#i had fun watching with claire and ethan cause i always do with them

[doomednarrative]

I'm gonna be Completely honest and this is Not a dig at anyone who did like it btw but. Death Island. Kinda sucked in my opinion.

[thefanficmonster]

I'm so happy you like the idea! Your first three words are: Rattle, Candlelight and Corset.

Oh this is gonna be interesting 🤭

Regretting

Pairing: Chris Redfield x Female OC (taken in by the Winters family as a daughter of theirs basically)

Warnings: Swearing (No Spoilers for any games don’t worry😊)

Genre: Romance, Fluff

Enjoy the mess my brain’s produced. Love, Vy ❤

“I have several questions surrounding this bullshit event!“ Gwen shouts from inside her room where she’s been getting ready for the past hour with the Captains of the BSAA keeping a watchful eye outside her door, making sure she doesn’t get any ideas of running away.

“I have as many as you do, trust me on that one.“ He replies, readjusting his tie. He hasn’t found himself in a three-piece-suit in a long time, all’s been soldier get-ups, bulletproof wests and combat boots. Truth be told, it’s not that he doesn’t want to dress nicely, he’s just rarely had any occasions worth dressing up for. Lord knows he’d be at home in this very moment, seated on the couch with a cold beer bottle in his hand. So to make the truth truer - he actively avoids places and events that would require him dressing up. It’s simply a hassle in and of itself, but dealing with the people at the even - that’s what he’s most bothered by.

“You cannot expect me to believe that’s the truth!“ Gwen shouts again, the sound of shuffling accompanying her voice. 

“Leon said it was important, Jill backed him up and you know I rarely get a say when the two of them partner up to support one another.“ Chris says, sighing while reaching for a cigarette before withdrawing his hand, remembering he didn’t take his pack with him on purpose. Claire says he needs to break the habit little by little so, in order to give her peace of mind, he does try whenever she’s looking. However, when she turns away, he’s quick to light a cig, almost as quick as a dying man getting connected to life support.

“You, Leon and I have very different definitions of the word ‘important’.“ She sasses back, her voice now being the only sound coming from the room which is a sign Chris cannot decide the meaning of - is she almost done? Is she starting over with everything? Either way, he doesn’t mind. Running late to the gala the mayor’s throwing is not particularly bothering him, he actually prefers it.

What’s been bothering him is the fact that he’s found himself impatient of something else. Impatient of seeing her - not that he’d ever admit it. Him and Gwen have been friends for quite some time. Well, they did get off on the wrong foot, but were quick to arrange a relationship alike a friendship and function without wanting to gauge each other’s eyes out. Somewhere along the lines they became actual friends without even noticing.

Gwen Winters had every right to be suspicious of Captain Chris Redfield. Not that she was always wary of him or anything - seeing as how him and her ‘parents’ are friends, she never thought twice about the guy. However, when she expressed interest in joining the BSAA and earned herself a scoff from him, she was rather pissed. Being the main chemistry project of an asshole with a saving-the-world complex back in Raccoon City, it’s safe to say she got some above average strength to her name. And that’s putting it mildly. Being rescued from that lab by Leon and getting taken in by the Winters family, she’s developed her own hero complex, the need to save those who can’t save themselves always dwelling within her.

And so, despite the amusement Chris showed when she brought up the idea, she became a BSAA soldier. 

“I think we established that on your very first mission, soldier.“ Chris chuckles, recalling that first mission he was so opposed to, mostly because Gwen was tagging along at her request and the allowance of Leon. He was very fucking afraid they’d have to carry her dead body out of there but the action was quick to turn the tables on him - having Gwen save his life more than once. What surprised him most though was her humbleness about it. She didn’t rub it in or nag him about having proved her point. She was just glad they had all made it out in one piece and that struck him with a whole new intensity. Almost like a wake up call.

The door beside him suddenly swings open, causing him to abruptly straighten up from his leaning position, shooting a look at the doorway from which emerges Gwen. Or at least he believes it’s her. Had he not known she was the only other person in the house at the moment, or had he seen her passing by on the street he wouldn’t have recognized her.

And he’d have every right not to: this must be the first time she has worn a dress since prom - if she even wore one then - and the same probably applies for the make-up she’s put on. It’s not much or anything, in fact the only reason he’s noticed it is because he’s so used to seeing her make-up-free face. So much so, he’d recognize even a drop of foundation if she applied it. And oh boy, is he whipped by the sight. He can lie all he wants and to whoever he wants to, but he cannot lie to himself. Especially not when his jaw has fallen to the floor, his eyes have grown wide and his heartbeat has picked up noticeably.

If Ethan could hear at least half of what Chris is thinking at the moment, he’d be as good as banned from the Winters home forever.

When Gwen’s eyes meet her Captain’s, she can’t help but smirk, “What is it, Cap? I exchange the bulletproof vest for a corset and you suddenly don’t recognize me?” She asks, raising a teasing eyebrow.

He knows it’s wrong, for so many reasons: He’s her captain, she’s his soldier; She’s an adult but he’s still significantly older than her; She’s the ‘daughter’ of a friend of his, to make matters even worse - It’s so wrong yet he can’t get the thought out of his head. It’s not just now, it’s something he’s been struggling with for quite some time. He’s constantly haunted by her: the sound of her laughter, her smile, that focused frown that appears every time she is looking at a map or a new case, analyzing its every detail, the twinkle in her eyes whenever she gets told she’ll be going on a mission and that same sparkle growing brighter when she returns from it having successfully completed it.

It’s all overwhelming, and in the nicest, wrongest way possible.

“Honestly, Winters, seeing such a shift does rattle a person. Especially when I haven’t seen you out of a soldier’s uniform for years now.“ He comments, his eyes traveling up and down her body on their own accord, despite his best attempts at keeping his gaze on her face.

She laughs, “Can’t really go to training in a dress and high heels, you know. If I had more opportunities, the dresses in my closet wouldn’t be covered in spiderwebs.“

“Duly noted.“ He smirks, offering the young lady his hand as he leads her down the stairs, “I could help you out with that.“

She frowns, pausing mid-step, “Oh no, no, no no. If what you have in mind is a bunch of charity events, you better get that thought out of your head. A bunch of rich assholes drinking champagne, really not my scene.”

Chris chuckles offering her his arm as they walk out the front door to where he parked his car upon arriving at the Winters home, running into Ethan, Mia and their five year old daughter, about to head out for the night. He won’t complain about the lecturing he received, he deserved it after all. It’s a miracle the two even agreed to let Gwen accompany him, not that they could stop her either way seeing as how she’s an adult woman who’s more than capable of making her own decisions.

“No, no, I know you hate those events. I do too.“ He says, oddly timidly as the two get seated in the car. “I was thinking more along the lines of...“ He contemplates how to say it without making the rest of this night awkward, or mess things up with Gwen in any way. She means a lot to him and he’d hate to lose her over his complicated feelings he wishes he could control. “Dinner under candlelight, maybe?“

He’s as stiff as a boulder, tense and expecting something, anything. Literally anything, even outright rejection would be better than silence. Regardless of her answer, he’s gonna regret this move later when Ethan hears about it and goes to kick his ass.

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches the slight shake of her head, a blush evidently appearing on her cheeks, visible even in the dim light in the car. A small smile graces he features as her hand travels to his which is nervously resting on the gear shift. “Sure, I’d like that.” She says, her smile growing wider.

There’s that same twinkle - the sparkle in the eyes of a soldier willing to fight for the greater good, putting everyone above herself. And, on his hierarchy, she’s number one.

“I’m glad.“

Chris Redfield has regretted many things in his life and will probably regret even more in the future. However, he was a fool to think he’d regret this decision - one look at Gwen’s eyes and all regret was erased. All ass-kicking he might receive for it seems more than worth it, looking at it from the perspective of this very moment.

Then again, Captain Chris Redfield has never been a stranger to a little ass-kicking.

Thank you so much, Anon for this super fun challenge! I hope to receive more three words to turn into fics cause I really enjoyed this experience 🥰

[perriewinklenerdie]

Hand in my hand (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! We back, how we feeling, fam? Everyone alive? When I say I got thrown into the writing pit after yesterday’s chapter, I mean I was *slammed* against the wall, not the first and certainly not the last time either. So, it is a rewrite of two scenes in particular, with my own twist and added touches cause I couldn’t help myself :D

Special thanks to my friend @strawberrwess for coming up with a line in here and letting me use it <3

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471001

Tag list: @paleweasels, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian, @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @justanotherrookie

Enjoy! <3

-------------

The administrative office is strangely empty and quiet when they enter, the artificial lighting making the white of the walls and furniture even brighter. After making sure that they were alone, twice, for the good measure, Claire strode towards the desk, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the screen. It was unlocked, there for the taking

“Is it bad that I was expecting that to be the case? Amateurs.” she muttered under her breath, causing Ethan to let out a laugh that he had to stifle. Claire sat down on the chair, clicking a few buttons on the keyboard, her eyes scanning the information before her. Ethan walked over to her side, putting his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

“Let me, I’m more familiar with their system.” He spoke gently, their eyes locking for a brief moment when she stood up to make space for him, their faces in close proximity long enough for his thoughts to get swarmed with all kinds of images that threatened to overwhelm him and make him throw all this inhibitions to the wind and just reach for her.

Claire moved to the door, leaning against the frame, watching the hallway for anyone that might sink their mission. Meanwhile, Ethan took the seat and got to work. He combed through the files, looking for the name of the senator, but it proved to be more work than he anticipated, for his eyes kept straying to Claire. She was keeping guard, but more often than not, he felt her gaze on him, and found it incredibly distracting.

“Is there something on your mind, Claire?” he smirked, directing his attention back to the task at hand.

“I like looking at fine things, Ethan. That’s all.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking back towards the corridor. “So how often do you come here?”

“Very occasionally. I’m consulting on a research project with an immunologist which requires me to come by a few times a year, but I largely try to avoid the place.” Ethan answered offhandedly, his tone neutral for the most part, sparking up only when he mentioned his research.

“Because of Tobias?” after receiving no answer from him, she carried on. “Ethan, Tobias seems to enjoy messing with you.”

“Oh, he does. He messes with everyone, I’m no exception here.” He nodded after a moment of consideration, without delving into the memories too much.

“Even when you were friends?”

“Of course. After all, we were both troublemakers. But while I was direct with challenging my authority figures, he always was a prankster.” A ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he recalled his first med school year.

“Challenging your authority figures, huh?” Claire grinned widely, looking back outside to make sure they were safe before walking towards him. “Do you mind me challenging you, Dr. Ramsey?”

“No, as long as I get to challenge you too, Dr. Herondale, I don’t.” he looked up at her, electricity humming softly in the air around them. After a long, intense moment, he continued. “We had one particularly uptight professor with some… very outdated theories. Tobias swapped out his projector slides with rude drawings.”

“You draw?” she asked, surprised, laughing when he nodded.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Is there anything you can’t do? Actually, don’t answer that, I don’t think I want to know. Don’t burst the bubble for me.” Claire held her hand up, looking over her shoulder to check on their situation. “What kind of ‘rude drawings’ did you do?”

“What makes you think it was me?”

“Was it not you?” her eyebrow shot up in a question. He held his breath, fighting to keep a straight face, before ultimately failing and laughing warmly. “Thought so. So, what was it?”

“Some women and men in very revealing poses.” He admitted, his cheeks reddening slightly. Claire giggled, her eyes widening a bit. Nodding her head, she brushed her hand against his shoulder.

“If you ever need a model, hit me up.”

“I’m going to pretend I understood the last part of that sentence and accept your offer. Anytime, Rookie.” He mused softly, his hand moving to brush his fingers against hers, twining them for a short moment. Wordlessly, they spent the next few seconds, reveling in the quiet comfort of each other’s closeness. Eventually, they fell back into the everyday world, him going back to searching for the senator’s name on the long list of patients while she retreated to her previous spot by the door.

“Anyway, the professor did the whole two-hour lecture without one looking back to notice why we were laughing. Me? I always preferred calling him an idiot to his face.”

“Sounds like you.” she teased him, moving her weight from one foot to the other. “It also sounds like you two were having a lot of fun together.”

All he did was hum quietly, then his attention was focused solely on the task at hand. His smile fell as he sat back in the chair, confirming what they both were afraid of. “There is no Farrugia anywhere in the hospital. Are we sure June’s tip was reliable?”

“I think so… Could he be under a pseudonym? Would a hospital allow that?” Claire’s confusion was clear on her face as she walked over to him, leaning against the desk, folding her arms over her chest.

Ethan nodded, deep in thoughts. “It’s possible. But that means we need to figure out what a senator neither of us has ever met would use as an alias.”

“But it may not have been the senator who came up with the alias at all…” she trailed off, the gears in her head turning. Letting out a deep breath, she spoke up. “Okay, what do we know about Tobias? He would have been the one to admit the senator, and it seems unlikely he’d pick a name at complete random.”

“No, almost nobody would.” He agreed, leaning forward, resting his head on his hands.

“Can you think of any name that might have popped into his head? A relative, or friend, or-“

“Dwight Theodore Lewis III.” He stated firmly, a spark in his eyes. Claire shifted in her place, turning to face him more directly.

“Who?”

A smirk lit up his face when he recalled that piece of information. “It was the name of Tobias’s fake I.D. He kept it framed on his desk as a memorial to ‘all the good times’ they shared. He used it any time he needed to avoid getting in trouble.”

“Great.” She drummed her fingers against the surface of the desk in excitement. “So is there a Dwight Theodore Somebody the Somethingth in the records?”

A few clicks later, a file popped up on the screen and Ethan turned fully towards her with a wide and satisfied grin. “Room 734. That’s in the V.I.P. wing.”

“Kenmore had a literal V.I.P. wing?”

“There’s more than one reason I despise this place.” He muttered under his breath, sharing a knowing gaze with her. He opened his mouth to say something else when the voice of a woman reached their ears, indicating she was approaching them. They both froze, uncertain what to do. Not enough time to run and nowhere to hide, about to be caught.

With no warning, Ethan reached from his seat for her, his hand grabbing the front of her scrubs, and pulled her onto him. She stumbled, her knees hitting the chair, hands grabbing onto his shoulders to keep her balance. He looked up at her, eyes locking for a brief moment, and she couldn’t find a sliver of hesitation if she tried. His hands pressed firmly against her back, pushing her onto him even more, and with one, small movement from him, his lips touched hers urgently, like he couldn’t wait a second more, like he’d combust if he had to stay away from her.

The intensity took her breath away. Her heart stopped beating, only to pick up its pace the moment it came back to life, her head spinning. She twined her fingers into his hair, pulling on the strands to pull him closer, even though it was humanly impossible to do so. Their faces were as close as they could possibly be.

“Oh! Uh… Sorry!” the same female voice rang behind them, but neither noticed nor cared. Retreating footsteps were barely acknowledged, for they were far too gone. The lady closed the door to provide them privacy, making Ethan grateful, mostly because it allowed him fully sit her in his lap. He grabbed her by the hips and hauled her into the sitting position, her knees locking him down in the chair.

A soft sigh slipped past her lips when Ethan directed his kisses down her neck, moving aside his own lab coat, a bit too big and hanging loose on her body, then the material of her scrubs, to reveal the skin on her collarbone, teasing it lightly with his lips. Claire shifted on top of her, drawing a strangled groan from him.

Ethan stood up and carried her onto the desk, stepping in between her legs, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. His hands were running up and down her back, holding her in place, closely to him, while her fingers combed through his hair gently. Claire’s heels grazed against the back of his thighs briefly, preventing him from stepping away at the same time.

When the kiss finally broke, they were both out of breath and out of mind. He leaned away from her, with no enthusiasm, wanting nothing more than to dive back into her and never stop kissing her. Knowing that they both had duties to fulfil, he reluctantly moved back, though his hold on her never lessened.

“We should… We need to…” he panted as he spoke, his eyes darkened with desire. Claire nodded, grinning widely at how certain he was in all his movements.

“Room 734. Yeah.”

---------------

Her laughter ringed in the air as her and Baz ran out of the hospital through the main entrance, not daring to look back and see if Tobias was still following them. Just then, ever the savior, Ethan pulls up in front of them, slamming the brakes. He called out through the open window.

“Need a ride?” unsurprisingly, he was incredibly smug about it. Baz laughed, throwing himself towards the back seat.

“This is just like a movie!”

“My hero.” Claire giggled, opening and closing the door to the passenger’s seat hastily. She turned her head towards the building, just in time to see Tobias bursting out of the entrance. “Ethan, hit it!”

His foot slammed on the accelerator, the car speeding away, leaving Tobias far behind them. Looking back at his form that was getting smaller and smaller, she noticed his amused smirk. “Looks like this round goes to Edenbrook.”

She then turned back around, letting out a relieved laugh as her forehead fell against Ethan’s shoulder. He looked at her briefly, a soft smile lighting up his face. Claire leaned back into her seat a moment later, her breathing evening out.

“So, did our plan work?” he asked, relaxing when the tension left him.

“Like a charm. We should be expecting the senator to join us in the hospital soon.” She grinned, her heartbeat picking up when Ethan looked at her again, his eyes softening.

The silence was comfortable, a striking contrast to the adrenaline-driven events that took place just minutes ago. Ethan kept stealing glances at Claire, Claire kept on brushing her fingers against his, seemingly by accident.

“You two can hold hands, you know?” Baz’s voice rang from the backseat, causing them to freeze in their movements.

“We don’t-“

“Why would you-“

“Oh, come on. You couldn’t be more obvious if you tried. Both of you are flushed, your lips are bruised, not that I have any idea or want to know when you two found the time to make out on a mission. So, please.” He laid it all out for them, then leaned forward, grabbing their hands and joining them firmly. “Commit to it, dammit.”

Ethan fought the overwhelming smile, tried to bite it down, but ultimately failed and just accepted it, his fingers tangling with hers. Claire nodded, catching Baz’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He winked at her knowingly, then sat back in his seat with a satisfied smile.

[space-age-bachelor]

Shakubuku

Pre-Rhodestead

A swift, spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever

Part of what will hopefully become a bigger au

It was a stupid joke he and Maggie had come up with during a movie night. They were wine drunk, tucked into a cocoon of blankets on the floor, and gossiping about their coworkers. The plan had been to marathon some Mission Impossible, but they’d expected to end up here. They always did.

“So since, Natalie’s dating your brother now, what are you going to do?” Maggie smirked at him over her glass. He had a hard time remembering when she’d declared herself his personal wingman, but she had truly dedicated herself to the role; and as happy as he was being single, it was also nice to have someone wholeheartedly believe him when he said Nat had nothing to do with his break up.

He shrugged, leaning into the couch. The cushions were soft against his cheek, but they would never be as comfortable as the floor. “I’m not gonna date anyone at Gaffney, that’s for sure.” 

Her raised eyebrows caused him to elaborate with more energy than he thought he had. “Everyone in the ED is out. I mean, the other attendings are,” he shivered dramatically, “and I’m not dating a resident. It’ll lead to too many problems. Honestly, the only new person is that Ava chick that Connor’s trying not to complain about, and she’s-”

She started giggling, looking everywhere but at him.

“What?”

“Nothing! Nothing,” she did her best to stop, “when was the last time you and Connor went out for drinks?”

He felt himself freeze once he understood what she was implying, “No, Connor and I, we’re not.” He huffed and took another sip, anything to buy him enough time to think of an answer. “Connor’s like that,” He gestured to the screen where Tom Cruise was parkouring across skyscrapers. 

“He’s Ethan Hunt?” She sounded doubtful, and rightfully so. Will loved these movies and knew them well enough to recognize how ridiculous the comparison was.

He had a point though, “No, he’s not Ethan. I could get with Ethan. Connor’s like James Bond. The guy speaks every language, goes to parties in suits, and could probably bench press me if he wanted to. He’s unattainable and perfect. He has to be a spy or something.”

He expected Maggie to laugh. This wasn’t the first time he’d said something stupid about one of the coworkers while drunk. He knows for a fact he said Ethan had the ass to be Captain America, and there were probably worse things he didn’t remember. The routine for these situations was that Maggie would laugh and take his wine away, but she didn’t laugh.

She got quiet and thought for a moment. “How long was Connor out of the country?”

Her tone brought him part way out of his fog. They were being serious for a second, “About ten years.” He’d done the math when Connor had forgotten the word stethoscope while telling a story. It was easy to forget that the last time he lived in the States was before he started med school.

“And he didn’t talk to anyone from home?”

Will’s eyebrows shot up, “Connor’s not actually a spy. Come on, he can’t be. He’s a Rhodes; why would he be a spy?”

“Could disappear without anyone noticing, had a good reason for being abroad, fluent in multiple languages, can handle himself with rich people, incredibly smart, good under pressure, super attractive but can blend in easily.” The list didn’t end there and he knew it. He just didn’t want to admit that she had a point. 

Connor couldn’t be a spy. Will had been the one to make the joke in the first place; but if Connor was a spy, he would be completely out of Will’s league. Not that anything was ever going to happen, he just liked having the illusion of a chance.

“You’re the one who watches all those TV shows and movies,” she was smirking again, “Tell me you wouldn’t propose on the spot if he burst through that door all ruffled, wearing a tux, saying ‘come with me if you want to live.’” 

She barely made it to the end of the sentence before they both burst out laughing, and that had been the end of the conversation during their movie night. Will thought it would be the end of it, period; but Maggie had different plans. 

During their next shift together, she leaned over and whispered to him, “Do you think he has a high-tech base in the basement of his apartment building?”

“Please, it’s in the false wall behind his bed. The basement’s where he keeps his vintage sports cars.”

Somehow this became their thing. They didn’t do it every time Connor walked by; but often enough that within a month, they had invented this whole second life for him. Dr. Bekker was part of his old team and they didn’t get along because there had been an accident during a mission; he didn’t work for any well-known agency, more a Man From U.N.C.L.E. thing; and he couldn’t tell Claire because it was the only way to keep her safe. 

Every once in a while, he’d feel bad. Connor was his friend and even though this was rooted in making fun of Will’s crush, he hated to think that Connor would be hurt by their jokes. But something kept him from telling him. Mainly, the risk of this exposing the fact that Will thought he was hot and had made a direct comparison between him and James Bond; arguably the hottest movie spy (behind Gal Gadot).

He didn’t know if he regretted keeping it to himself. If he’d told Connor, maybe none of this would have happened. They could have laughed about how stupid Will was being and gone about their lives; but he wasn’t sure this was a situation in which he’d rather not know. Though maybe this would have still happened and the only difference would be that Connor wouldn’t be staring at him with so much fear in his eyes.

“I can explain,” He started, but Will wasn’t sure he’d remember anything said to him in the next ten minutes or so.

“Don’t, just tell me what to do.” He took a few cautious steps closer. This was Connor; there was no reason to be scared. “We don’t have much time. Dr. Latham is looking for you.”

If Connor was confused by how easily he was accepting this, he knew better than to question it. They’d talk later. Will wasn’t foolish enough to think that either of them would be able to just let this go, but they had more important things to deal with right now. 

“Okay, grab his legs.”

[nomoregraydays]

Backroads//Lonely The Brave (E.D.) - Part 1

POV: First Person

Word Count: 2057

A/N: I got this idea listening to this song. My writing skills within the wolf area are a bit rusty, so sorry if this sucks lmao

***

“If you be the sky then I’ll be the bird.”

--»--»--»

Ethan and I have continuously always tried to outdo the other in everything. Sometimes never intentionally. It’s a natural extinct. We like to challenge each other to grow stronger and make sure we’re on the top of our game. Basically, it’s training non-stop.

Now, there is one position that Ethan has me beat at. He’s a Beta, a second in command, in our pack. That is one thing in particular that I have never been able to challenge him at as he was born to be a Beta and chosen.

That is until now.

Our Luna’s second in command was captured and killed by a rival pack of rogues who banded together to get revenge, and she has now directed me as the new Beta for her. Considering I have no experience in such a role, Ethan said he’d help me out. Aka another excuse to push me more and get me alone on perimeter checks; not that he’d admit that’s the real reason he volunteered the time.

Perimeter checks are to secure our packs’ land; to keep everything in order. Only Betas clear out or other packmates who the Alpha and Luna deem worthy of the responsibility.

Today’s check was vital. There has been warning of the rogues being back. Ethan and I must lock down the traps and if necessary, to send word to the Alpha to send fighters out to stakes. Even with how serious the matters were, Ethan still managed to make it all fun and games.

“E, slow down!” I laughed, rarely out of breath as I sprinted to catch up to him.

“Betas don’t slow down, (Y/N)! Just catch up!” He yelled back, only seeming to push himself harder.

I rolled my eyes and kicked in everything I had to get side by side with him. He looked over, less shocked and more proud as a smirk spread on his lips.

I pointed to up ahead of us. “There’s another we need to lock.” I knew it wasn’t necessary as he knew where the posts were too, but sometimes he’s not paying attention.

Ethan skidded to stop, leaves and twigs flew up and fell back down by his feet, and he laughed. I shook my head as I came to stop that was less dramatic.

“You’re such an idiot sometimes. Discreet is what we’re going for, you know.” I poked his chest as I walked by and I crouched down to toss a branch into the metal that was hidden in the brush and waited to hear the snap before I reached to touch it. I used one foot to push down one of the jaws and my hands to lock in the spring again; whoever happens to step, run, or fall into this will have one hell of a day.

“But being discreet isn’t always fun. Come on, nothing ever happens.”

When I straightened back up, Ethan was attending the other we had hidden nearby. Yes, wolves are trained to fight and battle, but if we can reserve as much energy as we can, we’ll do that. Our wolves can only extend for a certain amount of time.

I shot him a look as we began to work on securing the rope net. “I bet you just jinxed us. Thanks, piss ass.”

That earned me a “hey!” before we headed out to the final post 10; each post is about five miles apart from one another. This one was the farthest from the house, about fifty miles, and it makes me a bit anxious every time we go out here. Our kind have the stamina to run at high speeds, but this is still at least a fifteen-twenty minute time span away.

“Okay, we’re good to head back.” I stated, tightening the sailor’s knot I’d made with the rope.

“Damn.” E muttered under his breath.

I rolled my eyes to hide the skip in my heartbeat that I felt at his tone; like disappointed it wouldn’t just be us in the next half hour. I’m sure Grayson and his girl are going to want to go do something together when we get back.

I didn’t say anything as we began our run back. Ethan was a bit ahead of me because I let him take the lead; I’m better with being the caboose, the rear, the one who makes sure everyone else is a group is there. It was silent for some time. I noted the amount of posts we went by to keep track.

My ear twitched a little as I heard something in the trees besides us. I didn’t slow down though. I kept up at my same speed.

‘You heard that too, right?’ I asked.

Ethan’s pace slowed down to be slightly closer to me, but not noticeably. ‘Yeah, just keep going.’

I kept my breathing at a steady pace, keeping my head straight, but I used my preferential vision, and hearing, to keep an eye on the sides. Part of me wanted to transform right now, but whatever or whoever it is, we don’t want to let them know we know they’re here.

“Ethan!” The scream left me before I could stop it when a wolf jumped out from the side and tackled him to the ground, still in human form. Ethan was quick to transform into his fairly large, dark brown coat. He stared down the wolf who stood only a few feet away.

‘(Y/N), I’m alri-‘ The other chestnut brown wolf pounced at him, going straight for the throat. He had E pinned, but Ethan kicked his hind legs into the other wolf’s gut, causing him to release. Ethan snapped back at him, ripping some fur out. There were snarls, more fur being torn out, and some blood.

Ethan laid on the ground, a gash in his side. It was large enough that our healing isn’t going to heal it fast enough for him to fight more. Whoever the fuck this wolf is was trained to fight a Beta like E. They were sent here on purpose.

I hurried to E’s side and looked into his eyes.

‘Ethan, it’s really bad.’ I stated, lightly brushing my fingers over it. His blood stained my fingers, but I didn’t care.

He winced. ‘I.. know.’

The tears were fighting there way into my eyes, but I held them back. I’m pissed. You don’t mess with anyone I’m close with or in this pack. I transformed and turned around to stare down the wolf; I hovered over E protectively. I made sure my most fierce Beta blues showed as I snapped my teeth.

‘Who the fuck sent you? Why are you on our land?’

To my surprise, a light voice chuckled. ‘You’re so cute. Protecting him. He’s not even your one.’

I narrowed my eyes and growled deeply. ‘You didn’t answer my questions, fighter.’ I spat out the last word, hoping to get under her fur.

‘I’m pretty sure you’re smart to figure it out on your own, Beta.’

I licked my canines, revealing them more now and growled once again. ‘Leave. And tell your mates to go back where they came from.’

The rest of her wolf friends came out. They had E and I surrounded completely. So, seven to one is not a great ratio.

‘How you feeling, E?’ I asked, only to him.

I didn’t get an answer. That only made my heartbeat quicken. I took one quick glance to see his eyes barely open and I could sense his breathing was low, and slow.

Oh God no. That fucking bitch!

I snarled and snapped my teeth once again, growling the loudest I had ever in my life. ‘You fucking cocky, low ranking bitch! I will gladly kill you personally.’

With all the adrenaline kicking into me, I jumped at her. I gripped her throat right away and tore back. She wasn’t having it though. Her paw claws dug into my stomach. I didn’t whimper much. I bit at what I could. Finally, I had my whole mouth clenched over her throat and I brought her up in the air and smacked her down. I tightened my jaw and the metallic taste touched my tongue. I pulled back and teared out anything vital that would have kept her breathing.

‘Alpha, Beta Ethan and I need help at post 5.’ I informed and rammed into the wolves that had started to attack Ethan in his weak state. I kept myself over E and snapped at anyone who came too close.

I noticed I never got a response from our Alpha, so I tried our Luna next. Nothing. What the Hell? Why won’t anyone respond?

I guess we’re on our own. You can do this, (Y/N).

The group licked their canines, snarling at me. They were all low rank fighters. I am a God damn Beta!

I called on the spirits to let my Beta blues shine as much as they could and growled, letting foam bubble out. I swear I could feel my body grow, every muscle and vein pulsed. ‘You’re all dead meat.’

I pounced at the wolf that was closest to me and grabbed them by their neck, then I swung them into the wolf next to us. I forced another into one of the metal jaws nearby, it’s leg got snapped down in it and trapped; any move to leave and their leg is gone for good. I noticed that three had fled; fucking cowards. But that means I still have two left.

I observed the situation more, keeping light on my feet, and I jumped at the wolf that was closest to me. I ripped at the neck and made an instant kill.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the last wolf making a move on me, but they were hit out of the way by a large branch and thrown in a tree, and the impact alone broke their back.

I watched as E collapsed to the ground, the gash in his side bigger now from it tearing when he swung.

I couldn’t stop the whimper than escaped from my throat and I took a couple deep breaths to try and calm down. Then I transformed back and went to his side.

“You’re a fucking idiot. I had them.”

“I got… your back… always.” Beads lined his forehead and sweat sheened his skin from the pain.

“Sshh. If you have my back now, you will shut up until I can get you back to the house and Claire can help the wound.”

I observed how bad it was. I was scared that any movement could make it worse, but I need to get him back or he’ll bleed out before the wolf healing can mend it completely.

“I’m going to transform back. I need you to hold onto me the best you can after I get you on my back.”

In aching pain, I transformed back into my wolf and I carefully drug E onto my back. I waited until I could feel his hands holding onto some of her fur. Then I began the twenty-five mile run back.

Every mile caused my wolf more distress. She whimpered more and more. I kept telling her to push it aside and to tell myself to just keep going.

‘(Y/N), please stop. Don’t do this to your wolf.’

I shook my head, panting aloud. ‘You need to get back, E. I’m not letting you die.’

About two miles out, there was a dash of fur next to me and I groaned. The best I could, I attacked the wolf and we tumbled around before I tore the head off. But my wolf had had enough. I came to a rolling stop and transformed back into my human form mid-air.

Ethan had held on during the kill, but the transform threw him a few feet ahead of me.

“Shit.” I muttered.

I forced myself to get up, sweat and dirt covering my shaking body. God, I feel like I just keep making his wound worse and I’ll be the reason he dies. But I was more than happy to see the pack house through the cracks of the trees’ leaves.

Next and last: Part Two

[perriewinklenerdie]

I’m the powder, you’re the fuse (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N:  Hello, hello, hello! It's smut time! I'm pretty sure it's been six months since I last wrote smut, so be gentle with me :D It's part of the Ever Since I Met You series (can be read as a separate fic, all you need to know is that Ethan and Claire got married before she started working with him) This work is NSFW, you have been warned.

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23686729

Tag list:   @paleweasels, @hopelessromantic1352, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h 

Enjoy! <3

-------------

The tranquility of his office provided the much-needed silence that his head longed for after a day of work. It seemed as though the second he closed the door behind him, all the tension began to fade away. His phone was pressed to his ear, his mind focused on the sole reason he’s going through the day as swiftly as he is.

“It’s really hard to focus on anything really, when all that is on my mind is you.” he muttered under his breath, a delicate smile pulling on the corners of his lips. He was met with a bright laughter on the other end of the line, making his heart skip a beat.

“I would make fun of you, if it wasn’t for a fact that I feel exactly the same. Maybe that’s why my professor had to ask me a question twice today…” Claire trailed off, and if Ethan had to guess, he’d say she was smiling. He sat down in his office chair, leaning back as his eyes swiped over the books on the shelf.

“I’m that distracting to you, huh? Can’t say I mind that.”

“You’re saying that as though you didn’t have Naveen repeat the patient information three times because, and I quote “you had dreamy eyes, practically swooning”.” She shot back, laughter coloring her tone.

“How do you… Naveen. I knew that you two having each other’s phone numbers was a bad idea.” He muttered, running his hand over his face. The vision of her face flooded his mind, relaxing his muscles a bit, taking away from the frustration he felt. “Will I be seeing you today?”

‘Unfortunately, no. We just finished the last lecture and now we’re going to grab something to eat and then hit the bar.” Claire’s voice betrayed her anticipation to kick back and not worry about her academic duties for one night. There was an underlying sliver of regret that he wouldn’t be joining her, but he expressed time and time again that he didn’t really feel comfortable with her university friends and they both knew that she should have a space of her life that wasn’t completely occupied by him. Ethan was the very first man in her life that understood that need for space, and when he told her about it, she was so happy she could cry. She loved him and he loved her, the mutual trust and understanding were a big part of that.

“And here I was, hoping to occupy all your thoughts for the night.” He trailed off, smirking at the suggestion in his words. Her laughter cracked on the other end of the line, warming him on the inside.

“I’ll hold you to it the next time we see each other. Until then, have a good evening, Dr. Ramsey.”

“Be careful out there and have fun, Miss Herondale.” He bid her goodbye, looking back to his workload with dread in his eyes. It was going to be a very long afternoon, and an even longer evening, since he didn’t have anything specific to look forward to after work.

His phone rang shortly, signaling an incoming text. Upon unlocking the screen, he saw her face, smiling brightly, surrounded by her friends. He smiled wider, despite himself, then put his phone down to get back to his papers.

------------

The sun has set hours ago, leaving the streets of Boston in complete darkness, save for the streetlamps that lit the way for his car. Jenner greeted him as soon as he stepped over the threshold of his apartment, barking at the sight of Claire missing from his side. He petted him for a while, then went to prepare dinner for himself.

It wasn’t anything unusual for him to be alone in the evenings. Most of the days of the week ended that way for him, for she was only staying with him for three days a week, despite them agreeing to four in a memorable game of Monopoly a few weeks back. As it almost always happened, life got in the way and they had to reduce that number by one. That gave them still plenty of time together, while not interfering with their schedules and duties.

That being said, every time she went out with her friends, he got that quiet voice in the back of his head to be on alert, just in case something went south. It was worse in the beginning, when they were still getting to know each other, and the feeling intensified when one of her friends got attacked after they went home one of those nights. They were both better now, both mostly over the paranoia that took over their lives for the first week after that incident, but the caution remained, for better or worse.

Throughout the evening, he got plenty of updates from her in a form of various photos, both taken by her and her friends. It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t like those people, they all knew him and got along with him splendidly, it’s just that he preferred to not get dragged to one bar after the other. Those years were far behind him, or, at least, that’s what he claimed was the case for him. Claire made fun of him for being old and teased him about them having too many years apart, grinning like a mad woman when he picked her up and kissed her senselessly, pouring all of him into the act.

It must have been well after ten in the evening when his book reading was interrupted by a gentle knock on his door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but there was a chance that his neighbor came to complain about Jenner barking, again, no matter how many times they talked about it. He stood up, still reading, and went to open his door.

“Can I help you-“ he started,  pulling his gaze away from the passage of the novel he was reading and aiming it at the person in the hallway. To his surprise, Claire’s bright eyes stared right back at him, her teeth sunken into her lower lip gently, teasingly.

“You can help me by pulling that sweater off.” She mused, walking towards him confidently. She kicked the door shut with her heel, wrapping his tie around her hand and pulling on it, making him stumble towards her. The book fell to the ground with an empty thud, forgotten in the hurricane of endorphins that rushed through his bloodstream.

Her back hit the door, her hand resting on his shoulder made its way down his chest, slowly, teasingly, tracing the lines of his muscles beneath the material of the shirt. A pleasant shiver followed her every move, his eyes watching her with adoration, giving himself up to her, being completely at her mercy.

Eventually, her hand reached his pants, her nails scraping the top seam with a look of wonder in her eyes. She breathed out deeply, as though she didn’t have anything else to do, so she might as well be doing this.

Without a warning, she hooked her finger into the beltloop, pulling him against her even more, the force combined with the one already existing from her grip on his tie causing him to slam his body against hers in the most pleasurable way one could be colliding with someone.

He groaned slightly, slowly reading into the game she had planned for them. The confidence that she glowed with stunned him into oblivion, like waking up from a trance. His hands, previously at his sides, hanging there aimlessly, now reached as far down her legs as they could, dragging upwards with the slightest of touches, rising the light material of her dress up along with them. The moment he reached her hips, his grip tightened, the fabric still bunched up, exposing her stockings and the skin of her thighs to the cool air of his apartment.

“Don’t move.” She whispered, moving her hands to the lapels of his sweater to push it down his arms. He complied, helping her remove it, then resumed his hold on her. She grinned at his eagerness to go along with her actions, nudging his chin with her nose.

“I thought you were going out this evening.” he noted, pressing circles into her hipbones with his thumbs. Her hands travelled up to the knot of his tie, working it off in unhurried motions.

“It’s technically night. I thought about you being in here, bored and all alone… I just couldn’t resist. But I suppose… “ she explained briefly, undoing the tie with precise movement. “… I could leave… “ the material fell loose, allowing her to grab both ends with her hands and wrap them around her wrists. With one strong move, their faces were aligned, noses touching, breaths quickening with excitement. “… If you want me to.”

“Don’t.” he panted, snaking his arms up and around her waist, pressing their bodies flush against one another. Her cheekbones went up as she smiled, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip absentmindedly. His voice was hoarse when his eyes fell to her lips, his pupils dilating.  “I lose my mind when you do that. You don’t know what you’re doing to me, do you.”

Claire brushed her fingers up the lines of his neck, hooking her index fingers behind his ears to grab his face securely. She shook her head at his words, her green irises sparkling in the dim light. “Maybe I know exactly what I’m doing to you.” Leaning forward, she let their lips brush together, just for a second, just enough for a spark to jump between them. Just enough to give him a taste of what was to come. “Maybe I like it.”

The last bit of restraint flew out the window, the hot and intense want burning beneath his skin. Claire’s lips pressed against his once more, the touch fleeting, barely palpable. Then again, more pressure, still gentle, after which she leaned back to gauge his reaction. He was breathing shallowly, his eyes almost closed in anticipation.

Mercifully, generously, she pressed their lips together, but she didn’t move them yet. It was a game that she intended to win, and a bit of teasing wouldn’t kill them. He breathed in sharply at the contact, focusing on reading her actions. His hands caressed her back gently, reveling in the softness of her body beneath the material.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, she fell back against the door even further than before, pulling him along with her, finally kissing him like she meant to. A quiet moan rose in the back of her throat, in perfect symphony with his groan, mixing and falling around them.

Ethan’s hand traveled up her spine, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck and pulling their faces even closer together. Their lips clashed with bruising force, tongues brushing once, twice, tempting the other with slow and insecure movements. Intensity skyrocketed when her hand once again made its way down his chest and between their bodies, dipping two fingers beneath the ridge of his jeans and pulling him against her. He bit back a groan that threatened to ring in the quiet room, standing out like a scream in the dead of the night.

The way their bodies moved put all kinds of images into his mind, but it wasn’t in his nature to wander into the territory that wasn’t his to roam, so with an effort that boarded on being painful, he pulled away from her, his hold on her just as tight as moments before.

“Claire, do you-“

“I want you to take those clothes off.” She breathed out, reaching for the first button of his shirt. He followed her lead, still unsure where they were standing. “I think it’s time we stop being so formal.”

I think it’s time you make love to me is what she meant to say, and he got the meaning perfectly well.

“Like we were ever formal to begin with.” He pointed out, working on the buckle of his belt while she finished her way down the middle of his chest. Maneuvering around his wrists, she undid the smaller buttons on his cuffs, then finally reached to touch his skin beneath the shirt.

Halting his efforts to take his jeans off, she pushed the fabric away from his arms, leaning forward to press her lips to the hollow of his throat. The skin was hot to touch, as though he had fever, and given the circumstance they were in, his temperature was perfectly normal.

“You’re making it impossible to focus.” His voice didn’t resemble his own, his throat tightening at the sensation of her lips following the line of his muscles to his collarbone. With much more effort than he anticipated, he finally got rid of his pants, standing before her in his underwear. She pushed him away slightly, leaning back against the door herself to give herself a good vantage point.

“I promise to be as distracting for you as I can.”

Claire’s eyes started their journey from his feet and moved upwards, focusing on the lines and dips in the outline of his muscles. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Everywhere she looked, everywhere her eyes lingered, left hot flash and goosebumps in its wake. Unsurprisingly, she barely brushed the general area of his hips, completely missing the point, instead moving upwards almost immediately, making a mental note to follow all the lines she’s seeing with her tongue sometime in the future.

At last, her gaze reached his face, and it focused on his lips for a suspicious amount of time. Teasingly, he opened them, just slightly, waiting for a reaction, but got none. When their eyes finally met, it was as though something clicked. Both were unable to move for a few lingering moments, and then they crashed against each other like a wave crashes onto the shore.

Hands everywhere, legs tangling in an awkward position, lips coming together and separating messily as they moved down the hall and into the bedroom. Right as they reached the bed, she turned them around and pushed him onto the mattress with a smirk. He looked up at her with adoration and wild desire, irises so dark they might as well have been black.

“You’re overdressed.” He panted, pressing his palms into the comforter to keep himself from reaching out for her. She flashed him a teasing smile, then slowly crouched, grabbing the hems of her dress. Dragging the fabric up her body, she observed closely how his eyes watched her every move, how they devoured every new piece of her that got uncovered.

Inch by inch, she revealed the black stockings, still trapped in her heels. Then her panties, navy blue lace, matching the color of her bra that got revealed mere seconds later. Her hair fell down her back when the dress was finally removed, the piece of fabric being thrown to the floor in the back of the room. She put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side, awaiting his reaction.

At that clear invitation, he sat up on the edge of the bed and beckoned her to come closer to him. She complied, coming to a stop a few inches away from him, just barely within his grasp. Looking up at her, she noticed the spark of mischief, and then his hands were on her hips and she was being pulled way closer to him, after which, it was all peaceful again.

He traced the lines of the stockings mindlessly, dipping his finger beneath them once or twice. With just the tips of his fingers, he trailed a path up to her panties, following the intricate patterns of it, teasing her mercilessly. Everywhere he touched felt like coming alive, again and again. He ran a single finger over the line in the center, prompting her legs to spread just enough for him to tease her briefly before he retreated. She protested with a whimper, swaying just a bit.

“It sounds as though you want something.” He asked, straight and without any veils to cover his intention. She huffed, shaking her head to let her hair fall behind her shoulders.

“I want you to take my underwear off and stop playing around.”

“But I like teasing you so much.” he grinned, softly at first, and then even wider when he met her eyes and saw the frustration in them.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties, dragging them down her legs slowly, not making it any easier on her. The sound of her heavy breath, her tiny whimpers of anticipation were the music for his ears, the most personal and perfect melody, only for him to enjoy.

Once he reached her ankles, he helped her lose her shoes, pondering upon the idea of leaving the stockings on for a moment before deciding to take them off. He wanted to feel her, not the fabric that covered her body.

Ethan sat back up, waiting for a long moment, riling her up a bit more, and just when she was about to say something, he reached towards her with his fingers, prompting her thighs apart. With the soft touch, he ran his fingertips along the lines of the inside of her thighs, getting closer and closer to her center, but never quite reaching it. Right as the words of annoyance were about to fall off the tip of her tongue, he ran a finger through her folds.

Her whole body stiffened, the sensation being much more stimulating than she expected. It’s been a while since she was intimate with anyone, but she remembered what it was like. And all of those times had nothing on what she was feeling right now. He didn’t stop at that, instead continuing with his ministrations, tracing circles around her most sensitive parts, running up and down from time to time. Claire’s breathing was getting heavier by each second that passed with his touch on her, and just when she thought about taking a step back to undress him, he found her clit and pressed on the bundle of nerves gently.

A surprised yelp escaped her lips, causing her to double over and grab his shoulders for support. His face was pressed against her stomach, allowing her to feel the smirk that bloomed on his face. And he was just getting started.

Slowly at first, he ran small circles in that exact spot. Alternating with various pressures and movements, he listened to her moans and whimpers, learning her body as he went.

“Those moans of yours won’t leave my head for weeks.” He groaned under his breath, taking his touch away from her.

Any sign of protest was lost the moment he pressed a finger into her. She breathed out slowly, awaiting his next move, getting lost in the pace he set for her. Adding a second one made it impossible to keep silent anymore, the sound of pleasure ringing straight into his ear as she leaned down over his shoulder to try and catch any amount of air.

“Right there…” she breathed out softly, gathering enough strength to lean back into somewhat of a standing position. Ethan looked up into her eyes, then slowly, while maintaining eye contact with her, pressed his lips to her clit and grazed it with his tongue.

The new sensation tore a low groan out of her, her grip on his shoulders tightening. His fingers continuously moved in and out of her and combined with the feeling of his tongue grazing the sensitive nerve endings, provided the sensation that felt so impossibly good, she could cry. Her hips began gently moving along with his actions, seeking friction and stimulation that she yearned for.

His other arm wrapped around her lower back, holding her upwards as he worked her more and more intensely, and when his teeth grazed her, all the tension and pleasure that has been building reached its peak and she came with a silent scream, breathing heavily as waves crashed through her. She was grateful for him keeping her up, for she was certain she would have fallen if he hadn’t.

He slowed his actions bit by bit, helping her ride out the aftershocks of her orgasm, and then he retreated entirely, running his hands up and down her sides soothingly.

“Oh god.” She managed to mutter after who knows how long, finally able to stand up on her own. He was looking at her as though she was a miracle, and she was pretty sure there was a very prominent sense of pride on his features too. She leaned down, kissing him gingerly, tasting herself on his lips.

“You’re beautiful.” He told her, stroking her skin continuously. She laughed gently, massaging his shoulders.

He continued his journey up her body, tracing the lines of her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders, one, then the other, before reaching behind her and undoing the clasp, letting the garment fall aimlessly to the floor.

With the touch so light that she could have sworn it was barely there, he traced the outline of her nipple, then ran his thumb over the sensitive flesh with equally gentle touch. While continuing his actions, he kissed up her stomach and settled his lips around her other nipple, kissing and sucking gently, running his tongue over it. A shuddered breath escaped her lips, her head falling back as her eyes closed.

He let her skin go, continuing his journey up, reaching her arms and then making his way down her arms until he reached her hands, lacing their fingers together. They stared at one another for a while before she spoke again.

“Okay, handsome, time to level the playing field. Up.” she nodded towards him, pulling him to his feet. He hesitated, shaking his head, indicating that she didn’t have to do anything, but she silenced him with one look, grinning teasingly. “If I don’t have you right here, right now, I will lose my mind. Come on, you’re overdressed, stop stalling.”

She dragged his boxers down his legs, then trailed her hands up against his skin. Her nails teased him out of nowhere, causing him to gasp in surprise, and then once more when she pushed him onto the bed again and straddled him.

“Now tell me, what were your plans for tonight?” she asked, pressing their bodies a bit closer together. His eyes flashed dangerously, but nevertheless, he tried to focus and remember what he was supposed to be doing while she was gone.

“I was going to go over the files again, drink some tea, finish the book that we so rudely threw onto the floo- oh…” he started listing all the plans he made, but in an instant, they became irrelevant. Looking straight into his eyes, she sank down onto him, watching with a smirk how his face expression morphed from a neutral to a tense one, and then laced with sparks of pleasure.

“All that work will have to wait, I’m afraid. I’m terribly sorry.” She ran her fingers through his hair, then moved her hips up and down, slowly at first, then with a bit more speed, keeping the tempo steady.

“I’m not.” He confessed, teasing the skin of her back with his fingers as he held her in his arms. The tension kept on building steadily, with each move or her hips against his, with every word of a hushed conversation that they had. “Did you plan this all along?”

“You mean did I plan to come here… and seduce you instead of… drinking my ass off in a bar with my friends?” she asked, rolling her hips in an opposite direction experimentally, a surprised moan cutting her words off momentarily, then again and again. His own brain was beginning to get too clouded to think straight and he had no idea how much longer he would be able to have a conversation with her. Claire’s lips brushed against his ear as she whispered. “Yes, I did.”

“I’m not sure if I should be glad for the surprise or relieved that I’m on the receiving end of this heaven.” His sentence turned into a moaning confession when she squeezed him with her inner muscles, watching with satisfaction how he stumbled over his words, seeing the warning signs of his breaking point approaching.

Her movements became more desperate, her hand brushing against his lips to stop him from talking more, then grabbed his shoulders and began riding him, grinding against him, her head falling back, exposing her neck to his ministrations.

His hands grabbed her hips, helping her move up and down, his own hips snapping upwards, creating a different angle every time he entered her. Her whimpers were telling enough for him to know that she needed more, and knowing her body more than he did three hours ago, he moved his right hand between them, finding her clit and pressing his fingers up and down against it.

Immediately, he was awarded with a deep moan from her, her words breathed out into the night. “A little to the right- that’s it, oh god…”

The slowness and tenderness were a bit further away from them than they were moments before. Their movements turned desperate, both chasing release, both craving the relief that would crash against them in mere moments. He felt himself approaching the limit but willed himself to wait until he was sure she was satisfied.

Their lips met in sloppy kisses, the constant rocking of their bodies making it almost impossible to kiss properly. With a couple more strokes of his fingers, she clenched around him and came with his name on her lips, hanging onto him as though she was drowning. Her nails sunk into the skin of his back, the pain such a contrast to the pleasure he felt, triggering his own orgasm, his grip on her tightening slightly as he pressed his hips up against hers and kept her there, hiding his face in the juncture of her shoulder. Their cries mixed, ringing against the walls and falling into the dead silence when the aftershocks finally subsided.

She ran her fingers through his hair absentmindedly, catching her breath with her eyes closed. After a long moment, she got up from his lap and left him with a wink, disappearing behind the bathroom door to clean herself up.

Ethan fell back against the pillows on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When he was thinking about their first time together, he had something else in mind, but nothing he could ever come up with would match what they just did.

Claire walked back into the bedroom, wearing the shirt he wore that day, smiling cheekily at him when she jumped into his arms, resting her head on his chest. He embraced her, pressing his lips to her forehead, his fingers tracing abstract patterns on the skin of her shoulder, peaking from underneath the fabric of his shirt.

“So… how did this evening compare to what you wanted to be doing?” she asked slowly, a playful undertone in her voice, but he also could sense a sliver of insecurity. His grip on her tightened, pressing them closer as he covered them with a blanket.

“I couldn’t imagine a better evening if I tried.” He replied, looking down at her with an amused face. She gazed up at him, immediately bursting out laughing, nuzzling against his chest.

“I sure hope so. They had a discount for med school students tonight at the bar I like, but I didn’t go. If you said it wasn’t worth it…” she wondered out loud, coaxing a laugh out of him. She leaned up, their noses touching, eyes meeting. “… you would be in trouble.”

[perriewinklenerdie]

Pretend you love me (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

Author’s note: Hello, hello, hello! Let me just start with the fact that this is LONG AS HELL. It took me six days to finish, and since I now find myself with an awfully crazy amount of free time (still bitter about that one), I finally had the time to finish it, so here we are.

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23110381

Tag list:   @paleweasels , @lilyofchoices , @hopelessromantic1352, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @cassiusownsmyass, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h Enjoy! <3

----------

No matter how many times it happened, no matter how much time has passed, he couldn’t get used to the fact that Naveen was the new Chief. He always half expected it to be Harper on the other side of the message on his pager, but it was always his mentor, and he couldn’t wait for his mind to finally remember it.

Ethan’s eyes were buried in the chart of the patient that the diagnostics team was taking under its care. In any other circumstance, he would probably pay more attention to his surroundings, but the case was a tough one and he needed to get some thoughts on it before the team meeting.

While turning a corner to reach Naveen’s office, his body collided with something, causing him to drop the file onto the floor and catch whatever it was that his arms were full of. The skin on his face got tickled by something that must have been hair and the scent hit his nose, bringing all his senses to life. He didn’t even need to look down to know who he was holding.

“Dr. Herondale.” He muttered, letting her take her time to gain stability on her own two feet. She lingered for a moment longer before taking a step back, straightening her coat and pressing out any wrinkles in her smooth shirt.

“Dr. Ramsey” Claire nodded her head, her eyes sparkling playfully before continuing her journey in the same direction as Ethan. He called out after her, picked up the file from the ground and rushed to her side, discussing the case with her as they both walked the remainder of the distance to Naveen’s office. He held the door for her, smirking at her grateful smile.

“You’re both here, good. I seem to have a bit of a problem with an… engagement that I planned a few weeks ago.” He started enigmatically, watching as their faces twisted in confusion. Leaning back in his chair, he continued. “Edenbrook was invited to take part in a conference in Washington, and it was decided that Dr. Charles and Dr. Lewis were supposed to go.”

“They work in pediatrics, don’t they? That married couple. She announced she is pregnant, like, two weeks ago I think?” Claire asked for clarification, earning a nod from Naveen.

“Precisely. I called ahead and organized everything, told them that we were sending them a married couple, so they knew how to manage their hotels and other arrangements.” He stood up and started walking back and forth as he explained further. “What I didn’t expect was to run into some complications. Dr. Lewis just found out that her pregnancy was a high risk one and she can’t make the journey without putting herself and her baby in danger, so both of them had to cancel. I tried to reach the organizer of the conference to let them know, but the furthest I got was his assistant, and he told me that it was impossible to cancel and that they already were expecting them there, nothing that could be done.”

“So, we have a problem.” Ethan stated, his brows furrowing as he looked at his friend. Naveen nodded slowly, then looked between them like he had something up his sleeve.

“I do have an idea… I didn’t tell them who was coming, just that it was a married couple.” He trailed off, watching Claire and Ethan as he waited for them both to catch up to speed. They either didn’t get it, or didn’t want to get it, because neither spoke up. “I’m going to put it simply. I want you both to go there instead of Dr. Charles and Dr. Lewis.”

Silence was so dense one could hear a pin drop. No one spoke, no one breathed, no one even looked at anything other than their hands for a solid couple of minutes. Claire took a shaky breath, being the first one to raise her head and ask the question they all knew was coming.

“You… want us to pretend to be married?”

“I don’t see the problem. You are good with each other, I think it would be believable.” Naveen sat back down in his chair, leaning on the desk with a playful spark in his eyes. “I take it you both agree? Wonderful! You leave tomorrow, at six in the morning.”

“Naveen, I don’t think-“ Ethan spoke, for the first time since he heard his idea, and there was a sense of vulnerability in his voice, which Claire recognized immediately, because she had the same feeling rising in her chest.

“You two have plenty of time to prepare. It might be a good idea to start calling each other some of those sweet names kids use these days, you’ll figure something out.” Naveen didn’t even try to cover up how much he was enjoying it, and he was sure that he would hear from Ethan about this later, but he couldn’t say he was concerned much.

He saw the way Ethan’s eyes followed Claire around the room. He saw how his whole posture changed when she entered the room, how his face lit up when she was speaking. It was pretty obvious to everybody around him that he had feelings for her, even if he didn’t want to say it out loud. What was amusing him even more, Claire herself seemed much more at peace with her feelings. She covered it up well, most likely because of Ethan and his pleads, but Naveen knew her long enough to see through the veil she pulled over herself.

If he knew something for certain, it was that these two needed all the help and pushing they could get. Both were stubborn, both were willing to keep their word to each other, no matter how much their whole beings screamed in protest. Naveen was determined to change that.

“If that’s all, I’ll let you two get back to your duties. I want you to reassign your patients to other doctors before you leave. Claire, make sure Esme has someone to take care of her while you’re gone.” He concluded, opening the door for them with a smile, his face wiped of any other emotions. The younger doctor looked between the two men before nodding her head gently and standing up, excusing herself from the room. Ethan stared at her as she left, his body locked in the same position for the next couple of seconds before his friend patted him on the shoulder.

“You’re having fun, aren’t you.” the attending questioned, turning to stand face to face with his mentor. Naveen grinned, raising his hands in a gesture of defenselessness.

“I have no idea what you mean. I’m just trying to solve the problem the best way I know how. I need people that I can trust not to screw this up. People that I know will not have a problem with being close together.” Stepping closer, he lowered his voice in case someone was walking by. “And we both know that you’ll only gain from it. Nothing to lose.”

“Naveen, with all due respect, but I literally fled to another continent to push myself away from her. It hurts me to be in the same room as her and not reach out for her, and you want me to get away with her for three days and pretend that I’m married to her?” Ethan breathed heavily, falling against the wall, his head hanging low. It was a deadly mix, heaven and hell, rolled into one package and thrown into his arms, threatening to blow up in his face and kill him.

How was he supposed to act like she was his life partner, something he’s began dreaming of since he left for the Amazon, and then just… stop? It was a disaster that was waiting to happen, like playing with fire. One wrong step and he would vanish. But that’s not what worried him about the mess in his head.

He had a choice, he saw that in Naveen’s eyes. He could say ‘no’ and Naveen would call the whole thing off. And yet, he didn’t say no. He didn’t take the lifeline, he didn’t put himself onto the safe shore, instead choosing to jump into the water and drown, pulling her along with him. Maybe she was stronger than him, maybe she would survive. He would not, now he knew that.

“I’m worried I’m going to ruin her.” he whispered slowly, finally voicing the source of everything that made him pull away when she got close. Naveen placed his hands on his shoulders to grab his attention.

“You’re not going to ruin her. She is strong, she can hold her own. I know you believe in her, but you also need to believe in yourself, Ethan.” Watching as he struggled with coming to terms what he just heard was like the sky clearing after the storm, letting a single ray of sunshine through.

“I’ll try.”

--------

He couldn’t believe it was happening. It was 5.55 in the morning and he was just entering the airport. Late. By all means, the gate should be closed and he would need to catch another flight. Maybe it was a sign that he shouldn’t go, that he was taking too much of a risk.

No, it wasn’t.

The truth was, he got up too late, and he moved too slowly, and the cab wasn’t going fast enough. His brain wasn’t working fast enough that morning either. When he finally reached the gate, there was only one person there, reading calmly.

“You’re late.” A voice stated, humor coloring their voice. Bright, green eyes peeked at him from above the book, gleaming with satisfaction. “Five more seconds and I would have boarded without you.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” he stated, walking over to her and helping her stand up, taking her bag for her. She put her hand on her hips, arching her eyebrow at him quirkily.

“And what makes you so sure, Mr. Ramsey?”

“Because they expect us there together, Mrs. Ramsey.” He tested the words in his mouth, watching her to lock in her reaction. Her pupils dilated, surprised, before shaking off the feeling and gliding to his side, wrapping her hand around his arm as they walked to the plane in perfect silence.

-------

Having landed in Washington, they were picked up by a representative of the company and left at the hotel to rest for a bit. In a perfect world, they would have a day to themselves, but that was not the case. They had lectures that day, a fancy dinner later that evening, and their attendance was obligatory.

Ethan let her into their room, closing the door behind them and leaving their luggage by the wall. He knew what to expect even before he saw their bedroom. After all, they were supposed to be married. The sight of a king size bed shook him either way, causing him to get a bit lightheaded.

“I can sleep on the couch if you want.” she offered, walking over to sit on it, her face scrunching a bit at the uncomfortable feeling.

“Claire, I hope you know how much nonsense you’re talking right now. First of all, we’re adults, I don’t see why we can’t share the bed… If you don’t feel comfortable, I will be the one sleeping on the couch, not you.” his words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them, and then he attempted to cover it up with his second sentence, but she heard and understood the first one just fine.

“But you were the one to take the couch the last time we-“ Claire protested, stopping dead in her tracks in the middle of her sentence. She didn’t mean to remind them both of how their last conference together had ended. His mind got flooded with memories of her body, pressed tightly against his, and his body ached to feel it again. He couldn’t, he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to.

“We can share the bed.” They agreed and didn’t speak about it again.

While Ethan excused himself, saying he needed to take care of some business before the conference, she picked out the clothes to change into. They would need to leave in about an hour, so she had just enough time to get herself together. She didn’t really think about what the next three days meant for them until now. Alone in their room, alone with her thoughts.

She shed her clothes, leaving her in only her underwear, and threw herself on the bed. In desperate need of something to ground herself with, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The realization of what they were about to do hit her like a bag of bricks, knocking the air out of her lungs. It’s been hard to have him so close and not be able to do anything. Everything that was about to happen is everything she wants to do to him, with him. And it’s empty, meaningless.

The sound of the door opening escaped her, so the first thing she heard was him taking in a choked breath. She snapped up on the bed, their eyes meeting, and then she realized that she was only in her underwear. Biting her lip, she made the move towards her clothes, avoiding looking at him directly. He cleared his throat, looking down at his feet, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his coat.

“I- uh… we need to leave soon.” Ethan muttered quietly, his voice shaking slightly. He walked over to the couch and sat down, locking his eyes onto the pattern of the carpet beneath his feet.

“Yeah, sure… give me a second, I’ll be ready.” She nodded slightly, putting her clothes on before clearing her throat, letting him know that he can look now. His shoulders relaxed a bit when he stood up and walked over to her. She already moved towards the door when he reached out to catch her hand.

“Claire?” their gazes crossed again, and he couldn’t help the smile that pulled on his lips so hard that the corners shot up. “You’re my wife, remember?”

“…Yes?” she confirmed slowly, not really getting what he meant. He shook his head, searching the pocket of his sweater. He revealed a small, velvet box and Claire, despite herself, gasped.

“It would not be believable if we’re not wearing rings.”

The box opened, revealing two golden wedding bands. Ethan had a torn expression on his face, unsure how she would react. Before she could reach out to touch the rings, he put them away at the table and reached into the pocket again, revealing the second box. He gave it to her, making sure to not let their fingers touch. As soon as she opened it, she looked up at him with surprise, making him grin.

“I figured that since everyone knows us, it would be unusual for you to not wear your engagement ring.” He took the ring out of the soft cushion, taking her left hand in his gently and gazing at her from beneath his lashes. “I can exchange it if you don’t like it.”

“No need for that. I love it.” she replied breathlessly, an unexpected laugh escaping her lips.

“What’s so funny, Mrs. Ramsey?” questioning her was what he did, and she did that to him too, but as he observed her reaction, he knew that she was about to call him out on something.

“I mean… are you going to get down on one knee or…” she trailed off, winking at him playfully. That, in turn, made him laugh too, his whole body shaking slightly.

“Do you want me to?” he muttered, voice low and deep, creeping into her mind and wrapping around her like a soft blanket. Still, she smirked, stepping just an inch closer to him.

“It would be a nice touch. A nice story to give those leeches at the conference. “How did you propose?” “She called me out on not kneeling before her.””

A laugh like she hasn’t heard in what felt like years escaped his lips. After a moment, he sighed with what could only be classified as happiness and dropped to one knee, running his thumb over the back of her hand. They didn’t say anything for a long moment before he cleared his throat.

“Will you marry me?”

They both knew that it wasn’t real, that it was only pretended, but something felt different. It felt emotional, it felt deep it felt like they could do it for real. Claire debated whether she should nod, say something or just confirm and be done with this, but instead, she decided to bring some humor into this.

“I mean… sure. If I have to.”

“Ha! As if you have a choice, Mrs. Ramsey.” He snorted, putting the ring on her finger and pulling her hand to his lips before he could think twice about it. The touch lingered, leaving a pleasant, all too familiar tingle on his lips. Standing up to make them equals, he reached for the rings on the table, pulling hers out of the box and putting it on her finger, next to the engagement ring. He traced both bands with his thumb, deep in thoughts for a short moment that was cut when she reached for his ring, mirroring his actions. It felt natural, it felt good.

“Now, you’re mine, Mr. Ramsey.” She whispered, gazing up at him, realizing how close to one another they were. One small step, one waver of her balance and she would fall into his arms, their lips pressed together. His eyes dropped to her lips, darkening slightly, before they went back to hers and it was as though the spell was broken. Like on a cue, they took a cautious step back, shaking themselves off the tension that locked their bodies in its hold.

“We… we should go.” he hesitated before offering her his arm. She took it gently, her touch so light that at times he wondered if she was even there.

----------

The conference room was packed to the brim. Everyone kept on bumping into everyone, some were trying to get out of the way, others were taking full advantage of their elbows as they walked. Ethan felt his arm wrapping around her before his mind registered the move, pulling her close to him so he could shield her from any injuries and unexpected blows as they walked. She didn’t even try to pretend like it didn’t affect her, the feel of his body so close to hers, his scent wafting over her with every move he made, the warmth of his body that she could feel through their clothes.

Aware that they had to at least look like they were together, they silently decided to stick to holding hands and occasional hugs, just to be safe. There was no saying what would happen if they let themselves get too comfortable with one another, and it got the job done relatively well. Why walk the line if you can stay far away from it?

It made him squirm how much cliché it was that he felt unprepared for the feeling of her skin against his. Brief touches were not that uncommon for them, after all, they worked together and they were bound to touch at some point of the day, but that was entirely different. It felt like thousands of needles, pricking his skin, almost too much but never enough. Every time he pulled her to his side, he welcomed her warmth and how sweet her scent was. Every time she laughed, his heart fluttered, and every time she turned to hug him, he was ready to believe it was real.

But it wasn’t.

“Ramsey! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” a voice called out to him from behind them, one that he recognized as many of the people that came to those conferences for their own gain. A man stood before them, his hair was gaining grey streaks and his wide smile was so forced and fabricated that he felt bad for that man’s face muscles.

“Helpert, how have you been?” Ethan responded with as much politeness as he could and the two of them shook hands firmly. Helpert’s eyes shifted to Claire and his face got taken over by a suggestive smirk.

“And who is that lady?” he took her hand, leaning down to press a kiss to her skin. “Pleased to meet you, Miss���?”

“Actually, it’s Mrs. Ramsey.” Ethan clarified, tightening his hold on her as his other hand grasped her left hand, showcasing her rings proudly. Helpert’s eyes widened before he laughed, slapping Ethan’s back firmly.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Ramsey, married! I never would have thought I’d see that day. Congratulations, to both of you.” they nodded, smiling genuinely, no part of their behavior an act.

The moment they were left alone, she turned to him, smiling brightly at him, excitement radiating off of her. “We did it!” she exclaimed, raising her hand to a high five. He looked from her to her hand and then back to her face, his eyebrow shooting up in amusement. “Oh, come on. For me?”

He sighed, pretending to be just as excited, laughing as he clapped his hand against hers.

“Oh my god, I love you.” she gasped, pressing her other hand to her heart. His pulse stopped for a moment before it picked back up, twice as fast. Despite all that, he smirked, pulling her closer to him again.

“Only for you, Rookie.”

---------

They made their rounds, wandering from one stand to another, pointing out the most promising ideas and technologies. It was moments like these that made his heart swell with pride, knowing that she was brilliant on her own. Her hand rarely left his, pulling him by it in the direction she wanted to go in, squeezing it when she was excited, lacing their fingers tenderly when they had a moment of peace and quiet.

Before they knew it, evening came and the time they had to get ready for their dinner. Ethan was almost ready, finishing putting on his tux, while Claire showered, the door opened, very much like back in Miami.

“How long will we be there?” she called out to him, shouting over the rush of water. Ethan leaned closer to the door to hear her better.

“For my sanity, and your own, I hope that not long. Unfortunately, from my own experience, it can get pretty late before everyone decides to leave.”

“Fortunately for us, we have the ultimate excuse to leave early.” She exclaimed, her voice muffled by the distance and the water, and yet despite all that, he could tell she was grinning.

“And, pray tell, what is that?”

At that precise moment, she walked out of the shower, her body loosely wrapped in a towel. His eyes widened at the sight of her almost bare body and their gazes met, an intense stare freezing them both. He walked towards her, noticing how droplets raced down her body before disappearing beneath her towel. She watched him carefully, electricity cracking in the air around them. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, pupils dilating significantly.

“A young married couple that has a few days to themselves… no one would blame us for slipping away.” She muttered, gauging his reaction, and he did not disappoint. A choked groan almost slipped past him, barely catching it in time. His breathing got labored, his hand reached for her, his index finger swiping along the line of her cheekbone.

Claire nodded slightly, then moved past him to put her clothes on. Once again, only in her underwear, she didn’t look back at him, acutely aware of how bad it could get if they threw caution to the wind. Teasing wasn’t necessarily bad, but anything more than that could turn fatal.

Her fingers glided down her sides, smoothing the silky material before she picked up her purse, finally turning towards him. He already had his eyes on her, grasping any part of her he could catch, while trying not to be too obvious about what was happening in his brain. And it was a lot.

She winked at him playfully, then walked past him to the door. With her hand on the handle, she looked back at him, still frozen in place. “You’re not going to let me go alone, are you?”

------------------

Many torturous hours later, they stumbled back into their room. Claire was hunched forward, clutching her stomach, struggling to catch her breath. Ethan was walking ahead of her, in a similar state, tears falling from his eyes. She tripped over the carpet, almost falling to the floor if it wasn’t for Ethan’s reaction, who wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, the motion throwing off their balance. That, in turn, slammed them against the wall, her body on his, their faces hidden against each other’s necks, breathing heavily.

“I have… never… seen a face… so red in my entire life-“ she managed to choke out, giggling hysterically. He nodded, his nose brushing against her neck.

“Who would have thought… that all it took was a metal band… and he would cry.” Ethan’s head shook from side to side before he leaned back, looking down at her.

She had him pinned to the wall, though he was pretty sure she wasn’t aware of that yet. They might have had a bit too much to drink, and he didn’t expect her to be such a light weight. He was tipsy, she was bordering on drunk, which made him swap her drinks for water, and that had already began working.

“Claire, are you-“ he noticed how her expression changed and started asking if she was alright, when she pulled on his hand and dragged him to the side of bed. She began stripping her clothes until she was only in her underwear, then put her hands on her hips and looked up at him expectantly.

Most likely caused by alcohol, he reached for the buttons of his shirt, working them in haste, then throwing the offending material to the floor. As his fingers reached for his belt, Claire made a tentative move to touch the muscles of his stomach. The small touch made them contract, the tiniest of groans slipping past his lips despite his best efforts. Once they are were equally exposed, she reached for his hand again, throwing them both onto the bed. He adjusted their position into one that still has them close together, but one that is not a safety hazard for either of them, and that is how they fell asleep.

The bright light of the morning shone directly at his face, warming his skin. His whole body was relaxed, completely at ease, and there was something thrown over his back carelessly. His own hands were holding onto something, someone, tightly, causing him to finally open his eyes.

Claire’s blonde hair was spread over the pillow, strands falling onto her face without a pattern. The ends of them ticked Ethan’s nose, and it was that sensation that finally made him realize what was happening. He tensed, reaching behind him for her hand, resting it back on the bed gently. His fingers lingered on her skin a moment longer, sadness bleeding into the moment that would be so pleasant and delightful. Bracing on his arms, he lifted himself away from her, as gently and carefully as he could, wanting, more than anything else in that moment, to let her sleep, to allow himself a way out of a conversation that they would have to have had she woken up right this second.

Once in the clear, he released the breath he was holding, looking over his shoulder to watch her. She seemed unbothered by the grunt he let out when he was getting up or the way mattress screeched under his weight. The duvet covered her feet, exposing her body, the morning sun enriching the color of the underwear she had on. His movement didn’t wake her up either, and to his horror, he realized that he had hoped, briefly, that she would wake up, grab him by his shoulders and pull him right back to her side.

“Fuck.” He sighed, pain laced into his voice, then turned around and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Unknown to him, Claire had been awake for the last two hours, stroking his hair as he slept, in no position and with no motivation to leave him, waiting for him to wake up and make the first move. He did, just like she expected him to, and she wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved. Perhaps a bit of both.

----------

The rest of the morning was nothing out of what they expected it to be. She teased him about how he was getting his tolerance back and how her head was getting stronger, for neither of them had a hangover. He smiled at her, slowly gaining back the easiness that he felt when he was with her. There was no point in wallowing at what could have been, he didn’t have time for that.

Around noon, they were back in the conference room, the struggle annoying him seemingly even more than it was possible. Claire went to get some coffee while he stayed behind, continuing his conversation about the future of diagnostics team with one of the more reasonable people there.

He stood up from his seat, looking around to try and find Claire, when his ears caught a scrap of conversation.

“I didn’t know Ramsey could be nice to people long enough to score himself a girlfriend, not to mention a wife.” Some man snickered, his friend laughing along, not as subtle as they thought they were.

“For a married couple, they are awfully cold to one another. Maybe it’s true what they say, that she already wants a divorce.”

Ethan didn’t entertain the thought of listening to nonsense more than he already had, so he moved away from them, still looking for his ‘wife’. His suspicions were confirmed, though. They were not convincing enough, holding hands and hugging just wasn’t enough. There was a small voice in his head that pleaded with him, to get back to the safe space, to just stick to what they both knew, but it got overpowered by everything else that his brain was throwing his way.

He found her by the bar, standing alone, swirling the lasts of her coffee in a cup. There seemed to be someone approaching her, and Ethan wasn’t sure what’s gotten into him, but his steps got more eager and much faster than he ever expected himself to be. In a matter of seconds, he was by her side, his eyes holding the wild determination that surprised and confused her. He took the cup out of her grip, leaving it on the counter, then pulled her by her hand a few meters to the side. She opened her mouth to ask what the matter was, but never got the chance to finish her sentence.

He attacked her lips with the hunger that consumed his entire being, his hands gripping her hips with force that bordered on bruising, coaxing a low moan from her. Confusion lasted only so long in her movement before she responded in kind, sliding her hands up his chest and gripping the lapel of his jacket, her fingers tangling in his hair at the base of his neck in the meantime.

It was inappropriate. It was hot. It was intense, so intense that tears stung his eyes. It was liberating. After so much time of keeping her at arm’s length as much as he could, as much as he managed to do so, here he was. Initiating a kiss that would and always will be his undoing. Luring out the sounds of her pretty lips that were definitely reserved for his ears only, and only when they were alone.

Claire was the one that instigated most of their encounters, and he never complained while it lasted. It did however make him wonder if she felt like she was the only one that felt this overwhelming need to just feel her.

The way she was holding him, the way she was kissing him, teeth clashing, messy grips that would slip, only to be adjusted, pulling just that much stronger, that much closer. Everything about it screamed to them, and to the world outside, that there was not even a sliver of doubt. They cared about each other, they cared deeply and passionately.

Letting her go was, as always, the most difficult part of it all. But it was different now. In their current circumstance, he could hold her, kiss her and tell her he loved her all he wanted, and no one would even blink at that.

Claire’s brilliant eyes searched his face for any indication as to what exactly happened that made him burst like that. Shaking his head, he dove in for another kiss, much gentler this time, cherishing her, hugging himself to her and pressing his forehead to hers after the kiss was over.

“Are you okay?” she muttered, the tiniest of smiles rising on her face. Her fingers were stroking the sides of his face tenderly, leaning into him when he pulled her closer. His blue eyes shone brightly with affection that there was no way he could fabricate, deep and real and burning.

“Now I am.”

-----------

Her fingers haven’t left his for the rest of the day. Her warmth hasn’t left his side. Her lips kept on coming back to his.

And that smile of hers. The sight that was a recurring theme of his dreams, now a part of his reality. He found it easier to smile himself, the weight he’s been carrying on his chest since he left for the Amazon has been lifted off. It’s been easier to breathe, easier to be close to her, easier to deal with all the thoughts he had.

Claire’s face was glowing. Her movements got gentler, softer, lighter, like she was walking on air. She practically danced as she strolled around the room, his hold on her tight, his words going directly into her ear.

“You’ve got an incoming ahead of us.” He muttered, grinning slightly when she tried locating the person approaching them in front of them.

“Then talk to them.”

“Oh no, it’s all on you. Go for it.” he nudged her forehead with his nose, earning himself an elbow to his side, making him laugh. She turned on her heels, grabbing his face and pulling him into a brief kiss that left her wanting more. He hummed quietly, tightening his grip on her and letting himself get lost in the feeling. A rather insistent voice interrupted them, and they reluctantly leaned away. Scrunching her nose at him, she turned to their company, putting on a polite smile.

There was some music playing in the background as they walked slowly along the side of the room, their hands clasped tightly together, his thumb caressing her skin tenderly. Her ears caught the melody and when he wasn’t paying attention, she twirled into his arms, beaming up at him when they embraced each other. It was so easy to forget where they were, who they were when they were this close together.

“What are we even doing?” he questioned, humor coloring his voice as they swayed from side. Claire tipped her head to the side, her eyes shining happily. Her nails scraped the back of his neck slightly.

“We’re dancing, my dear husband.” She responded, a flash of heat hitting her cheeks when he leaned towards her, pressing his lips to her forehead. His eyes fell shut, drowning out the rest of the world.

“I can name at least three more appropriate places for such activities.”

Her grin got wider than before when she replied teasingly. “Are you threatening or promising?”

Ethan groaned quietly, rolling his eyes as the world started to bleed back into their focus. He kissed her cheek, then pulled them both forward. “No comment.”

-----------

Evening came sooner than they expected, the sun casting long shadows against the walls of their room as it fell through the windows. Ethan came back to the room before Claire, and that gave him the moment of clarity and quiet he needed to take a step back and assess the situation.

What were they doing?

It was his fault. Again. He let himself get too close to her. Again. He could feel the heartbreak coming. Again. Yes, it was him that initiated their closer relationship earlier that day, and he could beat himself up for it for the rest of his days. The truth was, the amount of pent-up emotions, the repressed need to be close to her, it all cumulated into the burst out that he’s been experiencing for the whole day. He had to stop this; he knew he did.

But, damn him, he didn’t want to.

A sharp pain started building in his chest. The more he thought about pushing her away, the more he could feel the dread of what was to come. He was so lost in his head that he didn’t hear the door opening, and when they fell shut, he visibly tensed.

“There you are! I was wondering where you went.” Claire’s voice infiltrated his mind, and then she came into his field of vision. She was smiling, a wide and bright smile that made him want to smile too. He had to fight the invisible force that pulled on the corners of his lips.

It seemed as though he either concealed his emotions well, or she simply didn’t notice the melancholic scowl on his face. He hoped, for the sake of himself, that it was the former. Her steps guided her closer to him, until she was standing by his side, and she made a move to pull him closer to her, smirking slightly. He flinched, giving away almost instantly that something was wrong. Concern filled her features when she whispered. “Ethan?”

“We can’t.” he addressed the elephant in the room, even if she wasn’t aware that it was there in the first place. Now she knew, and pain slowly substituted the happiness that was she felt only seconds ago.

“I feel like I’ve heard that one before.”

Claire took a step back, breathing deeply. He felt himself breaking, tearing at the seams as seconds ticked by, but he held on. He had to be the strong one, the resilient one that would get them through this.

“You know why it had to be that way. Claire, I-“ he started talking, he wanted to explain something that they both already knew, but his breath caught in his throat and his voice broke. His eyes pleaded with her, to understand, to remember what was at stake, know how much it hurt him to push her away.

“If you didn’t want to start anything, then why would you kiss me today?” she breathed the words out, because she wasn’t strong enough to force her vocal cords to work. He cursed inwardly, his face falling. “You know how much it hurts me to even stand this close to you. You know how much pain it causes me to just stay within my lane and not cross the line. And yet…” she cut off, shaking her head and walking around him, her feet carrying her into a nervous pace. “… you have the audacity to kiss me? Why, Ethan. Why would you do that?”

He focused his eyes on the ground, for a long moment not saying a word. The silence was killing them both, slicing them like two sharp knives, tearing them apart. “Because we weren’t believable. It didn’t feel real, the hand holding and hugging. People were suspecting we weren’t together, or that we were, headed towards a divorce.”

“So you decided to sacrifice everything that we’ve worked for? And what for? So that we looked believable?” she exclaimed, not quite believing her own ears. She was getting riled up by the ridiculousness of the whole situation, and Ethan wasn’t helping her either.

“You want to know why I did that? I could tell you that it was because I wanted us to keep up the appearance. I could lie to your face and tell you that I thought about the consequences or how fucked up we would be if I kissed you.” He crossed the room in two long steps, taking her face between his hands to make her look at him. “But the truth is, I didn’t think about the consequences. I didn’t have the time or the opportunity, because as soon as you come close to me, I’m unable to think straight.”

She looked up at him, questions filling her green eyes to the brim. Questions that only he could answer. He stroked her cheeks, a thoughtful, distant look taking over his features for a second before he centered his attention on her again. “You’re dangerous, Claire. You make me want to throw everything I know out the window and follow you. I wasn’t lying when I said that everything yesterday felt empty and dull. It was pretending, it’s what we had to do. But today?” he pulled her even closer to him, her breath hitching at how intense his gaze was. “It wasn’t pretending.”

His lips slammed against hers with a force of a car, taking a deep breath, his whole posture tensing and relaxing immediately afterwards. Claire slowly threw her arms around his neck, pressing him even more into her, a quiet groan reverberating against him. It was like the sun going supernova, blinding them with its intensity. When he pulled away, his eyes remained closed for a long while, giving Claire an opportunity to take in the way his face spelled relief.

“This is not pretending, not for me. It never was.” He revealed, tense and unsure of what’s to come. And then he laughed, a real, true sound that took over his entire being. She observed him with a perplexed look on her face and started laughing with him too. “I can’t believe I finally said that.”

“Would you blame me if I told you that I can’t either?” allowing herself to grin, she lowered her hand to pinch his side playfully, making him yelp in surprise. They slowly caught their breaths, still holding on to each other. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, resting his palm against her cheek, then watched mesmerized when she nuzzled into it softly. “Can we forget the world exists? Just for tonight?”

Ethan considered her words carefully, much more intensely than he probably should. He knew the answer right away, the correct answer, and yet, that is not what he chose to follow. It wasn’t about being correct, it was about being right, and at that moment, nothing felt more right than to just pull her closer and not let her leave his side.

“For tonight, the world is thousands of miles away. You don’t have to worry about it.” he muttered delicately, his lips pressed to her temple with care. She sank into his embrace, at peace, relaxed, letting herself just be with him.

---------

“Are those all of your things? You didn’t forget anything?” he questioned, sweeping his eyes around the room one final time. Claire smirked before replying.

“Not all of us are old, Ethan. You on the other hand…” she trailed off, picking up his shirt, lying on the floor by the bed and hanging it from the tip of her finger, then throwing it at him with a laugh.

“I’m not even going to drown myself with excuses.” He chuckled, then folded the material and put it into his suitcase. His wedding band caught the ray of light, shining brightly. Grimacing, he slowly lifted his eyes to her, bitter taste in his mouth. “We- uh… we should probably do something about the rings.”

Claire sighed, her fingers playing with two bands absentmindedly. What were they supposed to do, get rid of them? Throw them out? Sell them? Donate them? “What do you think we should do?”

“I think we should put them back into the boxes and just leave them here.” He decided after a moment of careful consideration. She nodded, reaching for one of them, placing her rings inside with delicate precision, patting them gently before closing the lid. He watched the entire situation with a heavy heart, knowing well that it wasn’t about the material value of the rings, but the emotional one. Maybe that’s why his movements resembled hers when he mirrored her actions.

They placed the boxes under the table, on a small shelf, not visible unless one looked for it, then turned to their suitcases. Ethan grabbed one of his and began walking towards the door, leaving Claire behind him.

She bit her lip, looking between the boxes and Ethan, then her hand did a quick move, grabbing the one holding his rings, slipping it into the pocket of her jacket. Praying that her face would not betray her and that he would not notice.

“You’re coming or not?” he asked when he came back for the second suitcase, his eyebrow raising in question. She nodded, then squared her shoulders and left the room.

Ethan grabbed the handle of the bag and took a step towards the door when he was stopped by a quiet voice in his head. He battled with himself, for as long as he could before she would notice he didn’t follow her and check on him, and then, in a split second decision, moved his hand to take the box that held both her rings inside, and placed them in the pocket of his coat carefully.

“For a better time…” he muttered to himself quietly, then followed her voice out the door.

[perriewinklenerdie]

Into your arms (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

Author’s note: Hello, hello, hello! We are back with the other timeline fics. We already saw how their first day working together went down and how it ended, how they met, now it’s time to see how their relationship developed. I decided to not call it a series just yet, not sure if it’s even going to be a series, but I’m having way too much fun with it, so it is a possibility. For now, we have one shots :D

Special thanks to my sister from another mister, @usuallyamazinglyaverage for being my supreme proof reader and for helping me with finding song lyrics I needed <3

AO3 link:

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/21804250

 Tag list:   @paleweasels , @lilyofchoices , @hopelessromantic1352 , @aloehasrose , @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie,@choicesobsessedd, @cassiusownsmyass, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h

Enjoy! <3

-------------

„Okay, so that’s official. You’re a masochist.” She said as she rounded the corner of the reading room, two cups of coffee in her hands. Ethan looked up from the book he was currently working with, a smirk pulling on the corners of his lips.

“They let you out of class early? Maybe you should have stayed, it made you cocky.” He muttered, pulling the chair back so she could sit next to him. Passing him his drink, she bumped her shoulder against his playfully.

“What can I say, I’m just that brilliant.” Claire laughed, scrunching her nose at him before adding. “Nah, I’m just joking. They let us out, because Dr. Lavoie had a personal issue and they couldn’t find the substitute for him in time.”

“You are brilliant, Claire, I wasn’t joking.” He looked at her for a long time, smiling at her softly before turning back to his research. She looked over his shoulder, resting her chin against it as she read a few lines off the top of the page.

“How long have you been going at it here? It’s six pm and when we talked in the morning, you were entering the library.” She asked, noticing how his body tensed up a little as she mentioned the time, realizing how long he’s been in that room.

“I guess I lost the track of time. Of course, there are a number of other ways in which I would prefer to spend my day off, but since you had classes, I had nothing better to do than to do some research for the speech I’m working on for the next convention.” He nudged the book with his elbow as he reached for his cup, taking a few sips, closing his eyes, feeling the caffeine filling him up.

“Well, I’m so sorry, Sir, but I can’t skip classes. That’s not what a serious med student does. Besides, I’m pretty sure there is that Doctor that would be pretty upset with me if I skipped classes because I went to spend some time with a guy that has been dancing around me for the past three months.”

Ethan sat back, turning to look at her with a surprised expression on his face. What she said was true, they both knew it, and yet it always surprised him at how she could knock him off his feet with just one glance at him. He wasn’t used to it, they didn’t know each other that long, she definitely had too much of an impact on him. She made him nervous, every time he was with her, her had a feeling he would make a fool out of himself. He cleared his throat, her eyes focused on him.

“I- well- “

“No way. I’ve rendered Ethan Ramsey speechless. Give me my calendar, I’ll write it down or no one will believe me.” She joked, smiling smugly at him before leaning over to kiss his cheek softly. “Oh my god, are you blushing? You’re totally brushing, Ramsey, the sky is falling.”

“You can stop with the teasing now, Herondale.”

They each immersed themselves into their own work for the next hour or so, sharing occasional smiles and looking at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking, both acutely aware of it happening. Below the table, their feet kept on nudging each other, making them smirk as they did everything they could to not look up from their reading. When the clock struck seven thirty pm, Ethan closed his book with a sigh, turning to look at her. Maybe she was aware of it, maybe she wasn’t, regardless of it, he got a chance to observe the way her nose scrunched up when she found something ridiculous, how her eyes got just a little bit bigger when she stumbled upon a thing she was looking for, or how adorable her dimples were when she smiled, in the exact moment she acknowledged that he was staring.

“I guess that’s the end of our study session, isn’t it?” she asked, looking at him. He nodded, reaching for her book, closing it as he put it on top of the one he was reading minutes ago. “Okay, so what are we doing now? Judging by the look in your eyes, you already have something in mind, so let’s hear it.”

“I was thinking- and it’s just a suggestion- that we could go for a drink or two? The same place as last time?”

“You really want to try that wine I had, don’t you?” she teased him, nodding her head in agreement. “Great idea, Ramsey, let’s go. And try not to trip while you’re staring at me.”

---- ---- ----

Rather than going there by his car, they decided to drive back to his apartment, leave it there and walk to the bar, since it wasn’t that far. Their car ride was filled with conversation. That is, until he turned on the radio and Claire decided that she wasn’t going to be listening to classical music, as fantastic as it was, when she had a full day of classes after her, and an evening in the bar ahead of them. The very first song that came on turned out to be her favorite. As did the next five. And she sang the lyrics to all of them. Ethan was amused to say the least, especially when she leaned really close to him and muttered the lines ‘Just let me stay, stay in your arms, I’m ready to give, give up the fight, into your arms, into your soul, maybe I’m losing, I’m losing control’ into his ear.

After leaving the car in the parking lot underneath his apartment complex, they made their way to the bar. His fingers found hers, tangling together in a tight grip, his thumb tracing circles on the top of her palm. The only visible sign that he was enjoying himself was the soft smile that grazed his features, even though on the inside he was bursting with energy that even the slightest touch provided.

Upon entering the bar, they were hit with the air that was much warmer than the one on the outside, a strong scent of spices with the undertone of alcohol reaching their senses. He took her coat, hanging it with his on the coatrack before putting his hand on the small of her back hesitantly, steering them both into the booth on the side of the room. Claire leaned back with a contented smile, watching as Ethan ordered them both a glass of wine with spices at the bar. He looked back at her, smiling delicately, looking down at his feet as she winked at him cheekily. A few minutes later he came back, sliding into the seat next to her, shaking his head at her behavior.

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you.” he stated, resting his head on his hand. She shrugged her shoulders innocently.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just enjoy looking at fine things, and you, Mr. Ramsey, are the finest one here.” She leaned onto the table too, skimming her eyes all over him before their eyes met again. She could see the effect her words had on him. “I also really enjoy making you flustered.”

“Part of your personal charm.” He smirked, inching closer to her. She mirrored his actions, making them sit even closer.

“Is it working?”

“… maybe.”

Their obvious flirting was interrupted by a waiter, bringing their drinks to the table. Once they were alone again, their banter resumed, muttering to each other quietly. He raised his glass, looking into her eyes deeply.

“To the great evening.”

“To the great company.” She shot back, biting her lip, watching as his blue eyes darkened just the slightest bit. He took a sip of the wine, letting the smooth taste graze his tongue, the liquid warming him up, the rich spices tickling his palette. She hummed softly as she drank a bit of her wine, taking in their surroundings. Some sort of a song was playing in the background, one she couldn’t recognize. It did however have a nice beat to it, perfect for some dancing, and it just so happened that she felt like standing up and moving her body a little. Without a warning, she stood up and walked onto the dancefloor, closing her eyes and letting herself loose.

The way she was moving was hypnotizing to Ethan, causing his gaze to be glued to her body. She must have been aware of that, must have felt his eyes on her, because her hips started swaying from side to side, her arms rising above her head. To the outsider, it looked like a consciously made decision, but in reality, him standing up and walking over to her seemed to him like it was happening behind the fog, and only when his hands touched her hips gently did his mind catch up with his actions, making him stop in his tracks.

Claire relaxed back into his as soon as she realized who he was, and continued dancing, reaching behind her to grip the back of his neck, bringing him closer to her. He breathed in her scent, orange blossoms tickling his nose gently. They got lost in the feeling of their bodies, so close together, the hot air that surrounded them, and the music that was setting them both in motion, erasing the rest of the world and leaving only them. Ethan leaned forward, breathing her name, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear, making her shiver.

After the song ended, they went back to their booth, and the whole situation felt like a fever dream. They were both flushed and flustered, eyes wide, breathing heavily. He finished the rest of his drink in one, big swing and they went back to their conversation as though nothing happened, even though on the inside, they were both screaming for more.

Before either of them knew it, the evening became the night and if they had any real chance at getting some rest, they had to leave at that exact moment. Ethan paid for their drinks and went to get their coats. He helped her put hers on, his touch lingering a lot longer than it should, his fingers squeezing her shoulders a little. They left the bar the same way as they came in, holding hands, walking just a bit closer to each other than before.

She was living in the dormitory, not that far away from the bar or his apartment, so their walk wasn’t the longest, but they still made it count. They talked a bit, but not that much, mostly being in complete silence, reveling in the presence of one another, and the feeling of their touch. As her room came into the view, she turned around to him, her blonde hair illuminated with the artificial lighting of the streetlamps, changing the color of her strands from sandy to gold. He reached with his hand, running his fingers through them, smiling at her.

“Are you going to be okay with going back on your own? It is pretty late, I don’t want you to get hurt.” She said, concern coloring her voice. He shook his head, allowing his hand to fall back down against his side.

“I’ll be fine, I would be worried if you had to walk back on your own. That’s why I walked you home.”

“Is that the only reason you did that?” she teased, taking a step towards him, raising her head gently. His eyes flashed with something playful and mischievous as his fingers twitched slightly, fighting the urge to touch her again.

“One of them. Because I didn’t want anything to happen to you and-“

“Ethan?” she interrupted him with a giggle.

“Yes?”

“You can kiss me now.” she stated, flashing him a grin. His eyes widened, his blue irises darkening a shade or two, his breathing becoming elevated.

It seemed as though he fought with himself on whether he should do it. It seemed like a big deal, and it probably was. It shouldn’t be treated lightly, he wanted it to be important, he wanted it to mean something, he wanted it to be perfect. So many times, he imagined that moment, and none of those scenarios that his mind threw at him in the middle of the night or day included him kissing her outside of her dorm room, but here they were. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he dove forward.

His hand grasped the sides of her face, pulling her closer to him, their gazes locking in an intense stare. He could see all kinds emotions in them, from uncertainty and nervousness to longing and affection, all the things he himself was feeling every time he so much as thought of her. His eyes asked for her permission, one final time, and she nodded, a barely visible movement, before he closed the distance between them, and their lips touched.

It was sweet and it was perfect, everything he could have imagined and more. They melted into each other, her hands coming up to grip his sides gently, pulling him closer by the lapels of his coat. The kisses were slow, gently gaining intensity, mirroring the way he fell for her. He could feel her smiling against him, his one hand moving to her waist, pressing her flush to him with a hum. It could have been an eternity later when he moved away, opening his eyes to look at her. Hers were still closed, a gentle smile of satisfaction pulling on the corners of her lips. When her green irises met his blue ones, he could see how much her emotions gained in intensity in the past seconds. He opened his mouth, whispering her name, and before he could say anything else, she interrupted him.

“Ethan?”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me again.”

[perriewinklenerdie]

Wine and flying mistletoes (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

Author’s note: Hello, hello, hello! Christmas writing is fun, pass it on :D This fic came together throughout the day, got finished late at night, and I was replaying OH in between writing, so as you can probably guess, I’m an emotional mess, going through Ethan Ramsey withdrawal :D

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21731254

  Tag list:   @paleweasels , @lilyofchoices , @hopelessromantic1352 , @aloehasrose , @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie,@choicesobsessedd, @cassiusownsmyass, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h

Enjoy! <3

------------

Christmas always reminded her of her family. How her father would come home from work with a perfect tree and then spend the next three hours figuring out the right place for it and then another two, tangled in strings of colorful lights. Her mother was in the kitchen, baking and cooking, laughing at the face her husband made when the lights were placed on the tree but just weren’t working, driving him mad. Claire left her childhood home when she decided to move to the US and study medicine there. It wasn’t an easy decision, given the fact that she was living right in the middle of Europe, and the flight to New York took 12 hours on the plane. She thought about it, long and hard, before finally deciding to do it, having full support of her family.

Her friends decided that they either decorate their apartment right, or they don’t do it at all, so by the end of the previous night, lights were hanging around the ceiling, a tree was standing by the window and a few candles adorned the free spaces, giving the room a soft glow when they were lighted. Not to mention the smell, spreading the warmth in every room.

Claire came home earlier than the rest of her friends, changing into the most comfortable clothes she had, preparing herself for the workout that would be baking and cooking. She was the only one of her friends that wasn’t going to visit her family for Christmas, as she was living too far away from them and she didn’t have that much money saved up to go back any time she wanted. Instead, she was staying at home, most likely with a good book and a warm blanket, enjoying the quiet evening. It wasn’t the first thing she would have decided on if she had a choice, she always preferred to be with people she loved in this time of year, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

She made her way to the kitchen, her bare feet making soft noises against the wooden floor as she went. Looking around the living room, she decided to turn on the lights they put up the day before, as well as the lights on the tree, and then deciding to light one of the candles too. She took a look behind the window as she walked to the kitchen counter but couldn’t see much. Snow was falling much more heavily now, nowhere near the delicate sprinkle that she experienced as she was walking back home. The world was slowly disappearing behind the thick curtain of white, making her feel as though she was on top of the world, all alone, not disturbed by all the troubles that she left behind the door when she came home.

Sitting down with a steaming cup of tea, she started going over her game plan. She wanted to bake something for her friends to take with them for the holidays and some festive food for herself, determined to make the Christmas feel like Christmas, even if only a little bit. She got up, prepared all the ingredients she needed and got to work. Time seemed to fly the more she got done, and she wouldn’t even have noticed that the afternoon turned into an evening if it wasn’t for the doorbell that broke through the silence. She grabbed the hand towel and walked over to answer it. Claire’s eyes didn’t focus on the door, instead observing the situation in the kitchen. Her hand grabbed the handle, opening the front door slowly.

“Do you always greet people with flour in your hair?” Ethan’s voice dripped with sarcasm, making her head whip around to look at him. He was the last person she expected to see that evening. She noticed the way his eyes dragged up and down her body, taking in the way she looked, before coming back to her eyes, spark of amusement in them.

“Dr. Ramsey! What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, dropping the piece of material she was holding. Too surprised to pick it up, she left it where it was, staring at him with wide eyes. He sighed heavily, leaning down to pick it up, snickering at the flour that flew into the air when he folded it into a neat square.

“I’m here to pick you up for a party.”

“In that case, I’m terribly sorry I didn’t put my dress on.” she smirked, raising her eyebrow at him. Their eyes fought for a while, seeing who would look away first. She won. “Seriously, though, what are you doing here?”

“You left those in my office.” He lifted a handful of files, his face straight, expressionless. “I know it’s Christmas and you most probably won’t even look at them, but I thought you might need them later on, so just in case…”

She nodded, taking them from him, their fingers brushing against one another for a split second. She felt a spark run up her arm, barely there, but enough to make her startled. Neither of them said anything, just stood there wordlessly for a long moment. After a while, she seemed to have snapped out of a dreamlike haze, turning around to look outside the window. The snow was still falling heavily, seemingly even worse than before.

“Thank you for the files, Dr. Ramsey.” She spoke softly, a hint of a smile on his face as he took a step to say goodbye and leave. She called out after him, noticing how his shoulders tensed as he heard her voice again. “I don’t want to say anything, but it seems as though the storm is picking up and I would not be comfortable with letting you go out into that mess. Who will take over the diagnostic team if you freeze out there?”

Her giggle was what finally caused him to turn around, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. He walked back to her side, watching her for a moment before getting inside, letting the door fall shut behind them. The warmth engulfed him like a blanket as he sat down in the kitchen, leaving the towel he was still holding on the counter. Claire went back to work, kneading the dough in the bowl for a while before dunking it out onto the flat surface.

“So, how was- uh, your day?” she asked, panting as she worked, force she was using making her a little tired.

“Wow, Rookie, your hospitality is one for the books.” He laughed, leaning forward, resting on his elbows. “It’s been long and tiring, as it is every year. Christmas songs should have a limit of how many times one can play it a day.”

“That bad, huh? And my hospitality is amazing, thank you very much. I would have offered you something to drink or eat, but I really needed to finish the dough so it can rise.” She scrunched her nose at him playfully, grabbing the towel he left and covering the dough with it. She sighed softly, training her eyes on him. “Okay, you have my full attention now. Did you come here by car?”

“And just why would you like to know that?” he asked, surprised by her question. He watched her as she walked to the other side of the kitchen, opening the cabinet.

“I have some wine that is best when it’s hot, and I think you’d like it, but I’m not going to give you alcohol if you have a car to drive later.” She explained, looking away from the shelf before her and back to him.

“In that case, I came by a taxi, so by all means…” he waved his hand, the corners of his lips lifting just the tiniest bit. Claire nodded, standing on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf, taking the bottle into her hands. He noticed how relaxed she was, moving around the kitchen with ease. It’s been a while since he last saw her like that, and it was a sight he welcomed eagerly. While he remained seated, she poured the liquid into the pot, adding a few spices and letting it warm up. Humming under her breath, she danced around the kitchen a little, almost as though Ethan wasn’t even there, giving him a first-row view of her being carefree. Claire poured the wine into two glasses, passing him one of them and then going back to work.

“Thank you.” he wrapped his fingers around the warm glass, running his eyes over the many dishes she had already finished. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Cooking. Baking. Drinking wine. Answering obvious questions from my boss.” She smirked, locking her eyes with his as she took a sip of her drink. He held her gaze for a moment before standing up from his seat, taking a short look around the space that surrounded him. With her permission, he went into the living room to do some exploring. As he was looking at the Christmas tree, he asked.

“Very funny, Rookie. I’m serious, though. Why are you here, cooking the amount of food that could feed an army?”

“I’m cooking for my friends and for myself. I do have to eat something for the next three days, and now that you’re here, I’ll send you home with some of the food too.” She answered, already looking for some sort of a container to pack the food for him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she already held her hand up, stopping him before he said anything. “There is no way you’re leaving here without food. It would be against my nature and my genes would most likely combust if I don’t show enough hospitality.” She laughed, walking to the fridge to fetch a bowl with filling for the cake she was making.

“What could you possibly mean by that?”

“My family is Polish, I would literally die if I didn’t give you food to take home with you. That’s just how it is, no use in arguing about it.” she revealed, her accent suddenly hard, completely different from what he was used to. While he was in a state of shock, she began rolling out the dough and spreading the filling for it.

“How is it that I’m finding out about it just now?”

“Well, we never really talked about anything like that, it never came up before. Ugh, I should have listened to my Mom.” She answered and then moaned immediately after as she stared at the cake before her.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, walking over to her, confused. She moved to the side, letting him stand next to her. “What kind of cake is that supposed to be?”

“Poppy seed cake. It’s a traditional Christmas cake in Poland, and that recipe is my Mom’s. She did mention that it would be hard for me to do, as it is my first time doing it, but I didn’t think it would be that hard.” Claire explained, leaning onto the counter with defeat spelled across her face.

“What do you need to do?”

“Roll it up, tight enough so that when it bakes, there are no big pockets of air in between layers. Which is going to be impossible to do, so I might as well just give up.” she shook her head, rubbing her forehead with her fingers.

“Okay, let’s see what we can do.” Ethan muttered under his breath, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up. Claire stared at him with wide eyes, confused and definitely shocked at his willingness and eagerness to help her.

“You know how to bake?”

“Not exactly, but I’m sure we can figure out something together.” He stopped in his tracks, trying to think of the best way to get to it, before finally deciding that the most effective way to roll up the cake would be to stand behind her, his arms on either side of her. He embraced her gently, leaving space for her to push him away, and for a moment he thought she just might do that. Her whole body tensed the moment he touched her, and the sensation almost made him step away, but then she relaxed a bit, letting him come a bit closer, their hands next to each other. Working together, they managed to get the cake done, moved to the baking sheet and put it into the oven. Claire turned around to thank him, only to see him already looking at her, a spark in his eye being almost playful.

“You have some flour… here-“ He reached towards her with his hand, brushing her cheek delicately. His touch lingered for a long time, his gaze softening. She noticed a smudge of flour on the tip of his nose and reached for him too, swiping her fingers over it slowly. Their eyes met finally met, intense and deep with unspoken words and feelings, left to hang in the air around them.

“Claire…” he muttered under his breath, leaning towards her just a little bit, his lips tingling with anticipation. She seemed to begin doing it too, despite herself, wanting nothing more to feel him again, even if only for a short moment.

“Claire, I’m back! You better have that cake for me or I’ll be very- oh. Hi, Dr. Ramsey!” Sienna’s cheerful voice made them jump away from each other as though they got burned, standing on the opposite ends of the counter. She looked between the pair, a hint of a smirk playing on her face.

“The cake is, uh, almost done baking. Everything else is ready for you to pack.” Claire answered, refusing to look at Ethan again.

“Great! So, what are you doing this Christmas, Dr. Ramsey? Any plans, if I may ask?” Sienna asked, digging into her bag, searching for god only knew what. Ethan cleared his throat, drumming his fingers against the flat surface beneath them.

“I’m staying at home. Naveen gave me a few days off, I’ll spend it with Jenner.” He said, his voice back to the emotionless one that he used at work.

“Oh! So is Claire! You’re staying at home, right?” she turned to her best friend, only to see Claire’s eyes already on her, daggers practically flying her way.

“…Yes.”

Sienna didn’t say anything else for a while, finally finding what she was looking for. Using a moment of distraction, she threw something right at them. They both saw it at the same time, taking a step towards each other to avoid getting hit by the object. The said thing flew over their heads, a clean arch above them, before falling to the ground on the other side of the room. Claire turned to see what that was and as soon as she realized what Sienna did, she blushed a deep shade of red, killing her friend with her eyes once more.

“Rookie, what was tha- oh.” Ethan started speaking, only to be cut off by the sight of a small bundle of mistletoe, lying on the ground. Only moments ago, it was flying above them, and now it was right there, leaving them in a rather difficult position.

“Sienna, I don’t know what you wanted to achieve, but it doesn’t work like that.” Claire tried to find them a way out of a situation, but Sienna didn’t let her finish.

“No, no, no. Was it over your heads? Then it counts. Now come on, kiss already.” She giggled, shaking her head at how childish they were acting. It was just a kiss. Of course, Sienna knew that for these two, it wasn’t just a kiss, but she wasn’t about to let them get away from it.

Claire thought she was about to die, any moment now. Ethan’s eyes were staring at her intensively, just as unsure of what to do as she was. They both knew that there was nothing that Sienna could do to make them kiss, really, but the idea was very potent, and the opportunity presented itself. They were standing so close to each other that all she had to do was tilt her head upwards a little, and he had to bend down just a bit, and their lips would brush against one another. And that’s exactly what happened a few seconds later.

It somehow was better than either of them remembered it to be. It could, of course, have been the added factor of longing and the distance they kept between each other for the past few months, it could have been the undeniable chemistry that she always felt when he was near. It could have been the spirit of Christmas, or the risk factor that made their blood rush through their bodies quicker. Regardless of the reasons behind her strong reaction, she was almost certain that if she were to step away from him right this second, her knees would buckle underneath her and she would fall to the ground. Their hands, hanging by their sides, found each other, fingers tangling together and holding on for dear life. After what could have been mere seconds or millions of eternities, they leaned away from each other, their eyes once more locked in an intense stare that made their storm of emotions even more complicated and even more intense. Claire was breathing heavily, still holding his hand, and was about to say something when the timer on the oven went off, startling them both, throwing them back into the reality.

“Um… thank you for your help with baking. I don’t think I could have done it without you.” she whispered before moving to get the cake out of the oven, letting it cool down as she prepared the rest of the food for him to take home. A quick look out the window revealed that the snowstorm has died down and it was safe for him to go back home now. He grabbed his coat and walked towards the door, taking the package from her hands when she handed it to him.

“No point in arguing, right?” he asked with a slight smirk, looking at her one last time. She shook her head with a ghost of a smile.

“No.”

He was about to say something more, but ultimately decided against it. Nodding his head, he moved to leave, turning around by the door.

“Merry Christmas, Claire.”

“Merry Christmas, Ethan.”

The door separated them and Claire was once more alone. Sienna left to get her bags, letting Claire have a moment to process what had happened. She would be lying if she said that the thought of Ethan’s lips on hers wasn’t haunting her dreams. Now that she tasted him again, she felt the hunger that she was sure has been pushed aside and quieted months ago. Turns out, the feelings she had for him never went away, and now they came back to hit her twice as hard. With a wistful smile, she walked to the tree in the middle of the room, watching the lights flickering in the dim light. Her eyes caught the glimpse of something lying underneath it, a small box, wrapped with expertise and care. Ethan.

She picked it up, moving to sit on the couch, startled and speechless. She could pinpoint the exact moment in which he must have left it there, and a wide grin made its way onto her lips as she pulled the ribbon to open it. A small card was inside, along with the smallest piece of mistletoe she had ever seen.

If you find yourself alone this Christmas, you know where to find me.

She doesn’t remember the last time she got dressed so quickly, and she prayed that the taxi would not get stuck in traffic. Twenty minutes later, she was standing before the door to his apartment, looking into his eyes.

“Rookie.” He whispered, smiling at her gently. She smirked, holding up a piece of mistletoe he gave her, as high above their heads as possible.

“I heard that I could find someone here to spend my Christmas with.” She teased and he laughed, taking a step towards her, his hand running up and down her side.

“That would appear to be correct. But what made you come here?” he whispered, looking into her eyes curiously. She took one final step, their lips brushing together when she answered.

“Did you honestly expect me to stay away from you after a kiss like that?” Claire’s voice was low and filled with longing, so much more intense than he’s heard it in a while. Ethan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest, speaking final words before kissing her properly, dragging her into his apartment.

“I can give you so much more.”