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smutfornerds · 6 years

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Lousy Neighbors // Cisco x Reader

A/N: Tada! Finished this lil drunken Cisco nonsense. highkey in my mind this is after he goes shot for shot with Ralph, who makes his liver grow to cheat and get Cisco nice and hammered. Enjoy my lovelies!!

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“Baby please c’mere I juss wanna love on you!” Cisco’s slurred words carried through the small apartment from the kitchen, and you hastily stumbled to clap a hand over his mouth. “And I just want to get to bed without waking all our neighbors.” You retorted, slipping your free hand into his to tug him behind you. You felt him grin before your fingers left his face. He stumbled into the bedroom behind you, forcing you to collapse onto the bed with his arm pinning you to the mattress. “Cisco, we need to get ready for bed.” Before he responded he sat up, trying to pull his tee shirt over his shoulders. A small giggle escaped your lips at the struggle and you aided his movements to help him discard it and throw it to the floor. “Thank you m’lady.” He drawled, leaning over to lazily peck your cheek. The faint smell of his many cocktails and shots tickled your nose and you scrunched it just a bit. Instead of pulling back however you heard a small hum leave him, and he dipped his lips down to your neck and placed slow wet kisses against your skin. A sound between a whimper and a groan pushed from your lips as you did the same to Cisco, scooting back towards the pillows. Your own alcohol swirled in your head as you fought his advances. “I love you but we need to get to bed, we both have work tomorrow.” Your final word was met with your feet to the floor, moving towards the bathroom to brush your teeth and change. Before you closed the door behind you, you heard Cisco grumbling. “All I do at work is wait for shit to go wrong anyways.”

After a quick wash of your face you slipped into sleep shorts and another of Cisco’s discarded tee shirts that had been hanging on the back of the bathroom door. When you re-entered the room he had managed to light two candles on either of your nightstands, strip himself and wiggle into bed with the blankets on your side pulled back for you. He gave a small pat to the sheet with a wide grin on his face. “Bed time, b-e-a-u-tiful.” He cooed up to you, tilting his head cheekily with a glint in his eye to match. You couldn’t help the laugh that breezed past your lips at his efforts, and damn it if he didn’t look like the cutest little shit you’d ever seen. In two small steps you were at the edge of the bed, and you watched Cisco trail his tongue over his lips as his eyes fell to your chest. “Ya know,” he sat up abruptly and faced you, exposing he’d fully stripped in the time you’d been gone and causing you to giggle even more. His eyes never wavered from their locked position on you. “I think I like that shirt better on me you little thief you.” The smirk on his face brought an equally playful smile to yours. “Oh really? Gonna steal it back then?” You arched a brow and that was all the invitation he needed. He reached a hand out, pinching the fabric between his fingers and tugging you into him. His lips crashed to yours briefly, just enough to entice you and tease you, before his hands slipped under the thin cotton to pull it over your shoulders. He feigned as if he was going to wear it, slipping an arm in one sleeve before shaking his head. “Nah never mind.” He mumbled under his breath as the shirt fell to the floor.

Again his hands found you, tugging you onto the bed and catching you as you tripped on top of him. He gripped your thighs tightly, rolling you to your back and lingering with his lips against your collar bone. You felt him suckle the skin between his teeth and nibble slightly, barely giving enough pressure but ensuring a small mark be left there for him and everyone else to ogle later. Another whimper escaped you, this one much more helpless than the last. Cisco’s strong hands stayed gripping your hips, his thumbs ever so gently rubbing the skin above the waistband of your shorts. He moved his lips lower, kissing sloppily down your chest before slicking his tongue over your nipple. Your eyes fluttered open finally, and you whined watching him take your sensitive skin into his mouth and flick his tongue against the bud, hardening it almost instantly. A satisfied smirk curled at Cisco’s lips and he quickly moved his hands over and down your hips pulling your shorts off. The look of gratitude that crossed his features seeing you weren’t wearing any panties beneath them was too funny for you not to chuckle at, and he narrowed his gaze at you now. His eyes looked almost charcoal colored with the way the alcohol set a haze over them. Or could that be the mix of lust and love that was driving him? Either way it made your heart pump twice as fast in your chest just because he was staring so intently and intensely down at you.

The silence of the room hung as his eyes raked down your figure and he finally broke it with a low hum. “You- mmph. You’re the most gorgeous woman in the multiverse you know that?” He tried to sound seductive and suave but the inebriated wobble to his voice was still present. Nonetheless it made a wide and genuine smile spread across your face. Without letting you respond his lips were back to yours, but his fingers had darted between your spread thighs to tease at the forming wetness already there. Once he knew he’d gotten you excited a primal switch turned on in him, and his kiss went from sensual to hungry in an instant. His free hand moved to brace your neck as the pads of his fingers grazed your clit. Cisco knew your body all too well, and he braced your hips with his own as you bucked into his hand at the friction. The way you tensed and twitched made a smug laugh trickle out into the kiss as he moved his fingers against your clit in sporadic circles. Your own needy moan met his lips and Cisco sighed at the sound, pulling your bare chest flush to his as your breathing picked up. Wasting no time he let small reverberations swell through his fingers and onto you, causing your back to arch sharply off the mattress and press yourself even further into his chest. He finally broke from your lips to let you sing his praises, your whimpers and increasingly gaudier moans filling the apartment let alone the tiny bedroom. “Not so worried about all those neighbors hearing now huh baby?” His tone had dipped into a raspy and antagonistic growl. The goosebumps on your skin were answer enough for him. Foregoing any verbal warnings he lined himself up to your now soaked entrance, teasing himself into you just barely. His own sultry groan hit your ears and you whined back in response, attempting to raise your hips as they continued to shake at his touch. “Fuck.. Cisco please?” The crack in your voice was his last straw being pulled.

In a hasty few seconds he removed his hand from you and pushed himself to fill you, hips ground into yours and forcing deliciously guttural noises from the both of you. Cisco sat there, twitching inside you for a moment and letting you convulse around his length as you adjusted. His palms pressed into your hips, fingers wrapping around your back to angle you just right before he pulled back again. He kept this movement slow, letting you feel every inch of him. Another much needier, breathier plead came out of your lips. “God just fuck me already.” Cisco’s brows snapped up at how blunt you’d been, and he huffed a sigh that contained the last shred of his self control. “You don’t have to tell me twice..” His hips snapped forward into you instantly filling you again, your head falling back just as quickly into the mattress. The way he gripped your skin stung just enough to send shockwaves to your nerves with every thrust. One of your hands gripped onto his forearm to help brace yourself, the other moving to your chest to roll your nipple between your fingers. Cisco groaned at the sight of you, hips curling in to meet his and pleasing yourself as you writhed under him. Even with the sloppier thrusts he was nailing your every pleasure point, all but the one still throbbing from his teasing and foreplay. He knew if he wanted to hear you screaming he had to cover all the bases. So he waited, wildly thrusting into you all the while waiting to feel himself dripping with precum before delivering his final blow. Another strained groan left him watching your back arch, and he took the opportunity to wrap one arm tightly around your back, the other slipping to where your bodies met.

Again your eyes popped open to find Cisco’s warm espresso colored eyes staring back at you. Their normal hue, inviting and loving and sweet all tucked behind those pupils. He slowed his thrusts just barely to lean over you and envelop your lips in a hot and passionate kiss. His tongue teased against your bottom lip as he pulled away causing you to whine at the lack of contact, only for him to send strong pulses of vibration to your clit, forcing the sound to turn to a breathless and choked out moan. Cisco relished the sound but needed more, so desperately wanting to watch you come undone. Increasing the strength of his powers he returned to the harsh thrusting he’d been going at before. Soon your entire body was shaking and twitching, and his arm around you cradled you tightly to him as to secure you in more ways than one. Keeping his gaze on your scrunched brows and widely gaped mouth he upped the power yet again and you lost yourself in the feeling. Your hands grasped at the sheets below you as your body shook and trembled. A loud shriek rang out of you as you let go. Every thought in your head was washed away with the wave of your orgasm hitting you, but Cisco didn’t let it end there. He felt the way your walls clenched around him and feeling your release made a shaky sigh rattle out of him. The vibrations lulled but never ceased, causing you into a practically constant shiver at his touch. You were still panting and clenched around him when he picked up the pace of his hips.

A string of helpless whimpers left you with every breath and he simply revved the vibes up with every little pleading noise. Before you could gasp for air you were hurtling towards your second release, and Cisco couldn’t last much longer himself. This time your hand latched into his hair, tugging sharply at his locks as your body coiled into his. Feeling your second orgasm spill against his pulsing length was nearly enough to send him. His arm moved up your back and he laid down over you, pinning you to the mattress with his body as he relentlessly railed into you. His thrusts turned sloppy and out of time, and you brought your lips to his just as a groan of release bubbled up from his throat. One of his favorite things was to have your lips on his as he came, and you felt him shudder against you at the contact you gave him. He slowed to a stop but kept himself buried in you, just like when he started. He peppered your lips with wet and somewhat slimy kisses, gaining a contented sigh front the both of you as he slipped himself from your core. Breaking from your lips he lazily collapsed next to you, heaving out a deep breath as he bounced on the bed. For a moment he sat there eyes closed and regulating his breathing, one hand resting behind his head and the other fiddling through the sheets before intertwining with your own. A giddy smile curled your lips up and you rolled into his warm chest, snuggling up to him despite the thin layers of sweat drying on the both of you. “I love you so fuckin’ much baby.” Cisco muttered, fighting through a yawn in the last syllable. He failed to reopen his eyes but had a dopey smile plastered across his face as he laid back. “I love you too Cis, goodnight.” You pecked his cheek, pushing the hair from his face and grinning when he leant into your touch and eventually onto the pillow when you pulled your hand away. “Mm, g’nighty..” He was barely audible as he slurred the words into a hum, drifting off not long after. You pulled the blankets up around the both of you, cuddling close and lacing your hand with his as you passed out effortlessly into your slightly sweat-soaked pillow.

#the title is a stretch i just couldnt for the life of me think of one so theres that tbqh #the flash #cisco ramon #cisco ramon smut #cisco ramon x reader #the flash smut #the flash fanfiction

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bunnis-babes · 6 years

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Hiya! Guess who's back! Can I please get Bakugo/Todoroki/Midoriya with a extremely drunk s/o, like drunk to the point they can barely walk.

Lol, Idk what to do for this...

I’m from America and I’m kinda uncomfortable wrinting for anyone under the legal drinking age over here getting drunk so… yeah s/o and the boys are all 21+. (Apparently it’s 20 in Japan, but fuck that.)

Todoroki

❄️🔥Todoroki isn’t one to drink, but he will have the occasional glass of something to help him relax a bit.

❄️🔥His s/o on the other hand, enjoyed drinking and did it quite often. Surprisingly, they didn’t get drunk very easily, which would explain why he was so surprised picking them up.

❄️🔥His s/o and a couple of her friends had decided to go out to a club, relax a bit and take a break from adult life for a bit.

❄️🔥Apparently, they partied a bit too hard, and got themselves wasted.

❄️🔥Their friends, the ones that weren’t drunk, called todoroki to come pick them up, for their own safety.

❄️🔥He had to admit, he did enjoy seeing them so blushy and disoriented, Reminded him of….. more fun times.

❄️🔥He instantly notices they aren’t walking, like at all, so he picks them up bridal style trying to ignore their incessant flirting.

❄️🔥”You’re so strong and handsome Shou.~” God was it hard to do!

❄️🔥They were running their hands all over his chest, through his har, trying to steal kisses from him as they walked.

❄️🔥He could smell the alcohol on their breath, and it was way too strong. He needed to get them home right away.

❄️🔥The car ride home was fun… especially the parts where Todoroki had to stop their hands from delving into his pants.

❄️🔥He carried them into the house as quickly as he could, trying his hardest to swallow their wandering hands away.

❄️🔥He does give them a quick makeout session in the house, but thats all their getting until they can thinks straight.

❄️🔥Shouto is all about the love, respect, and consent aspects of sex.

❄️🔥”Baby, you’re sssssooo hot! I juss wanna fuuck you- please lemm-“

“You need to rest love.”

❄️🔥Finds the little babbling they do adorable, despite the sexual undertones of them.

❄️🔥By the end of the night he locks them in the bedroom and sleeps on the couch, for both of their own goods. He wasn’t sure how much longer either of them could hold back.

❄️🔥In the morning, when they get their mega hangover, he gives them some pain relievers and water.

❄️🔥He gives them a bunch of cuddles and wait on them hand and foot, because thats just what he likes to do.

❄️🔥God bless our boy.

Izuku

🥦Has never partaken in the forbidden fruit that is alcohol ever, not once. He’s a good boy, and he would never even think about it.

🥦He was fully aware that his s/o was a stress drinker - and an emotional drunk - so he tried his best to keep them away from alcohol as much as possible.

🥦He made sure there was no alcohol in the house, and was careful to warm their friends about their issues when they went out to party.

🥦He’s really just a caring cautious boyfriend, and really wants nothing but the best for them.

🥦Sometimes they slip by him though, and he can’t stop them. Like tonight.

🥦He had gotten into a long and life threatening battle with a villain, and his s/o obviously saw this.

🥦So they snuck out, bought a couple of bottles of assorted alcohol and started chugging.

🥦By the time Izuku was home, they were already a sobbing emotional mess curled up on the couch.

🥦Hearing him come in caused them to suddenly bolt up and run, well try to run, toward him.

🥦They obviously kinda fell down, causing them to start crying more, and Izuku was really at a loss for words.

🥦They were letting out incoherent strings of words through their sobs as he walked toward them. When he bent down to help them up, they latched onto him like he was a life source, squeezing him to death.

🥦”Don’t you ever do that again you dummy! I though you were gonna die.” they sobbed into his shoulder.

🥦He would pick them up and cuddle them on the couch the whole rest of the night, admiring their adorably drunken form.

🥦As stressful as it was for him to care for his drunk s/o it was adorable and very entertaining for him.

🥦He fell asleep with them on top of him on the couch, arms wrapped around them comfortingly.

🥦The next morning, after getting yelled at for worrying them again, he gave them some meds to ease the pain of their hangover.

🥦He makes them a bowl of their favorite kind of sweet and just lazes around with them all day as an apology.

🥦He shows them the videos he took of them the night before, because he does that, and he convinces them to let him keep at least one video.

🥦You’re lucky you’re cute Izuku. Very, very lucky.

Bakugou

💥Bakugou isn’t a heavy drinker surprisingly. He might go out and have a few with the guys, but not really all the time. Once every few months, and it takes a lot to get him drunk as well.

💥His s/o, on the other hand, is a light drinker who is quite the little flirt when it comes down to it.

💥They will flirt with anyone they can, so Bakugou is ver cautious when it comes to them going out and drinking.

💥What if someone takes advantage of them when he isn’t around?

💥He is aware that their flirting is all in good fun, but he still doesn’t like it at all.

💥He’s also painfully aware of how sexy and tempting they can be a times, but it’s not like he’d ever let another man think about touching his baby.

💥So when he was at the bar with his s/o, watching them proceed to get more and more drunk and drukenly flirt with him- he was pretty calm.

💥Well, he was until some wise ass decided to come over and feel up his s/o. He wasn’t having that-and neither were they apparently.

💥Before he knew what was happening, he saw the man fall to the ground as his s/o knocked him right between the eyes.

💥They were both promptly kicked out of the bar, but he couldn’t care less.

💥What his s/o did was so hot, he couldn’t keep his hands off of them.

💥He carried them out to the car, in favor of their stumbling, and quickly drove them home.

💥Needless to say, there were a few noise complaints from heir neighbors that night.

💥The next morning, they woke up naked and without a recollection of what happened the night before.

💥Katsuki walked in with a try filled with food, and some pain killers - they would definitely need them after the treat he gave them last night.

💥He just kinda chills with them all day, watching old cartoons and random movies that would get them to laugh.

💥Teases them about their loopy behavior though, thats just a given from him.

❄️🔥💥🥦❄️🔥💥🥦❄️🔥💥🥦❄️🔥💥🥦❄️🔥💥🥦❄️🔥💥🥦

Lol, I have no idea if these are good or not and I’m so sorry.

(๑>◡

💙River💙

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turniitoff-blog1 · 7 years

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okay, well, oops this is long ... i guess tessa likes to talk. this is kinda interview style ( except for the first question )... like if you were to sit down w/ tessa as a youngin’ and ask her these questions yourself ... which is why she’s hesitant to answer some of them. i guess she’s afraid you’re gonna tattle lol.

Q: how do you represent your label? what is your temperament?

A: this is only question i’m going to answer in a different format because i don’t think tessa would understand. tessa’s label is ‘the enigma’ ... and she’s just that. hard to understand ... hard to figure out ... you never know what she’s actually thinking or what her reasons for doing certain things are ( her motivation is usually pretty clear - by reason i mean her way of/approach ). when everything with candle cove happened, this got worse ... she started to have intense intrusive thoughts about how much POWER the show had; she was curious about the inner workings and felt guilty because of it. her temperament is melancholic if we go by the O4TS. tessa ( child!tessa ) is fairly quiet amongst her peers ( with adults & close friends not so much lol ) ... she’s a good follower, constantly trying to impress ... to do something that’s good and BIG enough that someone will notice. she likes attention in theory, though ... if someone praises her ( she’s not used to it ) it’s nice for, like, ... a second and a half and then she’s uncomfortable and will try to change the subject ... sink back into the shadows. being lowkey invisible has it’s perks sometimes, ya know. i feel like i didn’t answer this fully so i’ll ‘prolly add more / post a HC later.

Q: favorite subject or after school activity?

A: ‘ science! i -- i like science ‘cos i like t’make things an also i like t’do that after school also. well ... ’ the child shrugs, leaning to pick at a scab on her knee, ‘ i like t’make stuff explode when daddy an’ jake are at jake’s games! an ‘sides ... i’m sleepin’ by the time they get home so i don’t even get yelled at! ’

Q: what do you want to be when you grow up?

A: ‘ i wanna work for NASA ... i wanna make a great big spaceship, y’know, like y’see on - on, on TV an’ i wanna make one that’s real big. ’ she gestures, holding her arms out as far as they’d go, ‘ ‘least this big. an’ i wanna make it so, so that anybody who wants t’go on a space trip can an’ ... an’ even the whole world if they want. don’t even gotta pay money for it. ’

Q: what are your favorite books, television shows, and movies?

A: ‘ uh, well, i don’t watch tv ‘lot durin’ football season but when i do, i like t’watch three’s company an’ cheer’s. i like t’fold pages of books in dad’s library when he’s not home. sometimes i find magazines in jake’s room but i don’t touch those ‘cos i don’t want him t’get mad. ’ she takes a deep breath and exhales with a giggle, ‘ i like all movies ‘specially stand by me an -- an’ oh, i like annie, too. ’

Q: what makes you happy? what makes you sad?

A: ‘ m’happy when jake wins games ‘cos dad’s happy an’ so is jake, i like sitting on the driveway after it rains a lot. i like to dig holes in the backyard an’, an’ i put stuff in the holes n’ try t’find what i buried after ‘least two weeks. i like the cat that runs ‘round the neighborhood - i’m their mom. makin’ stuff in dad’s garage makes me happy ... specially after i found out how t’use the fish saw. ’ she frowns to set the mood. ‘ makes me sad when i gotta make myself dinner but there aren’t anymore noodles left. makes me sad when i make somethin’ an’ it doesn’t work or dad n’ jake tell me it’s not good. makes me sad at school when they run outta pudding cups ... and sittin’ by myself outside makes me sad, too. makes me REAL sad when we gotta go grocery shoppin’ an’ jake STEPS ON the white squares ‘cos that’s lava an’ your not s‘pposed to. ’

Q: what is your favorite thing to do?

A: ‘ my favorite thing t’do is create an’ learn. ’

Q: have any pets or favorite animals?

A: ‘ no pets but uh -- i, oh, i can’t pick a favorite! i do like, um, big cats! they’re juss’ like, well ... not juss’ like, but real ... some’ah the things that, that they do is real close t’tha things that lil’ cats do, too! ’

Q: what is something that makes your family special?

A: ‘ um, we got secret family recipes? an’ ... no mom? we clean up the backyard and catch fireflies together sometimes! oh -- and dad let’s us climb on the furniture ... s’real fun! ’

Q: do you have imaginary friends?

A: ' they’re not imaginary! ’ they were. ‘ they juss’ like to hide ‘cos they’re shy so i do the talkin’. i’ve got three friends that play with me if i’m feeling sad or sittin’ by myself. they go to another school in a tree somewhere, but i don’t have a car so i can’t visit 'em -- but they come an’ visit me everyday! ’

Q: who is your best friend? who do you not like?

A: ‘ i like bein’ ‘round adam the most, so, adam’s my best friend ... even though i know he thinks i’m a lil’ weird. that’s okay ‘cos i like that he thinks that and i think i’m teachin’ him some stuff even if he pretends to not want to learn it. ’ she shrugs, ‘ i’d be real lonely without him. and, and i don’t like, ’ she wiggles a little bit, crossing her arms with a huff - very obviously worked up, ‘ i don’t like people who are mean t’him or t’me or anybody else that sits alone at lunch sometimes. I’M the only one that’s allowed to do that. ’

Q: who do you want to be friends with but haven’t yet, and why not?

A: ‘ i dunno, ’ she shrugs quietly, ‘ i don’t wanna make new friends an’ then have ‘um disappear or get hurt, y’know? that would make me feel real sad. ’

Q: who was your first crush?

A: ‘ uh, ’ she drops her head and plays with the hem of her shirt, ‘ kevin bacon. ’

Q: what is the hardest thing about being a kid?

A: ‘ when, when, when adults won’t listen t’you ‘cos they think you got nothin’ important to say! ’ she huffs, ‘ jokes on them ‘cos i got lot’s’a important things to say! i’m gonna create a new planet one day and none of ‘em will be allowed. ’

Q: if you had three wishes, what would they be?

A: ‘ t’have mom back ‘cos she could make dad pay more attention, i think. t’make jake play an actual fun sport that we could both play, maybe... and, um, for the, for those kids t’be okay. ‘specially ryan’s sister. he’s not doin’ good. ’

Q: what is one thing that scares you?

A: ‘ sometimes i think bad stuff and i get nervous that other people can hear it when i’m thinkin’ it but, to help myself not be scared i say ‘if you can hear me ... cough!’ in my head ... which only helps me not be scared if nobody coughs ... oh and also nail guns, horace horrible, blue gummy worms, the drain, ’ she’s been afraid of drains since she could remember, ‘ and hard pretzels. ’

Q: if you had to give away all of your toys but one, which one would you keep?

A: ‘ i’d give ‘way all of my toys ‘cept for my gee ‘cos i sleep with them every night. ’ gee was a stuffed fox with part of tessa’s baby blanket wrapped around it’s neck. ‘ and ... don’t tell dad or jake, but i put a secret compartment in them ... if you reach in right behind gee’s ears, i got a secret hiding spot there for lots of stuff. ’

Q: where do you see yourself in ten years?

A: ‘ i’m gonna be living in a house that i built all by myself with two dogs and one rabbit. i’m going to have a garage on the side of my homemade house with every tool i could ever want ... ever. i’m gonna build my friend’s houses too! ’

Q: what is one of your favorite memories?

A: ‘ oh, oh -- at the beach two years ago. i built, i built a sandcastle on dad’s arms and foot while he was ASLEEP! he -- he had no idea until he woke up! he didn’t know! he slept through all of it! i did a real good job, though ... we got ice cream after, too. it was a real good day. i found a lot of shells that day, too. i still have ‘em. yep. they’re sittin’ in a lil’ jar in my room. ’

Q: what do you wish you didn’t have to do at all?

A: ‘ walk in the hallway at school ‘cos that’s a lot’ah eyes. i don’t like it. it feels like, like y’know those lil’ ants, the red ones? ’ she holds her hand out, palm flat and facing upward. she begins pinching at the skin, ‘ the ones that bite? it feels like those are crawling all up and down my body, biting me whenever they feel like it when i’m walking through the hallway at school. ’

Q: from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, what would the perfect day look like?

A: ‘ it would be a ... hm ... it would be a day in the spring time and i would be allowed to wake up whenever i wanted ... ‘prolly around 10? and i would come downstairs and i would make a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard on one side ... EXTRA crust. i’d eat that with a glass of ice milk and then i’d fall back ‘sleep on the couch ‘till 12. after my nap i’d wake up and go outside and i’d play outside allllllll day. ALL day ... with tools and PAINT and i’d have all of the supplies i could ever need! i could ‘prolly build a CITY with all of that time! and then ... and then i’d come inside when it started to get dark and then i’d eat dinner ... chicken cutlets with applesauce and then i’d go back outside to ‘prolly count the stars. there are so many! don’t want any of ‘em to feel left out. ’

EXTRA CANDLE COVE EDITION:

Q: what was your first impression of candle cove?

A: ‘ scary, ’ she shakes her head and shuts her eyes, lifting a hand to cover one ear, ‘ real scary ... but i hadn’t ever seen a show like it before so ... i guess i liked it since i kept watchin’? ’

Q: favorite and least favorite character?

A: ‘ i DON’T like horace horrible ... i don’t like the shape of his head ... looks like a lightbulb ... which makes no sense ‘cos he’s NOT a GOOD IDEA. ’ she shrugs, ‘ my favorite was pirate percy ‘cos i wanted to help them a lot. ’

Q: why did or didn’t you stop watching candle cove?

A: ‘ i didn’t stop watchin’ ‘cos ... i wanted to learn ... more, ’ it feels horrible to say ... like she’d forgotten about the dead children. ‘ the group ... y’know, we were all payin’ attention to the tapes ... that’s all we paid attention to for a real long time. i juss’ wanted t’know why ... y’know ... what if ... i dunno ... i could control people like that ... juss’ made me wonder ‘bout it, is all. ’

Q: why didn’t you tell anyone about candle cove, or why didn’t the person you told tell anyone else?

A: ‘ ‘cos we promised! we promised not to tell anybody and i wasn’t gonna be the one that broke that promise. my dad wouldn’t’a done anything anyways. ’

Q: a recurring nightmare you have featuring candle cove?

A: ‘ almost every night i have a real bad scary dream about horace horrible coming into my room and sittin’ on my legs so i can’t move. he, he says he’s gonna hurt dad or jake if i make any noise an’ ... i don’t think i’d be able t’make noise even if i wanted to ‘cos, uh, y’know your body feels real heavy. anyways, he holds me on my bed and he tells my mom to come into my room and she’s got big claws for hands and she says real bad stuff to me ... real bad ... and, and i feel like she really means it. ’ she drops her gaze and hugs herself with her arms, ‘ an’, an’ mom, ’ she takes a finger and drags it hard against her arm and then her neck, ‘ mom ... mom kills me eh - ... she kills me every time an’ ... once i’m almost dead s’like ... i’m floatin’ ‘bove my body ‘cos then i see me on the bed bloody and mom and horace are laughing at me. ’

#ccove.task #bee tw #so i guess we learned tessa didn't ... have a lot of pals growing up lol #like even w/ all the CC stuff goin' down n even tho she saw The Group often she was just ... so .. QuieT!!!!!!#except for those lil' bursts of confidence that ... never lasted long @ all #also important to mention tessa misses ... like ... a decent amount of school sometimes bc of those nightmares bc she tries not 2 sleep 2 #juSt avoid it u know #i'll probably add the memoir in a diff post because i .... cannot F'ing PICK .... which one i want to do so i might ..d o a bunch and just #put them in one post lol

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ervtwrites-blog · 7 years

Text

Red - Part 13

Part 1 - Previous: Part 12 - Next: Part 14

[Note: I’m not sorry one bit. You’re welcome. Tagging @elaacreditava, @dreamingoffandomscenarios, @bookwarm85, @pathybo, @ariwolff14, and @yourdarksunleavesmecold as requested!]

Rated: M for Mature (it’s downright shameful). Enjoy! <3

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Lyanna zipped up the back of Aurora’s new dress and whistled in admiration when she turned around. The thin material clung to her hips and thighs snugly, showing off the fine lean muscle she had developed over the past few months. Though Aurora didn’t have much to speak of in the way of breasts, the sewn in padding gave the illusion of a heavier bust and the collar of the dress dipped down far enough to show the line of her breasts.

“Hot damn mama. One thing is for sure, wherever we go tonight, the party is coming to you.”

Aurora laughed at Lyanna’s ridiculous compliments and set to work with the makeup she allowed Aurora to borrow. When her eyelids were heavily shadowed and the wings of her eyeliner sharp enough, she tussled up her hair and pouted into the mirror.

“I think I’m ready now.”

Lyanna wagged her finger. “Not yet you’re not! You’ve got everything but the finishing touch.” She popped the cap off of a brand new tube of lipstick and swathed Aurora’s lips in the bold color. It was a berry mix that was too purple to be red, but too red to be considered anything else. It matched Aurora’s mane of crimson hair almost perfectly and brought the green color of her eyes into a sharper focus.

Lyanna quickly changed into a tight black dress with a wide v neck and pulled her blonde hair back into a ruffled updo. She pencilled in some heavy black liner, a thin layer of shiny lip gloss, and the two were ready.

Jaime was planning to meet them at the party they had been invited to. Aurora didn’t know the hosts personally, but Jaime and Lyanna did. An entire apartment floor had been turned into a party house by the tenants. There was supposed to be an all-you-can-drink selection of alcohol and every genre of music. It sounded like half the compound would be in attendance, and Aurora thought it would be the perfect chance to have a little fun and forget about the daunting training and mission to come.

And especially to forget about Eric’s smug face.

……………

Aurora was on her sixth shot of vodka. The music around her pumped and boomed and purred, and there was a continuous flow of lean, fit bodies clad in shorts, skirts, dresses, and tight black clothes. The air was heavy with smoke and sharp with the scent of tequila and vodka. Wherever Aurora looked, someone had a plastic cup, a cigarette, or a joint in their hands.

“Hey, ‘Rory!” Aurora turned sluggishly at her name and Lyanna stumbled towards her. One arm was around Rick’s neck, dragging him along with her. The other hand balanced a red plastic cup and a half-smoked cigarette.

“This’s Rick!” Lyanna shouted over the wave of music and Aurora clumsily stooped into a sloppy curtsy in front of him, bowing her head as regally as she could manage. Lyanna laughed out loud at that.

“Nice to meet you,” Rick smiled down at Aurora then pulled something out of his front pants pocket. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a clear piece of plastic.

“You want some?” He reached out to hand it to Aurora and she opened her hand automatically to take it. It was a small pink-colored tablet with a butterfly stamped on it. Aurora squinted her eyes and brought it up to her face so she could see it clearly.

“What is’t?” She shouted back.

Rick and Lyanna both laughed, the latter pulling her boyfriend into a clumsy hug and kissing his neck sloppily. Rick grinned at Aurora, “Take it and find out!”

With a shrug, Aurora popped it into the back of her mouth and borrowed Lyanna’s beer to wash it down. Might as well.

Sometime while Aurora was dancing and weaving through the crowd, the effects of the pill began to creep up on her. At first her heart rate increased and she felt nervous, but that was quelled with another shot, this time of tequila. She found that she was enjoying the music more with each passing song, and each person she danced with showed her so much affection. One girl kissed her on the cheek when the song was over and mumbled something in her ear she couldn’t quite make out. Another girl, a tall skinny brunette with dangling earrings, led Aurora through the apartments by the hand, showing her to the better spots where they could dance more freely and were offered better drinks.

Aurora knew her name was Katie, and she was four years older than she was, though Aurora didn’t recall if the girl had introduced herself or what she had been saying. While Katie tipped back a shot and screwed up her mouth at it, Aurora leaned against the drywall. Her hair was sticking to her neck, and she bunched it in her fist to lift it up so she could fan herself properly with her hands.

“Oh, here!” Katie tugged a hair tie off her wrist and shoved it at Aurora, who snatched it up gratefully.

“God you’re so amazing.” Did Aurora say that? She felt the words scrape her throat on the way out but she hadn’t planned on saying anything.

Suddenly Katie’s head snapped up and she stared past Aurora and her expression turned gravely serious. “God. He is so damn attractive.”

Aurora turned around to see who she was talking about, and her unsteady gaze fell on Eric. He was drinking from his own plastic cup and when his eyes met hers, he winked at her.

Aurora’s face should have started burning and she should have turned away, but instead she found herself bursting into a fit of giggles that showed her straight white teeth. She couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought Eric hid a smile with another tip of his cup.

“Yeah but he knowsheeisss!”

Katie elbowed Aurora playfully. “What else do you think he knows about?”

Aurora couldn’t explain the burst of inappropriate images that suddenly sprang into the front of her mind or why she wasn’t both ashamed and revolted at herself for entertaining them. The alcohol, surely.

“Oh I bet he knowsss’how to do a lotta things,” Aurora nodded appreciatively and took another shot from Katie. How many was that now? She lost count. Her head was both swimming and buzzing but she didn’t care.

Katie froze beside her and when Aurora looked up again, Eric was walking over.

“Ohh ssshit.”

“Hey Eric. What’s up?” Katie tried to act cool but Aurora caught the way her fingers twitched nervously and her cheeks flushed a rosy pink color. She seemed like a schoolgirl who had her first crush. On Eric of all people!

“Haaa ha. You’re cute,” Aurora sputtered at her, and Katie at first looked horrified, then her blush deepened considerably. She ducked her head at Aurora shyly.

“What are you drinking?” Eric asked, ignoring Katie all together and fixing Aurora with an even stare.

Aurora held up her now empty shot glass and shrugged. “Uhh vodka? And Tequila? Sssomething, whatever I get. I don’t know.” Her words spilled out of her mouth so quickly, when she thought back, she couldn’t even recall what exactly she said. Her eyebrows knitted as she tried to concentrate.

Eric’s brows arched. “You’re a regular party animal.”

Aurora snorted and started laughing again. Why was he so funny? Eric was never funny. What a joker he was. Katie eyed her a little weirdly and spoke up again to move the conversation away from Aurora.

“How long have you been here, Eric? Are you leaving any time soon?” The hopeful shine in her eyes was just too much and Aurora found herself once again blurting out the first thing she thought of with no grace to speak of.

“You mean, ‘is he taking anyone home’?” Aurora grinned slyly and chucked Katie’s arm with her knuckles. “Juss’ tell him you wanna bone’em, I’m sure e’ll be down.” She jerked her head back towards Eric with a hiccup. His eyes were wide in surprise.

Katie’s mouth fell open, and her face burned red, but no sounds came out. Aurora realized what she said too late and began backpedaling to try and take it back, but Katie was already turning away from her with a scowl.

Aurora felt bad for that.

“How much have you had to drink?” Eric’s voice shouted into her ear.

Aurora shrugged again. “Dunno. Ten? ‘Leven?”

Eric rolled his eyes as Aurora swayed on her feet and leaned back against the wall again. She suddenly remembered the hair tie Katie had given her. “Oh no! I need’ta give thisss back.” She fingered clumsily at her hair and managed to free it with a yank that made her wince even though she didn’t feel it.

Eric took her hand and started dragging her away. “Come on, you should get some fresh air.”

Aurora wanted to resist at first, but she was far too disoriented and her mind was sluggish. Eric was leading her away.

Eric. Was leading. Her away.

“Are you taking me home with you?” The thought was ridiculous and it sounded worse out in the open.

Eric chuckled and shook his head. “If I knew drunk Aurora would be so willing, I would have let you finish that whiskey in the cafeteria.”

Aurora squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She vaguely remembered bits of a memory about sitting with him in the middle of the night with a stolen bottle, but it was too difficult right now to summon it.

“Soooo you are,” Aurora squeaked as her feet caught on a stair, and if he didn’t suddenly catch her, she would have went sprawling face first onto the floor.

He swung her easily up into his arms with one supporting the backs of her legs and the other cradling her shoulders.

“Oh. Wow.”

“Stop talking, Aurora.” Eric’s voice was hard but his expression wasn’t. She thought maybe he just always sounded like that. Mean ol’ Eric.

Ericssshhhmerik.

The corridors passed by too quickly and in a jumble. Aurora didn’t know how many right turns or left turns they had taken. She mumbled something unintelligible every now and again but for the most part kept quiet. Eric carried her effortlessly, as though she weren’t a staggering drunk girl who’s head was constantly lolling into his chest.

He finally came to a stop in front of a hall of apartment doors and fumbled for a key in his pocket.

Aurora gawked.

“You are bringing me home! To your apartment! Eric’s’partment!” She hiccuped and kicked uselessly to try and break free of his arms but it had as much use as writhing against a steel cage.

“Stop being ridiculous. You’re totally shitfaced. What else am I going to do, leave you to either suffocate in your own vomit or end up with a guy you don’t know in a bedroom you don’t remember?” He kicked the door open and stepped inside.

It was totally dark, but he made his way in without any problems at all. Aurora wondered if he often came home in the middle of the night to a dark home.

“I didn’t know Eric whassyourface cared at all. I thought you probably lived in a bridge or under a cave,” she slurred. He set her down and went to cut on the lights.

She squinted as the room was flooded with a soft yellow glow from the ceiling light above. She looked around and felt a faint tingle of shock at standing in the middle of his bedroom. She stood mere feet from the foot of the full sized bed, with its clean white sheets and fluffy black-encased pillows. The carpet was a creamy off white, and a dark wooden shelf matched the dark, glossy wooden frame of the bed. There wasn’t much in the way of furnishings apart from those and a nightstand and drawers.

“Dooo you spend a lot’a time in’ere?” Another hiccup.

Eric smirked and tossed his keys onto the nightstand and shrugged off his jacket. He kicked off his boots and tossed them into the corner.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Without thinking about it, Aurora plopped down onto his bed and mimicked him, bending over to pull off the heels Lyanna had let her borrow to match her dress. She was clumsy and it took her far more effort than it should have to remain upright for the task. All she knew was that beds weren’t proper places for shoes.

“Here,” Eric knelt down in front of her and reached for the tiny heels. “Before you give yourself a concussion or something.” He took hold of her calf and gently slipped them off and set them out of the way.

His hand on her calf.

Hands on her legs.

Ericshandsonherlegs.

In her drunken haze, and perhaps spurred on by the giddy effects of the pill she had taken from Rick, Aurora allowed herself to venture into definitely not thoughts. His hands were warm against her flushed skin. He was only a few inches away. She peered down her nose at the strong edge of his jaw and the bold black tattoos on his neck. Where did those tattoos end up? He was handsome. She had always been so on edge before, she never really truly looked at him. But now she could see the hard sculpt of muscle beneath his shirt and the broad expanse of his chest.

“One time.”

Eric’s head jerked up and she saw that his eyes were bright and partly unfocused. Had he been thinking the same things?

“What?” He asked hesitantly.

Aurora rolled her eyes at him as though it was completely obvious what she was talking about. “Kiss me. One time. And if I don’t like it-” she ended it with a shrug.

Eric sat back on the heels of his feet. “Okay. Now I know how drunk you are.”

Aurora shook her head stubbornly. “Yes’I am drunk. But I know what I’m doin’.” She jabbed a finger into her chest.

Eric just knelt there staring at her as though trying to decide whether or not to believe her. The longer he waited, the more she became aware of the way her heart thumped and her skin tingled nervously. If he had waited any longer, she would have turned chicken and changed her mind. Even the alcohol mixed with the drugs was not enough to make her infinitely brave. It was only enough to make her do the things she couldn’t bring herself to while sober.

Eric leaned forward slowly, testing the waters and her resolve. His face was matched height to hers, and when he was only a few inches away, he stopped and his blue eyes searched her green. She could feel his warm breath fanning her face and she closed her eyes to inhale the scent of him, spiced by whatever he had been drinking. Her lips parted naturally, instinctively, and he decided she was being serious after all.

This time was nothing like when he had kissed her in his office. He had been invasive and rushed then, and this time he was softer than Aurora ever imagined he could be. He took his time.

One hand wound through her hair and tightened at the roots. It wasn’t quite painful, but the tug on her scalp caused her to suck in a breath and when her mouth naturally opened, he took slow advantage of it with his tongue. She tasted sweet, but there was a sharp edge of liquor on her lips.

The burning warmth of his skin mingled with the blood coursing through her veins, and despite the numb cloud of alcohol, Aurora was suddenly very aware of every inch of her own body, and every inch of his as he leaned forward. Already perched between her knees, his other hand came to push down on her shoulder, firmly but gently guiding her back onto the bed. As though she could keep her balance anyways. But she allowed him to, and while she panted for breath against his lips, he lowered his weight on top of her and shifted his hips to give himself better access to her.

A very small, faint voice asked her why she was doing this now when she had rejected him so firmly before. Had she just not been brave enough? Had she been scared of him, or of herself? He wasn’t as nice as Four was, but damn if he wasn’t making her tingle between her legs.

Eric’s right hand remained knotted in her hair to hold her in place beneath him, and the other was unyielding as it began to roam her body. First his fingers brushed the edge of her collarbone, the gentle swoop of her neck as it met her shoulder, the outward curve of her breast. He was gentle enough, but Aurora could feel his muscles tensed and coiled as though it were taking some great strength to keep his movements soft. Where his hands led, her skin burned fiery hot in his wake.

He deepened the kiss, eliciting a breathy whimper from Aurora. Without thinking about it, maybe even without meaning to, she reached up to tangle her fingers through his hair. She had to pull away soon, had to breathe, but he didn’t allow her skin to leave his lips. Instead, he did as he had done the morning in his office and nipped at the edge of her jaw, her earlobe, the velvet soft skin of her throat. He wanted to mark her, wanted her to have faint purple bruises in the morning. It was indeed taking a lot of restraint not to draw blood.

“You’re making such sweet little noises,” he breathed. Aurora hadn’t been aware she was making any sound at all, and she felt heat creep up her neck and cheeks. Now wasn’t the time to feel self conscious, but she felt herself trying to draw back into the safe nest of the pillows.

Eric wouldn’t have that though.

When she wriggled upwards towards the top of the bed, he went with her. It was the perfect opening to give him complete and total access to her as her legs widened to shift her body up, and he pressed down hard with his hips.

Aurora gasped at the feeling of him firm against her. He was becoming more rushed as everything intensified tenfold, and the soft grip he had on her body turned increasingly possessive. She could feel his fingertips pressing into her skin, his teeth grazing against her, hips rocking forward into her. Whatever control he was struggling to maintain, it was slipping. When she wrapped her legs around his waist and shifted her hips forward to center him, he groaned with a noise that was almost strangled.

Aurora’s eyes were shut so tight and behind her lids, she was seeing bursts of white hot light. It was all around her just like he was. Her lips felt bruised, but there was a churning burn right there! and she couldn’t stop herself from chasing after it and rolling her hips against him to create more friction. She was using him to increase that deliciously deep sensation that was trailing a path up into her stomach.

“Aurora,” he groaned. It was something like a warning. Barely restraining himself now. But she was getting so much close.

Sucking in breath through her teeth now, Aurora tightened the muscles in her thighs, forcing him still impossibly closer- when she ground her hips this time, he grabbed them roughly and met her halfway with a growl. Sparks felt like they were shooting through her. She was too far gone to stop. The alcohol was allowing her to edge closer than she had ever imagined herself doing before.

God, he had never thought she would do something like this. Fucking using him to get herself off. His fingers weren’t even inside of her, it was just the goddamn friction. He had no qualms with letting her finish, but if she pushed against him one more time, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. He was lined up perfectly, all he had to do was hike up the hem of her dress, rip her fucking underwear to shreds, and he knew he could have had his buckle undone in seconds. But Eric didn’t want to fuck a drunk girl, especially not if that drunk girl was Aurora. He wanted her to remember every single thing come morning, wanted her to have the sensations of him moving inside her and covering her permanently singed into her skin. No, he couldn’t allow a victory like that to be hampered by whatever the hell she had been drinking. Eric had just enough sense left to marvel at the effects of tequila on the human brain.

Obviously she was too drunk now to even realize what she was doing.

“You have to stop.”

Aurora only tightened her grip on Eric until her nails were digging crescent moons into his forearms. He could see the murky frown marring her focused expression and the way her forehead wrinkled like she wanted to argue against him.

“Aurora if you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you right here and you’re not going to remember a single bit of it in the morning.” His voice was rough and harsh and she could feel his eyes boring into her.

Slowly but surely, her senses came back to her and he regretfully felt her legs slacken until he could properly pull away. She didn’t open her eyes- couldn’t, or maybe she just wasn’t willing to. Then it was over as suddenly as it had begun.

With ragged breath, Eric cautiously pulled the blankets over her, lingering for the barest second. “Go to sleep now.” His voice was still dark and hoarse.

She sighed and frowned, and Eric couldn’t tell if her lip just quivered or it was the movement of her rolling away from him to face the other side of the room. He realized while rubbing his face with his hands that this was the first time a girl had ever been in his bed and he was actually wanting them to just go to sleep.

As for him, that had just been too damn much. He busied himself with making up the couch in the next room to sleep on and poured himself a drink, but his thoughts kept drifting back to that soft girl in his bed.

She had been like a bird in his hands, so fragile and fluttery, but so fucking willing. When he touched her, he could feel as well as see the way it made her skin flush, could hear the faint hitch of breath in her throat, the way her lids half closed… She had been grinding her hips into him for christ’s sake.

Fuck.

Eric growled at the constant strain in his pants and he needed to get off. He would be up all night imagining if the rest of her tasted as good as her mouth did.

With an exasperated sigh, he checked his watch. The party would still be going on. Who was that girl Aurora had been with? He could probably find her again.

Without so much as a backwards glance into his bedroom, he grabbed his jacket again and locked the door behind him.

#divergent #divergent fanfiction #eric divergent #divergent smut #Eric #eric fanfiction #Eric Coulter #eric smut #fanfiction #fanfic #jai courtney fanfiction #mine

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becuzpurple · 8 years

Text

Because Purple - Chapter 23: Well & Truly

It’s finally done!!!!!

Since it’s been a while, I’ll summarize the last chapter: It’s early February 2016. Ed returned to Chicago. Kate’s staying at his hotel with him for one night (her parents have the kids). The plan is for them to meet the next day, which happens in this chapter.

The opening scene of this chapter takes place just a few hours after the last chapter ended.

I hope you like it! Feedback is always very-much appreciated. :-)

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Previous Chapter

WARNING: some smuts occur

CHAPTER 23 – Well & Truly

Saturday February 6, 2016 (early, early morning)

I awoke abruptly, in a bit of a sleep-fog. I stayed still, and waited for my head to clear. We seemed to have been sleeping like spoons, but I was the big spoon. We were both laying on our right sides. I was curled into Ed from behind, my left leg slung over his, and my left arm around his chest. His back was my pillow. We were still naked. He was still asleep.

I couldn’t see a clock from where I was, but we must have been sleeping for only a few hours. It was very dark, and I could feel the heavy silence of the night surrounding us. The room was quiet and still. Morning was hours away.

I don't know why I woke up.

I lightly squeezed him in a hug and took a deep breath as I burrowed my cheek against his broad back. He smelled good - like his soap - a subtle blend of citrus and spices - but also of sex. Ed smelled like soap and sex. I stifled a small giggle at that thought, and lightly kissed him between his shoulder blades before laying my cheek back down on him again.

He shifted, and I felt him take a deep breath.

I stilled, holding my breath, wondering if I woke him.

A few seconds later he lay his hand over mine, which was still pressed to his chest. He laced his fingers through mine and skimmed my open palm down his chest, then over his belly, and finally to his cock.

I closed my hand around him as he slowly guided me over his length a few times. He otherwise didn’t move or make a sound, and I wondered how awake he actually was.

Once it was evident that I was willing and able to take over what he started, he moved his hand to my wrist. He’d stopped controlling my movements, but he held me firmly. It seemed to be a deliberate action, so I figured he must be more awake than not.

It was so dark in the room I could just barely see him right in front of me. Because of our positioning, I couldn’t see what I was doing to him. So, essentially, I had no sight. I touched him blindly.

It was quiet, except for the occasional sounds of our breathing. Neither of us spoke. His scent was heavy around me. My front was to his back, and we were naked, so nothing came between our bodies. We were skin-to-skin. We felt warm and snug and soft together. Except for the part of his body I was holding in my hand - as smooth as his skin felt, it was definitely not soft any more.

I could only use my left hand, since my right arm was tucked up against the mattress and his back. So, with my left arm reaching over his hips, and my hand fastened around him, I slowly stroked him from head to base, repeatedly, occasionally twisting my wrist and fluttering my fingertips. When I felt the pre-cum at his tip, I smeared it over him so I could glide up and down him more smoothly.

It was interesting...not being able to see what I was doing. The absence of visual cues sharpened my other senses. Any adjustments, slight changes, or additional actions I took were all based on other, more subtle impressions - how he felt against my skin, his body’s reactions to my touch, a slight change in his breathing.

I started leaving soft, wet kisses in between his shoulder blades, because why not add “taste” into the sensory mix?

His body tensed for a few seconds and I could hear him take in a quick breath. He suddenly pulled my hand off of him, and in the same motion, he rolled over on top of me, nudging my legs open.

“I - I...I juss...wanna fuck,” he drowsily blinked down at me. His voice came out sounding low and gravelly with sleep, and it was so stupid-sexy.

“Yeah,” I whispered as I opened my legs wider.

He didn’t wait - there was no pause, no making sure I was ready. He positioned himself, and then drove into me hard with no warning.

I gasped, feeling the burn when he slammed into me, but I readily took him in, meeting his hips with mine on each hard thrust. I wanted it as much as he did. The brief discomfort soon became the sweetest ache, and quickly spread through me. My body was thrumming, and a small knot of heat formed in my belly, already pulsing, reaching outward.

“More,” I demanded.

With a look of focused resolve, he took each of my legs and placed them over his shoulders. He leaned further into me, bending me in half so that my knees were touching my boobs. We were forehead to forehead. The new position caused me to tighten around him, to the point that we both groaned at the mind-blowingly exquisite sensations it caused.

He pulled back, and then slowly pushed into me again, grunting at the tightness. “God, you feel good.”

His thrusting slowed at first, whether from want or necessity or a little of both...I’m not sure, but I really didn’t care. I felt every inch of him - every single ridge, every detail - slowly sinking into me, stretching me, and then pulling back, so slowly, tortuously, over and over. My legs tensed and my toes curled and everything felt slick, and smooth, and stretched, and tight.

Because I was literally bent in half, with my legs and hips lifted up off bed, I couldn't really thrust back into him - I had nothing to push off of. So he was doing all the work. But I could still clench my muscles around his cock, and he definitely noticed that, judging by the sounds and words spilling from him.

“...fucking tight...so good...again...hnhh...love fucking you...” He groaned loudly on every deep stroke.

So did I.

After a minute, his slow, deliberate fucks into me became faster and less controlled. His eyes were closed - not in concentration any more, though, but in complete abandonment. He let his body take over. His eyelids fluttered, his nostrils flared, and his mouth was opened very slightly. His breath was warm and soft over my face.

He opened his eyes and looked down at me. I silently stared right back. By then he was fucking me so hard and fast and all of the feelings and sensations were whirling together in a kind of storm cloud. I couldn't form complete thoughts. It was like everything I felt was only being partially processed, and it all poured out of me as garbled word-vomit.

“ohmygod...so much...god...so good...unnhhh…you...”

He repeatedly drove into me, each thrust hitting me with such force that my entire body was throbbing. The ball of fire that had started in my belly had become so great and so intense that I was a little hesitant to let go. It was almost too much.

I finally did, though.

I was blissfully warm and weightless for a few seconds. I could hear nothing, and all I saw was his face as he came, too. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was opened. He breathed out small, quiet gasps as he released.

Once we’d both finished, he settled his eyes on my face and smiled a sleepy, satisfied smile, mirroring my own. He lifted himself off of me and gently brought my legs back down to the bed. He wrapped me in his arms, and we laid together, still coming down. Everything felt warm and tingly and loving and safe, and we were soon both drifting off again.

But, damn, I’d been well and truly fucked.

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The next day Ed and I stopped at the grocery store on the way back to my house to pick up a few things for dinner. I thought we could all make pizzas together - a pizza bar might be fun. We all like pizza. And also, it would give us something to do while Ed and the kids got to know each other, and maybe it would help bring any potential awkwardness to a minimum. And also maybe it was my potential awkwardness I was most concerned about.

I was still nervous-as-hell about them meeting.

So, after a late-morning brunch in the hotel, we did our shopping, and got to the house a little after 1 pm. We had a few hours to kill before the kids got home. We hadn’t really talked about our upcoming trip to LA, yet, so, it was a good time to sit down and plan it out together.

I bought my laptop out so I could access my calendar, and so that we could search for any pertinent information we might need. We sat together on the sofa to make our plans.

We’d be flying out of Chicago on the following Wednesday. Ed mentioned that he’d been thinking about not going directly to LA, though, and wondered if I’d like a little mini-vacay, first, before all the insanity of LA and the Grammys.

Hell, yes?!?!?

I thought that sounded pretty fantastic.

“So, where would we go?”

“Well,” he answered, “I thought maybe we could fly into San Diego instead of LA, and then maybe head down to Baja. There’s a village called Valle de Guadalupe. It’s very small, and pretty, and has a lot of wineries nearby. I thought it sounded like a place you’d like.”

He looked at me a somewhat quizzically, as if he didn’t know how I’d react to him having thought this through already.

“May I?” he asked, reaching for my laptop.

I nodded, and couldn’t help the soft smile forming across my face.

“Baja California...so, Mexico?”

“Yeah…” he glanced up and smiled at me briefly before focusing on the screen, searching for what I assumed to be information about this place he had in mind.

“Here.”

I leaned in to see. He’d pulled up a page about Valle de Guadalupe which highlighted its numerous wineries, award-winning restaurants, nearby attractions, and quaint accommodations. I’d never even heard of it before, but it seemed like a place I’d really like.

“This looks awesome. Have you been there before?”

“No. My friend visited there last year on holiday with her husband. She said it’s really nice...quiet and romantic. I thought it might be good to relax there for a few days before heading to LA.”

I tilted my head as I grinned. “I love that idea. Thank-you!”

We planned for three nights in Valle de Guadalupe, and then we would head up to LA on Saturday, the day before Valentine’s Day. His parents would be there, along with his cousin and his manager. We were all to have dinner together that night. The next day would be Valentine’s Day. We had nothing scheduled yet in the earlier part of the day, but would have a nice dinner, just the two of us, that evening. The Grammys were to be the following night - Monday. Ed did not plan to walk the red carpet, which was completely fine with me. He’d also not planned on attending any of the after-parties (also fine with me), but instead wanted to be with family - hopefully to celebrate. We’d fly back to Chicago together Tuesday afternoon.

Holy shit. I’m going to meet his family.

“Have you told your family about me?”

“Yeah.” One corner of his lip curved up as he continued. “They knew I came here at New Years to, um, see a girl, but I hadn’t said anything much at that point about you. It was all too new to really know yet, right?”

I nodded, understanding.

“But after I got back home I told them about you - all about you - and that I’m crazy about you, and how amazing you are.” He smiled at me as he said it.

“Do they know...I mean, did you tell them I’m...older? And everything else?”

“Yeah. Well, you mean about the kids, right? And...Jason?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, they know.”

I nodded again. “OK.”

“Oh, shit - should I not have said anything?”

“No, no, that’s fine. I just…”

He placed the laptop on the coffee table in front of us and turned his whole body to face mine.

“What is it?”

I shook my head. “Oh, it's just me being insecure. It’s nothing, really.” I tried to play it off as no big deal, but he knew better.

“Tell me.” His huge, bluest-of-blue eyes were boring into mine, full of concern.

“OK. I just...sometimes worry that people might think I’m using you...might...question my motives for being with you.”

I too a breath before continuing.

“We've never discussed...money. But I want you to know that the kids and I - we’re in a good place, financially. We’re fine. And I'd never use you. You know that, right?”

“I know,” he nodded. “You’ve literally never asked me for one thing. But thank-you for telling me.”

He paused, looking at me curiously. “So you worry that people will think you're with me for my money.”

“Well, yeah, kind of. I don’t mean your fans...I don’t really care about that. But your friends, your family...the people who love you...I do care what they think. I guess I...just want them to like me.”

He took my hands and brought them to his lap. “Hey. I literally can't think of one reason why anyone wouldn't love you straightaway - you're warm and funny and charming, and genuine, and there's not a greedy or deceitful bone in your body. And I'd hope they'd take their cues from me - I'm a pretty good judge of character. But if someone actually does question your motives, though, well fuck them. I know you. I know your heart. I trust you. I love you. End of story.” He shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, they are happy that I'm happy, and they really want to meet you.”

He pursed his lips before adding, “Well, Matt won't be there, so you won't meet him, yet. But that’s probably a good thing, because he's kind of an asshole.”

“Oh,” I frowned, a little overwhelmed by everything he'd said, and unsure if he was kidding about his brother or not. “Really?”

He shook his head, grinning. “No, not really.” He quickly kissed my lips before adding, “But he can be quite direct, sometimes. That’s off-putting to some people, but it's just how he is.”

We shared another short but sweet kiss.

“It’ll be fine. They're all very nice, decent people. I promise. They'll love you.”

“OK,” I nodded, rolling my eyes at myself and feeling a little foolish. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Nothin’ to be sorry about. I reckon it shows you care, is all, and I love that.”

Oh my goodness, I love this guy so much. he’s so smart, and he really understands me, and he has such a mature outlook about-

“Oh! Hey - don’t forget to pack all the sex toys I sent you - we’ll be using the fuck out of them!”

Ladies and gentlemen...the man I love. LOL.

Mom brought the kiddos back at exactly 3:00. Ed waited in the living room, watching alpine skiing on ABC’s Wide World of Sports (of all things!), while I met them at the back door. All three of them were looking at me extremely expectantly.

“Hey, guys-”

“-Is he here???” Lucy excitedly loud-whispered at me while both my mom and Nathan watched me like a hawk for my answer.

I glanced at the kids, and then my mom, holding in my laughter.

“Is who here?”

My mom just leaned back and crossed her arms at me, shaking her head, grinning. She was just behind Nate and Lucy, so they couldn’t see her reaction. Nate looked at me like I had to be the dumbest person on Earth, and Lucy’s face went from devastation to utter annoyance within seconds.

“C’mon, Mom,” grumbled Nate.

“You know...HIM!” Lucy whisper-squeaked.

“Why don’t you come in, guys. Mom? You coming in?”

“MOM!”

“Honey, you’d better answer them before there’s mutiny. And, no. I’m not staying this time. I don’t want to overwhelm your friend - meeting these two will be plenty for one day, I think. We’ll plan for a different time, OK?”

“OK,” I nodded. “And you two - inside, shoes off, unpack your bags, and dirty laundry in the hamper. Oh. And, yes. Ed’s here. So come back downstairs when you’re done - we’ll be in the living room.”

I received two very exasperated looks, but I thought that giving them something to do first might help with nerves (theirs? mine?). They ducked past me and headed right up the stairs to their respective rooms, hopefully to do what I’d told them.

Once they were out of sight I let out a breath and gave my mom a wide-eyed “oh shit!” look.

“I think they’ll be fine, honey. They seem pretty curious about him.”

“Well...in a good way, though? Did they say anything?”

“Kate, it’s going to be fine. They like seeing you happy, and you’ve been happy since you met him. That’s what they told me about him. Well, that, and Lucy went on and on about his music and hair and tattoos.” Mom grinned at me.

“I do think maybe some reassurances should be made that they will always be your number one priority...but you can do that privately, later. They didn’t say anything about that to me - I just think it’s a good idea.”

“Oh, god, yeah. That’s...you’re right - that is a really good idea.”

Why the fuck hadn’t I thought of that? Worst Mom Ever = Me.

“Alright, then. I have to go now. You enjoy yourselves tonight. I hope you’re doing something fun?”

“Yeah. We’re making our own pizzas. And then...we’ll eat them.”

Oh, god, that sounds lame.

“That sounds perfect. Now go back to your friend. He’s probably getting anxious just sitting by himself.”

My “friend”...

She slipped her gloves back on, and then gave me a huge hug and kiss on the cheek before she turned to leave the house.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, Katie. Love you.”

“Love you, too! Bye!” I called as she walked back to her car.

I took one calming breath and walked back to the living room, where Ed was still watching skiing. He had one leg tucked under the other, and was bouncing his heel on the floor restlessly. So maybe he was a little anxious about meeting them, after all.

He looked up at me curiously.

I sat next to him. “They’re upstairs putting their overnight bags in order. They should be down any minute.”

No sooner had I finished the sentence then they both came down the stairs - not in their usual stomping/running manner, but together, walking, kind of slowly. It was very unlike them.

I lifted my brows in surprise. “They’re so quiet - I think they’re on their best behavior for you,” I murmured softly to Ed.

He glanced back at me, smirking in a wide-eyed, surprised sort of way.

I grinned back at him just as they turned the corner into the living room.

Ed and I both stood as Nate and Lucy stopped. We all just stared at each other, everyone unsure of what to do next for a few excruciating seconds.

I finally got a hold of myself and waved them both over to me. “C’mere, you guys.” They seemed relieved to know what to do, and came right over - one on each side of me. I put my arms around each of them, and shifted us all just a little to the right so we were facing Ed.

“So...Ed, these are my children, Nathan and Lucy.” I hugged them both close to me.

It was the last thing I expected, but as soon as I held them, I felt each of their hands at my back, supporting me. Lucy rubbed small circles between my shoulder blades while Nathan held me around my waist, almost protectively. I think it was their way of telling me that they knew I was nervous, and they knew this was uncharted territory for us, but it was going to be OK. I don’t think it was anything they’d planned to do. Maybe it was another example of twins being of the same mind, and I happened to be lucky enough to be a part of it. But it was a moment where we all connected in a way that I’d rarely felt before.

I mentally pulled myself together to complete the introduction. “Lucy, Nate...this is Ed.”

Ed looked at me for maybe a beat longer than he needed to. I think he knew I was suddenly feeling emotional about something. But then he looked directly at Lucy first, and then at Nathan.

“Hello. It’s so good to finally meet both you in person,” he smiled.

Lucy grinned and nodded, shyly answering, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Nate looked Ed straight in the eye, nodded twice, smiled, and sincerely replied, “Nice to meet you.” It was so adult-like.

Umm, when did my 10 year-old son - my youngest (OK, only by 2 minutes but still!) - suddenly become so grown up???

I’m sure I had a slightly surprised expression on my face. I saw Ed briefly glance at me, so he probably saw it and knew I was at least somewhat taken aback at Nathan’s very heartfelt, yet protective demeanor.

“Well, why don’t we sit down?” I suggested.

Ed sat back down on the sofa where he had been before, and I sat on the loveseat, perpendicular to the sofa. But we were both on the ends, so were still very near each other. Nate sat next to me, and Lucy sat on the sofa next to Ed. She turned herself so she was sideways and facing him, slightly wide-eyed.

Nate glanced at the TV. “Skiing?” he asked curiously.

Ed shrugged. “Yeah. Not much else on.”

Nate nodded, tuning in. “Do you ski?” He glanced over at Ed.

“Uh, I have only a couple of times. Have you ever?”

“Yeah. My mom and dad took us skiing in New Mexico and Colorado a bunch of times. My dad was a really good skier.”

Ohhhhhh, god...

“Oh, that’s awesome. I’ve heard the skiing is really good in Colorado. I’ve never skied in the US, though.”

“Yeah, I guess. Lucy is better at it than I am.”

Ed turned to Lucy. “Yeah? You like to ski?”

She looked happy to be joining in the conversation. “Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. Do you like it?”

“It’s alright, but I’m not very good at it. I bet you’re a good skier.”

Lucy is actually a natural on skis, but she was being a little bashful. “I don’t know...I’m OK, I guess…”

Nathan shook his head. “Lu, you’re like, really good.” He then turned to Ed. “She even did a black diamond run in Taos, and my parents almost killed her when she finished.”

I nodded. “Lucy’s a good skier. But she shouldn’t have been on that slope.”

“But I was fine!”

“You were 8,” I pointed out.

“You’re a daredevil, then?” Ed asked Lucy.

“Um, I just love how it feels to go so fast - it’s like flying. It’s awesome.”

Ed gave me a very quick, odd look, and then looked back at Lucy, grinning. “Your mum said almost the exact same thing to me when she was talking about gymnastics.” Glancing back at me, he softly asked, “Like mother, like daughter, hmm?”

“You have no idea,” I uttered quietly.

“I just stay on the blues,” Nate added.

“Are those the intermediate runs?” Ed asked.

Nate nodded.

“Ah. In Europe the intermediate slopes are reds. But I’ve only been twice, so I kept to the easy slopes.”

Skiing. We’re talking about skiing? Of all the random topics… Well, at least we’re talking, I guess…

Conversation started to flow a little more smoothly from that point on, moving from skiing to Nintendo to drawing to Pokemon, and finally to the Superbowl, which was to be the following day, actually. Nathan loves football, and was really pumped up about watching the Superbowl - he’s a huge Denver Broncos fan (sorry Bears), and they were favored to win. Ed, on the other hand, doesn’t get the hype at all, and is irked by the very name (“Why do they call it ‘football’ when they don’t even use their feet?”). But, to his credit, he seemed genuinely interested in everything Nate was saying. Football was a love that Nate had shared with Jason, and I know that bond is one of the many things he misses.

Ed mentioned that he had actually seen a few “American” football games (as he calls them), and had just explained that he thinks it is very similar to rugby. The comparison was lost on the rest of us, though, as we’d never seen a rugby match.

“Hey, Mom? We should all watch the Superbowl together, like have a Superbowl party.” Nate was looking very hopefully at me.

“Oh - you mean here?”

He nodded. Lucy was following our dialogue closely. Ed just watched me with a small grin, clearly wondering where this would lead.

“Well…”

“Yeah, and you could come, right?” Lucy asked Ed.

“Oh, I’m definitely in,” he answered her.

I glanced at Nate to gauge his reaction to that. He was nodding his head - a good sign.

“Hmm. We might be able to do that. OK...I’ll invite Izzy and Jen, too, if that’s alright with everyone? It’s last-minute, so they probably already have plans...but I’d like to try…”

I was met with various head-bobs and “yeahs” and “that’s fines”.

“OK. Well, wait. What time does it start?”

Nathan answered me. “Kick-off is at 5:30, but the pre-game show is on before that.”

“OK, so dinner-time, then. Who’s doing the halftime show, I wonder?”

“Mom! It’s Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars!” The halftime show is the part of the Superbowl broadcast that Lucy enjoys the most. Personally, I’m in it for the commercials.

“Really?!” Ed cut in.

Our heads all whipped toward him, then.

His eyes grew wide when he realized we were all looking at him.

“What is it?” I asked him.

Lucy’s jaw dropped. “You know them, don’t you?”

He shrugged and grinned modestly as he quietly answered, “Um, yeah...”

Lucy was looking at him as if she just remembered who he is, which may have been the case, actually. “Wow,” she whispered.

“Alright, I’m going to call Jen and Izzy now. Be back in a few.” More head-bobs were directed my way as I walked toward the kitchen to make the call. I could still see the living room from the archway between the dining room and the kitchen, and I stood there for a minute, just observing the scene. I saw that Nate scooted over and took my spot on the loveseat, putting him closer to Ed and Lucy on the sofa. They were all involved in some conversation which I couldn’t make out. All three of them seemed comfortable and engaged.

So far so good.

Both Jen and Izzy were scheduled to work until 5 pm the next day, and had planned on a somewhat quiet evening watching the game with their significant others at home. So instead, they, along with Keith and Adam, would come to our house. They’d probably miss the first quarter, though, since they both had to stop home after work first. We decided on doing a potluck dinner. I’d set up a taco bar (I’m all about the food bars, apparently), Jen and Izzy would bring the side dishes, and their boyfriends would be in charge of dessert. Ed and I could work out the snacks and beverages.

I finished my call, and as I was coming back into the living room I heard Nathan ask Ed, “What should we call you?”

“Oh. I guess just call me ‘Ed’,” he said matter-of-factly. He nodded once at Nate, then glanced at Lucy, who nodded back at him in reply.

He looked back at Nate. “What about you? Do you prefer ‘Nate’ or ‘Nathan’?”

“Umm, either one is fine. I like ‘em both.”

“I use them both interchangeably,” I added as I entered the room.

“Is ‘Lucy’ a nickname for ‘Lucille’, then?”

“No. My real name is ‘Lucia’ (a/n: pronounced Loo-SEE-uh). But everyone calls me ‘Lucy’. Or ‘Lu’. But usually ‘Lucy’.”

“Cool. And which one of you is older?”

“Me!” Lucy quickly replied.

“Just by two minutes, though...and I’m bigger,” Nate smirked.

“Whatever,” muttered Lucy, rolling her eyes.

“OK - party’s on tomorrow! Jen and Izzy will be bringing Keith and Adam. But they’re coming after work, so they’ll miss the beginning of the game. It’ll be a potluck. I’m making tacos. Sound good?”

Everyone was smiling and seemed happy. And I was, too.

The pizza bar was a success. I put out pre-made mini pizza crusts, sauce, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, sausage, mozzarella and asiago cheeses, onions, pineapple, green peppers, mushrooms, and bacon.

We all built our own personal pizzas together, around the kitchen island. Nathan piled way too much cheese and bacon on his. Lucy made a smiley face of pepperoni on hers. Ed was very particular about his Canadian bacon and pineapple placement on the Hawaiian pizza he made. I just put light sauce, extra cheese, and a smattering of onions and peppers on mine.

Neither the kids nor I had ever tried Hawaiian pizza before. I only bought the toppings for it because Ed suggested them when we were at the grocery store earlier that day. Honestly, I thought that pineapple on pizza sounded pretty disgusting. The kids were both slightly alarmed by it, too. Living so close to Chicago, we consider ourselves experts when it comes to pizza. We know pizza. We did not know about this pineapple business.

“Is that what pizza is like in England?” Lucy watched Ed’s meticulous placement of the Canadian bacon and pineapple in horrified fascination.

“What? You don’t have Hawaiian pizza here?”

I answered, “I’m sure you can get it from the chain pizza places like Domino’s or Papa John’s, but I don’t know anyone who actually has. I think Chicagoans tend to be pretty traditional about their pizza toppings.”

“Well, you all don’t know what you’re missing, then. Done!” He’d finally placed the last topping bit of his ridiculously symmetrical pattern of pineapple and meat on his pizza.

Since they were personal-sized, they all fit in the oven at once. I just had to switch what shelves they were on half-way through the baking process so the ones on the bottom wouldn’t scorch. Within 15 minutes we were sitting down, enjoying our pizzas, along with salad and garlic bread.

Dinner conversation flowed easily, revolving around favorite foods, embarrassing moments, and pets. Ed is a really great conversationalist - he’s engaging and animated, and draws you in. The kids were both taken with him.

“You have no pets. Why don’t you have any pets?”

He honestly looked slightly scandalized by the idea of anyone not sharing his or her home with some sort of four-legged, furry animal or two.

Lucy answered the question. “We used to have a dog, Bear. But he was old and had hip dys...dyspa...what is it, Mom?”

“Hip dysplasia.”

“Yeah, that. It got really bad and we had to put him down a few years ago.”

“Ohhhh. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“He was awesome. He was a black lab/German shepherd mix - really smart...and funny, too,” Nate recalled.

“I loved that dog,” I smiled. “He was my first baby.”

“You didn’t want to get another one?”

“Well, not right away. We planned on getting a new dog last year...but then, well…” I met Ed’s eyes and then shrugged.

“Yeah,” he softly acknowledged.

If it was possible to comfort someone with only a look, then that’s exactly what he did. We only kept eye contact for a couple of seconds, but I felt it just as I would have if he’d held me in his arms.

I’m pretty sure the kids noticed it, but I think that’s fine - a good thing, actually.

Ed broke the momentarily silence, picking up right where we’d left off. “I’ve never had a dog. We always had cats when I was growing up.”

Lucy’s entire demeanor perked up at the mention of cats. The child has wanted a cat since she’s known what cats are. Jason was allergic to them, though, so that had never happened.

“You like cats?” she asked.

“I love cats!”

Nathan and I glanced at each other and he rolled his eyes. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“Mom, we should get a cat!”

I turned to Ed with a tight-lipped smile.

“I have to agree with Lucy. You should get a cat. Or two, even.”

“Oh, two cats, now? You’re ganging-up on me, here!”

Nate, meanwhile, looked completely amused at the conversation.

“Do you have any opinions about this, Nate?”

“Me?” He shrugged, slightly grinning. “Cats are cool.”

“I see. A cat -”

“Or two!” Lucy interrupted.

I looked at the three of them, all smiling at me. “I feel like I’ve been tricked into something here, even though I’ve agreed to nothing!”

“You mean we’re getting a cat?” Nate asked.

“Or two…” Ed very unhelpfully added.

Lucy was smiling from ear-to-ear.

I grinned ruefully, shaking my head, knowing I’d been had, but still unwilling to admit it.

“We’ll see.”

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

Sunday, February 7, 2016 - evening

It was halftime, and the Broncos were up 13-7. Nathan was very well-pleased, as was Adam. Both Jen and Keith were rooting for the Panthers. The rest of us were neutral.

We’d all been gathered in the family room in the basement, stuffing our faces throughout the first half, and thoroughly enjoying all of the potluck dishes. Izzy brought her mom’s famous (in our circle, at least) Mexican chicken salad, and Jen brought a white cheddar baked corn casserole. Adam and Keith chose to not stick with the Mexican theme for dessert, and picked up an apple pie, some brownies, and some chocolate chip cookies - all bakery-made. Ed and I supplied the main course - the tacos, as well as all of the chips and salsa, guacamole, and the beverages.

Jen and Izzy helped me with clean-up while everyone else gathered around to watch the halftime show. The guys had all offered to help as well, but we declined. I think the three of us really just wanted some time to ourselves for some girl-talk.

We caught each other up on our lives as we cleaned and de-cluttered. We hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to see or talk to each other since the holidays.

Jen and Keith had begun seeing each other exclusively soon after their very successful first date at the New Year’s Eve party we were all at. She was really happy.

“What does he do, Jen?” I asked.

“He’s a special ed teacher. And he coaches track, too.”

“Oh, wow. Where at?”

“Umm, he’s in the city - Bowen High School - on the south side.”

“Very cool, “ I nodded.

“You know, he is also a ‘younger man’,” Izzy shared.

“Yeah?” I rolled my eyes at her before shifting my gaze to Jen.

She nodded. “Yeah. He’s 29.”

“Oh, well that’s what? A five year difference? You guys have nothin’ on us.” I grinned and shook my head.

“How old is he, again, Katie?”

“Umm, he’ll be 25 in like...10 days.”

We were in the kitchen, and I’d been scraping food off of a baking dish, but looked up when the room had suddenly gone quiet. Jen and Izzy were both looking at me with the funniest expressions on their faces.

“What?”

Izzy’s grin was so huge she was practically leering at me. “So, how’s that going for you?”

I felt my face reddening, but I also couldn’t stop a somewhat cocky grin from forming, either.

“It’s...good. Yeah. I have no complaints.” I looked down, still smiling, focusing again on scraping the baked-in taco meat from the dish in my hands.

The game ended a little after 9 pm, and the Broncos won 24-10. The commercials were fun, as usual, and the halftime show was a phenomenal display of music and color and love. Personally, I’m not a huge football fan, so I was a little bored with the actual game. The company was what it was all about, for me. With the exception of my parents and my brother and his family, I was surrounded by the most important people in my life - the people I love. And I was really, really happy.

The kids were in bed by 9:30, but the grown-ups weren’t ready to end the evening, yet. We still had plenty of snacks to munch on, as well as plenty of beverages to imbibe. Someone mentioned Cards Against Humanity. Soon, we were all gathered around the coffee table, fresh drinks at hand and game cards scattered all around us. We spent the next 90 minutes laughing harder than I can remember having ever laughed before.

The collective favorite winning card combo of the night, below:

I bet you can guess whose it was. :-)

(A/N - if you’ve never played Cards Against Humanity, YOU MUST GO PLAY IT - while drinking, preferably. :-) Hands-down, the hardest I’ve ever laughed IN MY LIFE was while playing this game. GO PLAY THIS GAME!)

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

“I want you to stayyyy. But...that would be...not the smart thing...to do.” I patted his chest emphatically as I spoke. And also I was impressed with myself for getting all of my words out somewhat correctly and coherently.

We sat together on the sofa in the basement family room, slouching and leaning against each other. His rested a hand on the inside of my thigh. I rested mine over his adorable, soft belly. My other guests had left just a few minutes earlier. It was after midnight. We were both quite plastered.

“Mmmmmm...” he kind of softly moan-growled. “I know! Why do I have to leave, again?”

“Because we shouldn’t have sex with the kids here!” I whispered loudly, gently patting his belly this time in emphasis.

“Oh, yeah…”

We looked at each other, very drunk and wide-eyed and, fell into fits of giggles.

Eventually, we stopped laughing, and he sighed and turned to me. “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight. I will, ‘cause I want to do the right thing. But I might pout a little bit over it.”

“I know. Me, too. I just...you understand though, right? It’s...it’s too soon. For them. I don’t...I...there’s no way they are ready to see you here in the morning. They’re young but they’re not that young and they’d know, and I just can’t ask them to accept that yet. It doesn’t seem right to me. Oh god, you understand, right? Fuck. I’m too drunk to get...words out right…”

I looked over at him, slightly embarrassed, and wondering if he had any idea what I was trying to say.

“You want to give them some time to get used to the idea of you - of us - dating, yeah?”

I nodded.

“Before we parade our love life in their faces?” He was smiling at me as he spoke.

“Yeah, I guess that’s...that’s actually exactly it.”

He tilted his head to the side as he pushed a bit of hair behind my ear. His expression softened as he looked at me. “You’re a really, really good mum.”

My first thought was to deflect his kind words, but I didn’t. He seemed to be putting thought into what he was saying - it wasn’t just a nice, empty compliment, given only to make me feel good about myself.

“You really think so, don’t you? You’re not just saying that.”

“Well, I’ve spent some time here with you all over the last few days, and I’ve seen how you are with each other. The way all three of you balance love, respect and...humor...it’s, well, it’s really beautiful.”

I suddenly felt a lot less drunk, and he seemed less drunk, too. Or maybe he was just still able to be eloquent despite being intoxicated. I wouldn’t put it past him.

He’d been paying attention to us - to the kids and to me, and how we interact and connect with each other. He saw right into our hearts, and his impromptu assessment of us was spot on.

“How do you do that?” My voice came out as a whisper.

“Do what?” he murmured.

“How could you have seen that? It’s like...you know what’s in my heart. And theirs, too.”

”Kate, that’s all from you and Nate and Lucy. That’s what the three of you put out there. I’m pretty sure anyone who knows you or has seen the three of you together for any decent length of time has seen the same thing. And...I think I do know your heart.”

I turned in a little bit towards him and hugged him tightly, resting my head in the crook of his neck. “Thank-you.”

He turned to me and placed many short, sweet kisses on my temple. It was probably all he could reach due to the way we were leaning into each other.

“Can you lift up your head, please?”

“Whyyyyy? This is so nice.”

“Because I’d like to kiss you properly.”

“Oh,” I grinned. I raised my head up off of his shoulder, turned myself to face him, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I suppose,” I whispered just before he leaned in and attached his lips to mine.

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

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Ed and I were to leave on our trip the following day, and we wanted all of us to have a nice dinner together before we left. The kids finished their homework by 6:00, and we were out the door by 6:20.

I parked on the street a few doors down from the Fat Duck, a restaurant/pub in the next town over. It’s a favorite of mine - I love the cozy atmosphere, and the food is fantastic. We asked for a corner table, and were immediately seated. The wide-screen TV’s placed all around the dining area were tuned into various sports events - mostly college basketball and the pre-game show for the Blackhawks vs the San Jose Sharks. Since it was a weeknight in February, and still early in the hockey season, it wasn’t very crowded. But the mood was cheery and welcoming.

We quickly ordered our beverages and some appetizers - the parmesan truffle fries are to die for. We chatted as we studied the menus. I learned that Ed is very suspicious of fish & chips outside of the UK - the Fat Duck is known locally for its fish & chips. He passed on it, so I ordered it, instead. Oh, well. His loss. He ordered the pulled pork platter. Nate got a huge bowl of homemade bacon mac-n-cheese (do you see a theme in his food choices?), and Lucy went with chicken quesadillas.

Lucy briefly glanced up at Ed from her plate at one point and asked, “Are you coming home with Mom after your trip?” My back stiffened slightly in heightened attention at her seemingly innocent question. She’s a girl who always chooses her words carefully.

‘...coming home with Mom…’ Not ‘coming here’ or ‘coming back’. On the surface it appeared to be just a random word choice. But I suspected it wasn’t. I briefly glanced at both kids. Seeing nothing but curiosity on their faces, I shifted my eyes to Ed, curious as to how he’d answer.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “We’re flying back here together. I’ll be around for a few days before I go back to London.”

“Cool,” Nate replied as both he and Lucy bobbed their heads in return. “Are you going to stay at the hotel again?”

“Yep,” he answered without missing a beat, nodding, meeting first Nate’s and then Lucy’s eyes. Then he stuffed a forkful of pulled pork into his mouth.

The rest of dinner was completely enjoyable. Lucy entertained us with a story about her Math teacher. Apparently, that morning another student had stored his backpack on the floor under his desk, but the shoulder strap was hanging out into the aisle. Miss Detty didn’t see the strap as she walked down the aisle. You can probably guess what happened - Miss Detty landed on her bottom on said backpack. Luckily, she only injured her pride a little bit.

“It was so hard not to laugh! But we thought she’d get mad, and we, like, didn’t know if she was hurt? But then - she was still on the floor - and she said, ‘I’m OK. You can laugh.’ And we all started laughing, but then she pointed to Joseph - it was his backpack - and she said, ‘but not you! You can’t laugh!’ It was so funny!”

We all then shared crazy school stories. Nate told us how his friend Omar took off his shoes and socks in the middle of Science and propped his bare feet up on his desk, crossed at his ankles. Mrs. DiPisa was not amused, but the rest of the class was. I told them about the boy in my 8th grade class who jumped out of the classroom window, but then when he tried to come back in the main entrance, he found the door to be locked. He had to ring the bell and explain to the office why he was outside. Our teacher somehow never knew he was gone until the principal walked him back to class. Ed’s story was actually his Great-Uncle’s story - something he had done in school many, many years ago. Great-Uncle Tom had attended a Catholic primary school in Ireland in the 1940’s. He was apparently a very naughty child.

“He was in the 4th class, and his teacher was a nun - Sister Scholastica. What a name, right? He described her as being tall and old and very mean. He said they couldn’t see her hair because it was tucked into the...what’s the thing on a nun’s head - the veil? So the rumor was that she was bald, too.”

Lucy and Nathan were already completely drawn into Ed’s story. Honestly, so was I.

“So, one afternoon just after lunch, my Great-Uncle Tom was sat at his desk, twisted around, trying to get the attention of his mate who sat a few seats behind him, in the same row. He whistled very loudly to get his friend to look up. For some reason, Sr. Scholastica though it was his mate who whistled. She came storming down the aisle toward poor Davey, waving her ruler in the air, prepared to smack him across his hands with it. She was really angry. My great-uncle swears on the bible that he doesn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he stuck out his foot. The nun never saw it. She tripped and fell forward, flat on the floor.

“Ohhhhhhhh…” groaned Nate. Lucy was quiet, but wide-eyed.

“But that wasn’t the worst of it. Her chin hit the floor, and then her false teeth shot right out of her mouth and slid the rest of the way down the aisle, stopping right next to poor Davey’s desk!”

“Nooooo! Are you kidding me?” Lucy squeaked out.

“It’s a true story, as far as I know.”

“Oh, man. He must have got in HUGE trouble for that,” Nate mused.

“Yeah. He got kicked out of school.”

“Whoa. That’s crazy!” Lucy glanced over at Nate and he nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” Ed went on. “I have a lot of characters in my family.’

“Good to know,” I grinned.

“When do you leave tomorrow? What time?” Nate loudly slurped up the last of his lemonade through his straw as he waited for my answer.

I gave him a little glare of reproof until he finished. “Umm…” I glanced at Ed, trying to remember. “We’ll leave for the airport around 11, I think?” He nodded. “So I’ll be home when you leave for school in the morning, but your grandparents will be there when you get home.”

“OK.”

“I’ll call you guys when we get in tomorrow, but it will probably be late - close to your bedtime.”

Nate nodded his head while Lucy gave Ed a curious look.

“So, we won’t see you again until after your trip, right? Like, we won’t see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I guess this is it until we get back...that is, if you don’t mind me sticking around for a bit.”

Lucy smiled shyly. “Sure.”

Ed’s eyes shifted from Lucy’s smiling face to Nathan’s thoughtful one, and he raised his brows questioningly.

I think it occurred to Nathan at the same time as it did to me that Ed had essentially just asked them if it was OK if he and I continue to see each other.

Nate’s eyes grew fractionally larger, and a second later he nodded his head, grinning. “I don’t mind.”

I silently let out my breath - I guess I’d been holding it - and discreetly placed my hand over Ed’s knee, giving it a few affectionate squeezes. He turned to me and smiled. I smiled right back, and didn’t care who saw.

“That might have been the most subtle third-degree I’ve ever received.”

We were back at the house, and the kids were getting ready for bed. Ed and I were downstairs in the family room, sprawled out on the sofa in front of the TV. I’d just put on the 9:00 news on WGN.

“You mean when they asked if you were coming home with me or staying at the hotel after we get back?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“Yeah. Were they asking me what I think they were asking me?”

“I think so.”

“Wow. That is some impressive, understated nuance. You have clever communicators on your hands.”

“Yeah...they feed off of each other, too, so it’s really easy to feel ganged-up on by them - like they did with you. You handled it perfectly, though.”

He shrugged and then gave me a curious look. “But why…where did that come from? Why are they thinking about that?”

“I think some of it is just due to their age - they’re entering Tweendom. They’re curious and nosey, and with us going away together...they might be wondering about some things, you know?”

“Like our sleeping arrangements?”

“I guess...maybe.”

“Hmmm. They don’t seem upset, though?”

I shook my head. “Nooo...they like you. But they’re probably still unsure about some things, too. Like...I want them to like you, obviously, but I don’t want them to feel guilty about liking you. Do you know what I mean?”

He nodded. “Do you feel guilty about liking me?” He tried playing the question off almost as a joke, smiling shyly as he asked, but I answered him seriously.

“No. I never have. Really early on - like right after we met - I thought about that, and realized that there is nothing to feel guilty about.” I let out a small breath. “But, they’re 10, so...I don’t know if they feel the same way.”

“Mom! I’m going to bed!” Nathan called down to me from the landing at the top of the stairs.

I looked over at Ed. “Will you excuse me for a few minutes?”

“Mom!”

He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head.

“I’ll be right there, Nate. Go on up.”

As I made my way upstairs I heard his feet pounding across the floor as he trotted back to his room.

I assumed Lucy was just about ready for bed, as well. I wanted to talk to both of them while I still had a chance.

Lucy’s was the first room off the stairway, so it was the first room I peeked into. She was in bed, but with her light on. She was reading a book.

“Hey.”

She looked up and smiled.

“I want to talk to you guys about a few things before you go to sleep. OK if I call Nate in here?”

She looked curious as she nodded her head. I called out for Nate to come in for a minute. He soon did and the three of us sat together on Lucy’s bed. Each of us grabbed a pillow to put in our laps. They both looked at me expectantly.

“So, I just wanted to make sure you’re both OK with all of this. With Ed, I mean.”

Lucy tilted her head to the side, seeming to try and pull her thoughts together. Nate looked directly at me, thoughtfully, as if he was considering his words - which is not usual for him.

“It’s OK to be completely honest. I won’t get mad, no matter what you feel…and whatever is said stays here - I won’t repeat it to anyone. Promise.”

Nate nodded thoughtfully. “He...he’s OK. Like, he’s chill - like a normal person.”

Like a normal person…I swallowed my grin at that comment, and waited for him to finish his thought.

He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine with me, I think.”

“OK,” I nodded. “How do you feel about me going away for a week?’

“I don’t mind,” he answered. “You used to travel a lot for work, so-”

“But this time you’re going to something way better!” Lucy piped in.

“Yeah, I guess going to the Grammys would be more fun than sitting in a library in Salt Lake City transcribing documents, hmm?”

They both were grinning - genuine smiles.

“OK. But seriously. You’re doing alright with this? Lu, what about you?”

“Well, It’s a little weird, I guess? But he’s really nice.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of weird for me, too.” I paused to gather my thoughts before continuing. “You know you’re both the most important people in my life, and I absolutely don’t want to do anything to cause you to hurt. You guys come first. OK?”

Lucy glanced at Nathan as she spoke, and he nodded at her words. “OK. We’re good, Mom.”

“Yeah? You sure?”

They both nodded.

“OK. I love you guys.” I pulled Lucy’s head over to me and kissed the top of it before standing up.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go, Nate, into bed with you.”

He got up and headed out the door. I paused before leaving Lucy’s room.

“Goodnight, pumpkin. Love you.”

“Goodnight, Mom. I love you, too.”

“You gonna read for a little bit?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, but lights out in 15 minutes, got it?”

“Okayyyyy.” I got an eyeroll with that, but I chose to ignore it.

“ ‘Night, sweetie.”

“ ‘Night, Mom.”

Nate was already in bed, lights out, when I got there.

“You still awake?” I whispered.

“Yeah.”

“OK. I’m just saying ‘goodnight’.”

“ ‘Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, honey. I love you.” I ruffled his wavy locks, as I’d done every night of his life since he’s had enough hair to ruffle.

“Love you, too,” he murmured, rolling on his side.

I quietly shut his door and made my way back to the basement.

“I don’t mean to brag...much...but those kids up there? Are pretty amazing.” I knew I was grinning from ear-to-ear, as I approached Ed on the sofa. I sat next to him, and he pulled me into his side.

“Everything go alright, then?”

“Yeah. Everything is...awesome.” I smirked at him.

“You’re just not going to let it go, are you?”

“You just said ‘let it go’...like from Frozen.” I couldn’t wipe the huge, stupid grin from my face.

“...fuck’s sake!” he laughed, running his hand through the hair at the back of his head.

”You quote children’s movies a lot?” I may have snort-laughed, then.

“Umm...yeah? You might not have noticed, because I’ve been on my best game for you, but I’m kind of a huge nerd.”

I grinned stupidly at him for several seconds, just relishing the joy I felt as it washed over me.

“I love you so much, you big nerd.”

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(Next Chapter)

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#ed sheeran #ed sheeran fanfic #ed sheeran mature fanfic #Ed&Katelovestory #becausepurple #becuzpurple #CODE GINGER #I'm posting from the afterworld bc the Shape of You video killed me this morning #FatDuck is real #the truffle fries really are to die for #go play Cards Against Humanity!#and also he bent her like a pretzel

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