth. He slanted his mouth against yours. His tongue licked hotly into your mouth, tasting you. His hands moved around from your hips to the swell of your ass, grabbing and squeezing. Arousal shot through you and suddenly the idea of waiting seemed to be stupid. You tried to do the mental math of possibly a quickie and getting ready and out the door on time. 

Bryan apparently read your mind. “You know,” he husked, as his lips skimmed the slope of your neck, “we don’t even need to change out of these clothes. It would be so easy to just push your panties to the side and slide my cock right in.”

You squirmed, biting your lip. “I guess I can fix my hair and make-up in the cab,” you reasoned. 

Bryan chuckled darkly. “Then turn around and lift that skirt and show me daddy what he wants. Show me that pretty pussy.”

You brushed your lips against his and then climbed off his lap and turned around. You had a feeling he would be pleased with what you wore underneath. You rucked your skirt over your thighs, revealing your stocking and garters.

“Is this the same set you wore when we were in the Hamptons?”

You turned your face to Bryan, your brow arched. “Yes, good memory but that’s not the takeaway I wanted.”

Bryan let out a small chuckle. “I suppose not.” He stood and undid the zipper of his pants and pulled out his cock, already painfully hard and throbbing. 

You stood in front of him, your back to him and bent forward ever so slightly. Bryan took the opportunity to lay a hard slap on your ass, enjoying how your skin rippled and bloomed in response. 

You let out a moan as he cupped you. Bryan smirked at the feel of how slick and ready you were for him even while still wearing panties. Panties that were absolutely ruined. His fingers trace along the lines of your panties. Your core throbbed and pulsed with need. Bryan hooks his fingers into the sides and pulls them down, dragging the ruined fabric down your thighs. There you were, the pink of your most feminine parts on display. “You’re fucking soaked,” Bryan muttered. “Look at you. That perfect pussy needing more.”

You shivered in need and anticipation. He sunk two fingers inside your warm, wet heat which greedily sucked him in. You let out a moan as he alternated twisting and scissoring his fingers.

His thumb ghosted your clit and you found yourself rocking rhythmically on his hand. Your desire and need to come grew stoked easily to flame as you were already keyed up from the morning. He crooked his fingers forward and stroked upwards. You jerked and gasped at the sensation, at the feel of the spot that only he knew. Your breath heaved as pleasure coursed through you. You were so close to coming when Bryan removed his hand. He tapped his hand against your cunt, delivering small but deliberate spanks. You jerked once more, and Bryan had to grip your hip to keep you steady. 

Bryan used your slick that he gathered on his fingers as lubricant as he continued to pump his cock.

You turned around to fully face him and nodded. “My pussy is always ready for you, always hungry.”

“Let me see.”

You bent at the waist again, jutting your hips to his face. It was evident to Bryan how your pussylips were swollen, glistening with your juices.

“Yeah? That pussy is hungry? And what does that pussy of yours need?” Bryan asked. His eyes followed yours which were zeroed in on his cock.

“Your big cock,” you whimpered as you hovered over his lap.

“Then let me help with that,” Bryan offered. You pushed your panties to the side and sunk onto his thick length. Bryan let out a grunt while you let out a sigh of content. The feel of his cock inside of you is nothing short of incredible. The way he splits you in half once fully seated and how your cunt flutters to accommodate his length, well the burn is delicious. The burning stretch eventually settled into complete fullness as if your bodies were made just for one another, a missing piece to a puzzle.

Bryan shoved his fingers into your mouth and you can taste yourself on them. Your eyes shuttered close as you sucked on them. 

You released his fingers and Bryan used the same hand to slap your ass again. You wrapped your arms around his neck and began to grind against him. The pace, despite it being a quickie, is slow and romantic. Bryan is big, thick and hard, filling you up perfectly. 

“Is this how you liked to get fucked?” Bryan grunted. You whined, unable to formulate the words. The steady drag of his cock along your cunt has rendered you speechless. “Good girl, take it. Take this cock.”

You whined as you buried your face into the crook of his neck. You take the opportunity to scrape your teeth along his skin. The action made Bryan’s toes curl and he held you tightly as he fucked you harder and deeper. Your cream dripped down his cock. You allowed yourself to get lost in the pleasure. “Don’t worry darling,” Bryan promised in between punctuated thrusts that caused you to sob and whimper with need. “I’ll take care of you. Don’t I always do?”

You manage to eke out a yes as your cunt fluttered around his cock. Your clit rubbed against the fabric of the clothes you are both wearing. You are at the precipice. You ground yourself harder to get that friction you need and your mouth goes slack as you come, soaking his cock with your release. 

“Take what you need, take it,” Bryan grunted, his teeth gnashing together. He kept his pace and you kissed him hungrily as you came down from your high. “Come for me Bry,” you manage in between sloppy, wet kisses. “Fill me up. I need it, mark me, this pussy is yours.”

Your words sent Bryan over and he let out a stream of grunts and growls as he pinned your hips down to his as he released his spend into you in thick white stripes. 

You both sit there, catching your breath. Bryan tilts your chin and kisses you once more. “Here’s the part where I make a corny joke about happy hour,” he replied with a smirk. 

You laughed. “Or I can be cheesy and say every hour with you is happy hour.” You peppered kisses all over his face. 

Bryan slanted his face just right to catch your lips. He kissed you softly and slowly. You sagged against him, just enjoying the feel of his body against yours. When the kids finally broke, he pushed some hair off of your face. His green eyes sparkled as he met your gaze.

“Every hour with you is happy hour. I love you.”

Your heart swelled to the point where you thought it would burst. “I love you too.”

—

You both managed to get out the door on time. You hailed a cab which came easily, much to your surprise given the time. Bryan spent his time watching the city go by as you shook your hair to give it volume and tried very carefully during the bumpy taxi ride to re-touch your lipstick. Dinner that evening at STK was the Bryan Kneef show, charming and showboating for hours over alcohol and various decadent dishes. 

“So your lovely wife tells me you have an eidetic memory,” Bryan remarked to Mike as he wiped his mouth. 

“What if I told you I consume knowledge like no one you’ve ever met before.”

Bryan arched a brow. “Prove it.”

“Pick a topic - anything.”

Bryan furrowed his brow, thinking. “Stock option backdating.” The waiter came by and brought Bryan another drink. Bryan took a sip and then continued, “Although backdating options is legal, violations arose related to disclosures under RIC section 409A.”

Mike smirked. “You forgot about Sarbanes-Oxley.”

Bryan gave a half smile and crinkled his eyes. “The statute of limitations render Sarbanes-Oxley moot post 2007.”

Rachel and you have each other knowing glances.

“Well not if you can find actions to cover up the violation in the Sixth Circuit May 2008.”

Bryan smiled. “That’s impressive.”

“Once I read something, I understand it. And once I understand it, I never forget it.”

“Shit, I should have you all come out to Chicago.” The table laughed. 

Rachel turned to you and mouthed ‘I love him.’ 

You gave her a look, which read ‘told you so.’

“As much as I do enjoy the Windy City, I’m a New Yorker through and through. I’m glad to see you happy,” Mike chimed in, turning towards you. “You deserve it. Bryan, you’re a lucky man.”

Bryan reached over and grabbed your hand. “I am very lucky,” he agreed. “A gorgeous woman who actually likes to keep my company and swallows my cock with such genuine want? That’s true love.”

“Bryan!” you half-shrieked as Rachel and Mike spat out their drinks. 

Then just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Mike retorted similarly with respect to Rachel. Rachel dropped her head in defeat, her cheeks turning bright red. “Oh my god, this is not happening.”

Bryan ultimately settled the bill. The two of you bid adieu to Mike and Rachel as their taxi arrived. You turned to Bryan. “So now what counselor?”

“The night is young. We can go for a nightcap, or…”

You smirked. You pressed your body against his and kissed the corner of his mouth. His beard tickled your skin. Your voice was a whisper that only he could hear.

“Or.”

FIN.

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Temptation of the Immortals (10)

Warnings: cursing, canon typical violence for the Percy Jackson series, spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, nightmares, the gods being absent parents, references to Greek Mythology, mentions of starvation and trauma.

As soon as Alexander saw Bryan, his entire demeanour changed.  Minutes ago, he had been talking animatedly to the newest teacher’s assistant.  Bryan didn’t think much of the young man but it was evident that the class of six-year-olds adored him.

The teacher’s assistant was tan with black hair, sea-green eyes, and a lean build.  When the end of the day bell rang, the students reluctantly grabbed their school bags and trudged out of the door.  All except for Alexander who was purposely dawdling.

Bryan felt his impatience rising and then the teacher’s assistant caught sight of him from the desk he and the teacher shared.  On the desk was a large stack of drawings and Bryan had a feeling that he knew what was coming.  “Mr. Kneef, I would like to talk to you about Alexander.”  Alexander stopped loading his backpack and stared at the table as if it could block out the words that his mentor was about to say.

“I have to take Alexander home.”

“This won’t take long.  Five minutes at the most.”

Bryan looked at his son, hoping to catch his eye but Alexander was still avoiding his gaze and Bryan closed his eyes, “Let’s get on with this then.”

“I have concerns about Alexander’s drawings.  Recently they’ve become…well, see for yourself,” the teacher’s aide handed Bryan a picture.  Bryan stared at it – it was a picture of him and Alexander standing on one side of the floor and a large crack in the floor separating them from a third person who was wrapped in what appeared to be a purple hurricane.

Bryan forced a smile at the same time he moved his gaze from the drawing to the adult in front of him.  He was about to snap back that the drawings were none of this man’s business and if the class teacher had any concerns, he would discuss them with the adult who was actually qualified and in charge of his son’s learning when he noticed the younger man scanning the classroom and patting his pocket.

“Alexander, have you seen my pen?”

The boy shook his head morosely, “Hope you find it soon.”  He said dully.

“So do I, it was a gift from a past teacher of mine.”

Alexander pulled his school bag down from the table and as he did so, Bryan caught sight of a ballpoint pen with a cap.  The pen fell onto the floor with such force that the cap bounced off and Alexander vaulted backwards with a yell, his mind trying to process what his eyes saw lying on the floor.

“HOW IS YOUR PEN ALSO A SWORD?!”

“My name is Percy Jackson and we need to talk, Mr. Kneef.”

[thatesqcrush]

It me.

[tropes-and-tales-archives]

Bryan Kneef:  Breaking Point, Part Nine

Word Count:  6786

TW:  Angst (job loss; DUI; family estrangement); fluff (reconciliation); smut (PiV, unprotected).  18+ only.

AN:  Part nine of a nine part series.  Other parts can be found here.

The night of the STR Laurie holiday party, you had asked Bryan Kneef if he had a rock bottom.  The implication in your tone was that no, he didn’t have one.  But that wasn’t true.

Bryan Kneef had a rock bottom.  In truth, he had been working his way to it for years and years, but the real, final skid started only a few days after your disastrous hookup the night of the party.

He had thought that it was odd how no one in his group chat had mentioned the plans for St. Kitts for the year.  The morning after your hookup, he sent out a few texts as feelers.  It was a day or two later when he got a reply – a halting series of texts from his stepbrother, gently explaining that everyone would prefer if he didn’t come this year.  

“Maybe next year?” Kyle texted.

Bryan didn’t respond to that.  He managed to cobble together a last-minute trip to Maui, but it was lonely.  The spectacular sunsets, the sea breezes all reminded him of you now, and you weren’t there.  No one was there but him.

Kyle’s gentle rebuff around St. Kitts was just a precursor.  Bryan’s stepbrother met him for lunch early in January, and over seared bay scallops, he informed Bryan that unfortunately, he wasn’t invited to the spring nuptials between Kyle and Jessa.  

Normally Bryan wouldn’t care, since weddings were just bullshit anyway.  He was still hurting from St. Kitts, though, and honestly – Kyle was an only child too, and Bryan was the closest thing he had to a brother.  Why wasn’t he invited?

“Jessa is really close with her cousin,” Kyle said after hesitating a moment.  He glanced up at Bryan and took in his blank face, then sighed in exasperation.  “You took her home after the engagement party.”

The memory was a little hazy; Bryan had been mostly tipsy and a little drunk.  “Oh.  Yeah.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyle mimicked.  “Jesus, Bry.  You don’t even remember, do you?  You had sex with Jessa’s cousin and then kicked her out immediately like a complete douche.”  Kyle shook his head.  “I’m sorry about the wedding, but Jessa doesn’t want any drama.  I don’t want any drama.”

-----

If that were the end of it, Bryan would have been fine.

So he was mostly estranged from his remaining family.  Fine.

So he had grown apart from his oldest friends.  Fine.

It wasn’t the end of it, though.  Bryan had a long way to fall to hit his rock bottom, and because he was an asshole who drove everyone away from him, he was alone for all of it.

*****

When you got home after the disastrous night with Bryan, you took the weekend to give your life a long, appraising look.  Ever the planner, you wrote out a list of things you wanted to achieve in the upcoming year, and at some point on Saturday night (after you finished off half a bottle of Moscato), you made a snap decision.  When you woke up on Sunday morning, late, your email was full of confirmations – airplane tickets, vacation rental.

It wasn’t the worst thing you could have drunk-bought.

Everything else with Bryan Kneef aside, the trip to St. Kitts got into your bloodstream and never left.  It was the travel bug, for a woman who had never traveled further than Missouri her entire life before.  You had been born and raised in Chicago.  You attended college there, and you found a job there.  But St. Kitts had reminded you that the world was big and diverse and beautiful, and if that was the lesson you took from your interlude of madness with Bryan….there were worse lessons to take away from it.

You spent you holiday break in Rincon, Puerto Rico which felt fitting.  “Rincon” meant corner, and it felt like exactly the right place for you to see out the old year.  You found a small studio apartment that overlooked the ocean, and because Bryan and his too-cool-for-school friends were absent, you did everything.  You snorkeled.  You tried surfing, and you discovered that you did not have the balance for surfing.  You went for hikes and got your first massage.  You went horseback riding.

And when you got home to Chicago, you got to work on the rest of your new year’s to-do list.

First thing was first:  find a new job.

The truth was, STR Laurie bought out your firm years ago.  It was fine as a company, paid well enough, but there were too many inconsistencies between departments.  Some groups got bonuses, plenty of days off, the occasional catered lunches….other groups, not so much.  The senior litigators seemed to do whatever they wanted with little more than slaps on the wrist from H.R.

There was something deeply unsettling about your work.  You had somehow fell into a corridor of the law where you helped the very rich defend themselves and their money and property, as if they couldn’t spare a hit to their outrageous fortunes when they behaved terribly.  It made you uncomfortable.  You had grown up in that hazy place of working class and lower middle class:  your mother had been a housewife, and your father a carpenter.  You had attended public school.  Your college career had been funded by Pell grants and a generous scholarship.

So you left STR Laurie after securing a coveted role with the Exoneration Project.  Your new boss never sneered at you and called you just a paralegal.

Second thing:  find a new place to live.

You had been living in Wicker Park for a while now, and you always rented because you were holding out on the hope of finding someone, getting married, buying a place together.  So much of your parents’ unequal marriage had seeped into your subconscious without you even realizing it.  You’d been waiting on a man before you allowed your life to really start.

You were limited in what you could afford in Chicagoland with your salary, but when you found the place in Ravenswood, you knew it was the one.  It was love at first sight.  You had been waiting on a person, but it was a house instead – a well-sized place that had been stripped to the bones by an ambitious amateur house-flipper before the mortgage caught up to them and it went into foreclosure.  But it had a nice, small backyard and everything was updated – electric, roof, plumbing.  

And you had been your father’s little helper for all of your childhood, so you knew how to hang drywall and install tile.

You made an offer, and you were stunned when it was accepted.

By the end of summer, you had a new job, a new house.  The house wasn’t done, of course – most of it was still torn down to the studs – but it was livable.  You had a functional bathroom and kitchen, and you were camped out in a guest room while you worked on your bedroom.

In September, with the shortened days and the chilly nights, you got lonely.  Instead of going out and finding some broken asshole to try and fix, you just adopted a dog.  A dog, you found, was infinitely more trainable than a man and far more loyal.  You named the scrappy mutt Joey, mostly because you loved how confused people seemed to get about a dog with a human name.

You weren’t sure how much of your life overhaul was organic and how much was caused by Bryan.  Certainly, you had been drifting through life since your mother died the year after you graduated from college.  Your dissatisfaction – a growing frustration with your life – had only grown every year since.  But it was something about that awful final night with Bryan that seemed to spark the change, and by the start of October, your anger and frustration at the man had burned off like fog rolling off of the lake.

If you ever saw him again, you might even thank him.

*****

STR Laurie let Bryan go in March.  “Let go” was a polite euphemism for “fired unceremoniously,” which is to say:  Bryan Kneef was marched into H.R. one morning, read a list of unforgivable sins, and then marched out of the building with a security detail.

On the list of sins was one glaring omission – blackmailing an employee into a holiday vacation – so he knew that secret was safe.

In the end, it came down to his abrasive behavior.  Lawyers – especially really good ones like him – got away with a lot.  Other industries wouldn’t entertain an employee like him:  the casual cruelty and the more intentional cruelty.  His department had bled personnel until he was completely staffed with people like him, namely, douchy frat boys.  It was fun at first, but the lesson came too late to save Bryan’s job:  people like him were fucking exhausting to deal with.

Bryan wondered if you’d gloat once you heard, but he didn’t think you would.  You were, at your core, a kind person.  A thoughtful person.  At worst, you’d shake your head knowingly at the news of his demise.

It was harder for him to find a job than he realized.  He used to be pursued by headhunters; now he was calling people in his alumni network for crumbs.  There seemed to be millions of lawyers in Chicago, but the legal community was still tiny.  Everyone knew he’d been canned by STR Laurie.

He got the DUI in April.  

To be fair, he wasn’t drunk.  Not drunk drunk.  He’d only had a few drinks, but they had been on an empty stomach, and when he blew through the red light on Michigan Avenue, he had been a prime target for the cop sitting there.

But those were excuses, and as part of his plea deal, he had to deal with his problems.  The chirpy little ASA wanted him to commit to AA, but Bryan negotiated for a private therapist instead.  He had thought, incorrectly, that he could charm his way through therapy.  

No chance – he ended up with an older man who looked like a kindly Santa but who fucking tore through all of Bryan’s glib snark within the first ten minutes of their first session.

Here was Bryan Kneef’s rock bottom:  unemployed, friendless, estranged from his family, with a suspended driver’s license.  He had a failed engagement because he’d been a cheating bastard, and after that, all he had was a string of failed affairs and half-relationships.  Anytime a good woman made him feel something, he pushed her away.  You had been the latest, but you certainly weren’t the only one.

The nice thing about rock bottom, however, is that there is nowhere to go but up.  Sure, it was a cliché, but Bryan Kneef was sufficiently humbled now.  A little cliché was fine by him.

-----

It was almost the end of October when Bryan saw you again.  He had found a job – finally – with the state attorney’s office in Cook County.  Ironic, that.  Bryan used to represent the rich and powerful of Chicago.  Now he prosecuted them as an ASA.

He was at the courthouse, loitering around the lobby.  It was one of the more difficult moments; he always wanted to celebrate a victory with a drink, but he knew it was dangerous to celebrate alone.  Bryan wasn’t dry by any stretch, but he had identified (with his therapist’s help) harmful patterns.  He had rules now – never drink alone aside from a glass of red wine before bed.  Never drink more than two drinks in one sitting.  And so forth.

Never get so blindingly drunk as to drive away the one woman who seemed to enjoy being with him.

It was stupid, but when Bryan won a guilty verdict, he always wanted to reach out to let you know.  He thought that you, out of everyone he knew, would be pleased by his sudden shift to the right side of the law.  

It was like a scene out of a movie.  He stood in the lobby, fiddling with his phone uselessly, and thought of you.  And like magic – there you were.  It was so unexpected that he had to do a double take.

You looked beautiful in a vaguely-retro looking tweed suit – the skirt hit right at your knee, and the coat was perfectly cut to your form.  In the biggest surprise, your feet were clad in a pair of patent leather pumps instead of your usual colorful flats.  You looked like a lawyer, but Bryan knew the timeline wasn’t right.  You couldn’t have graduated from law school and sat for the bar all in the span of ten months.  You hadn’t even showed interest in becoming a lawyer.

You were standing and talking with an older woman that he didn’t recognize.  Did STR Laurie acquire a new firm?  Whatever you had been at the courthouse for had ended well, judging by the broad smile on your face.  

When you worked for him, you could feel him staring at you about half of the time.  You must have felt the weight of his gaze now, because you turned your head and scanned the lobby – and saw him.

It wasn’t that your smile fell, exactly.  It was more like it receded a little, like the outgoing tide.  The smile left your eyes, but stayed on your lips where it hardened just a fraction.  The woman with you caught your gaze, and she said her farewells and left you standing there.

*****

There was no good reason for you to get a drink with Bryan, but you weren’t the same person you had been a year ago.  From the looks of him, Bryan wasn’t the same person either.

He looked much the same – maybe a shade thinner, but nothing extreme.  His expression was markedly different.  When he walked over to you, there was no sneer or frown on his face.  He looked….happy to see you.

There was a nearby martini bar that was a favorite of the courthouse set, so that’s where you went.  Surprise number one:  Bryan ordered a mineral water.  In the entire time you’d known him, you had never seen him drink something that wasn’t alcohol.  You had always just assumed he stayed hydrated by the miniscule amount of water that melted from the ice in his whiskey.

Surprise number two:  he was charming, and not in his usual asshole way.  He was…nice.  You wanted to reach out and touch him, see if he was real and not some android replacement.  For all the time you’d spent with him, he had never once showed an interest in your life.  Now, he was asking you a ton of questions.  He seemed genuinely interested, so you told him all about your new job, your new house.

Surprise number three:  Bryan told you about his life.  He was probably hedging a bit, but he was shockingly honest.  He had been fired.  He had gotten a DUI.  He was in therapy.

The final surprise of the evening was when he apologized to you.  It was a genuine apology, not the half-assed sorry’s he gave you at the holiday party.  He looked you dead in the eye and apologized.

“I treated you terribly,” he said.  “And there’s no excuse for it.”  He glanced down at his glass of water, toyed with the wedge of lime on the rim.

It was weird seeing him so uncharacteristically humble.  “It’s okay,” you replied.

“It’s not okay,” he said with a firm shake of his head.  “I blackmailed you.”

“It wasn’t blackmail.”

“It was though.  I weaponized your kindness for your coworkers to force you into a holiday with me.  Forced you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”  He slumped a little, his shoulders rounded in apparent shame.  “Forced you…” He trailed off and didn’t finish the sentence, but his intent was obvious.

“Hey.”  You reached out and tapped the back of his hand.  “You didn’t force me to do anything.  I could have gone to H.R.  The vacation to St. Kitts felt like a mutually beneficial thing.”  You paused until he looked up at you, and you added, “and you definitely didn’t force me to sleep with you.”

It made him smile.  It was a small smile, but probably the first real one you’d ever seen on his face.  

“You’re too nice for your own good,” he said.

He was probably right in that regard.  When you both went to leave and stood out on the sidewalk in the chilly autumn evening, he hesitated a moment and then reached for you.  You stepped into his outstretched arms and let him pull you into a warm hug.  His behavior was completely different, but he smelled exactly the same – the cologne that smelled like an expensive, musky wood fire.

“I’d like to call you sometime,” he said once he finally released you.  Bryan Kneef probably never looked uncertain in his life, but he seemed almost shy now.  Shy-adjacent.

“I’d like that too,” you told him.  

*****

Bryan knew he didn’t deserve anything from you – not your time, not your forgiveness – but you gave him both.

It was strange, dating a woman.  Dating in his previous life meant buy them some drinks, then fuck them, then repeat until someone got bored or found greener pastures.

Bryan knew he could likely charm you back into bed, but he had spent too much time in therapy picking apart his relationships with women.  How he focused on shallow encounters.  How he fled from connection, feeling.  How it all traced back to his mother’s untimely death from cancer in his childhood.

He eased into things with you now.  It was the most difficult thing he ever had to do, delaying intimacy, but he did it because he wanted intimacy.  He didn’t want to just fuck you.  He wanted what he almost had in St. Kitts.

For the rest of October, he kept everything in first gear.  There were a few lunches during the workweek and a few dinners.  One Sunday night, he was feeling especially low – his bad feelings stirred up in anticipation for Monday afternoon’s therapy appointment – so he called you.  You took his call, and you talked with him for two hours, listening to everything he spewed at you, offering support.  Your mother had died from cancer too in the year after you graduated from college, and Bryan felt a warm (albeit sad) kinship with you over it.  Both of you, motherless.  Both of you with fathers who remarried too quickly and ignored their children’s needs.

By November, you were the one who moved things forward a little.  You invited him to your house, and the old Bryan would have openly mocked you for how unfinished it was.  New Bryan could see the potential, and more than that – he saw the gleam you got in your eyes as you showed him what you’d done already and what you planned to do.  

He wasn’t even jealous when the two of you sat on your couch and your mangy mutt crowded him out and got between you.  It was a first for him – a shelter dog cock-blocking him.

By the end of November, though, he was invited to spend the night at your place, and you shut your bedroom door firmly in your dog’s face (but only after handing him a huge rawhide bone in apology, and promising him an extra-long walk the next day).  

And then when you turned to face him, to step into his waiting arms, there it was – that fucking smile like he was the only person in the world that you wanted to see.

*****

Before, the two of you had fought:  the snowball fight, his drunken rant on New Year’s Eve, your own emotional raging at the STR Laurie holiday party.  Your first fight as a couple came in December.  You hadn’t realized that you were a couple now, but the fight revealed the fact to you.

You had started the tradition of traveling for your holiday breaks.  Your father had remarried a full month into his widowerhood years ago and started a second family, and neither you nor your sister really fit in with them.  Your sister was married with a kid, and she spent her holidays with her in-laws.  With no one to spend the holidays with, and after the thrill of going to St. Kitts, you traveled.  

Last year you had gone to Puerto Rico on a whim, but this year, you had planned a little better.  You had chosen the Maldives all the way back in June.  The plane tickets were booked, the little rental on the beach was booked.

When Bryan broached the subject of the holidays, you told him about the Maldives, and his face got that stony quality you remembered from working with him.  Before you knew it, the fight was upon you.  He wanted you to cancel your plans and join him in St. Kitts.  You wanted him to get real – why would you go back to St. Kitts and relive that?  No infinity pool was that good.

The real issue wasn’t St. Kitts.  The real issue was that he wanted to spend the holidays with you.  It didn’t matter where.  That fact hit you like a load of bricks.

Therapy wasn’t lost on the man.  You’d give him that much.  You watched him as he physically took a step away from you, and you swore you could see his therapist’s words rolling through his head as the silence descended between the two of you.  You gave him all the time he needed.

When he finally stepped back towards you, he took a deep breath and held out his hands in a conciliatory motion.  In a move that probably pained him – the man who never needed anything or anyone – he looked you dead in the eyes and asked if he could join you in the Maldives.

“Bryan, I…” You hesitated to answer him; you had to get the right tone.  “I’d be happy for you to join me, but – “

“But,” he echoed, and his face looked set and stony again.

“But…the place I rented is not…not some villa on the hillside.  It’s just a small little cottage.”

“So?”

You stared at him a long moment.  This was the man who had deep and strong opinions about the top notes of his whiskey.  This was the man who once dressed down a paralegal for having a four-in-hand tie knot instead of a half-Windsor.  This was a man who openly sneered at any cut of beef that hadn’t been hand-massaged from womb to slaughterhouse.

This was the man who mocked your glee and wonder of the world.  Sure, he seemed different now, but how would he feel when he saw the vacation you had planned?  The tiny cottage with no infinity pool, no waterfall showerhead, no giant Viking range in the kitchen?

Bryan must have read the expression on your face and understood its source because he snorted and gestured around him.  “Baby, you don’t even have walls in half of your house.  Whatever you rented in the Maldives is fine.”

You crossed your arms.  “I don’t believe you.”

Some vestiges of the old Bryan remained.  He was still a smarmy bastard sometimes, and he fixed you with a fully vulpine smile that only softened once you uncrossed your arms and let him pull you into an embrace.  It seemed like it was easier to talk to you sometimes when he didn’t have to look at you, so you weren’t shocked when he muttered against your head, so low that you nearly missed it.  

“I just want to spend the holiday with you,” he mumbled softly.  When you joked that he sounded like he was veering into boyfriend territory, he tightened his arms around you and replied, “would that be so bad?”

Sometimes you wondered if you had really drowned in St. Kitts and everything that followed was some sort of purgatory-based test to gain entry into heaven.  It made your head spin, the unreality of the situation.  At this time two years ago, you were so furious with your asshole boss that you drilled him in his smug, handsome face with snowballs.  Now he was holding you tight to him and asking you in a roundabout way to be his girlfriend.

You heaved a sigh of mock-weariness and extricated yourself from his arms.  “Fine,” you told him with a forefinger poking him in his sternum.  “But the minute you start complaining about the accommodations, you’re getting slapped.”

You had always suspected that Bryan had some pain or humiliation fetish.  You hadn’t missed how his eyes had darkened in lust, for example, the time you slapped him in his office.  He verified your suspicions now – his deep green eyes narrowed a little, and his voice dropped a quarter octave.  

“Promise?” he asked.

*****

What a change from two years ago.  Bryan remembered your first airplane flight, how icy your hand was in his and how you had huddled against him involuntarily.  Now you breezed right down the plane’s center aisle and ignored the flight attendants’ safety demonstration like a veteran traveler.

You were nervous though.  Bryan could feel the tension radiating off of you, and he felt a sting of shame about it.  He was the cause.  You mostly only knew him as an irredeemable snob and a consummate asshole, and your carefully planned vacation seemed shabby in your eyes now that he was tagging along.

He couldn’t tell you otherwise.  He just had to show you.

The private cottage you had rented was small, but it was lovely.  There was no pool, but there was a Jacuzzi and a huge bed and it was right on the beach.  You watched him look everything over, and judging by the way your jaw was set, you were just waiting for criticism.  Hell, your itchy right palm was practically twitching to deliver a blow.

“Seems small,” he said casually, and sure enough, you lifted your arm and hit him.  It wasn’t hard at all, just a light pat to his cheek, and you held your hand there to cup his face.  The look on your face – the soft smile, the hopefully rise of your eyebrows – was irresistible.  Bryan stepped forward and dipped his head to kiss you, and even though you had been traveling for over a day, he didn’t stop for quite a while.

-----

You and Bryan seemed to have different philosophies surrounding vacations. Bryan wanted to lie on the pure white beach and stare at the ocean that was so blue it made his eyes ache.  You had an agenda.

It was just your zeal for life, and after a bit of grumbling, Bryan leaned into it.  He skipped from island to island with you, went snorkeling, rode on horses, chatted with the locals.  It was refreshing to experience the world with you, since you were so unabashedly in love with the world.  At your side, Bryan shed a little more of his tough outer shell.

If the days were fun, the evenings were magical.  It was the same sort of spell from St. Kitts, only more honest.  You weren’t his fake girlfriend – you were his real one.  He wasn’t trying to make anyone jealous – he was only trying to convey how much he cared about you.

How much he loved you, even if he couldn’t quite say the words out loud.

You were both settled into the jacuzzi for the evening after a light dinner.  You had been shipwreck diving that day, an endeavor that revealed how out of shape Bryan was.  He lowered himself into the jacuzzi with a tortured groan, and you followed him a moment later with a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine.  Over the past few months, he had taught you the complicated calculus around what and how much he would drink, so now you both sipped at the shiraz and watched the sun sink in the west.

There was one similarity to St. Kitts, and it was how you got a little melancholy at sunset.  You still got that faraway look on your face, and you still sighed a little.  Bryan asked about it once and you seemed surprised and unaware that you did it.  He didn’t press – he only watched you, and if you seemed a little sadder some nights versus others, he only held you a little closer to remind you that he was there.

That’s what he did tonight as the sun set – he took your wrist and tugged you over to him until you were nestled against him.  He drew his fingertips up and down your arm until you gave an involuntary shudder against him.

The swimsuit you were in was familiar.  It was the same one you practically lived in during St. Kitts, which was fortuitous – Bryan already knew how to get you out of it.  As the sun set and as darkness settled over the island, he toyed with the knotted straps behind your neck, letting his fingers slip into your damp hair until your breathing was uneven and you were squirming against him.

The water gave a bit of buoyancy, and it was easy to maneuver you into his lap.  It was his favorite position, you sitting on his lap with his cock buried in you, you just a fraction above him so that he could access your face or your tits just as easily.

After his awkward foray into asking you to be his girlfriend back in Chicago, the hard conversation about birth control ensued.  You were still hurt by his accusations, rightfully so, and Bryan had to sit and listen to all of it.  Then, haltingly, the real truth came out.

“I don’t think I want kids,” you had told him, and you looked terrified once the words were out of your mouth.

“That is not a deal-breaker for me,” he had replied.  “At all.”

Then, because he hadn’t snapped at you or called you a monster for lacking maternal feelings, you admitted that it wasn’t that you didn’t think you didn’t want kids – you knew you didn’t.

Bryan admitted as much to you, and it was the most honest either of you had ever been with the other.  Or with anyone, possibly.

For now, in the Maldives, the box of condoms in Bryan’s carry-on luggage remained untouched.  You had an IUD, and Bryan already had an appointment in Chicago for a vasectomy for when he returned.  The difficult conversation was behind you, as well as a heartfelt apology for the St. Kitts blow-up, so in the jacuzzi, you wriggled out of your swimsuit bottoms and resettled in his lap.  His cock was rock-hard, straining against his trunks, and it twitched against your hand when you reached down to free it from its constraints.

You pumped his length in your hand almost lazily as you lined yourself up to him.  You notched the tip of his cock against your entrance and removed your hand.  You placed a hand on each side of his face to hold him firm, kiss him deeply, as you lowered yourself onto him.

Fuck, it was romantic bullshit like this that Bryan always avoided in the past, but it killed him when it was you doing it.  It was sensory overload – the feel of your fingertips against his bearded cheeks, the feel of your tongue licking into his mouth, the feel of your slippery cunt taking every inch of him until your ass was settled on his lap.  You moaned into his mouth when he finally bottomed out and the crown of his cock nudged against the end of you.  You moaned again when he wrapped his arms around your waist and drew you down another fraction onto him.

He let you set the pace, and you went slow.  The pace in Chicago was always a bit more playful, more frenetic, but island life slowed you down in your love-making.  You rode him at a languid speed, the look on your face dreamy at the sensations you were feeling.  For Bryan, it was like heaven being buried in you.  He fit you perfectly - the analogy of a lock and a key came to mind like a damned cliché.  He loved how your arousal coated his intruding length the closer he brought you to orgasm; he loved how well your feverish flesh gripped him when you finally did come.

Over and over, he brought you to the edge and pushed you over it.  Bit back his own release that threatened at the edges of his vision like an impending blackout.  Once he made you come once, he found it was easy to bring about a second, a third.  You got so sensitive – your swollen clit dragging against the root of his cock, your quivering cunt never recovering from its aftershocks before coming again.  Even your tits got more and more responsive, until all it took was a brush of his lips – a bit of friction from his beard – to make you arch against him.

“Are you close?” you panted against his neck.  You had come a third time and then collapsed against him, your head nestled in the space between his head and his shoulder.  Your tits, tipped with diamond hard nipples, were pressed against his chest.  You had stopped riding him, completely exhausted, so Bryan pressed his hips up into you and smirked at the tortured little whine in your voice, the shaky, uneven way you were breathing against him.

“You’ve got one more,” he told you, and you laughed weakly against him.  When you tried to protest, he took one wrist and then the other into one of his hands.  He held them behind your back, a tame move of possession to remind you that while you may be on top, he was still in control.  A fact you happily agreed with, judging by how hard you always arched against him when he did it.

Bryan slid down in the jacuzzi a little, just enough to stretch his legs out and press his feet against the opposite side.  It allowed him to thrust up into you – one hand gripping both of your wrists behind your back, the other wrapped around the back of your neck.  His hand was big enough to cup your entire head, and he pressed the tip of his thumb into your soft cheek, kept you from turning your face away from him.  

Your eyes had that unfocused, fucked-senseless quality to them, and Bryan usually preened when he saw them like that.  It meant he had fucked you so well that he had completely short-circuited your brain.

“Look at me,” he ordered, and he had to turn your face back to him when you tried to look away.  Sometimes – since St. Kitts – you turned away from him when you were feeling too much.  He didn’t want that anymore.  He wanted you to look right at him and feel everything.

“Fucking look at me,” he repeated.  He was rewarded a moment later when you finally did, and he pressed his hips up into you and watched as your mouth fell open at the thrust.  It was something about your face – so open and so beautiful, especially in the afterglow your orgasms – that made Bryan feel suddenly sick, like he couldn’t draw a breath.  His throat felt tight and he swallowed hard.  It had been a terrible start of the year.  Cut off from his family, cut off from his friends. Unemployed and with a DUI and all his own doing.

But fuck was it all worth it to be here with you now.  It wasn’t just the sex, though that was certainly part of it.  It was the connection with you, the way you looked at him now.  Bryan Kneef openly sneered at love, at bullshit like soulmates, but damned if he didn’t think he’d found the one person for him in the entire world, and she was perched in his lap right now.

And not just that:  she had extended her forgiveness to him for the unforgivable.  She had let him back into her life when anyone else would have moved on and left him out in the cold.

“I love you,” Bryan said, and he said it so defensively that your eyes widened at both the words and at his tone.  He saw you open your mouth to reply, but he shifted his hand and covered your mouth.

“Don’t fucking say anything,” he continued.  “You’re too damned nice.  I don’t – don’t want you to say it back to me because you think you have to.  Just….just keep your mouth shut.  And know that I love you.”

He felt your lips curve into a smile against his palm, so he removed his hand and pulled you in so that he could kiss you.  He still felt sick – his heart was pounding in his chest – but he could discuss it with his therapist when he returned to Chicago.

Bryan never got that final orgasm out of you, but you never complained about it.  You held his head firm in your hands and kissed him, your mouth slanting against his with an intensity that stole his breath away.  That, paired with his confession and the incredible heat of your clenching cunt, made him unravel completely.  He felt that delicious tension in his gut, felt the moment it snapped.  His hips jutted up into you on their own accord, and he groaned your name into your mouth as he gave one, final thrust and filled you with his release.

You were silent as you nestled against him afterwards, and you were silent when you dismounted him.  You allowed him to lead you inside, and you showered together before bed.  Bryan was exhausted from the day’s activities, but more so from the confession.  It drained him to even admit to himself that he had feelings, let alone say them out loud.  Your silence wasn’t helping.

You put your hands on his shoulders and turned him around, and you scrubbed his back for him.  Such a simple gesture, but it made him want to cry.  

Maybe you sensed his inner turmoil.  You reached for the shampoo and gestured for him to bend down a little, and you lathered up his hair.  That did make him tear up, your gentle fingers massaging his scalp, over and over until all the sea salt and sand was out of his hair.

“Am I allowed to speak now?” you asked quietly as you rinsed his hair for the final time.  Bryan wiped the water out of his eyes and looked at you.  You were smiling at him, a little teasing.

“You are allowed,” he replied with a regal wave of his hand, and you feigned that you were going to smack his hand out of your face.  But your smile faded, and you looked at him with a solemn expression that made his heart sink.

“I love you too,” is all you said.

It made Bryan just as sick to hear you say it, but with enough therapy, he eventually would learn that the sick feeling – the tightness in his throat, the racing pulse – well, that was love.  It only felt like an illness to him because it was so foreign.

But all that insight was months and even years away.  All in the future, with you by his side – your house in Ravenswood finally finished, Bryan’s condo sold as he moved in with you.  You would eventually add to your family – another shelter dog, one for Bryan this time because Joey would always be your dog and never quite his.  When the second dog drifted more to you, Bryan wouldn’t even be hurt by it.  

Of course they loved you best.  You were the best.  

But that was in the future, and right now, you were watching him carefully in the shower of a Maldives guest cottage, and it was all only the beginning.  Bryan barely had the language to express his feelings (he’d eventually learn it, though he’d never quite be fluent), so he just gave you a nod of acknowledgement.  

And then kissed you.  When he tilted his head to capture your mouth with his, he caught that usual happy smile etched across your lips.

He only hoped you could see the same smile mirrored on his own mouth, just as happy to kiss you.  Like you were the only person he wanted to be with because, it had to be said, that was the honest truth.

[tinyboxxtink]

My “Works” Masterpost: (Everchanging, always growing!)

Someone asked me for a master post of all my fics so here they are! This post will be updated as I write them. 

Also feel free to shoot me an ask with an idea if you have one!!! ♥

ETA  6/9/2022:

I’ve added more people I write for!

Who I Write For: [All are x Reader]

Rafael Barba (SVU)

Nevada Ramirez (”Trouble In The Heights”)

Jonas Nightingale (”Leap Of Faith”)

Abel Plenkov/The Ripper (”My Soul To Take”)

Paul Mendelson (”Dopesick”)

Jack Neilson (”The Path”)*

Bryan Kneef (”The Good Fight”)*

Really any Raul Esparza Character

From Stranger Things:

Steve Harrington 

Eddie Munson

Maybe someone if you convince me to. 

*-- Be advised I haven’t written for them yet. Also I only saw a few episodes with Jackson in The Path, and I think Bryan only has like two scenes in one episode?

Series In Progress:

"Words Fail" [Rafael Barba x Reader]

“Summer Of ‘87″ [Eddie Munson x Reader]

Completed Series [Eddie Munson x Reader]

“Spring Break ‘86″ 

Completed Series [Rafael Barba x Reader]

(All the chapters are linked up I promise!)

"...So I Married A Monster" *A William Lewis/Rafael Barba x You Story, Read At Your Own Discretion*

“Build Me Up Buttercup”

“Helpless”

“Return To Sender”

“My Fairy Abogado “

“Caught In The Storm”

“Clueless”

“Black Magic”

“Doppelganger” *Sequel To Black Magic* Rafael x Reader and Nevada Ramirez x Reader  {Note: This fic deals with dark situations like sexual assault and abuse.]

"Not My Yacht" {A William Lewis fic, this fic deals with dark situations like torture and sexual assault. But a happy ending!}

"Weird Secret Friends"

“Betrayed”

Eddie Munson One Shots:

“Rocky” 

“Happy Anniversary”

“The Gauntlet”

“Cool Off”

“Wingman“

“New Kid”

“Beetlejuice”

Rafael Barba One Shots:

“Todos Las Dias De Mi Vida”

“Warrior” (Sequel To “Helpless”)

“You Are My Exception”

“If You Like Pina Coladas”

“God I Love Weddings!”

“The Story” (Barson)

“Paper Rings”

“Never Leave You Again”

“Your Soliloquy”

“The Man Of Your Dreams”

“Because I Can”

"Trick Or Treat"

"Tag"

“Holiday Party [NSFW]

“A Boyfriend For Christmas”

“A Christmas Miracle {ANGST}

“Christmas Bake Off”

“Buttons”

“A Helping Hand” (NSFW)

“Say You Want Me, And I’m Yours”

“New Year’s Eve”

Miscellaneous One Shots:

“Dancing On My Own” (Rollisi)

“The Good Lord’s Touch” (Jonas Nightingale x Reader, LOF)

"Reunion" (An "Atypical" Sam/Paige OS)

"I'm Yours In Every Way You'll Have Me" (Regina Mills x Reader, *OUAT*)

Nevada Ramirez/Reader One Shots:

“Feliz Año Nuevo” 

“Christmas At Rockefeller Center”

"Mi Rey" 

“Fernando”

“Super Bowl Sunday”

Ripper/Abel Plenkov x Reader One Shots:

"I Hate Mondays" (NSFW)

"Happy Anniversary"

"Dancing With The Devil"

Anon Drabble Requests [Rafael Barba x Reader]

“Sick Day”

“La Loba”

“Lunch Date”

“Secret Agent”

“Cupcake Apologies”

“I Love....’

“Going Live!”

“Merry Christmas Darling”

“Driver’s License”

“Take Your Daughter To Work Day”

“Rafaella”

“Bad Day”

“Career Day”

“Good Morning”

“Jealous”

“Cake”

“Law And Order”

“Cupcake Congrats”

“Caught”  (G Rated)

“Caught” (NSFW)

“McBarba”

“Cookies”

“Yelina”

“Only You”

“ Cierras ya tus ojitos”

“Doodling”

“Coffee Date”

“Breakfast In Bed” 

“Hey, Get Back Here And Cuddle Me!”

Three’s A Crowd” *NSFW* (Barisi x you)

“Love Handles”

"All Of You" (NSFW)

"Bar Fight"

"Cappuccino Man"

"Pumpkin Spice Lattes"

"Bar Bet" (Nick Amaro/Reader Rafa/Reader)

"Law School"

"Stole My Heart" (William Lewis/Reader OS) *Don't JUDGE Me!*

"Death Do You Part" (ANGSTY OS/Death)

"Princess Prude" *High School AU*

"You Broke My Heart And All You Can Say Is Sorry?!"

"My Hero"

"Thank God For Vodka"

"Big And Beautiful"

"Meeting The Kids"

"Underwear Shopping"

"A Breeding Kink, Counselor?"

"Undahpants!"

"Prepped"

"...It Unhooks In The Front"

"Boob Worship"

"Making Up"(NSFW)

"Piercing Surprise"

"Feliz Navidad"

"Negotiations"

"Big Bad Lawyer Boyfriend"

"No Dogs Allowed"

“Sharky” Series [Rafael Barba x Reader]:

“Sharky”

“I Don’t Want To Hurt You” (”Sharky” One Shot)

“Eyes On The Mirror....” (”Sharky” NSFW One Shot)

“Baby Shark” (”Sharky” Baby One Shot)

“Love Doesn’t Stand A Chance” (”Sharky” *Deleted Scene*)

“Safe Place”  (”Sharky” Fluff OS)

“Rough Day”  (“Sharky” NSFW OS)

“Baby Shower” (”Sharky” Fluff OS)

"Drive" (An AU "Sharky" NSFW OS)

"Broken" (*ANGSTY* Alternative to "Baby Shark")

“Spring Cleaning” (”Sharky” Fluffy OS)

“The Package” (”Sharky” Fluffy OS)

“Cuddling” (”Sharky” Fluff OS)

“Date Night” (”Sharky” Fluff OS)

“No Running” (”Sharky” Fluff OS)

[beardedbarba]

am i

am i considering re-reading a bryan kneef fic series simply because he’s asshole whom i love

maybe

[thatesqcrush]

Dear anon, as the Queen of Bryan “with a a motherfucking Y” Kneef ™, help yourself to my masterlist & read my Fall From Grace series. Then go check out the lists of @tropes-and-tales or @beccabarba or @prurientpuddlejumper. 🖤

“For all fanfiction writers, if you are reading this and feel inspired by my request, please do yourself a favor… Right now I really like to read angsty fanfiction, I started to like this style recently, I’ve already read a lot of fanfiction about Raul’s characters and I’d like to read one where either Frederick Chilton or Bryan Kneef (I think it “might” fit better with those characters) is really really really bad/evil. I don’t know what situation in particular, for example harassing an employee? I don’t have something in mind but, i trust you, you’ll find something… The only request i have is, a lot of angst and a Villain Raul’s character, and “smut” if it fits. Thanks for reading me !” 

(x)

[storiesofsvu]

Journey to the Past Epilogue

Past Bryan Kneef x reader no real warnings. Just a wee lil wrap up so we see where yn ends up down the road. Thank you to everyone for joining in on this journey, i hope you've had fun and don't hate me too much for the angst LOL. Stay tuned for some bingo fun over Feb, and two new series dropping soon. If you haven't already, fill out a taglist here! Happy Tuesday!

Four years.

It had been four years since you’d walked out of Bryan’s apartment and thus his life and neither of you had heard from each other since.

Right now, things seemed to have changed as he stood in your office, the door open a crack behind him as he waited for you to return from whatever meeting you were in. He couldn’t help but pursue through the shelves, looking over the personal photos that told him just how your life had changed since the two of you had gone your separate ways. He felt a surge in his chest as he let out a low breath, part of him wishing that things had worked out, the other part of him knowing that no matter how hard you would have tried, it wasn’t meant to be.

*

You walked back into the firm after lunch, letting out a soft sigh as you shifted back into work mode, shaking out of it until Larissa suddenly held up a hand outside your office.

“What?” You asked, raising a brow.

“Your next meeting is here.”

“Okay, and?”

“It’s for the Athletic Association…” She winced at you took a breath, remembering exactly who you were joint on with that client. You smoothed out your suit, sighing softly.

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“Course boss.”

You paused right as you hit your office door, mentally preparing yourself for seeing Bryan again and you had to admit, you could feel the nervousness fluttering in your stomach. You stepped into the room with a warm smile on your cheeks and when Bryan turned around you could tell that he was practically frozen on the spot.

“Hi.” You greeted, crossing through the room.

“Hi…” Bryan replied softly, his eyes on you as you moved to your desk. If it was possible, you were even more stunning than you were before. As his gaze moved up your body he stalled at your left hand, a gorgeous diamond on your ring finger, one that definitely out shined the one he’d chosen out.

“Have a seat.” You prompted while you took your own, pulling your chair into your desk and digging through the pile of files on your desk, if you kept this strictly about work maybe it would be quicker, easier, though it still felt awkward.

Thankfully Bryan followed your lead and the two of you were able to professionally go through everything you needed to. As the time went on the awkwardness slowly disappeared and the feel in the room was almost like you were back at school together. It was easy for the two of you to volley back and fourth with no confusion, speeding through the legal side of things with no issues, just two brilliant lawyers working a joint case.

“You’ve got the info for the meeting on the tenth?” You asked, flipping the file closed after you’d added copies of Bryan’s paperwork into it.

“Cherry Circle at seven thirty.” He replied with a nod.

“I’ll see you then.” You shot him a small smile, extending a business card to him on the off chance he’d deleted your number, “call if you have any questions.”

“Thanks.” He accepted the card from you and in haste to make sure your fingers didn’t touch your arm hit a picture on your desk, knocking it over. Bryan was quick to catch it before it toppled off the desk, glancing down at it for a moment as his brow furrowed before he put it back. “Is that… Emma?” He asked, referencing one of the kids the two of you had babysat in preparation for your own.

“Uh.. yeah…” You smiled warmly glancing toward the photo as you fiddled with your ring.

“You… and Nate?” He asked cautiously and you chuckled.

“Turns out the hospital recommends the same grief counsellors.” You felt your cheeks flush, your gaze dropping from Bryan’s for a moment, “we ran into each other a few times, figured it would be a good idea to keep in touch, help each other through things.” You shrugged and Bryan watched a happy smile break out on your cheeks, “one thing just… lead to another.”

“It looks like you’re happy.” He smiled, “guess that’s all that matters.”

“Very.” Your eyes darted down to his left hand, finding it bare, not that you really expected to find out that he was married but there was always the chance. “Are you…”

“No.” He laughed, “guess you were always right about that too.”

“Hey, you’ve got some redeeming qualities.” You teased and he laughed, slipping his files back into his brief case as he moved to stand.

“I’ll see you next week?” He extended his hand out for a handshake and you accepted it.

“I’ll call if I find anything else.”

“Thanks.” With a tight smile he moved through the office, pausing just at the door, “it was good to see you.”

“Yeah.” You returned the smile, “you too.”

With a small nod Bryan pulled open your office door and made his way out of the firm. He was just at the end of the hallway when Emma and Carson came barrelling past him, a younger woman he assumed was the babysitter or nanny a foot behind them. He paused in the doorway, looking back to your office and the way Emma launched herself into your arms, animatedly talking about her day. He felt a twinge of regret, however, couldn’t help but smile at just how happy you were. You finally got what you’d been wanting for years, and the adoration and joy on your face was pure proof of that. He hadn’t seen you that happy in a long time and he knew that letting you walk away from him those years ago had been the right choice. You were exactly where you were supposed to be.

_________-

@witches-unruly-heart @plaidbooks @thatesqcrush @misscharlielulu @momlifebehard @alwaysachorusgirl @xovalliegirlxo @beardedbarba

[thatesqcrush]

For Your Pleasure

Throuple series fic: Barba x F!Reader x Kneef. CW: Smut, incl. but not limited to: free use with blanket consent, use of a safe word, anal, p in v sex, oral (male + female receiving), money shot, heavy degradation language, language in general. This is NSFW. WC: 3K.

AN: Also for the free use square in bingo.

You had a fantasy that you wanted to try with Bryan and Rafael. You brought it up one night while you were all watching a movie, eating popcorn and having a couple of drinks. You were cozied up in Bryan’s lap, Rafael was on the floor, by Bryan’s leg.

When you told them the fantasy, they were both initially very quiet. Finally Bryan spoke and then Rafael joined in - there was eagerness but also hesitation.

By the end, they were in agreement. A few days later, there was another conversation to make sure all were on board and consent was affirmed.

A day was decided amongst the three of you. And consent was affirmed again the night before and then again, the morning of. You also went over your safe word: avocado toast.

The fantasy was free use and this was how the dynamic worked: if either of the men should become horny at any time (which happened a lot), they were allowed to do a range of things to you without having to ask. Your exact words were, "For that day, I only exist for your pleasure." While you had given blanket consent, there was an agreed upon understanding that you could withdraw consent whenever you wanted to.

The appeal for you, was the trust and honesty about each other’s desires; it wasn’t just the inherent appeal of fucking someone the moment the mood striked (though that did play a part).

**

It started simply enough.

You were in the kitchen, brewing coffee and plating pancakes from the griddle. You had freshly showered but remained in your oversized t-shirt. You were at the sink soaking some dishes when you heard Rafael from behind you.

“Buenos dias, mi tesoro.”

“Good morning Rafael.” You hadn’t turned around as you knew what was about to happen and your heart was racing with anticipation.

Rafael lifted your shirt and reached down to spread your ass cheeks, revealing the butt plug that was flush against you. You gasped as Rafael wiggled the toy, until it started to come out. He pushed the plug back in and then out again, teasingly fucking you with it. Rafael left the plug in and then dipped his fingers into your already soaked pussy. Rafael played around with your wetness, stroking your folds before sinking his fingers inside your warm sheath. He did it a few times before withdrawing. You were already so hot and ready to be filled.

You heard the sound of a lid clicking close followed by a slick sound. Rafael hugged you from behind and you leaned into the embrace when all of a sudden you are filled and stretched with Rafael’s thick cock. You let out a gasp which quickly turned into a moan as Rafael didn’t wait for you to adjust, just pounding into you. You gripped the lip of the sink, your head falling forward as Rafael’s cock dragged against your walls. Rafael’s fingertips dug into your hips, gripping hard. You could feel his balls slap against your pussy.

“Is that what my dirty slut needs? To be filled with cock all the time?” Rafael asked. You reached down to rub your clit, your fingertips brushing against his balls.

You let out a whine as your orgasm quickly approached. Rafael let out a grunt as he stiffened, coming deep inside you. He bent over and nipped your shoulder before withdrawing. He left your T-shirt up over your hips and then bent on one knee to pull your pussy lips apart to watch his load drip down your thighs. He scooped up some of his release and then approached you and shoved his finger in your mouth. You sucked his finger clean and let out a content hum. Rafael removed his finger and then made way to grab a mug. He poured himself a cup of coffee before moving to sit at the breakfast bar to read the paper that had been delivered earlier.

You went back to soaking and cleaning dishes when you heard Bryan enter the kitchen. He must have just woken up because Rafael made a retort about how slobby he looked.

You grabbed a dishrag to wipe down the sink when you felt Bryan’s monstrous cock slide into your cunt. “Who needs lube when this pussy is already so full of cum?”

Bryan pulled you upright against him and reached to grab the hem of your shirt while he was still notched inside of you. You helped him pull it over your head and then tossed it to the side. Bryan’s hands were immediately on your breasts, squeezing and groping. Bryan moved one hand around and down to your back, pushing you down. You were fully bent at the hip, your hands gripping your own legs as Bryan fucked you. From your upside down vantage point, you saw another pair of legs and you realized Rafael had decided to join in.

“Couch.” Rafael commanded. Bryan let out a grunt and then withdrew. He gave your ass a smack and then pushed you towards the couch.

You braced your arms on the couch arm and jutted your hips out. Bryan wasted no time, thrusting his cock back inside of you. You let out a moan which quickly became muffled as Rafael shoved his cock inside your mouth. Rafael’s hands entwined into your hair, holding you in place as he fucked your mouth.

Bryan smacked your ass and then grabbed a handful of flesh, squeezing. The sounds of skin on skin filled the apartment. Rafael removed his cock from your mouth to smack your cheek with it, leaving a smear of pre-cum.

“Does our pretty girl like to get fucked like the slut she is?” Rafael rasped.

You nodded. “I want my asshole pounded and destroyed. It feels so good having that big cock in my tiny asshole! Oh fuck, harder, harder!”

Bryan hocked a wad of spit where his cock was disappearing. He used two thick fingers to slide it up and over your ass hole. “Want it harder?” Bryan asked. He didn’t allow you to answer as he pressed his cock into your ass. You cried out at the sudden fullness, “Bryan! Oh fuck yes!”

Bryan slammed into your ass while Rafael kneeled on the floor. Holding your legs by your thighs, he raised his mouth to your now free pussy, his tongue lapping at your wetness and his prior release.

Rafael made sounds of content as he ate you out. He stroked his cock furiously as he wanted another go with you.

“Shit I’m gonna cum!” You cried out. Rafael continued to mouth you as you came, your juices squirting all over.

Rafael stood up and leaned over to kiss Bryan, sharing your taste with him. Bryan held Rafael’s face with one hand as he kissed his lookalike.

Rafael broke the kiss hesitantly. “Let me get some of that ass.”

Bryan nodded and withdrew, causing you to whine at the loss. Bryan plopped himself on the couch, stroking his cock, covered in your juices. You straddled Bryan and slid your pussy back onto his cock. “Fuck!” You cried out as you sank fully onto his lap. Bryan took one of your tits in his mouth, as Rafael drizzled lube over your ass cheeks. He massaged some into your ass which was already loose from Bryan’s cock. Rafael pushed his cock into you. You let out a wrecked last moan. “Fuck you’re so big in my tiny asshole.”

“God that ass is so tight.” Rafael groaned as he began to slowly thrust. He withdrew and admired how your asshole stayed opened. Gazing upon that gaping hole made him feel primal, like he was a sexual beast. Rafael gripped his cock and then slid it in again, sinking slowly in before withdrawing once more, again watching how your asshole gaped, blossoming like a beautiful flower. “So pretty.” Rafael murmured. He then slid his cock back in slowly inch by inch until he was fully seated, his balls nestled against you.

“You take my cock in your ass so well. Tell us how much you love getting fucked by two cocks.” Rafael began to thrust, this time a bit faster.

Bryan joined on the thrusting, both men quickly finding a rhythm. “Such a whore that you need two cocks to satisfy you, hmm?”

“Yes!” You cried out. “Yes! I need it! I need to be filled. Use me, use my holes!”

Rafael reached over you and shoved both hands into your mouth, keeping your mouth pried open as he and Bryan fucked you.

The men grunted and groaned as they wrecked your pussy and abused your ass. Saliva dripped out of your mouth and onto Bryan’s chest and abdomen. When Rafael released your mouth, Bryan gripped your chin, his fingers nearly slipping due to the saliva that had looked out.

“All you’re good for is to be our fuck toy.” Bryan growled.

You nodded desperately. “Yes, oh fuck! I feel so full!”

You pussy throbbed with need and you were so close to the precipice again. Just a few strokes on your clit by Bryan and you were done. You wailed both their names over and over again as you came, your pussy gripping Bryan’s cock and your ass clenching Rafael. You completely dissolved into pleasure as your orgasm rippled through your body.

Rafael stiffened as he came again, grunting your name. You could feel his release drip out of your ass. He took a step back, trying to catch his breath.

“Gonna go shower.” Rafael panted as Bryan continued to pound you. The cum that was already notched inside began to leak out of you and down Bryan’s cock. Rafael’s cum dripped down Bryan’s balls

Bryan slowed his thrusts and reached up to swat your face, bringing you back to focus. “And what do we say to Rafael?”

“Thank you for fucking me.” You replied breathlessly, but smiling. You had a fucked stupid look on your face - your face was vacant, tears streamed your cheeks, your jaw slack.

“And I’m not done with you yet.” Rafael called out as he sauntered off.

It was just you and Bryan. He flipped you over, so your back was on the couch cushion. He withdrew from you, you could vaguely see his cream coated cock from where you were. He pulled you by the calves of your legs and rested your ass slightly on the arm of the couch. Your legs rested on his shoulders and he slid his cock back in your pussy, all soaked and swollen.

“I wish you could see how pretty you look right now.” Bryan groaned. “Taking daddy’s cock so well.”

Bryan was relentless in his fucking. He was really into the free use idea. It required an inordinate amount of love and trust. You had been living with him and Rafael for a few months. He had sometimes worried that you would want to be out of this polyamorous relationship but you just affirmed over and over again that you were theirs and they were yours. And today proved it. It was enough to make an old curmudgeon’s black heart thaw.

Bryan felt himself about to cum, his balls tightened and he withdrew again. You whined, disappointed. He made his way to your face and began to jack himself. You rubbed yourself to completion while Bryan pumped his fat cock. With a string of expletives intermixed with your name, he came in thick, hot, creamy white ropes all over your face. Your mouth was open so you caught some of it on your tongue and you swallowed it. You made a big show of showing off your tongue before and after swallowing, knowing it was one of the things you loved - showing off for them.

“My gorgeous little cum dump.” Bryan praised. He walked over to your legs again, and dropped to his knees, burying his face inside you. You were completely over stimulated and when you tried to wriggle away, Bryan wrapped his arms around your thighs and pulled you closer onto his face. You bucked your hips into his mouth as he plunged his tongue in and out, writhing inside you. His tongue lapped at you, tasting how sweet you were. He couldn’t get enough and he made that well known as he made obscene sounds while eating you out.

Your body was shaking; you lost count at how many times you had already come and it was still the morning. Bryan moved to take a bite on your thighs and then slapped your pussy with his hand. He then grabbed your swollen lips between his slick fingers and pinched them, your flesh puffing through.

Bryan then jammed three fingers inside of you and began to jackhammer them in and out of you. With his free hand, he rubbed your clit haphazardly and roughly.

“Yes, more, don’t stop!”

“Never!” Bryan replied. “I want you to squirt for me baby girl. You can do that, right? Can you do that for daddy?”

You couldn’t even formulate words as pleasure erupted out of you like a volcano. You squirted all over Bryan’s face. He swallowed your juices before sucking on your clit. Waves of pleasure coursed through you as you came hard again in Bryan’s mouth, sobbing.

Bryan slowly lapped your pussy through your orgasm, running his tongue over your clit, sucking it back into his mouth. You jerked back, overstimulated. Bryan took your cue and stopped.

“Going to go shower with Raf. Rest for now. Do you need anything?” Bryan asked as he crouched by your head. He stroked your hair, pushing your sweaty hair off your forehead.

You barely murmured an “no” as you laid there, a complete fucked out wreck. Bryan pressed a kiss to your lips. “Doing so well princess. Do you want to stop?”

“No.” You sighed happily. “I know our word. I’m okay.”

**

You woke up to the sensation of someone eating you out and the feeling of a cock being shoved into your slumbering mouth. You stretched your jaw to let whomever it was all the way in, while rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. You realized that it was Bryan who was softly fucking your mouth while Rafael was eating you out.

You let out a muffled moan, pressing your hands to your tits squeezing them together. Bryan leaned over and smacked your tits, before pinching your nipples hard.

Rafael paused to suck a mark in your inner thigh. He looked up at Bryan. “Hey, I have an idea.”

Bryan locked eyes with Rafael as he kept thrusting in and out of your mouth. “Yeah?”

**

The swing was an impulse purchase made when the three of you visited the high end sex shop one rare weekend when both men were off the clock. It was a loud pink color and it hadn’t been used yet, just assembled and waiting.

Now was the perfect time.

Bryan and Rafael helped you onto the swing - one strap was behind your mid-back and the other behind your ass. You placed your legs atop Bryan’s shoulders and gripped the straps by your arms.

Bryan grabbed the lube and slicked your asshole before pushing two fingers into you, prepping your ass. He used the pad of his thumb to rub your clit as he pushed the head of his cock into your ass.

You let out a moan as your head fell back. Rafael stepped forward and shoved his cock deeply into your mouth. and was being choked with Rafael’s cock. The propel motion from Bryan aided in you taking Rafael’s cock deeper. Rafael groped your tits roughly. You were certain come morning you’d discover bruises and marks all over your body.

Wanna know what we were doing while you were sleeping?” Bryan asked, slowing his pace.

Rafael removed his cock from your mouth, allowing you to take a deep inhalation. “What?” You whined as Bryan slowly rubbed your clit.

Rafael walked around to Bryan and gave him a hard and filthy kiss. He turned to look down at you.

Bryan withdrew from you and Rafael stroked his cock.

“I was fucking Rafael.” Bryan growled. You let out a whimper at the image.

Bryan let out a grunt, “Shit. Oh, that feels good. Suck my cock now.”

Rafael dropped to his knees and began to blow Bryan with enthusiasm. You watched the show, gripping the straps of the swing tightly. Bryan gripped the fellow attorney’s hair as he bobbed along his length. Rafael stroked his own cock while he lavished Bryan’s.

Eventually Rafael stood and they switched sides.

Each man took turns fucking you in the swing with their thick cocks, in every position you could stand and filling you with multiple creampies. Rafael and Bryan helped you get on your feet. You were wobbly and had a dazed, fucked stupid face. Their loads dripped out of you and landed with an obscene splat on the floor.

The room permeated with the scent of sex, your skin coated sweat, lube and fluids. The men were t that far off, despite having showered.

“I think I need a shower and some food.” You replied, tiredly.

“Are you saying..?” Rafael asked.

“Yeah, avocado toast.” You replied tiredly.

Each man nodded. Rafael scooped you up and you wrapped your arms around him. You nestled against his chest and stroked his chest, fingering the chain of his crucifix. “Good thing you’re both snipped or otherwise we would have a problem.”

The men laughed. “Very true.” Bryan replied. “Can’t have that happening.”

“I’ll get the bath going.” Rafael told Bryan. “Why don’t you order the food. Y/N wanted from the Japanese place. Put it on my card.”

Bryan nodded and grabbed his robe. “Sounds good.” He tied it and then reached for his phone, but not before pressing a small kiss to your forehead. “You did so well. So proud of you, daddies good girl.”

You gave him a dazed, fucked out, blissful look and then looked at Rafael similarly.

“When can we do that again?”

Tags: @mgarner1227 @madpanda75 @tropes-and-tales @dreamlover31 @beardedmccoy @youreverycolor @neely1177 @witches-unruly-heart @mrsrafaelbarba @skittle479 @ottosuricato @garturbo @sass-and-suspenders @mommakat32 @dreila03 @beccabarba @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo @imjustreallynosy @sweetsummertime99 @prurientpuddlejumper @whyissvuruiningmylovelife @differentshadesofgray @annabelleb49 @redlipstickandblacktea @zoeykaytesmom @misssirenlove @catnip987 @storiesofsvu @teamsladsandgents @detective-giggles @esparza-army @sassyada

@pieceofshittytitty @itsjustmyfantasyroom @rampantmuses @jazzyjoi @i-justreally-like-cats-okay @rachelxwayne @barbingchilton @permanentlydizzy @bisexual-dreamer02 @madamsnape921 @averyhotchner @alwaysachorusgirl @qvid-pro-qvo @amelia-song-pond@wanniiieeee @tintinxtintin @law-nerd105

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Temptation of the Immortals (2)

Warnings: cursing, canon typical violence for the Percy Jackson series, spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, nightmares, the gods being absent parents, references to Greek Mythology, mentions of starvation and trauma.

“I can’t believe you said I would do this Piper.”  You scowled at your friend and colleague when she told you about the call that she received last night as she was finishing her shift.  “When did I give you or anyone else any indication that I know what I’m doing when it comes to babysitting children?”

Piper shrugged unrepentantly, “You looked after us on the Argo, at camp and during both wars.”

“That was different and it wasn’t babysitting!  We were similar ages!  If you’re so keen on the museum expanding its focus into childcare, why didn’t you say that you would babysit this kid?”

“For the last time, it’s not babysitting.  It’s tutoring.”

“The question remains Piper, why didn’t you say that you’d do it?”

“Because I have a date tonight with Shel.”

“Oh, okay.  So I’m available because I’m single.”

“Glad we understand each other,” Piper beamed.  Seeing your unconvinced face, her smile disappeared and became a pout. 

“Don’t do the face.”

“What face?”

“The face that makes me feel bad for saying no.”

Piper’s eyes sparkled, “So you’ll do it?”

“Yes.” You groaned, rubbing at your eyes.  “I must be insane for even entertaining the thought of doing this.”

“Apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree then.”  Piper quipped as she left your office.

You grabbed a piece of paper, balled it up and threw it after her.  Just like your hopes of convincing her to change her mind about this plan of hers failed, your paper ball missed its target.  Later in the day, once you had finished your shift and you were on the way out of the museum, you stopped by Piper’s office and she gave you the address of the boy that you would be tutoring. 

“The child you will be tutoring is Alexander Kneef.  Surely you’ve heard of his father, Bryan Kneef.”

To her surprise, you had no idea who she was talking about.

“He’s one of the top litigators in Chicago.”

“And Annabeth is one of the best debaters and architects in New York, what’s your point?”

Piper rolled her eyes and shooed you out of her office.  Feeling slightly nervous about your task now, you made your way to the address and knocked on the door.

The door opened immediately and you took the opportunity to study the man standing opposite you.  Admittedly yes, he was handsome with his green eyes, brown hair and impeccable blue suit that probably cost more than you would ever make however, you could practically taste the arrogance coming off of him in waves and deep down, you hoped the child you were tutoring wasn’t like his father.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

You inhaled deeply, “I was taught that it was rude to barge into another’s home without receiving permission to do so.”

The lawyer scoffed, “I hope you’re not expecting a gilded invitation.  You won’t get one.”

“Perfect.  I’ll turn around and go on with my day.  Take care.”

You pivoted on your heel and walked back the way you came.  “Why in Hades would Piper agree to this?  She had to have some inkling as to what the man is like; she was the one to talk to him on the phone and knowing that she still suggested me!”

“His lunch is at twelve precisely.  It’s on the countertop ready for him and I told him that you would be working on his reading.  Alexander is avoiding reading at every possible opportunity and I am concerned that he will begin to fall behind if this behaviour continues.”

You paused with your back to the lawyer, “You’re talking as if I’m actually going to set foot in your apartment.  Did you miss the fact that I’m walking out of the building?�� I can continue so that you get a better understanding of my actions.”

“I will be back in two hours.”  Bryan Kneef continued as if he hadn’t heard you.  “That is if this school is as efficient as they claimed to be over the phone.”

“This school?”  You questioned.

Now it was Bryan’s turn to breathe deeply, “My son’s previous school informed me that he is no longer welcome at their institution.  I’m sure that your colleague told you who I am.  If that information becomes public knowledge, I will come after you will the full force of the law.”

Sympathy for the boy welled up inside of you despite his father’s threat.  How many times had your mother said those exact words to you about a school that you had attended?  All over something you couldn’t control.

“This is a bad idea.”

You faced Bryan, “Today’s focus is reading?”

Surprise flitted over his face at your words, “Do you have a hearing problem?”

Choosing to ignore that comment you pushed on, “What book in particular?”

“He’ll tell you.  Alexander takes after me so of course he’s going to be clever.  You may address me as Mr. Kneef or Bryan if you must.”

As you passed each other in the hallway, you could have sworn that a quiet ‘thank you’ passed the lawyer’s lips.

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Temptation of the Olympians (1)

Warnings: cursing, canon typical violence for the Percy Jackson series, spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, nightmares, the gods being absent parents, references to Greek Mythology, mentions of starvation and trauma.

“Unfortunately Mr Kneef, your son is no longer suited to our academic environment.  Goodbye.”  The call disconnected in Bryan’s ear and he slammed his phone onto his desk with a growl.

“Dad?” Alexander spoke tentatively, “I’m not going back to that school, am I?”

Bryan shook his head, “We’ll find another school for you.”

“The teacher was being mean during class.  I didn’t think he would actually listen to me when I said that the lesson would be more entertaining if he turned on the fan and swung around on it with one hand.”

Bryan beckoned his son over to him and Alexander perched himself on his dad’s lap with his head resting against Bryan’s chest.  “While I find you another school, you will need a tutor.”

“Daaad!” Alexander whined, looking pleadingly up into the eyes that were the exact same green as his own, “The agency always sends the most boringest tutors and they never come for me.  Not really.”

“Believe me.  I’m aware of that,” Bryan remarked darkly as he remembered the various tutors barging into his study and informing him why they were truly there.  Whenever he rang up the agency to complain, it was as if the tutors had no memory of uttering any words to him.  To take his mind off of the problems he was facing, he tickled his son.

“Boringest is not a word.”

“DAD!” Alexander squealed, trying to wiggle away from his father’s fingers.

“Boringest is not a word.”

Alexander’s laughter caused a smile to appear on Bryan’s face.  Six years ago, when Alexander had appeared on his doorstep, he had no idea how to be a parent.  It wasn’t easy and Bryan knew that he’d made mistakes along the way – his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit that to anyone other than himself.

Lately though, things were happening that Bryan couldn’t explain.  Alexander was complaining of frequent nightmares which featured a boar with glowing red eyes chasing after him.  Not only that but Alexander would swear that he saw doves in the trees around their apartment which was strange because they should have migrated by now as it was nearly winter and then there was the fact that Alexander was having trouble focusing on tasks that didn’t hold his interest.  Whenever he got bored, Alexander would just stare out of the window.

Bryan stopped his tickling and Alexander’s giggles faded away.  “Boringest is not a word.”  He repeated his father’s words.

“Now that we’ve sorted that out,” Bryan lifted his son off of him.  “I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Alexander left the study in a happier mood than when he had entered and Bryan’s gaze fell on the permission slip for the class trip that Alexander was supposed to go on tomorrow.  His eyes lingered on the museum’s contact details.  Bryan knew it was a long shot but people who worked in museums had experience with children.  They had to know someone who could help.  He picked up his phone and dialled the number.

“Chicago History Museum, Piper McLean speaking.”

[iobsessoverfictionalmen]

The Temptation of the Immortals (7)

Warnings: cursing, canon typical violence for the Percy Jackson series, spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, nightmares, the gods being absent parents, references to Greek Mythology, mentions of starvation and trauma.

“Dad.”

“Get away from her Alexander.”

You and Bryan spoke at the same time.  Taken aback by his father’s harsh tone, Alexander let go of your legs and looked over at his dad.

“Come here.”  Bryan commanded, “I don’t want you to go near her ever again.”

“But...She saved my life!”

“And that makes up for the fact that she couldn’t save her brother, Castor’s?”

A lump grew in your throat and you faced your father, “Dad…I had nothing to do with this.  You have to believe me.” You pleaded, “Ares was the one who sent the boar to attack Alexander and Grover.” 

“I know,”  Dionysus replied.

“If you know, why is he saying things like this?  Isn’t (Name) the best option to keep Alexander safe?”  Piper demanded, “She knows how to navigate the world of gods and demigods.” 

“Mr. Kneef and I had a little chat as I brought him here.”  Dionysus shrugged, “I thought it best to inform him what life as a demigod is life, seeing as his son is one and how monsters now know that he is a demigod.  We spoke about many things, such as how a larger group of demigods draw attention because monsters hunt them by scent and typically, demigods don’t exactly have a long-life span.  Oh, and how gods with grudges will target demigod children for the fun of it.”

“Castor died during a battle that Kronos orchestrated in his rise to power-”

“Save it.”

“It’s true!  When Kronos fell, it gave Gaea the final push to rise, we-”

“I don’t care about anything you have to say.”  Bryan interrupted with a snarl, “Your presence brought monsters to my door!  You’re a danger to my son.”

Those six words did more damage than any weapon that you had ever been attacked with and the words you were planning to use for your rebuttal died in your mouth before they could cross your lips.

“Weren’t you listening?!” Piper raged, “It wasn’t her!  Ares sent the boar because he didn’t want your son around!  He’s the first son of Aphrodite to have the power of charmspeak!  I have it too - all it means is that your son can convince people to do what he wants them to do.”

“Like my old teacher and those tutors.”  Alexander put in helpfully, still not moving from your side.

Bryan faltered and Dionysus saw it, “Our deal, Mr. Kneef.”

“If you depart now, with your father, I will not press charges against the museum,” Bryan stated, staring directly into your eyes.

“Lord Dionysus!  You can’t do this to her!”

“I can and I am.  She is my daughter.”

“DIDN’T YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE WARS SHE FOUGHT IN?”

“Grover.”

“IS IT TOO HARD TO COMMIT TO CHANGE AND STOP BLACKMAILING MORTALS TO DO YOUR DIRTY WORK!” He roared.

“GROVER, STOP!” You yelled as you caught sight of the purple fire flickering in your father’s eyes.

“Yes, satyr.  Stop before you go too far.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.”  Dionysus praised and before you could blink, Dionysus had appeared next to you and grabbed your upper arm.  The last thing you heard as the world dissolved in a blur of colour was Alexander’s wail of agony.

[storiesofsvu]

Journey to the Past Ch 1

Bryan Kneef x reader Warnings: language, that's about it so far. this one's kinda a prologue. If it looks familiar it's because ch 1 was posted a while ago when i didn't know where the story was going, but don't worry, i've got things up and running now. Lol.

Bryan was annoyed, as per usual. It was Friday, it had been a long week and he had wanted to be out of the office early to prowl his way through a couple bars with more than a couple glasses of scotch. Hopefully finding someone to pass a few hours with in the bedroom before bailing so he could wake up on his own.

But today, he had to wait. Diane had shifted meetings around with him, pushing his own back by over an hour already. At least it wasn’t an actual meeting, more of a rather quick conversation, he’d hopefully still be able to make happy hour at at least one of his usual watering holes. He was more than tempted to pour himself a glass of scotch while he waited but figured Diane would smell it on his breath and the last thing he needed was another reprimand from the woman.

He caught sight of the lawyer who was clogging up his schedule coming out of Diane’s office, giving her a firm handshake and a polite smile. He thought she looked familiar, his forehead furrowing as he tried to place where from. He hoped she wasn’t some conquest from a drunken night if she was going to be around the office more frequently. At least she was well dressed, a perfectly tailored pencil skirt with matching blazer, a coloured button up on underneath with just the right amount of buttons undone to tease but not be inappropriate. She wasn’t some mousy paralegal like half the office was. He watched the way she walked toward his office on her way out, the little bounce in her step pulling bounces elsewhere that he was more than intrigued with.

You were a step away from turning when your head finally glanced up through the doorway of his office, the small grin on your lips slipped off and for a minute Bryan thought he was in for it. Then your head tilted as you took in his appearance before your lips broke into a grin and you paused, leaning against his door frame.

“Bryan?” Your voice was just as silky as it had been all those years ago and he nearly melted, “bashful Bry? What the fuck?” You laughed.

“Y/N? What’re you doing here?” He had to gulp back before he spoke, feeling almost as young and innocent as he did back in school.

“Talking deals with Lockhart.” Your head lolled towards the office you’d just exited, “I didn’t realize you’d settled in Chicago.”

“I thought you went to New York?” He asked in return, remembering your last conversations in Cambridge. You’d kept in contact through social media, but that had slowly fizzled out as the years went on and you got buried into your careers.

“I was.” You shrugged, “better salary out here. Horrible pizza though.” You teased, pulling a small laugh from Bryan.

“You’ve just gotta know the right places.” He managed to get his courage back, remembering who he was, the reputation he held now, shooting you a wink.

“Aw, you know a place Kneef?”

“More than a few.” He grinned up at you and you let out an adorable giggle, “we should go tonight.”

“You know I’d love to.”

“Really?” He glanced up with such surprise that you chuckled.

“Yeah, but I can’t tonight. I’ve got plans, but..” you paused as you dug through your bag, pulling out a business card, stepping through the office and passing it to Bryan. “My cell’s on the back, I’d love to catch up. It’s been too long.”

“It really has.” Bryan smiled at you, pocketing the card.

“I’ve gotta run, motions to file before the day’s up.” You gestured to the file in your hand. “I look forward to hearing from you.” You smiled softly, “nice beard.” You winked and whisked yourself out of the office, leaving nothing but the smell of your perfume in the space.

Bryan couldn’t help it, leaning back in his chair as he pulled the card out of his pocket, turning it within his fingers. Looking at the way your embezzled name seemed to glisten in the light of his office, he was amazed at the chance of running into you again. Wondering just how much you’d changed after all these years, if you’d changed as much as he had or were still relatively the same person.

The two of you had gone to Harvard together, back when he felt like a literal fetus. Sure, he’d had a healthy, wealthy nice life growing up, but he was nowhere near the man he was today. The nickname you’d called him ‘Bashful Bry’ was known around campus, he’d been this soft, shy, inexperienced kid. It took him at least the entire first year of law school to get fully on his feet, and even then he was never as confident and brash as he was today, and he certainly wasn’t the asshole he’d become to be known as around the firm.

Meanwhile there was you.

You were the one that befriended him first, half shy, more so coy, small grin on your cheeks as you introduced yourself, extending a hand to shake. You had more than your fair share of classes together, and often grouped up for projects, spending the rest of your free time studying together, testing each other, playing mock court room to up your skills and wit.

You were always so kind to him, so friendly and open, there was more than just a part of him that had slowly fallen for you. First you were just a friend, but your passion, the ambition and power he could see behind your eyes, the amount of knowledge on the law that you held, the way you talked about your future career? It all made him want you more. But back in law school, he wasn’t the same kid, he was this shy little thing, he didn’t have the balls to ask you out, to ever make a move. That little grin you’d shoot him over a late night of studying? That gleam in your eye when you crushed him in a mock debate? It drove him crazy, gave his stomach butterflies, and back in the day? He had absolutely no idea how to deal with that.

You? You were the one that got away.

And now you were back in his life. Problem being? He’d made a reputation for himself, everyone hated him, thought he was a pompous asshole who valued sex, booze and winning cases over everything else. He didn’t care who he hurt along the way, he just wanted to succeed, and you knew nothing about that side of him. He knew there was a pretty high chance that you were still that somewhat innocent girl from school, there was no way you’d grown into as much of a jaded human as he had been. He suddenly felt himself in a panic, wondering if you’d be able to accept him for who he was now, better yet, if he would be able to change. He’d held such heavy secrets of his feelings for you back at Harvard, he wasn’t going to give up the chance to shoot his shot now, the only question was going to be if it would work. Whether he could be the man that you deserved after all these years, or whether he’d lose you the second you found out who he was now, he could only hope that he could try and do this.

He let out a huff of a sigh, pocketing your card before pushing back from his desk, at least for now he could worry about the meeting with Diane and distract himself from that before he had the chance to debate over how soon was too soon to call you.

________________ @newyorker14 @detective-giggles @teamsladsandgents @thatesqcrush @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @bisexual-dreamer02 @amelia-song-pond @madamsnape921 @whimsicallymad @mrsrafaelbarba @mysticfalls01 @ssaic-jareau @caracalwithchips @barbasbodaciousbeard @alwaysachorusgirl @beardedbarba @michael-rooker @rafivadafreddy @lustvolle-liebe @anlin2058 @fandom-princess-forevermore @tinyboxxtink @alexusonfire @xovalliegir2lxo @nobody-important1212 @somethingimaginative17 @misscharlielulu @momlifebehard

[storiesofsvu]

Journey to the Past Ch 14

Bryan Kneef x reader Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, smut, light teasing.

When you awoke the sun was streaming in through the curtains, basking Bryan’s room in a golden glow, the warmth came from both the sun and Bryan’s body nestled behind yours, his arm draped over your body, holding you to him. You burrowed deeper into the pillow and heard him sigh behind you, arm tightening as he pulled you closer to him, his lips meeting the back of your neck and you could feel his cock hard up against your ass. You let out a quiet chuckle, arching your body into his and he groaned softly, hips rocking towards you as his hand shifted upwards, cupping your tits, gently rolling your nipples between his fingers.

“Morning.” He murmured, his beard scratching against your skin as he spoke and you shivered.

“Mmm…”

His hand drifted south, leaving goosebumps on your bare skin as the sheets shifted, exposing you to the cool air in the room. Bryan tickled at your skin, sinking between your legs and began to lazily rub your clit in small circles. You let out a breathy moan as pleasure began to flow through you, your back arching into his embrace. His hand sunk lower, sliding through your folds to feel how wet you were, smearing your juices around your pussy as his hips undulated against you. His lips made home in the crook of your neck, causing you to shiver, eager for more. Bryan’s hand nudged at your top leg, pulling it back around his to open you up for him while the tip of his cock teased at your entrance.

“This okay?” He murmured into your skin and you nodded.

“Yes….please…”

With an easy roll of his hips he sunk fully into you, letting out a soft moan at the perfect way your pussy wrapped around him. He started a lazy pace, thrusting into you deeply, the arm he had wound around your body held you tight, helping you rock back towards him in the same pace. You felt your breath catch in your throat; eyes fluttering shut as you moved together in search of your pleasure. One of your hands reached behind you, tangling into his short locks, tugging at his hair every so often when his cock dragged past the sensitive spot inside you. The other one made a home interlocking with the hand he had around you, fingers tangling together as he continued to fuck you.

“Oh god…” you whimpered out, your pussy fluttering around him, feeling every ridge of his cock with each roll of his hips and your body began to tremble.

“Good girl…” he cooed into your ear, “that’s it, come for daddy.”

“Fuck… fuck…” You bit you lip, your eyes clenching shut as your cunt pulsated around Bryan, letting out a quiet cry as your orgasm washed over you.

Bryan groaned his cock twitching deep inside of you, he barely picked up the pace, continuing for a few more thrusts until he moaned into your ear, breath hot on your skin as he came, spilling inside you. He shallowly thrusted a few more times, filling you with all of his cum before stilling, pressing a row of breathless kisses across your skin. A moment later his hand shifted to your hip and he was about to move away from you when you let out a small whine, your hand shooting to his.

“Wait…” you murmured and he grinned, pressing a kiss to the crook of your neck as he slid the rest of the way back into you, nuzzling against your body.

You stayed nestled together as Bryan softened within you, a series of happy content sighs coming from both of you as you drifted between the urge to fall back asleep and the expectation of starting your day. Bryan could feel his shoulder starting to cramp up, kissing your shoulder softly before slipping out of you and rolling onto his back, tugging you with him. You rolled over, smiling at him as your eyes fluttered open, leaning in for a gentle kiss. Your lips moved against each other with ease, a now very familiar dance that neither of you could get enough of. You hummed happily, coming to rest against his chest while his hand ghosted up and down your back.

“How do you feel about breakfast?” He murmured and you hummed.

“Sounds like a great idea, what’d’you got?” You started to sit up and he immediately tugged you back down.

“It’s pretty bare out there, oatmeal and scotch is about it.” He replied and you snorted.

“Great offerings.”

“I was gonna say we can order in.” He reached out to the side for his phone, unlocking it and opening the app.

The two of you scrolled through your options before deciding on West River Café and Bryan ordered multiple plates of banana French toast, apple cinnamon pancakes, a benedict to share with some sides of bacon, fruit, hashbrowns. He reluctantly got up out of the bed to pull on some briefs, make coffee and collect things when the food arrived.

He returned to the bedroom, grabbing a towel from the en suite to make sure nothing got dripped onto the bed, tossing the TV remote to you before he stripped back down and slipped back under the covers. You scrolled through options on the television while he carefully laid out the towel and started to unbox brunch before the two of you settled against the headboard, food laid out between you. The TV played quietly in the background, something mindless that neither of you were really paying attention to but it filled up the otherwise comfortable silence in the room. Bryan fed you bites of French toast, scowling when you stole the last piece of bacon off his plate with a wicked grin. Rather than apologize you simply leant in, kissing him gently, the sweetness of the syrup still evident on your lips. He found that he couldn’t help but smile as you let out a happy sigh, leaning into his side to get comfortable when you were done eating. Food was placed off to the side, coffees were finished, his free hand coming up to gently play with your hair, stroking down your back, fingertips trailing across your skin.

“Are you staying for the weekend?” He asked softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“I’ll have to run home to grab clothes for work at some point.”

“We can stay at your place Sunday?” He offered.

“Yeah? You have plans to leave the house?” You asked with a grin and he laughed, knowing what you were getting at.

“I was thinking about heading over to check out what WNDR has going on right now.”

“Oh god it’s been ages since I’ve been there.”

“You interested?”

“Yeah.” You stretched out under the sheets, rolling over onto your stomach, “as long as we don’t have to get out of bed today, I’m down.”

Bryan chuckled, sinking down to your level and grabbing you for a kiss, “I think that can definitely be arranged.” His lips met yours once again, this time with more fire behind them as his tongue slipped into your mouth and his hands began to wander.

He spent the afternoon doing exactly what he wanted to, taking you apart piece by piece, watching you come undone first with just his hands, then watching the way your body trembled as he ate you out, pulling as many orgasms from you that he could until you were tugging at his hair, pulling him off of you. Recovery periods were spent dozing, curled in each other’s arms, sometimes attention on the television, sometimes simply talking until he got you worked up once again. You rolled on top of him, sinking down onto his cock with a breathy moan as you began to ride him and Bryan had never seen a sight so gorgeous.

You did actually end up getting out of bed as the sun began to set in the sky, tugging on one of Bryan’s hoodies as you shifted from the bedroom to the living room for dinner. A classic black and white movie played on the television while you enjoyed pad Thai and a few glasses of wine together before finally heading back to bed.

Sunday was a bit of an earlier start, heading out for breakfast this time before adventuring through WNDR. The entire museum was an interactive experience and it took up most of your day wandering through the rooms to see everything, immersed into a different world. Bryan’s hand remained on the small of your back, or fingers entwined with your own the entire time, happy to be spending the time with you out in the world, a chance to show you off. You stopped for Mexican at Blue Agave Tequila bar, sharing chips and guacamole, enchiladas and tacos, with plenty of leftovers to heat up for lunch the next day.

You let Bryan into your apartment, kissing his cheek softly as you asked him to put the leftovers in the fridge and make himself at home before you disappeared down the hallway. Bryan did as you’d asked, moving through your space with a comfortable ease, he found an open bottle of wine from earlier in the week and poured out two glasses. You wandered back into the kitchen clad in pj shorts and a Harvard tee, your hair pulled up and make up wiped off, you had your laptop under your arm, placing it down ono the kitchen island.

“I’ve got to go over a couple of things for tomorrow, I hope that’s alright?”

“Of course.” Bryan reached for you, pulling you into a gentle kiss, his hands resting on your hips, “you take whatever time you need.”

“You’re a gem, you know that?” You smiled softly at him, stealing another kiss, lingering longer this time. Bryan squeezed at your hand softly, picking up the wine glasses as you scooped up your laptop and made your way over to the couch. You settled against the arm, your legs draped over Bryan’s lap as you tossed him the remote and opened your laptop.

If you had asked, Bryan would have sworn that he was simply watching T.V, leaving you in peace to do a little bit of work, but that was a straight up lie. His fingers traced patterns onto your skin, and out of the corner of his eye he was watching you work, the way you’d tug your lip into you mouth while you read something over. The way you flitted with ease between the computer screen, your phone and the case file beside you, the cute little way your brow would furrow as you rewrote something. He could see the wheels spinning behind your eyes and knew that your brilliant mind was at work, that yes, you were the girl he could dress up and show off out on the town but you were also whip smart. That you were so incredibly different from the string of meaningless women that had come before you in his life. You could hold your own, you had your own reputation, you weren’t just someone who was along for the fancy parties and expensive gifts. He’d enjoyed this past weekend more than he had enjoyed one in what felt like years. Usually any type of work event or gala was insufferable, aside from the open bar of course, and to spend the entire weekend with you wasn’t what he’d expected but it had turned out wonderfully. He felt a knot in his stomach slowly come undone and the all to familiar blooming sensation build up in his chest and he grimaced, clearing his throat.

“You okay?” You asked suddenly, glancing up over the laptop.

“Yeah, heartburn.” He massaged at his chest, “it’s gotten worse recently.”

“There’s antacids in the bathroom cabinet.” You gestured in the direction, “maybe you should cut back on the coffee… or the booze…too much hot sauce at dinner?” You raised a brow in his direction and he scoffed, gently moving your legs off his lap so he could stand. “What?” you laughed, “I’m serious, acid reflux is terrible, and with the stress of our jobs it’s worse. That’s why I cut out carbonated drinks.”

“What’s the point of life if you take away all the fun stuff?” He countered and you laughed, rolling your eyes, reaching out to grab his hand over the back of the couch you tugged him back to you. He leant over the couch, accepting the kiss that you murmured into.

“I didn’t say all the fun stuff.”

“Now you’re just being a tease.” He muttered back, kissing you again, “get back to work counsellor.”

You playfully rolled your eyes, watching him wander down the hallway before you returned to your work. You were unbelievably comfortable with him in your space, or being in his, it just felt natural at this point to come home to someone rather than an empty apartment after a long day. You let out a happy sigh, reaching out for your wine, taking a sip before looking back to your laptop.

Bryan found the antacids with ease, popping a couple and taking the time to change out of his dress clothes into pyjamas. The burning in his chest seemed to be subsiding, he let out a sigh of relief and made his way back down the hall, though he couldn’t help but pause at the end of it, leaning against the wall while he watched you for another moment. It was almost too late to be working now, he could tell by the fact that you’d put your glasses on, eyes tired at the end of a long day, and the way you rolled your neck every couple of minutes in an attempt to get the kink out. He almost didn’t notice the smile creeping onto his cheeks, you were special, he knew that. You cared about him, wanted to make sure he was taken care of, and that was very evident in both your words and your behaviour. Whatever feelings you had for him he was certain that he must feel them back to you because in that moment he crossed through the living room, approaching the back of the couch and his hands met your neck. They started out soft, enough to relax but not pull your attention away from the task at had, working slowly to undo the knots. You let out a happy sigh, your hand coming up to squeeze at one of his in an appreciative manner before returning to the keyboard. In return he bent over, kissing the top of your head,

“I know this is probably important, but can it wait for tomorrow? I’m sure whatever it is you’re more than ready, you deserve some time to relax too you know.”

“You’re probably right.” You shut the laptop, twisting on the couch to face him with a warm smile on your cheeks and a glimmering in your eyes as you looked up at him.

“What?” His head tilted and you laughed softly.

“Thank you.” Your hand caressed his cheek, and he leant over you to kiss you.

“Of course.” He shrugged, moving around the couch as you piled your work on he coffee table, “now what’d you say to finishing that movie from the other night?”

“Sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.”

______________ @detective-giggles @plaidbooks @thatesqcrush @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @bisexual-dreamer02 @amelia-song-pond @madamsnape921 @whimsicallymad @mrsrafaelbarba @mysticfalls01 @ssaic-jareau @caracalwithchips @barbasbodaciousbeard @alwaysachorusgirl @beardedbarba @michael-rooker @rafivadafreddy @lustvolle-liebe @anlin2058 @fandom-princess-forevermore @tinyboxxtink @alexusonfire @xovalliegirlxo @nobody-important1212 @somethingimaginative17 @momlifebehard @misscharlielulu @fighterkimburgess

[storiesofsvu]

Journey To The Past Ch 2

Bryan Kneef x reader Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, that's about it so far.

The rest of your week after running into Bryan went by agonizingly slow, you were at the point in all of your cases that you were simply stuck at your desk doing the boring, menial paperwork. The only reason you were even going into the office was because it made you get out of bed, and then you’d actually get some human interaction rather than socializing with your cat all day. It was both driving you insane and yet somehow saving your sanity. Friday itself was already rather boring, most people working from home already or taking a half day, the office rather empty after the lunch hour was over. You’d gone out for lunch with Kim, one of the few other colleagues you’d actually call a friend, before she called it a day and you said your goodbyes as she left the firm. You stopped halfway back to your office, glancing between it and the direction of the breakroom, wondering if another coffee would help or hinder the focus for the afternoon before you decided enough was enough, if you had to be stuck with mind numbing work the least you could do was be in the privacy of your own home.

When you got home you decided to try and avoid the afternoon slump, dropping your files and laptop on the kitchen island and quickly changing into workout gear. Your building very thankfully had a gym on the top floor and you figured if you took advantage now, it would be empty and you’d be able to check a workout off your weekend to do list. An hour and a half later and you returned, stripping yourself of the sweaty clothing and jumping into a very well deserved shower. You took the time to wash your hair, exfoliating your skin and getting rid of any unwanted hair, you always felt better and enjoyed your weekends more when you felt completely refreshed, and at the least, Kim had promised drinks on her on Saturday night so you had something to look forward to.  Skincare complete, wrapped in a robe you padded out to the kitchen, rolling your eyes as you glanced down to the pile of things you’d brought home from the office. Rather than make yourself suffer, you pulled open the fridge to grab a bottle of pinot, pouring yourself a large glass before taking a sip. It was Friday, it was almost five, you could consider yourself done with work if you wanted. At the very least you opened your laptop to reply to a couple of last minute emails before starting your weekend and picking up your phone.

Your brow furrowed when you noticed you had a text from a number not saved in your phone, you replied to a couple of other messages before swiping open on the unknown contact.

‘Hey, it’s Bry. Was wondering if you were maybe free for a drink tonight? I know it’s a little late notice, but thought it was worth a shot.’

A small smile crept onto your lips as you placed down the wine glass to first save his contact and then reply to the message.

‘It’s as if you read my mind.’ You snapped a pic of the wine glass, attaching it to the message, ‘already a step ahead of you though.’

‘Great minds think alike.’ He replied, a winking emoji at the end of the message, ‘where are you? I could meet you?’

‘I’m boring and drinking alone in my kitchen currently. I think we can find somewhere a little more upscale.’

‘It’s a nice day, have you ever been to the Godfrey?’

‘That rooftop lounge over on W Huron? I’ve heard good things.’

‘What do you say to seven thirty?’

‘I’d say it sounds perfect.’

‘I can send a car for you?’

‘It’s only a few blocks from me, I can walk. I’ll see you tonight.’

‘Looking forward to it.’

*

You arrived at the Godfrey right on time, the elevator whisking you up to the rooftop lounge, you were just about to approach the hostess stand when you caught sight of Bryan out on the terrace. He was dressed down a bit, same as you had, a crisp light blue button up, sleeves rolled up exposing those gorgeous forearms and just enough buttons undone to tease at the dark chest hair underneath, complete with dark wash jeans. You’d chosen a casual black dress, one that the neckline exposed just enough while still being somewhat tasteful, your hair loose around your shoulders.

Bryan was leant back in his chair, an arm thrown over the back of it as he gazed out over the horizon, one foot propped up on the opposite knee. His other arm lifted his whiskey to his lips, taking a sip before his gaze drifted through the lounge and landed on you. A small smirk broke over his lips, tilting his head in a greeting as you smiled, your dress exposed your cleavage and ended right above your knee, more skin for his eyes to roam over than during office hours. He had to hold back the urge to lick his lips and immediately make a sexual comment, making the mental reminder that he had to at least try to be the respectable gentleman at first.

You flashed a glittering smile to the hostess, pointing towards Bryan, giving her a nod before you crossed through the lounge, your smile shifting to one that was nearly shy as you approached the table.

“Hey.” You greeted softly, slinking into the seat across from him.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He replied with a grin and you let out a little laugh, shaking your head at his antics, “you look great.”

“Thank you.” You ducked your eyes for a second, trying not to drag them up his body before you spoke again, “you clean up pretty well yourself.” Bryan simply chuckled in return,

“You hungry? Or did you eat already?”

“I had a late lunch, but it’s probably a good idea to have something small.” You replied with a laugh, hands picking up the menu to peruse through it.

The waiter came over a few moments later and you were able to order an old fashioned while the two of you continued to look over the menus. A bit of small talk overtook the table before you decided on plates of truffle fries, hummus, sliders and mini tacos. Drink in hand you finally sucked back a large sip, humming in satisfaction as the liquor sunk through your body, relaxing away all the stressors and bullshit from the week behind you.

“So….” You started with a smile, glancing across the table, “how did little bashful Bry become the oh so well known Bryan Kneef of STR?” You asked and Bryan chuckled, wondering just how much reading up on him you’d been doing since the run in earlier that week. He certainly had done his own fair share of digging on you, finding out that you were a senior partner at a very esteemed firm on the North side of town. That your win rate was exactly what he’d expected after watching the way you eviscerated classmates in mock trials back in college. You were highly involved in the community, large donations to charities throughout the years, a flood of photos from fancy galas, press releases and the like. And in each one, you were flying solo, no man on your arm or date in sight. You seemed pretty well set up in the Chicago community he was surprised that you hadn’t crossed paths earlier, his interest piqued at just how long you’d been in the city and if there was a particular reason as to your choice to appear single.

“A hell of a lot of time and even more work.” He replied, “how’d you even end up in Chicago? I thought New York was the ultimate dream? You wouldn’t stop talking about your perfect life, the brownstone on the Upper West side close enough to run in Central Park every morning, date nights at The Met, Hamptons trips every summer? You had it all planned out.”

“I did.” You smiled fondly, your gaze in the distance, “and for a while… it was.” You sighed, taking a large sip of your drink, “then it became the absolute nightmare and I had to sacrifice all those things to save my fuckin’ sanity.”

“Real estate just too expensive?” He teased with a laugh and you let out a huff, chucking darkly before sucking back more of your drink.

“I wish it was that simple.”

“What happened?” Bryan asked, watching the melancholy drift through your eyes before your attention returned to him.

“I made the terrible mistake of falling in love with the wrong guy.” You risked a glance up at Bryan, whose expression was one of curiosity, his head tilted, eyes soft in the sense that he felt sorry for whatever happened to you.

“Grade A jerk?”

“Even worse.” You laughed, taking another sip of your drink, “I was young, new to the city and trying to make a name for myself, got caught up in a whirlwind romance. Mike was great, perfect gentleman, showed me pieces of New York I never would’ve discovered otherwise. He was older, established in the city already, a few people tried to caution me about him when we got engaged but I blew them off.”

“He only in it for the money?”

“More like grooming.” You scoffed and Bryan rolled his eyes, “he wanted the perfect little wife and I was ready to be just that. Much to his disdain I kept working after we got married, he blamed the stress of the job when we started trying for kids with no luck.” You drained your drink, “then one night I came home to find him packing up his stuff, divorce papers on the dining table. Turns out he had a mistress I didn’t know about that he’d gotten pregnant and she was more than okay just being a trophy wife who wouldn’t talk back.”

“Sounds like scum.”

“Thank god for prenups.” You huffed, “after everything went down I had to get out of the city. Colleague heard of a job opening out here that paid better and the rest is history.”

“I’m sorry.” Bryan’s hand dared to slide across the table, squeezing at yours, sympathy in his eyes despite his own unsavory dating history “you deserve so much better than that.”

“Thanks Bry.” You flashed him a smile, squeezing at his hand before pulling away, “but enough about my bullshit, how’ve you been? I hear you’re pretty high up at STR?”

“I am.” He chuckled, “took a bit to get my feet under me but once the ball was rolling it was like second nature.”

“I’m proud of you.” You smiled, “you’ve come a long way.”

“So have you.” He grinned back at you, the conversation interrupted by the server coming over with food and the offer to refill drinks that you both said yes to. As you ate your eyes darted to Bryan’s left hand, the conversation easily flowing still.

“No ring?” You asked, “you seeing anyone?”

“If I was, I don’t think they’d be pretty happy with me being out on a Friday night with someone as gorgeous as you.” He grinned back and you felt your cheeks heat, laughing at his retort.

“Way to dodge the question.” You teased and it was his turn to chuckle.

“What about you? You find prince charming of Chicago?”

“Nah.” You waved him off, “found it a little weird attempting to get back into the dating pool while also working full time.”

“The job certainly does take priority.” He muttered over the rim of his drink.

“That why you stayed single at Harvard? Or just cause you were shy?” You teased and Bryan tossed a straw wrapper in your direction.

“I was focussed on graduating. Just like you were.”

“You got me there.” You laughed, taking the time to take a couple bites of food, “how’s STR as a firm?”

“Good enough.” He shrugged, “as you said I was able to work my way up to the top, I’m one of their highest appointed attorneys, and I love what I do. Nothing like being the ruthless lawyer, right?”

“Exactly.” You let out a small laugh, trying to hide the blush on your cheeks as you ducked your gaze, distracting yourself with your drink as Bryan continued to tell you all about his life in Chicago.

The two of you fell into an easy rhythm, this one even more relaxed than the one you shared back in the day, this conversation one that you continually shot back and fourth. You laughed, you reminisced and you shared stories of your lives, how your sister had moved out to LA and exiled herself from the family, how your parents had basically shunned you, thinking your divorce had been a terrible mistake. How Bryan had mourned the loss of his mother, someone you’d become close to on vacations from Harvard back in the day. How he ended up enjoying Chicago more than he’d originally expected, making the city into the home he needed.

You continued talking far longer than either of you had ever thought you would, the lounge emptying out around you as you kept going. You barely noticed until the server came by a second time asking about the cheque and you apologised profusely. Bryan swiped the bill before you could even think about looking at it, the credit card receipt signed within minutes. You thanked the staff and swiftly made your way out of the hotel, lingering on the sidewalk outside, neither of you really wanting the night to end yet.  

You glanced back to Bryan, catching him palming a tip to the doorman and you couldn’t ignore the fluttering in your stomach. At first thought your mind went straight to something you ate not sitting well before you realized that it was butterflies. It had been far too long since you’d felt them you’d completely forgotten the feeling. They were only amplified when Bryan turned to you, grin on his cheeks as he spoke.

“Can I walk you home?”

“Of course.” You smiled up at him, the fluttering in your stomach increasing as his arm wound around your waist. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“You’re miles above the usual date night already, I doubt you’ve got anything to worry about Bry.”

“So what I’m hearing is that this was a date?” He raised a brow in your direction and you laughed.

“It could be.” You shrugged, “or it could be just two old friends catching up.”

“I think I prefer the first option.”

“Well then it was definitely a date.” You smiled, pausing in your step to wait for the light to change, feeling Bryan’s arm tighten around you while a comfortable silence washed over you.

“Are you happy in Chicago?” He asked suddenly, his voice quieter than before, “I know it’s not exactly the big apple and���. You had your heart set.”

“Things change.” You shrugged, glancing up at him with a smile, “and I am. I’ve made Chicago my home, made a name for myself that I don’t think I could’ve achieved in the cutthroat competitive place that is New York.”

“Good.”

You suddenly stalled in your steps stopping in front of an apartment, “this is me.”

“You are nice and close.” He murmured, smiling as you turned back to him.

“Just like I said…” you murmured, leaning even closer toward him when his arm pulled you to him. Your heart thundered in your chest, feeling his body against yours, his cologne invading your senses, clouding your thoughts.

Your eyes darted up to his, flicking down to his lips before returning to his eyes, your lips parted as you caught him mirroring your motions. You decided to take the plunge, popping up on your toes to gently press your lips to his and even within a second you knew you’d made the right decision.

At first his eyes widened, surprised that you’d been the one to make the first move, though he relaxed into the kiss in a matter of seconds, his arm winding tightly around your waist, pulling you to him. His other hand came up to cup your cheek, thumb rubbing across your skin and you let out a soft sigh into the kiss. You were surprised with how easily you lips moved against each other, like they were made to connect, that waiting all these years didn’t mean you’d missed your only chance. Bryan’s tongue was just about to sneak into your mouth when a neighbour burst from the apartment, pulling you back to reality and the two of you broke apart with a small laugh, a blush taking over you cheeks before you glanced up at Bryan.

“Well that’s one hell of a reunion.” You grinned and he chuckled.

“You wanna let me up now?”

“Mmhmm.” You shook your head, “sorry Bry, I don’t fuck on the first date.”

“Oh? What’s your magic number then?” He smirked and you laughed.

“Well, considering how long we’ve known each other I’ll give you the half off discount and say date number three.”

“You really let these schmucks wait six dates?” Bryan laughed.

“Well….” You shrugged, “there are some pretty big douche bags out there. A girl’s gotta be careful.”

Bryan let out a soft sigh, collecting his words as he thought about where he would stand on your scale of douche bag men now. His hand reached out, stroking at your cheek before he leant in, pressing a soft kiss to your lips that you hummed at.

“Well, for what it’s worth, you don’t have to be careful around me.” He murmured and you grinned softly.

“I already know that.” You giggled, “you may have come a long way from that lil bashful Bry at Harvard, but he’s still in there somewhere, I can tell. And not to sound terribly cliché and cheesy, but…. Maybe it was always meant to happen this way? If we’d dated in college it would’ve ended in heartbreak, I was so dead set on New York I wouldn’t have taken anything else for an answer. This way? I’d say there’s a decent chance.”

“That was horribly cliché and cheesy.” He laughed in response, “but I get what you mean, and I look forward to date number three.”

“Of course you do.” You let out a bark of a laugh, “better have something good set for number two.”

“Oh I will.” He smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek, “now go on, get upstairs so I know you’re nice and safe and I’ll text you in the morning.”

“Yes sir.” You teased with a small salute and a grin you retreated into your building, Bryan watching as you disappeared into the elevator.

_________________- @newyorker14 @detective-giggles @teamsladsandgents @thatesqcrush @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @bisexual-dreamer02 @amelia-song-pond @madamsnape921 @whimsicallymad @mrsrafaelbarba @mysticfalls01 @ssaic-jareau @caracalwithchips @barbasbodaciousbeard @alwaysachorusgirl @beardedbarba @michael-rooker @rafivadafreddy @lustvolle-liebe @anlin2058 @fandom-princess-forevermore @tinyboxxtink @alexusonfire @xovalliegirlxo @nobody-important1212 @somethingimaginative17 @momlifebehard