#ofc you are more than welcome to say hi first too i would be ecstatic

[wild-shaped]

"to make friends you have to actually put yourself out there and talk to people!!1!" okay. i can ALSO just yearn from afar and pine for a future i never gave a chance

[chromotps]

Let's gooooo. Shanks/Ace for the wedding asks 1, 2, and 6

hello friend i owe you my life. swearing my fealty on one knee

1. Who first brought up the option of marriage? Was it an easy topic?

:} so I think. Shanks would bring it up... Either, he's swept up in a particularly ardent moment, or something happens externally (witnessing another wedding, or just another couple talking about marriage) that has Shanks carefully probing about the idea.

Whether it's easy might depend on how long he and Ace have been together, right? Like, if they've been at it for a while, maybe Ace is taken off guard but after working through the shock, starts goofily playing into the idea. Like, "oh yeah? you'd wanna get hitched with me?" (while smiling more and more helplessly) "think you can handle my in-laws? because, lemme tell you, they'll be a handful. and you've only got the one" (Shanks, grinning even wider: 'low blow, gorgeous.')

but if they're only juuuuuuust reaching a particularly stable point—like, deeply and undeniably in love ofc, but, you know. there's some big drama to work through for them—I could see there being a little trouble. Like, Ace having difficulty believing in it... not difficulty believing Shanks, but like, that this is something really happening to him. He might get kind of closed off/not give a clear answer as a defense mechanism, and end up hurting Shanks with that reluctance. But I also think they'd work through it—either with Ace's immediate regret once he realizes how he affected Shanks (might take a bit of some outside parties talking(/beating) sense into him), or with Shanks' pretty deep understanding of Ace's emotions at that point. It shouldn't be on Shanks to intuit his way through things, and I think Ace would come around--with his whole thing being, learning to open up even at the risk of being hurt, right? dgfsjkhfl this is getting too long but. mm. delicious angst-hurt-comfort. you get it

2. Which one proposed? Was it grand and public? Discreet and private? Was it expected?

Shanks does it when he's, again, swept up in a possibly tipsy fervor of adoration I think Shanks does... at least in a canon(?)/pirate-verse story. He wouldn't want to rush Ace into anything, but that's why he felt the idea out first, and got a sense of what Ace really thought of the idea. But, at a certain point Shanks knows what he wants, and more than that knows what Ace deserves, so...

I really can't decide between grand and discreet. Like, I don't think he'd do anything in the middle of a public market or anything, but he might pull a stunt in front of the Whitebeard or Red Hair crews, ahaha. Again, he'd probably floated the vague idea around Ace to be sure, but the actual proposal would be a surprise... And ugh even if it was public and expected, I bet there would be a separate, ridiculously sentimental, private moment between the two of them afterward.... S,, saps,,,

6. Who were the first people to find out about the engagement? How did they react?

I wanna say the members of their crews, ahaha. omg if the proposal was private, I'm just picturing Benn and Deuce kind of squinting at Shanks and Ace afterward, immediately knowing something is up... and somehow, before Shanks or Ace can even open their mouths, Deuce is like "oh thank god, finally, I couldn't take any more of that moping—" and Benn is like, "only a year late on this one, Captain—thought you'd get the hint way earlier," while Shanks and Ace are both So. Confused

Either way, the crews are generally ecstatic but give them both lots of friendly rounds of ribbing... There's a preemptive night of drinking before the actual party, and then there's combined/multiple bachelor parties to have, and then they have to throw an extravaganza just for the in-laws—need to welcome Dadan, and maybe Rayleigh, and hm they might as well make a toast to Garp, the bastard, and......... yes. the happy couple barely get a moment to themselves for a while, I bet. hehe

[saiilorstars]

Ch. 19: Baby Steps

[Story Masterlist] // [Aitana’s Masterlist]

Fandom: Criminal Minds // Pairing: Spencer Reid x OFC

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag​ @arrthurpendragon​ @anotherunreadblog​ @maaaaarveeeeel​ @stareyedplanet​ @averyhotchner​​ @foxesandmagic​​

If you’d like to be a part of Aitana’s taglist, please let me know!

Aitana had come in a little earlier today. It was the first day Hotch was back from his short break and she felt like she couldn't just get back to work like nothing. She might have learned something she shouldn't have and so she wanted to make it right however she could. And what she had at her fingertips were sweet pastries to hopefully push things in the right direction.

"Morning," she gave a light tap against Hotch's office door. He looked up from his desk that held a decent amount of paperwork from his absence. "Welcome back." Aitana raised the pink box in her hands.

Whatever he actually felt, Hotch still smiled at her and welcomed her inside. "Those aren't all for me, are they?"

"I don't know, how good are you with sugar?" Hotch bobbed his head for a short second, making her chuckle. She set the box down on the desk. "It's good to have you back, sir. It's been a doozy without you."

"I heard the case you all had to handle," Hotch said, head shaking slightly.

"Well, technically, most of us handled it." Aitana's wry look now made him smile.

"I know Strauss can be a lot, but—"

Aitana waved it off. "It's fine. I'm...let's just say that I followed Rossi's advice about some wine…"

Hotch raised his eyebrows at her. "Good to hear."

"I, um, I just wanted to see how you were doing?" Aitana pursed her lips together, bracing herself for his reaction. "Emily told me what happened with, uh, with your wife. I don't know if I was supposed to find out but I don't know all the details of what happened and I won't know it of course. I just…" Aitana exhaled deeply, "I just wanted to tell you that I know and I'm sorry for everything that happened."

Hotch stared at her long and hard and while she thought he was considering his next words, he was actually waiting to see if she was finished. When she didn't say anything else, he finally started to speak, "I never expected you to be in the dark about. At some point, you would find out."

"I'm sorry," Aitana felt the urge to say again, possibly a hundred more times. "I...I thought I had a bad experience but turns out that everyone has something and some people have very, very bad things happen to them. I'm really sorry."

"Serrano, thank you, really," Hotch said. "I'm not upset at all that you know."

Aitana pushed the box towards him. "You get first choice."

Hotch smiled at it. "You know you really don't want to get them used to this stuff…"

Aitana shrugged. "I can handle it. My parents are just happy that I'm coming by more often. They'll bake as many things as I want."

Hotch nodded. "It's good that you're reintegrating."

"Baby steps," Aitana repeated what got her through most of it. "Just baby steps."

"And the will," Hotch pointed out. "Because it's your own will that'll let you do that."

Aitana agreed. Things were very different for now than they were when she first came out of Witness Protection. For the first time now, she had a job that she liked, a job that she was progressively getting better at, and a group of people she was liking more by the day. She didn't want to let it go. She knew that for a fact.

~ 0 ~

"You're kidding right?" Penelope was ecstatic with the fresh round of pastries Aitana brought the team that morning. The pink box was full of delicious smelling bread. Penelope reached for her piece before anybody else around the conference table could. "Oh, oh, you're not kidding!"

Aitana chuckled. "All yours, Penelope." She grabbed her chair to take a seat while the others gathered around the box.

"You've been bringing these around more often," Morgan noted as he came in beside Penelope. "We might have to stop by this bakery to say our thanks."

Aitana laughed a bit too loud for Morgan's liking. "Oh boy, I can imagine how that would go. You'd flirt with my mother, wouldn't you?"

Morgan made a face. "It's not my fault I'm good with mothers."

"You're awful!"

"I spy a rainbow-sprinkled donut for Boy Wonder!" Penelope motioned the doctor over when he stepped into the room.

"I figured as much which is why I brought over some…" Spencer stopped by Aitana's chair with a coffee for her.

Her eyes lit up at the sweet scent drifting to her nose. "Light, right? I love me some coffee but it doesn't need a lot of shots in it."

Spencer wholeheartedly agreed with her. "Of course!" A lot of people liked to joke with him and the amount of sugar he put into his coffee, he was happy to see Aitana was on his side.

"Where's Prentiss?" Morgan asked after securing his sweet bread.

"I don't know," Penelope shrugged. She returned to her seat with her own bread.

"Her car wasn't here when I rode in this morning," remarked Spencer. He quickly grabbed his donut and headed for his seat.

"Hey," Emily strode into the room. She looked worse for wear but Morgan was the only one who dared to comment.

"Somebody have a long night?"

"Somebody want to mind their own business?" Emily uncharacteristically snapped in response.

There was a mutual dumbfounded reaction amongst the group that Emily didn't stop to notice, or care for that matter. She went to the furthest chair from the group and plopped down.

"Umm…" Aitana was certainly not aiming to be the second victim, so she played it cautiously, "I brought sweet bread again...if you'd like some." She was just about to reach the doing box when Emily refused it. Aitana wasn't stupid enough to insist.

A short moment later, Hotch and Rossi arrived. Hotch let them know they could start the meeting as Seaver would not be joining them this time. She was off on another assignment.

"Alright," Aitana rose up from her chair, Penelope bringing the screen behind them alive, "We're headed to Los Angeles—"

"Two times in one year," remarked Penelope.

"Mhm—wait, what?" Aitana paused to glance at Penelope, eyes wide. "Two times?" Penelope nodded. "I'm...we're only halfway into the year—ah, no, moving on." The others were amused with her but kept their chuckles hidden. "This one was an odd one, I…" She motioned Penelope to present the pictures they had of the recent victims. "Three women were all abducted from different parts of the city and murdered within the last couple of weeks. Shelly onto, 23-year-old bank teller, 15 days ago. Vickie Hagerg, 39-year-old art teacher, 6 days ago. And Linda Dean, a 28-year-old hostess at a bar, 2 days ago. They were all from different parts of the city, all different socioeconomic statuses."

"All 3 were held approximately 24 hours before being dumped in a public space," Penelope regretfully showed them the corpses.

"He's not hiding what he's doing," Morgan noted the very public spots the Unsub had chosen for each of the victims.

"And here's one weird part…"

"They all look like floaters," Emily said as she took study of the very pale skin of the corpses, along with the seemingly crumpled clothes as if they'd been wet.

"That's because all 3 women were drowned," Aitana said.

"Their bodies weren't found anywhere near water?" Spencer read from the file.

"No, they weren't. They were drowned somewhere else and transported to the dumpsite."

"But they weren't drowned in water…" Rossi said, but of course Spencer had already read ahead.

"Methanol?" He looked up at the team.

"Each woman had it in her lungs and was alive before she went into it," Penelope said.

"No water, just methanol," Emily said in thought. "Drowning's a tough way to kill someone. Slow."

"The unsub wants his victims to suffer, and he's got the space and privacy in which to do it," Hotch said, prompting the others to conclude on their own that the murder list would continue until they found the unsub."

~0~

As soon as the jet took off, the team got deeper into the case file.

"You guys want to show me how much more experienced you are by telling me, please, what the hell this unsub could possibly gain from removing a part of flesh like this one?" Aitana turned her copy of the file around so the others could see exactly what she talked about. Each of the victims had one perfectly cut square of flesh taken from their right foot. Penelope had not wanted to see any scrap of that so she purposely kept it out of the screen and left in the files. Aitana was, however, overly curious about the meaning of such a peculiar act. "I mean, all the victims were nude but there's no evidence of sexual assault on any of them so...what the hell? Unless we're talking about a foot fetishist, you actually can't get further away from sexual areas. What-what is it? A trophy?"

"Skin, independent of any other substance, would wither and die rather quickly," Spencer called from where he was making himself a cup of tea.

Aitana's face scrunched. That just left her even more lost. "Great, so then what does he want? Just a thrill?"

"Possibly," Morgan shrugged. "Maybe we should focus on the methanol as a way to get more clues. We don't really see it that often."

Spencer came over to take a seat with them now with his cup of tea in hand. "Methanol is compositionally speaking the simplest of the alcohols. It's actually ubiquitous in the environment. There are small traces of its vapor in the atmosphere, but atmospheric methanol is easily oxidized by sunlight."

"Is it toxic?" Morgan asked. This time, they'd let the entire flood of explanations come out without an interruption.

"Ingesting 10 milliliters of it will cause permanent blindness, and as little as 30 is potentially fatal."

Emily grabbed her copy of the file and skimmed it again to make sure she remembered correctly. "These victims had between 5 and 6 ounces in their lungs."

"You know, if they were immersed in it, they would have died even without ingesting or inhaling it. When absorbed through the skin, it depresses the central nervous system to an unsustainable degree."

Aitana was positively bemused with how Spencer had a response for everything they asked him. It would never cease to be fascinating for her. How could someone fit all that information into one head? Well, she would definitely take her turn like the rest of the team and ask a question. "What's it used for?"

And just like with the others, Spencer didn't skip a beat when answering her. "What isn't it used for? A solvent, an antifreeze. In World War II the Germans used it for rocket fuel. It's used in wine-making. Its most commonplace use, however, is in the creation of other chemicals. Methanol can become plastic, plywood, paint, explosives, permanent-press textiles. It's essentially the chemical used to separate other chemicals from each other."

Aitana would give him the full points this time.

"Can it be bought? Is it tracked?" asked Hotch.

"California's got some of the strictest environmental laws in the country. I'm sure it's regulated," Rossi remarked but it appeared like Spencer thought differently.

"Methanol is also used in making biofuels, which quite a few people have been doing at home. I'd imagine the sale of it is fairly commonplace." And it would turn out later that Spencer was quite right.

~0~

Based in L.A. would end up doing more damage to their case. Aitana met with Spencer, Hotch, and Emily in the conference room with a near grumbling face.

"I know I struggle with the press but I think I'm more upset right now that I won't have to do anything with it this time," she said, planting the three victims' cases on the table.

"Why not?" Emily asked her. She lifted her gaze from the map Spencer had set up and was still going through it.

"Two of the 3 women weren't even reported missing when the cops found them. There's no coverage because the media doesn't see them as pertinent, outstanding amongst actually reported missing cases."

"The unsub is dumping their bodies 24 hours after abducting them. It takes longer than that for a missing persons report to clear the system," Spencer would say in the midst of his work.

"Thank you, well of knowledge," Aitana said with a sigh. "For the time being, the press won't be a problem. Anything on the methanol?"

At that, Spencer turned right away from the map, finger raised to announce his findings. "Methanol can be easily purchased from any chemical supply house in Southern California. It's not controlled. You can buy it in large quantities or small quantities."

Hotch and Rossi, along with primary detective Bailey, returned from the coroner's office with little to nothing for the case, except that the victims had all ingested the methanol.

"I've charted the abduction and disposal sites," Spencer stepped back for them to better the marked map. "Linda Dean was taken from Hollywood. Her body was dumped in Echo Park. Shelly was last seen in the Garment district. Her body was dumped in Sherman Oaks. And finally, Vickie Hagerg was taken in Torrance south of the city. Her body was left in Westlake."

"It's a huge geographical area," Morgan would say what the others were unfortunately thinking. The vast range didn't leave them a lot to work with.

"The only area the unsub hasn't hit yet is east of downtown, which means we can either eliminate it or it's the one place left," Spencer added in a quieter tone, knowing that he was providing virtually nothing.

"Well…" Rossi started when the silence fell over them, "We could say that the locations of the dumpsites means this guy's very mobile."

Spencer would nod in agreement. "All of the dumpsites, including the most recent one, are between the 110 and 405 freeway and the 5 and 10 north and south."

"Linda Dean's family said she always took the Red Line home from work at night, but the subway in L. A. stops running at 1 a.m," Emily said. "She clocked out of work at 5 past 1:00."

"L. A. at 1 a.m.? She probably didn't walk home," Morgan said.

"All the victims had breathed an aerosolized chloroform, and to do that he needs an enclosed space," Hotch said.

"You know, chloroform's a lot more controlled than methanol," Spencer said, hoping that would be enough to spark a new lead for them. "I'll have Garcia track any large quantity purchases or thefts from chemical supply houses."

Detective Bailey moved around the room, rethinking everything they'd learned so far. "So we're looking for a vehicle, one that could be in any area of Los Angeles at 1:00 in the morning and not attract attention. I hate to say it, but that could be a police car."

"Or a taxi," Aitana spoke up. "I saw like five different ones on the way here."

Yet another task for the one and only Penelope Garcia.

~ 0 ~

"There's 7 companies," Garcia had the information shortly later. "I checked all 7 cab companies that service the Hollywood and Vermont area, and none of the drivers reported picking anyone up between 11:00 and 2:00 the night Linda went missing."

"And they know that for sure?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah. They seemed really certain."

"Well, one of the drivers may have picked someone up off the meter," Emily offered. It wasn't that far fetched. "The cabs have GPS?"

"Yeah," Garcia was quick to answer, "Taxis are tracked more than Gaga's Twitter."

"What does that mean?" Spencer said, making a face as he tried to understand the comparison.

"I'll explain it to him, Garcia," Rossi said just as she was about to say something no doubt long and sarcastic.

"Yeah, teach him to worship the other Lady G, boss. Ta and ta!" Penelope said before hanging up.

"You don't know Lady Gaga?" Aitana was giving Spencer an incredulous look. He was halfway shrugging when the others continued.

"So there were no taxis in the area…" Emily began, wheels of the mind turning to find another alternative.

"What about a gypsy cab?" Rossi suddenly asked. "They roam around in unregistered vehicles with fake insignias that look legit."

"There are 2, 300 registered cabs in the city and at least as many unregistered," detective Bailey remarked.

"And no one pays any attention when they get into a cab. If he's unregistered, he's not gonna sit outside taxi stands and wait to pick up fares in the traditional way."

"Which makes him either harder to find," Hotch muttered. Time was something they did not have. "This guy could be anywhere. Detective, can you gather everyone?" Bailey nodded. "We'd like to give the profile."

Bailey left the room to gather the others. Aitana neared Hotch more concerned than earlier. "If this guy's using a fake cab then maybe we should use the press now."

Hotch thought about it until he saw Spencer heading towards the small board they'd brought in earlier. He was writing down the ingredients they had so far but at the end he stopped. He turned towards the table then back to the board twice.

Even Aitana forgot what she'd requested watching him go through that two more times. "You okay over there…?"

"When I was in school, we used to use methanol to separate chemicals from each other," he started, though it was clear he was still trying to connect the two dots. "Whatever we did, we'd clip a sample of the source material to label and keep next to the output."

"What kind of samples?" asked Hotch.

They saw the connection in his eyes before he answered. Spencer turned to them, eyes wide as whatever he realized was still being processed. "Square samples 2 inches by 2 inches. I think this guy's a scientist and he's experimenting."

That certainly put a twist into the case, they just weren't sure if it was a good one or a worse one.

~0~

While the profile was given, Aitana focused on the single-handedly releasing the same profile to the press. The 'baby steps' turned into one huge step today and it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Yes, she was nervous — there were at least half a dozen reporters waiting for her when she stepped up to the podium — but she focused on the most important thing at the moment: the victims. Releasing the profile was the only way they could decrease the chance of there being another victim.

"This is a highly intelligible man we're looking for between the ages of 20 and 40. He's been abducting women between the same ages with the ruse of an unregistered gypsy cab." Aitana ignored the floundering questions with the vague information. "This man may stick out in that he exhibits odd behavior, can't hold a conversation very well. He may have little to no eye contact when you step into his cab. But do not be fooled because as I said before, this man is very intelligible. He uses a breathable form of methanol to incapacitate his victims. One of the intentions of this profile is to encourage any person who may have had a confrontation with this man to come forwards. If you have had an encounter with this man, please contact…the local precinct at the number that's shown on your screen. In the meantime, I implore everyone in the community to be vigilant about the taxi cabs you are taking, women especially."

By the time Aitana finished, she had dozens and dozens of questions being thrown at her. She'd managed to start giving her press conferences without stuttering and stammering but now she had to figure out a way to get around those questions. She couldn't prepare for them like she would with the speeches. She just had to learn from experience.

Only half an hour later, she got a call from Spencer. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" He went straight to the point.

"Still clearing up the last of the reporters, why?"

"There's been another victim found."

Aitana held her breath at that. The victim had to have been dumped today, no doubt close to the release of their profile. "We were too late for her," she sighed.

"But we may be onto something, don't fret."

Aitana made a face, almost laughing which was the last thing Spencer expected her to do during this situation. "People still say 'fret'?"

Spencer was now making the face, scrunching his nose. "Possibly. But you know, the word's meaning doesn't even come close to the meaning of the original word or came from."

Aitana's eyebrows raised with curiosity. "It doesn't?"

"No. It originated from the old English word 'freton' which means 'to devour like an animal'."

Aitana blinked several times as she processed his words. She couldn't help but smile. "Point number God-knows-how-many-numbers to Dr. Reid. I will take my defeat for today as humbly as I can."

Normally Spencer would've been more self-conscious about his random blurts of information but Aitana rarely made him feel anything like that. Hearing her say that, so casually and playful, warmed his heart.

"Spencer?" she called him twice before he snapped out of his thoughts. "What else you got for me?"

It was then that Spencer remembered he'd called for two things. "Yeah! Um...we may have someone who called saying she talked to the guy. You're closer."

Aitana nodded. "That is something. Send me the address and I'm on my way."

"Great, Morgan will meet you there."

~0~

"Hey," Aitana greeted Morgan as soon as she arrived at the block. She could already see two officers standing by the woman claiming to have met their unsub.

"Hey there, spicy sprinkles," Morgan pulled his shades off for a second. He smiled when she rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Do you and Garcia just randomly come up with these nicknames or do you actually have like meetings together to agree on them?"

Morgan shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes both."

Aitana shook her head. "I don't even want to know what else goes on in those meetings."

"Hey now," he chastised playfully, "Jealous?"

"You wish." She chuckled and started for the officers.

The woman seemed shifty when she met the two agents. She was sharply dressed as if she was heading to work, or possibly coming home from work.

"I don't know if he's the guy, but he was out of control," she explained, "His cab was unregistered, and he actually made me, a paying customer, get out."

"Ok, was that all that happened?" Aitana asked.

"Well, I was on the phone when I first got in the cab. I mean…" she paused for a moment, "I think he was listening to something."

Morgan tilted his head at the woman. "What do you mean?"

"Some dumb recording of himself talking."

"What was he saying on the recording?"

"I don't know. I tried to get his cab number down, but I was really flustered. I only got the last 2 digits." The woman showed them her right first where 2 numbers were written down on her skin.

"Thanks for that, ma'am," Aitana said, taking a mental note of the numbers. Two was better than nothing and they did have the whiz that was Penelope Garcia.

"These two officers will take down all your information," Morgan gestured for the officers to near them. "They're probably gonna ask you to look at some photos."

The woman made a face. "How long is that gonna take?"

Aitana made a face right back, hoping that it had the woman rethinking her priorities right now. "I'm not really sure, ma'am, but you may actually help save someone's life," she made sure to enunciate slowly. It seemed to have the woman shifting uncomfortably which was definitely something Aitana would take. Some people were just too much.

"She's something," Morgan remarked when the woman had been taken away.

"L.A.," Aitana said as if that was enough of an explanation.

"All right, if he's listening to recordings of himself, he's not only antisocial, he's probably delusional as well."

"Making him even more dangerous," Aitana nodded.

Morgan glanced at the cabs around them. "Follow me," he said suddenly, "I have an idea."

~ 0 ~

"Could it be smell? Could smell be what's attracting him to his victims?"" Aitana would later apologize to Spencer for such a rude straight-to-point phone call. She and Morgan were almost sure they might have found the way their unsub was picking his victims. His idea of getting into the cab to simulate the unsub's thought pattern turned out to be a genius idea.

"Distillation extraction," Spencer was quick to say, though it left Aitana wondering what exactly he had meant.

"Another point to Dr. Reid but right now can you just explain what that means?" From the side, Aitana heard Morgan snicker. She rolled her eyes and focused on what Spencer was saying.

"Methanol can be used to create scents or aromas. If you soak something in it for hours, it draws out the essential oils…" There was a sudden pause in Spencer's explanation and Aitana suspected that he had realized something else. "Aitana, let me call you right back, ok?"

"Uuh, sure?" Aitana shrugged her shoulders as the call went dead.

Later in the evening, they regrouped back in the precinct to go over what they had and get some makeshift dinner in the process.

Rossi stationed himself in front of the coffee machine while the others grabbed seats around the conference table. "Unless the victims all wore excessive amounts of perfume, it would take a hell of nose to detect smell through a taxi window."

"Not necessarily," Spencer raised a finger, making it no surprise for the others. "People with the olfactory disorder hyperosmia have an oversensitivity to smell. They typically pick up scents that other people can't."

"That must suck then," Aitana mumbled under her breath.

"I don't think he'd be going after their perfume. It's already artificial."

"So they probably weren't wearing anything on their skin," Emily realized. "Something about their natural scent compels him?"

"Smell's a powerful trigger for memory. He might be trying to bring back the memory of somebody he lost," Morgan said. It was the logical thing to think of.

At that moment, Penelope called in to tell them she had a possible lead of their unsub. "I have exactly one address at which every piece of equipment Reid listed was delivered to!"

"That's great, Garcia, send it in," instructed Hotch.

"On it!"

And as soon as they had the address, they took off. The latest victim could still be alive so time was of the essence.

They arrived at the house to find it dead quiet but they would be fools to believe that. Hotch led the team and the rest of the officers towards the house, sending a flock of them around the back.

"Morgan and Prentiss, take the back," Hotch ordered the pair to move out.

"He's got eyes on us," Rossi nodded over to the security camera perched up on the entrance ceiling.

"Which means so does the victim," Aitana said, preferring to think only about that woman waiting for them.

Hotch prepared to kick the front door when the unsub failed to show himself. Just then, they heard Morgan shouting from the back. "He's running!"

"Serrano,and Reid stay with Prentiss, search the house!" Hotch said quickly as he and Rossi ran back to the SUV.

"C'mon!" Spencer led Aitana into the house with a strong door kick. Emily had no doubt already entered through the back. They searched the living room and kitchen until Emily led the way towards the basement.

The trio cautiously stepped down until they opened the basement door.

"Please help me! Help me!" They soon heard Anisa's cry from inside.

She was tied down to a slab, naked, and in tears. The trio hurried inside to get her out. Emily pulled her jacket off to cover the poor woman up while Spencer worked on releasing the slab from the chains threatening to spill her over into the methanol.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Anisa burst into fresh sobs once they had her completely free.

"You'll be alright now," Emily promised her. All they had to do now was catch the unsub. Unfortunately, the chase for him would lead to his death.

~ 0 ~

On the jet ride back home, most of the team was nearly knocked out after the case they had. Aitana found Emily wide awake, though it seemed like there was a reason why. She slid into the seat opposite of Emily, it being one of the few left open by their sleeping co-workers.

"Hey," she set down a cup of coffee on the table. She thought she'd been pretty quiet but it seemed like it was enough to cause a jolt in Emily. It certainly pulled the phone down from Emily's hands. "Sorry, is, uh, everything okay?"

Emily cleared her throat. "Yeah, of course." Her eyes briefly flickered over to a sleeping Morgan. She already had this type of conversation with him earlier in the day and the last thing she wanted was to have a go with Aitana. She certainly didn't seem like the kind to be nosy.

"Somebody on the phone?" Aitana made a languid point to the phone sitting on the table between them.

Emily shrugged. "Yeah, uh, friend."

"Are they okay?"

"Yes," Emily's sharp answer came as a surprise to Aitana. She'd never gotten an answer like that. Emily caught herself—confirming for sure that Aitana wasn't the nosy type based on that reaction—and sought to ease things. "I'm just tired, barely slept, you know?"

Aitana slowly nodded. She knew better than to keep asking questions. She was still getting to know everybody in the team and she had to take baby steps there too. They wouldn't tell her everything in one go. "Okay," she picked up her cup to drink and thus ended the conversation. After all, whatever that was bothering Emily couldn't be that bad.

[ailawritesfics]

HEY CAN I REQUEST :D

How would the boys (bros+dateables) react to a rich mc????

oh and can i be 👀 anon????????

˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳ 𝓡𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓜𝓒

✎cw: crack/general, fluff-ish(?), retail therapy(?)

✎notes: I left this one for too long in my inbox, so sorry! :') Hi and ofc, you can be 👀 anon! Welcome to my blog! :D this isn't proofread, I'm too lazy rn

✧Whenever you visit Lucifer in his study you almost always have something to give him, a gift alongside the coffee you brew for the ruby eyed workaholic. The gifts were few and far in-between at first, different high-quality quills, fountain pens, and a phone case. When you noticed that he's becoming more comfortable around you, those presents increased in quantity and quality. The new comfy, stylish chair in his office, the decorative tea set he favors over the other ones stored in the kitchen, the high-quality suit and tie he set aside for special occasions, and a few more; all of it were bought by you as a gift to him

✧How you managed to convince him to accept all of these gifts eludes him. He's grateful to be on the receiving end, however he's quite surprised that you'd go out of your way to buy him something, and of the fact that you're putting effort into choosing quality gifts and spending your hard earned money for him

✧He'll buy a few trinkets for you from time to time as thanks for everything you've given him thus far. The shock is short-lived since he's used to being surrounded by people and/or demons with more money than they know what to do with. Nothing will really change to be honest, aside from the fact that you'll both end up with new stuff every other day

✧On the outside he'll be complaining about being 'forced' to go with you but inside he's celebrating-- you chose him over his brothers! But why did you drag him out of HoL this time? Oh, to go shopping? Well, why didn't you say so! You did the right thing choosing to bring him with you! The Great Mammon knows all the best shops in town, let him take care of it all, you don't have to worry about a thing!

✧He can and will drag you to the shops he frequents while claiming he knows where all the high grade goods are, and he isn't lying when he said that. By the end of the trip you're both buried under paper bags of everything you bought. It'll take Mammon a while to realize how much you actually spent and how little money he had to use

✧He'll be more ecstatic than surprised about you being rich since he'll definitely make you his new personal wallet. How he coerced you into agreeing is a mystery to both you and him but hey, as long as he can splurge whenever he wishes he has no complains! He doesn't call himself The Great Mammon for nothing, as the name suggests, someone as great as him deserves high-quality goods!

✧This man acts like he's buying when in reality he's wasting your money, not his

✧He's been waiting for the auction of the new Ruri-chan figure to start since last night, MC! What was so important that you had to drag him all the way out here-- eh? You wanted to go shopping with him? He's quite surprised that you asked him to go with you but doesn't really mind because it means he'll be alone with you for a while without his meddling brothers. He's fine with it as long as you both visit the shop he frequents--

✧Hold on-- MC, why did you empty the shelves?! Did you really just buy all the figurines they have on display?! H-huh? It's for him?

✧He's surprised at the beginning, baffled at the fact that you can spend that much money without even batting an eye to how much the bill will be but then again he's the type to spend excessively on a Ruri-chan figure so who is he to judge? Knowing that you're rich doesn't really change much except maybe if you choose to spoil him regardless of his protests

✧He won't outright admit that he's thought of taking advantage of your seemingly endless wealth. Think of all the merch he can buy! He might even be able to buy subscriptions to his favorite games and support his favorite streamers and not have to pay a single coin..... Just a thought, though. Just a thought!!

✧How did you manage to find an original copy of a limited edition human world book that's been taken out of circulation decades ago? No, the better question would be, if you did somehow find a legitimate copy, how were you able to afford it? He's been itching to get his hands on one for years, yet you were able to obtain it this easily?

✧Why is the cat cafe you both planned on visiting devoid of customers? Perhaps it's closed today-- huh? You rented the place so you could both enjoy playing with the cats without being disturbed? When did you do that-- how did you manage that?

✧He's not that surprised when he found out, he figured you have a lot of money at your disposal since you've been recklessly splurging and probably unintentionally flaunting your wealth in front of him. Although he doesn't mind you being wealthy, he's more curious about your lifestyle back in the human world. He's read a few books about humans who're born with a golden spoon, do you have the same lifestyle?

✧He won't take advantage of your wealth but will sometimes ask if you can aid him financially. Secretly hopes you rent out the cat cafe again so you can both enjoy the entire afternoon alone with your feline friends

✧When you asked him to go shopping with you, he was so excited! With his brothers always hogging up all of your time, he's ecstatic to finally have you all to himself even if only for a couple hours. He'll make sure he makes the most of it, will drag you to all of his favorite shops and buy you lots of-- huh? You bought everything..? Without even looking at the items on display?

✧He knows humans tend to splurge but did they always spend this lavishly? Ah, no matter, that doesn't mean he can't spoil you! At least now you can both spoil each other with extravagant gifts! Oh, how exciting!

✧He probably won't be that surprised. Thinks it's better that you're wealthy enough to not care about the bill 'cause this way you'll both inevitably buy mountains of gifts for the other. Plus you'll both get to indulge in high-quality designer brands together!

✧With this new discovery, he never fails to drag you with him to go shopping for new clothes, accessories, make-up products or personal items. He knows all the hot trends and best brands in the Devildom so leave everything to him, he'll have your closet and vanity stuffed full of designer brands and have you looking glamorous in no time! No need to worry about always following trends though, he'll make sure to help you set new ones!

✧One way to flaunt your wealth to him is by buying him all the food he could ever want, and even then he wouldn't notice how much money you spend daily. He probably thinks most humans usually spend lavishly and go on with his everyday life

✧He doesn't really care much whether you're wealthy or not so when he found out that you're rich, he didn't exactly have much of a reaction. Thinks it's neat that you can just buy whatever you want whenever you want

✧He finally gained interest when you rented out an entire place for the day, whether it's a restaurant or an event hall, the fact that you're able to do that surprised him. It's short-lived but hey, you at least managed to get a reaction out of him

✧You pulled him away from the comforting embrace of his bed just to go on a shopping spree..? If you're buying stuff for yourself then you shouldn't have picked him to go with you-- what? You want to spoil him? Then buy him a new comfortable pillow, comforter, blanket, oh and add a new pillow case to the list as well. Some new apparel, and maybe matching outfits (onesies) for you and him, don't forget about that!

✧Some day his and Beel's shared room will be stuffed full of gifts from you. Looks all smug in front of his brothers whenever he's wearing or carrying around something you bought him. He wasn't the least bit surprised when he found out you're rich, probably hummed in response so you'd know he was listening before carrying on with his day

✧Doesn't mean he won't ask you to buy him stuff though. He's not all that interested with designer products, but he does have a few things he wants to own so obviously he'll go to you and somehow make it seem like you want to buy it for him instead

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Happily Ever After - 34

The Tower: Happily Ever After An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist | Character Reference PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 3315

Warnings:  smut (MMF bisexual threesome, vaginal sex, anal sex, double penetration, oral sex)

Synopsis: Almost 40 years after Elise Cooper first crashed into Natasha Romanoff outside the library at Columbia University, she and the Avengers are adapting to a near-immortal life together with their large brood of children.  Yet things aren’t perfect.  Life is moving on without them and they’re starting to discover who isolating being immortal can be.  When Angela comes and asks Thor to take the throne of Asgard once more, the group leaves Earth in the hopes that they will find their Happily Ever After there.

Chapter 34: The Valkyrior

Everything felt like such a buzz after the announcement that Lyra was pregnant.  It was like everything was sparkling and shiny and nothing bad could hurt us.  Of course, that meant quite a few of us were expecting the other shoe to drop.  Bruce was nervous by nature, and Natasha would always expect the worst.  The weird feeling of dread that had fallen over the western farmland was shrinking, but those of us that did keep thinking about trouble interrupting our bubble of excitement and love expected it from there.

Still - even accepting that we would always look over our shoulders from time to time, everyone was ecstatic.  The whole family was together, our babies were sleeping through the night, we’d settled into life on Asgard, Mar was more comfortable with themselves than ever, we were planning two bonding ceremonies, and on top of that, we were all going to be welcoming a new grandchild to the mix.  Even Natasha couldn’t hide her delight.

Now that the babies were eating solids, they weren’t quite as reliant on me, and while I did still breastfeed, it meant I could spend a little more time in the lab, or with Thor without having to rush out to feed the kids.  I did still love feeding them, but with the pressure off, it meant I wasn’t feeling so much like a mobile meal dispenser and more like I was their mom.

They were getting more mobile and we began taking them out on more expeditions around the kingdom.  I had avoided the trip Steve, Tony, and Wanda had taken them on to the markets because I still became overwhelmed when people tried to give me things, but I was told the babies had gathered quite the crowd and they had come back with new clothes, lotions, and little matching bracelets forged in uru.

The trips I took them on were more into nature.  The vulparev loved it and it was nice getting to see the Asgard that wasn’t just the architecture.

“I swear they’re going to go from sitting to walking without the crawling part,” Sam said as Thour used his hand to pull herself up onto her feet again.  She babbled happily and bounced in place for a second and then plopped back down on her butt giggling.

Bucky, Sam, and I had ventured out of the city with the twins and were picnicking at the foothills.  Thor had insisted that we take guards with us, so rather than a romantic outing with the infants we had Sif and Fandral with us as well as Riley.  Not that I minded of course.  I didn’t get to see a lot of my oldest daughter as she was very serious about her training, and I enjoyed the company of all Thor’s friends.

“Someone has said that about literally every one of the kids, and yet every one of them crawled too,” I said.  “They just like being on two feet when you hold them up.”

“I don’t know, my lady,” Sif said.  “A son of Thor, a daughter of Steven.  They will be walking any day now.”

“You say that, but this is a daughter of Thor right here, and she didn’t walk until she was one,” I said, nudging Riley.

She shrugged.  “I got there in the end,” she said.

“Exactly,” I said and nudged her.

“They have to be close to crawling though,” Bucky said, as Nova rolled over and over to get to where Inky was chittering and crouched over ready to pounce on him. When the baby reached the vulparev, Inky pounced and licked his face making Nova break down into giggles and bunch his little fists in the black fur.

Some shadows passed overhead and I looked up.  A group of winged horses with riders swooped in the air above us.  “Oh my god,” I said pointing up.  “How is this the first time I’m seeing them?”

“You haven’t seen the Valkyrie ride?” Sif asked, genuinely perplexed.

“No.  Trust me, if I’d known there were actually flying horses around here, that’s all I’d be doing,” I said.

“You have a suit, and you can wield Mjolnir,” Bucky said.  “Why would you bother?”

“Uhh because… winged horses,” I deadpanned.

Riley shielded her eyes with her hands as she looked up.  “I think Becca’s up there.  I’ll get her to land.”

She stood and a breeze picked up before she took off, flying straight up to where the Valkyrie were.

“Aren’t they called pegasus?” Sam asked as we watched as the horses faltered a little because of Riley interfering with their updraft.

“Pegasus was the name of a specific winged horse in Greek Mythology,” I said. “Wait.  Is it Greek Mythology?”  I turned and looked at Sif.  “If we thought you were gods, could the Greek gods exist too?”

“I really couldn’t say,” Sif answered.  “Anything is possible I suppose.”

When Riley stopped talking with Rebecca she returned to the ground quickly and a moment later two of the winged horses circled around and came to a landing near where we had tethered our horses.  Both groups of horses snorted and stomped their feet before settling.

I picked up Thour and carried her over to where Rebecca was dismounting.  I hadn’t seen her in her official Valkyrie armor before.  As she was still training, when I did see her it was usually in a generic black leather and silver set.  However, she would usually change into simple linens at the end of the day for comfort.  The set she was wearing now was a pale grey with gold accents.  Completely non-sexual in design, it covered her from neck to toe.  She had a blue cape attached to her shoulders and her dark hair was braided so it pulled back and cascaded down behind her.  On her head was a silver helm with two golden wings engraved on forming a v at the front.

“What are you guys doing out here?” she asked, kissing my cheek and playing with Thour’s hand.

“Taking the babies out to see the world,” I said.  “Why didn’t you tell me you rode winged horses?”

“I can literally fly on my own, no wings, and you’re impressed by a horse,” she teased.  “Should have known.”

I laughed and patted its neck, and ran my hand down over its wings.

“Mom, dads, come meet Brunnhilde,” Rebecca said, circling around to the other horse.  “She’s the leader of the Valkyrior.”

I came around to where Rebecca was as Bucky and Sam stood.  Brunnhilde was dressed the same as Rebecca though she had a blue sword strapped to her hip.  I had seen her before at feasts and other official events but only ever at a distance and mixed into the group of Valkyrie.  She was at least three inches shorter than Rebecca and five inches shorter than me, but like Natasha, it was easy to tell she could snap me like a twig if she so desired.  Her heart-shaped face was set stern, and with her dark hair braided back, her skin glowed copper in the filtered afternoon light.

I’d never felt such an instant attraction to someone since Natasha decided to bring me into her family.  It was a little startling, to say the least.

She crossed her left hand over her chest and lowered her head slightly, though her jaw stayed set.  “Your majesties,” she said in a tone that suggested that she was doing so under duress.  I liked her immediately.

“Oh don’t stand by ceremony with us,” I said quickly.  Behind us, Fandrall and Sif began laughing.

“That seemed painful for both of you,” Sif teased.

“Finally the woman who reluctantly serves the crown meets the woman who reluctantly is the crown,” Frandral teased.  “It had to happen eventually.”

“You don’t like being a Valkyrie?” I asked.

“No, I love it,” she said.  “I just hate taking orders from the king.”

“Elly wouldn’t know what that feels like,” Sam teased.

“Sam!” I yelped as Sif, Brunnhilde, and Fandral all started laughing, and Riley and Rebecca pulled exactly the same disgusted face.

“I have to say, Rebecca shows a lot of promise.  She takes naturally to the training and everyone likes her a lot.  She should go far in the force,” Brunnhilde said.  “She also said I didn’t need to worry about bowing to you, but you never know.  I’m used to Odin.”

“I had the pleasure of never having to meet him,” I said, which made her laugh.

“Yes.  You are definitely privileged in that,” she said.  “I did like Angela though, and Thor is fine.”

“High praise for our king,” Fandral joked.  “I’ll be sure to pass it along.”

“Would you like to stay?  We have lunch,” Bucky offered.

“Oh no, we’re practicing drills,” Brunnhilde said.  “We just stopped because the princess said the queen wanted to meet our steeds.”

I began patting her horse and Thour reached over with a squeak and touched his neck too.  “When I was a little girl winged horses were just fantasy.  I had posters of them on my wall.”

“Oh my god, El,” Sam teased.  “What a dork.”

“What?” I said, a blush creeping up to my cheeks.  “Like you wouldn’t have had transformers or something.”

“We weren’t all nerds, El,” Sam said.

“No, but you definitely were one,” I teased.

“It’s fine, your majesty,” Brunnhilde said.  “I don’t even know what a poster is.”

I laughed and shook my head.  “I appreciate that.  And I appreciate that you would bring them down for me to see.”

“It was nothing,” Brunnhilde said.  “Though we should return to the drills.  Who knows what the others are doing?”

“See you at dinner,” Rebecca said, mounting her horse again.

I stepped back with the others as Brunnhilde got back on her horse.  The two animals flapped their wings and reared and a moment later they were cantering back up through the air to join the other Valkyrie.

“Holy shit, that was so cool,” I said, as I watched them take off.

“That was so cool, or she was so cool?” Sam teased.

“Elly has a crush,” Bucky sang as he and Sam sat back with Sif, Riley, and Fandral.

“I do not!” I yelped, flopping down on top of him, making Thour squeal and giggle in my arms as Bucky pulled me up against him.

“It’s okay, Elly,” Bucky said.  “You can have a crush.”

“I know I can,” I said.  “But I don’t.”

“That’s not the Valkyrie that Sarah was hitting on was it?” Sam asked.

“No, that’s Rossveissa,” Riley said. “And I think they might have something casual going on.  I keep catching them in shadowy corners together.  So you’re totally free to flirt with Brunnhilde, Mom.”

“How come I’ve never seen the Valkyrie anywhere other than the feasts?” I asked, ignoring the teasing.

“They’re basically the army special reserves,” Riley said.  “They train in a different part of the grounds and when they come to council meetings dad Thor asks dad Steve to attend, because … well war?”

“That makes sense,” I said.  “Sometimes I think I just don’t pay enough attention.”

“Mom!” Riley said.  “You have like a billion spouses and kids and look at how big just the palace is.” She pointed over at where the large golden structure towered over the city.  “You’re not ever going to be an expert in all of it.  I’m specifically being trained to rule and I’ve been living here for fifteen years and I still have barely scratched the surface of what I’ve seen and know.”

“Then there are all the other realms,” Sif added.

“But don’t worry, my lady, you’re going to be around for a long long time.  You’ll know every nook and cranny of the place.”

After lunch, we brought the babies back to the palace and they were passed out by the time we got back, so we put them straight into their cribs.

“Elly’s got a crush…” Bucky sing-songed at a whisper as he tucked Nova in.

“I do not…” I sing-songed back.

Sam wrapped his arms around me and tugged me back away from the babies.  “Like you didn’t have a crush on Thor back before you met him?” he teased.

“Stop projecting on me, would you?” I said, turning in his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck.

“It’s okay, you know?” Sam said, ghosting his lips up my neck.  “You can crush on other people.  You can have sex with other people.  We know you love us.  That won’t change.”

“Why do you want me to have a crush on her so bad?” I asked.

Sam’s hands ran over my ass.  “We don’t.  We just recognized that you do.  And it’s fun to tease you.  But not just that, we want you to know it’s okay.  You don’t have to feel embarrassed by it or like you’re doing anything wrong.  Even though you know some of us sleep with other people, I think you’ve told yourself you're not allowed to.”

I shook my head.  “No.  I don’t think that’s it.”

“You slept with Clint and Tony right away,” Sam said.  “And you slept with Wanda for the first time in front of all of us after hardly knowing her.  So I know you’re not demi or particularly shy.  I just want to make sure you’re not holding yourself back from something you want because of some leftover hangup.”

I scowled and dropped my hands.  “Can we please drop this?”

“Hey, now,” Sam said, rubbing my back.  “I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

“Don’t worry about it, El,” Bucky said, coming up behind me and kissing my cheek.  “I only sleep with you guys too.  Just noticed you got all blushy around the hot Valkyrie is all.”

“She was pretty hot,” I said.

“Yeah, she was,” Sam agreed and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

“Sam!” I squealed.

“Come on, Buck,” Sam said.  “You can help me apologize to my princess here.”

Sam carried me up to the bed and dropped me onto the mattress, he went to crawl up under my skirts and I put my foot on his shoulder.

“What makes you think I’m gonna let you get all up in my business when you were teasing me?” I said.

“Oh no,” Sam laughed.  “I have to grovel?”

“You can watch Bucky and me,” I said.

“Oh wow.  I really am in the bad books, huh?” he said, sitting back on the bed.  “Just because I want you to be happy and fulfilled?”

“Yeah, suck it, Sam,” Bucky teased and dropped down beside me and wrapped me in his arms.

I kissed him passionately and pulled him down over me, hooking my leg around his waist.  He ground down on me as we kissed and for a while, that’s all we did - kissing and grinding on each other as we rolled around on the giant bed.  Sometimes I was on top and sometimes he was.  Our hands traveled over each other’s bodies and bunched into each other’s hair.  When my lips became puffy and started going numb we started to shed our clothes.

It took much longer to get Bucky’s clothes off than mine, and by the time he was naked, I was aching for him.  His cock was hard and leaking and I rolled him on his back and straddled his waist.

“Fuck, El,” Bucky groaned, gripping my hips hard enough to bruise.  “I want you so bad, darlin’.”

I gripped his cock and guided it inside me, he groaned and his head fell back with his eyes closed.  I braced my hands on his chest and began bouncing on his cock.  I looked over at Sam.  He had his pants open and he was jerking himself off as he watched us.  I beckoned him over, curling a finger.

He laughed and stalked over to me.  “Oh, I’m forgiven now?”

“Maybe,” I said.

He laughed and leaned in and I kissed him passionately.  He ran his hand down Bucky’s chest and when he reached the point we connected he gripped the base of Bucky’s cock and used his thumb to rub my clit.  Bucky gasped and jerked up hard under me as I mewled and threw my head back.

Sam let us go and moved behind us.  I felt the press of his already lube coat cock against my entrance and when I pressed my body down against Bucky’s he eased his cock inside me alongside Bucky’s.

“Fuck,” Bucky groaned.  “That’s it.”

I rolled my hips between them as Sam started to thrust.  He pressed his hand down on the middle of my back, holding me against Bucky as he fucked into me.

Sam guided me back and held me with his hand at my throat as Bucky massaged my tits with his metal hand and his flesh one rubbed my clit in tight circles.

“I love you, princess,” Sam growled against my ear.  “You know that right?”

“I love you too,” I moaned.  “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” he said and pulled me into a searing kiss.

An orgasm hit with no warning, making me moan loudly and shudder around both their cocks.  Bucky groaned, arching his back and squeezing my breast a little painfully.  It sent a sharp jolt right to my core and I came again, squeezing them both inside me as my whole body seized up.  It sent Bucky over with me and he made a deep rumble sound as he thrust up and released inside of me.

Sam kept fucking into me, chasing his own orgasm.  He broke the kiss and brought his lips to my ear.  “Can I fuck your ass, princess?”

“Yes,” I moaned.  “Please.”

He guided me back down against Bucky, who wrapped his arms around me and kissed me lovingly.  Sam slipped out and pressed his come and lube coated cock against my asshole, giving me a moment to relax before he eased in.

I mewled into Bucky’s lips at the sting and burn that was added to the warm coiling pleasure that was still running through me. Bucky stayed inside me, swirling his hip, and I began to feel him get hard again as Sam fucked my ass.  I moaned deeply into Bucky’s lips and when Bucky began to thrust too, I came again.

I was starting to reach my limit as the two men fucked me.  I broke my kiss with Bucky and lay limp against him as hot currents ran up and down through me and my edges began to feel soft and blurry.  Sam wrapped his arm around my waist and rubbed my clit and I came for the fourth time, this time squirting out around Bucky’s cock.  Bucky groaned as Sam cursed.  “Fuck, princess.  There you go.”  His hips began to stutter and with a hard thrust into me, he came, filling my ass.

“I gotta stop,” I begged.  “Please.”

Sam pulled out quickly and helped me off Bucky who was still completely hard.  Bucky pulled me up beside me in a comforting embrace and as he kissed me tenderly Sam started to suck his cock.  I broke the kiss with Bucky as I watched Sam bob his head up and down and fondle Bucky’s balls.  Bucky closed his eyes and shallowly rutted his hips.  It wasn’t long before he let out a deep groan and released straight down Sam’s throat.

“I think I’ve been having too many orgasms lately,” I hummed as Sam lay down beside me and I snuggled between them both.

“There’s no such thing,” Bucky said.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed.  “You can have an infinite amount.”

I giggled.  “That’s impossible.”

Sam brought his fingers to my very oversensitive clit and circled it gently.  “Maybe. But we can always try.”

// NEXT

[pink-sparkly-witch]

Soulmates: Chapter Ten – Third Date

Summary: Jensen and Ava are about to go on their third date, and we all know what that means! But is Ava ready for them to take the next step? Is Jensen?

Characters: Jensen Ackles x Ava Broussard (OFC), Jared Padalecki, Eric Kripke.

Warnings: 18+ Only, TW: Previous emotionally abusive relationship, cheesy pick-up line, smutty goodness, Jensen being a sweetheart, protected sex, rough sex, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), language, fluff.

Word Count: 7.5k (sorry!!)

A/N: Finally, the smut is back! I hope you enjoy it! This is a work of fiction that hasn’t been beta-d. Text in italics and written in the first person are thoughts. Feedback and comments are welcome!

You can catch up here!

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November 2006

It was the week before Thanksgiving, and they were going to a surprise party for a crew member’s fortieth birthday at the weekend. This would be the first time they were attending something as a couple. They’d only been dating for about a month, but Jensen couldn’t be happier that things were going so well with Ava.

Due to their filming schedules, they’d only managed out on two “proper” dates so far. But they’d had so many coffee and lunch dates he’d lost count. They’d also continued having breakfast dates when their filming schedules were the same. He was amazed at how easy things were with them. They always had something to talk about and were finding out even more about each other than they already knew.

He was ecstatic that flirting and teasing came easily to them both. It meant that she felt an attraction to him too. He wanted to do this properly and not rush her into anything, so at the end of their first date, he’d placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her sweetly with just a gentle grazing of tongues. The kiss was electric and sent shock waves through each of them. He loved how she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. It was as if she needed him to hold her up, and he’d gladly held her tighter whilst they kissed slowly and sensually. It was the best kiss either of them had ever had.

The second date saw them making out like a couple of teenagers in the elevator of their apartment complex and again at her door. Things got hot and heavy quickly as both their hands roamed freely, needing to touch each other. Still, he’d been a gentleman and stuck to his promise that he would do this right, and before it could go any further, he’d reluctantly pulled his lips from hers and said goodnight.

He was taking things slowly for her benefit. Mostly because he saw a future with her. He’d never forgive himself if he didn’t make her feel like a Princess at the beginning of their relationship. Another reason was that she’d been completely blindsided and torn apart when her ex-fiancé cheated. He wanted to make sure her heart and head were in the right place before they went to the next stage, and he hoped she wasn’t disappointed with his pace.

The third date was just around the corner, and Jensen was very aware of what that usually meant. Not wanting to pressure her, he decided he wouldn’t initiate sex until their fifth date - just to be safe. If she initiated it before then, he wouldn’t say no.

Firstly, he was a man - why would he? Secondly, Ava was the most stunning woman he’d ever laid eyes on, so again - why would he? Thirdly, they’d slept together before; it was the best he’d ever had, so he couldn’t wait to do it again. But mostly, it was because of the rejection and lack of intimacy she’d had with her ex.

After that first night in San Diego, he promised himself that if he were ever lucky enough to be her man, he’d never turn down her advances or starve her of affection. He’d take her anytime and anywhere she wanted him. Day or night. No matter the circumstances.

Friday

The day of the party had arrived, and he and Ava would be leaving for the fancy new restaurant that had recently opened in town to have dinner straight after filming wrapped before going to the Country Club for the party. He had laughed and made fun of her this morning when she came to the car with a small trolley case and what looked like a weekend bag. She’d only raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him.

“The stuff in here is for you too, you know!” she smirked.

He raised an eyebrow of his own as he noted her smirk was akin to one he’d last seen the morning after in San Diego. He gently grabbed her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. 

“I promise you I don’t need anything in those bags to see how beautiful you are.” Jensen smiled.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Ackles!” Ava blushed.

“It’s not flattery if it’s the truth,” he said thoughtfully.

“What did I do to deserve you, huh?” she smiled.

“Actually, I think I should be asking you that question.” He told her honestly. Her blush deepened, and she looked deep into his eyes, smiled wide and leaned over to kiss him.

The day had gone on forever, and Jensen was sure Ava was avoiding him. If it hadn’t been for her comments in the car this morning, he’d have thought she’d changed her mind about their relationship and was thinking of ending things with him.

He was also sure Jared kept messing up on purpose just to piss her off. He seemed to know something was on her mind and apparently decided to make it his mission to stress her out even more, and it was working. He’d told him to quit it a few times, but Jare was like a puppy, and if you ignored him, he would get bored and stop on his own.

What he didn’t know was that Jared really was messing with her because he knew Ava was a nervous wreck.

Wednesday

Jensen had been charming and kind on the first couple of dates, and she appreciated and understood his care with her. But she knew this was what she wanted. She was positive this wasn’t a rebound and could feel it in her soul that this was right.

Something deep down within her was telling her there was no one else for her, and this was where she was meant to be. Jensen was her person. With all of that in mind, when he suggested they go to the new restaurant she’d wanted to try before heading to the party, Ava knew with every fibre of her being she wanted to sleep with him that night. Again.

She didn’t know if Jensen was in the same place as her, so she’d talked to Jared about wanting to take the next step with him. She gave him a full rundown of everything that had happened so far – except San Diego. She didn’t think Jensen had told him about it, and she wouldn’t betray him like that if he hadn’t.

She told him she wasn’t sure he was there yet, as he’d been the perfect gentleman. Having had enough of her sexual advances rejected to last her a lifetime by her ex-fiancé, she didn’t want to put herself out there if she wasn’t sure it would be reciprocated, so she asked Jared if he knew where Jensen was at.

That night, the boys went to a bar to watch the football game and have a few beers, and Jared asked Jensen how things were going between him and Ava. Jensen told Jared that he felt everything was going well, and the romantic side of things came naturally between them. Jared smiled goofily and clapped his back when Jensen said he was pretty sure he was in love.

Already knowing the answer based on his conversation with Ava, Jared asked if he’d slept with her yet, trying to gauge where he was so he could give Ava a heads up. Jensen hadn’t told him about San Diego, not knowing if it was something she would appreciate him knowing, especially as they hadn’t really talked about it themselves. Instead, Jensen applied his question to their current situation.

He told Jared that he’d been ready to go there with her after the first date, and he couldn’t wait for the physical part of their relationship to start but didn’t want to rush her. He wanted to make sure that after everything she’d been through, her head and heart were in the right place and told him about his five-date plan and that if she initiated it before then, he wouldn’t say no.

He would give her everything and anything she asked for, so he’d never say no to her. About anything, sex or otherwise. When Jared commented that he was pussy whipped already, Jensen laughed and never even tried to deny it.

“You know what, Jared? I think you’re right!”

Thursday

The next day, Jared didn’t get much chance to talk to Ava alone, but he told her everything she needed to know when they had a few minutes outside the wardrobe department.

“Don’t worry, Ava. He’s exactly where you are. Like, exactly. You’re both ready and want to make sure the other is too.” Jared said, smiling.

“Really?” she asked, relieved.

“Yeah, he was going to wait for a couple more dates before he initiated anything,” he gently grasped her forearm at her frown, “but only to make sure you were sure, but he told me he wants nothing more than to take that step and he wouldn’t say no if you were ready before then. See? I told you, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, okay then,” Ava sighed.

“So… when’s the big night?” Jared winked.

“Tomorrow, I think. I’m going to the salon tonight for some pampering, and I have an idea for the perfect outfit,” Ava blushed. “Thanks, Jare. I appreciate you doing this for me. I promise not to keep asking you to do things like that. I don’t want to get in between your friendship.”

“Happy to help if I can, Boston.” he grinned. “Jensen is heading straight towards us, so I’m going to change the subject… We are heading to The Sportsman tonight for food and drinks. Are you coming?” he asked her.

“Aw, man! That sounds fun, but I can’t! I have a few errands to run, and I need to get ready for the party tomorrow night.”

“What do you mean get ready? You’re perfect just as you are,” Jensen said from behind her as he slipped his arms around her waist.

“Smooth, babe! But seriously, I still need to pick out what I’m wearing and pack everything to bring here because,” she said as she turned back towards Jared. “Did Jensen tell you we’re going to that new restaurant, Velvet, tomorrow night,”

“Wow! I’ve heard good things about it. You need to tell me what it’s like!” Jared said.

“Ava, we’re ready for you, honey.” Michelle from wardrobe’s voice came from the trailer door.

“Alright, see you in a bit, guys,” she winked at Jared, turned in Jensen’s arms, and kissed him goodbye.

Friday

When they finally got the scene done and wrapped for the day, Jensen had never seen her run off set so quickly and called after her. She stopped and turned to face him, and he jogged over to her.

“Woah, where’s the fire? You okay?” he asked, concern crossing his features.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Just need to get ready. Jared didn’t leave me much time. We gotta leave in like an hour, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll knock on your trailer when it’s time to go,” Jensen said, kissing Ava gently.

He loved being able to do that whenever he wanted or hold her hand just because he could. She sighed softly, and he felt her lips smile against his as her small hand wrapped around his neck and the other slid up his chest. Goddamn, the things a simple kiss with this woman did to him were unreal.

Ava looked absolutely stunning wearing a red body-con dress and four-inch heels. She loved that she could wear high heels with Jensen. She was pushing 5’ 10” in these heels. If she’d worn them when out with her ex, she’d have been the same height as him, and he didn’t like that. Every beautiful curve of her body was on display, and Jensen was happy he could sneak a few peeks at her phenomenal cleavage tonight.

He could feel his arousal already starting just from checking her out and shifted uncomfortably when he realised there was a good chance she wasn’t wearing any underwear in a dress that tight. Fuck! She wasn’t making his five-date promise to himself easy and knew he’d have to ease up on the alcohol tonight.

His eyes snapped to hers, panicked as he realised she’d been talking to him and he hadn’t heard a single word she said. Her look was one of amusement, and the blush on her face told him she knew exactly where he’d been staring.

“Are you okay, Jay?” she asked with concern after another minute of him just staring at her.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. You look unbelievable tonight, and I’m finding it really hard to concentrate if I’m being completely honest with you, Ava.”

He’d never been so candid to someone before, and he sighed in relief when she laughed softly and reached her hand over the table to hold his.

“I kinda already got that by the way you’re staring at my tits, but thank you for your honesty,” she said genuinely as the blush on her cheeks deepened.

“Well, they are incredible and really something to be admired. Only by me, of course,” Jensen winked.

“You know, if I’d known my tits were going to get all of your attention, I might not have accepted this date, Jensen,” Ava teased.

“Oh, Princess, this is not a date. This is just dinner before a party we’re going to.”

“I beg to differ. We’re sitting here, dressed up real nice, drinking fancy wine, and about to eat fancy food in a fancy restaurant. Regardless of where we’re going next, this part is a date.” Ava smiled but could tell he still wasn’t convinced, so she leaned forward, making her chest dangerously close to spilling out of her dress and causing him to gulp.

“Okay, handsome, if this isn’t a date, I’m paying.”

“Not a chance in hell, Princess. I invited you here, so I’m paying!”

“Oh. So… like a date?” Ava questioned and tilted her head to the side, and Jensen smiled. She had him there.

It suddenly dawned on him where her mind might have been wandering to today. If she had this down as a date, it’d be their third date, and everyone knew what usually happened on a third date. Suddenly, he could feel his nerves getting the better of him. He was going to sleep with her tonight. All the signs pointed to it.

The way her eyes lingered on him and her hand holding his. Not to mention her foot rubbing against his leg so subtly, he almost didn’t notice. Almost. It was no wonder his dick was standing to attention. He’d also let her know he wanted her by the way he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He wanted to skip the party and take her home right now.

Shit! This is going to be a long night!

“You are such a flirt!” Ava laughed, and Jensen leaned in and kissed her before pulling back and grinning at her. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself or his dirty mouth shut now they were on the same page. He’d been walking around half-hard since they left the restaurant and would make sure she was as riled up as he was. They couldn’t help but beam whenever someone would joke about them getting a room.

The party was in full swing, and everyone was having fun. Jensen’s arm never left her waist, and whenever anyone came over to talk to them, he’d raise it higher, gently brushing the underside of her breast or lower it to caress her hip or ass and pull her that little bit closer to his body.

She would respond by turning into him, purposely pushing her breasts into his side and slide her arm over his broad shoulders or grip his bicep or the back of his neck. The smile on her face told him she knew it was driving him crazy. They were both well aware of the teasing the other was doing.

Eventually, after another hour or so, Ava had had enough and upped the stakes. “Did I tell you that shirt looks good on you, babe?”

“Yeah, you mentioned it. Thanks, Princess,” he smiled.

“You know what else would look good on you?” She bit her lip as she looked up at him through hooded eyes and long lashes.

“What’s that, darlin’?” he smirked.

Ava leaned forward and whispered seductively in his ear. “Me.”

His mouth dropped open, and he looked at her in an aroused shock. ‘Screw it!’ He thought as he licked his lips and whispered in her ear.

“I’m taking you home. Right now.” He didn’t miss her whimper or the shiver that ran through her giving her goosebumps, and he certainly didn’t miss her eyes clouding with lust. Neither did his dick, which had gone from half-mast to full in record time.

Before they left, he grabbed her hand and dragged her around the room, saying goodbye to a few people. When he got to Jared, neither of them had to say a word as Jared pulled him into a bro hug.

“Have fun with your girl tonight, man!” Jared let go with a clap to his back and winked at Ava.

When he leaned in to hug her goodbye, Jensen heard him say, “Go easy on him, tiger!” and chuckled. A sense of pride came over him when she responded.

“That’s never gonna happen, Jare!”

Jared threw his head back and laughed loudly, turning back to Jensen. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into with this one, Jay!”

“Yeah, I do. She’s gonna be the death of me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, man,” Jensen said honestly and kissed Ava’s stunned lips. He chuckled again when Ava looked at Jared, happy shock registering on her face.

Jared was happy for them both. They deserved to be happy, and it was clear to everyone in that room how happy they made each other.

“Alright, get outta here, guys. Have fun, be careful,” he said with a smirk, “and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Jared said, giving them a knowing look.

As soon as they were outside the party, Jensen pushed Ava up against a wall in the foyer and kissed her passionately. His hands roamed her hips, waist, and ass. He couldn’t feel anything other than the fabric of her dress and groaned. He broke the kiss, leaning his hands against the wall behind her before placing his forehead against hers.

“You’re not wearing any underwear, are you?” he rumbled.

Ava leaned up and placed a kiss under his ear before saying in a low, sexy voice: “No.”

At her admission, Jensen bit his lip, and his head fell back with a pained groan.

“Damn, woman!” She took the opportunity to duck under his arms that had her caged in, grabbed his hand, pulled him to the exit, and hailed a cab.

Neither was aware that Jared and Eric had seen the whole thing. Jared laughed, saying, “Jay’s in so much trouble with her!”

“That boy has got it bad. She’s good for him, though. I’m glad they’re finally together. It took them long enough!” Eric smiled like a proud parent.

In the cab, lips and hands were everywhere. Jensen couldn’t get enough of her. She was intoxicating like a drug he was addicted to. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her.

When they arrived at their apartment complex, Jensen paid the fare and got out of the cab, and Ava slid over the back seat to exit through his door as it was curbside.

Ever the gentleman, Jensen held his hand out for her to take as she stepped out of the car. Not letting her hand go, he hurried them to the door, both greeting their concierge before heading to the elevators.

As soon as the doors closed and Jensen pressed the button for his floor, his arms went back around her waist, and his lips were on hers again. He’d decided his apartment would be better because he wanted her to have an escape if she decided things were moving too fast. That way, she could go home and feel safe and comfortable.

It didn’t go unnoticed to him that if she were any other girl, he probably wouldn’t have given any of this a second thought. He wasn’t sure if it was because she meant the world to him or because he’d seen first-hand the heartbreak she’d been through. Either way, it was more proof of how deep his feelings for her ran.

Her hands slipped under his shirt, grazing his stomach before her fingertips ghosted around his waist. She tucked them into his jeans and rested them on his lower back. He was in trouble! He needed her. Badly. Thankfully, the elevator signalled their arrival on his floor, and they reluctantly pulled apart again.

Walking down the corridor to his door, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his body. “Are you sure about this, Ava?”

“Jay, I’ve thought about us a lot since San Diego. I’ve gone over everything a thousand times, and I promise, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

“You’ve been thinking about us?” Jensen asked, looking at her in awe.

“Of course I have. I can’t deny there’s something between us. That night proved it. I’m not entirely sure what it is yet,” she glanced up at him shyly.

Oh, I know what it is. Jensen thought.

“But I know what I think it is, and I want to find out for sure.”

Jensen smiled at her, feeling more appeased that she wanted this, but the gentleman in him would check again anyway. “You have no idea how much I want to talk more about that, but right now, I have to ask; an arguable third date, touchy-feely all night, no protests about me taking you home. Am I reading things right?”

“Yes, Jensen,” she smiled. “But if you need me to be less subtle and say it, and as long as it’s what you want, I intend to sleep with you tonight.”

“Oh, I want you more than anything, Princess,” he smirked at her and boy, did that open the floodgates and have her close to dripping. “Although I should warn you – you look incredibly sexy, and we’ve been teasing each other all night. I honestly don’t know how long I’m gonna last, though I’d wager not very,” he said as he put the key in his door.

“It’s okay,” she started and leaned into him to whisper in his ear, “I don’t mind you taking what you need, as long as you make it up to me.”

Jensen’s eyes went wide as the implication of her words sunk in, and he pushed the door open and flicked the light on before he gestured for her to enter ahead of him.

“Or I could blow you,” she said as she walked past him, “your choice.” Ava winked and entered his apartment, smirking at his groan. She put her purse on his sideboard and turned around. He had his back to her as he locked the door and took off his jacket.

Jesus, she really will be the death of me! Jensen thought as he braced himself for the night ahead by taking deep breaths to calm his thudding heart.

On the one hand, Jensen knew the magic she could do with her mouth, but on the other, he couldn’t wait to be inside her again and the permission she gave him to take her; straight up fuck her, had him harder than he thought he’d ever been.

Ava could see his back and shoulders heave from his heavy breaths as she shamelessly checked out his glorious ass and sexy bowlegs, smirking when he turned towards her.

Jensen stalked towards her with lust clouding his forest green eyes. When he stopped in front of her, he reached his hand around the back of her neck. Sliding it up into her hair, he leaned down and kissed her with a force she’d never felt from him before, and a surprised whine left her mouth.

Their tongues explored and danced together for a few minutes until the desperate urge for oxygen made her dizzy, and they pulled apart. Jensen placed his hands under her ass and lifted her onto his waist. She wrapped her legs around him and lowered her lips to his neck as he carried her towards the dining table, placing her on top.

Their lips found each other again, and as they kissed passionately, her hands skimmed their way down the front of his body and began to tease at the skin hidden just underneath the hem of his shirt, causing him to shiver at her gentle touch.

She pulled away from his lips and lifted his shirt over his head. Staring at his broad, bare chest, she wrapped her arms around his waist and gently placed her lips on his chest.

Ava explored his stomach and chest, trailing her fingers, lips, and tongue everywhere, noting every spot that caused a hum or a moan. Her fingers on his back, shoulders, neck, and ass mirrored the attention she showed his torso.

Jensen growled as she slipped her hands around his waist and undid his belt and jeans. He took a condom from his pocket and opened the foil package as she pulled him from his underwear, and he rolled the rubber down his length.

Running one hand up the length of her spine, stopping with a gentle grasp at the base of her neck, he lowered his mouth, placing kisses along the front of her neck, paying special attention to the soft spot just below her ear and drawing a delicate moan from her swollen lips. He trailed his lips along both collarbones and down to the top of her breasts, smirking when she gasped lightly.

His hands were roaming her sides, waist and hips, needing to have her close to his body and constantly touch her. She tried to hold back a groan, failing miserably as the feeling of being sexy and desired by someone washed over her in waves. It turned her on so much more she was sure her pussy was dripping. She’d taken for granted just how good it felt to be wanted and how much she’d missed it.

Jensen slid a hand up the inside of her thigh, inching slowly towards her core. He busied himself, tasting every inch of exposed skin on her chest and neck. As his fingers inched closer to her core, he growled into the crook of her neck when he felt her silky wetness spread onto the skin at the top of her thighs.

“Jesus Christ, so fucking wet for me, Ava!” he whispered in her ear before cradling one arm around her waist and lifting her enough to use his free hand to pull her dress up.

Biting his lip, he moved his large, tanned hands over the smooth skin of her thighs in a gentle caress, moaning at how big they looked against her. Sliding his hands up, he held her hips firmly and lined himself up with her dripping core.

He pushed to her hilt in one long, slow thrust. A groan came from both as he pulled his hips back until just the tip of his dick was inside her and slammed back in. She felt like home to him, and he knew right then that he never wanted to be inside of anyone else again.

Setting a hard, fast pace, he knew his climax would come even sooner than he thought. He slid his left hand up Ava’s side and firmly but gently gripped the back of her neck as the other held firm on her hip. His gaze dropped between their bodies, and with one look at his dick disappearing into her, he knew he was done.

“Fuck!” he cursed himself for teasing her all night, knowing she wouldn’t have been so hard on him if he hadn’t started it.

With a final few thrusts and a loud groan, he slammed into her and stilled, dropping his forehead onto her shoulder as four months’ worth of jerking himself off to memories of their night together in San Diego and hours of teasing tonight culminated in one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever had.

Not taking much time to recover, he pulled out, fell on his knees, and pulled her towards him by her legs. His mouth latched onto her sensitive bud of nerves, and he licked and sucked like a starved man. Ava moaned deeply as he gently pushed her legs further apart and licked a torturous path down and into her pussy, lapping up her juices as he went.

Ava’s whines and moans spurred him on, and he sucked gently, pushing his nose into her clit. Her legs tightened around his head as a high-pitched cry of pleasure escaped.

“Oh God… Jensen!”

Looking up at her through his lashes, he moved all his attention back to her clit and continued gently teasing and caressing her with his tongue. A desperate moan rumbled from her as her hands shot into his hair.

“Let yourself go, baby girl. I gotcha,” he murmured before massaging and tugging at her clit with his lips as his fingers began exploring her most intimate area. She gasped when one of his long, thick fingers penetrated her.

Pumping his finger slowly, his teeth nipped at her swelling bud. Jensen was rewarded with her fingers tightening in his hair, a low and sensual groan, and a jerk of her hips.

“Yes, Jensen! Right there!” Ava moaned loud and deep as Jensen added another digit to her dripping heat and sucked gently on her clit.

“Oh fuck! Jay…” she whined, feeling her high begin its steady incline. “Baby?” she panted as her hips started to grind against him. “Please don’t stop.”

Removing her hands from his hair, she put them behind her for balance and spread her legs wider, placing her feet over the backs of the chairs on either side. This gave her a much better purchase and made it easier for her hips to grind up and down.

Jensen looked up at her body as it rocked expertly on him and moaned into her core as the sight turned him on, the vibration eliciting a whimper. Glancing up at her face, he saw her looking down, watching what he was doing while her teeth bit into her bottom lip. Ava’s eyes flickered to his, and he knew she was close to unravelling.

He’d done this a lot and had a few tricks he couldn’t wait to try on her; see what got her trembling and begging. For now, he’d go with the one he was sure would have her coming almost immediately.

After his disappointing efforts from earlier, he had a lot to make up for and desperately wanted to be inside her again, to make love to her this time. If he stopped now, although the edging would mean she’d have a much more intense climax later, he was sure she’d have his balls for a late-night snack.

He started to pump his fingers harder and faster into her, building pressure within her core. He moved his other hand around her body, splaying his hand across her lower back and pushing her even closer to him. Her mewling was gaining in frequency and volume; it was the perfect time to make his move.

With their eyes still locked on each other, his fingers picked up in speed and force as they fucked her hard and fast. He closed his mouth over her clit and sucked hard as a low and deep moan left his throat, the vibration sending her over the edge.

“Shit!” she shrieked, and her left hand grabbed his hair again as her head fell back. “Oh fuck, Jensen! I’m…”

Jesus! How I’ve missed that sound! Jensen thought. The sweet sound made him moan louder.

Her high-pitched, breathy moan was music to his ears. He was completely lost in the moment of seeing her at her most vulnerable and giving her the most intimate and euphoric of releases that he continued to pound his fingers in her pussy and suck on her clit even after her orgasm had ended.

Jensen heard her whine and removed his mouth from her sweet bud, thinking she was overwhelmed and overstimulated. He stilled his fingers, and she spoke when he was about to remove them.

“Please don’t.” Ava moaned.

He resumed the motion with his fingers, and her other hand came into his hair, her head falling forward, hair tumbling around her face, and her chin resting on her chest.

“Oh my God, Jensen!” she panted.

Jensen was astonished as he looked up at her and realised what was happening. There was no way in hell he was going to miss her beautiful face contort with pleasure, so instead of using his mouth again, he stilled his fingers inside her and curled them using the ‘come here’ motion in a continual caress of the secret spot inside her that only he had been able to find.

Ava gasped raggedly, her legs jerking straight out and her hips trying to pull back. “Oh, motherfucking… shit! Yes, baby! Oh, God!”

Holy shit! If that’s not the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen! He thought as he grinned. Oh, I couldn’t wait to see how many times I can get her to do that!

He gently removed his fingers from her pussy and licked them clean. Standing up, he placed himself between her legs and ran his hands up her arms to cup her face.

“You okay, Princess?” Jensen asked with a smile.

Ava grinned at him with a flush evident on her delicate features and leaned forward, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss.

“That was unbelievable, Jay!”

“What’s unbelievable is how stunning you look when you come,” he chuckled.

Giggling shyly and biting her lip, she slid her hand around his neck before she pulled him towards her, moaning when their lips met. She grazed her teeth over his bottom lip, begging for entrance. Opening his mouth to her, she slipped her tongue in and hummed as she tasted herself on him.

“What do you say we move this to the bedroom, baby?” Jensen asked as his fingers gripped her chin, raising her gaze to his. She smiled at him and nodded her head.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Ava slipped her shoes off, grabbed his hand, and hopped off the table, pulling her dress back down over her hips. Jensen held her hand as he led her into his bedroom.

Once inside, he turned on the bedside lamp, and she felt her shoulders tense as she suddenly felt nervous about being alone with him for the first time since she’d known him.

Jensen stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. “Relax, baby, no need to be nervous,” before he lowered his mouth to her neck and placed soft kisses all the way along to her shoulder.

Ava’s shoulders relaxed as her skin tingled in the wake of his lips, and she smiled, loving his attentiveness. His lips left her neck to peck at her jaw.

“Are you doing okay, Ava?” Jensen asked, resting his chin on her shoulder and hugging her tighter.

“Have you ever had one of those moments where everything that’s been up in the air and running through your head for a while just falls into place? Making you kinda overwhelmed but content at the sudden silence and calmness?” Ava asked as she melted into his strong and comforting embrace.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, amazed she hit the nail on the head with how he’d been feeling recently.

“That just happened, and it caught me off guard for a second, but it’s good,” she turned her head, meeting his gaze instantly and smiling at him.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely, Jay,” she said as she turned in his embrace, facing him with a big smile crossing her features. “Now, where were we?” She smirked as she stood on her tiptoes, and her lips met with his in a sensual kiss.

Ava undid Jensen’s jeans and tugged them down his hips. He kicked out of them before his hands made their way to her back and unzipped her dress. He watched her intently as she slid the dress off her body and stepped out of it.

They came back together, hands roaming each other’s bodies. Jensen gently pushed her back until the backs of her legs hit his bed, and they fell back onto the mattress. With their lips locked and limbs entangled, he pressed his body into hers, making her lie on the bed.

His lips left hers, travelling down her throat and along her neck, leaving shockwaves in their wake. Her gentle fingers trailed patterns on his neck, back and shoulders, setting his skin ablaze. He grazed his teeth along her collarbone, eliciting a moan, and continued his journey over her chest, finally arriving at her breasts.

God, I love these tits! I’ll be spending a lot of time here. Jensen thought, moaning low as he twirled his tongue around her stiff left nipple and took it in his mouth. He suckled on it as he massaged her other, rolling her right nipple between his fingers. Her intake of breath and whispered profanities sent shivers down his spine.

Jensen swapped over, hand now caressing her left breast and his mouth on the right, spending a good few minutes suckling and licking. Testing her boundaries, he grazed his teeth along her nipple and bit down gently. Her gasp quickly turned to a low moan, and her back arched.

Having had his fair share of her breasts, he travelled down to her stomach, navel, and hips, kissing, sucking, and licking her soft skin, enjoying each whimper and moan she gave him.

Trailing his lips to her waist, she giggled as his facial scruff tickled a sensitive spot on her side just under her ribs. He smiled into her skin and moved up her body, kissing through the valley of her breasts and back to her mouth.

Jensen leaned over to the bedside table and took a condom from the drawer. Sitting on his knees, he opened the packet and rolled it on. Leaning back down, he placed his elbows on either side of her, caging her in and pecking at her lips.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he groaned, feeling her arousal on his stomach. She skimmed her arms around his waist, her soft fingers gently grazing up and down his back.

Jensen shifted and lined himself up with her entrance, holding her gaze as he slowly entered her. He pushed in until he bottomed out, both moaning at the sensation. He rocked his hips into hers slowly and steadily, enjoying how they felt together and wondering what he’d done to deserve this paradise.

He loved sex and genuinely couldn’t believe it could feel this good. This intimate. Ava’s quiet sighs and whimpers were heaven to him, and when her small hands dragged their way along his sides and over his back and shoulders as her hips started rolling up to meet his slow thrusts, he was gone.

Ava was in ecstasy, making a slow and torturous climb to nirvana. She was in trouble if sex with him was always like this. This was the fourth time he’d been inside her, and each time had been different but perfect for her.

The first time they made love, it was passionate and raw, filled with emotion and epiphanies that neither could quite comprehend in the moment. The sex they’d had the morning after had been hot and heavy, filled with desire, want and lust.

Earlier this evening was fucking in its most carnal form; hard, rough, and fast. Jensen’s most basic instinct was to use her body to take what he needed, something only she could give him. And don’t get her started with his damn mouth and expert fingers. Now, this slow and sensual lovemaking was just as incredible for her as it was for him.

They were finally together. They wanted and needed each other, but they wanted this to continue for as long as possible. Jensen was letting her know that he didn’t need to go hard and fast every time with her, and she loved discovering his sweet, caring, and sensual side.

A thin sheen of sweat covered their bodies as their lovemaking continued its languid build. Moans, whines, whispered prayers, and curses filled Jensen’s bedroom, and a high-pitched gasp escaped Ava when he dipped his head and caressed her neck and throat with kisses.

A familiar feeling started deep in her core, building wonderfully slowly as Jensen’s long, lazy, and even thrusts wound the coil tighter. With a long, breathy, and contented moan, she raked her nails gently up his back, one hand skimming over to grasp his bicep as the other lightly gripped the back of his neck and her lips peppering kisses over his shoulder.

She smiled and hummed lowly at his loud moan, realising she could quite happily stay like this forever. Wanting just a little more, she released her legs from his waist, rested her feet on the bed and let her knees drop to the sides, meeting the mattress and forcing her hips to open wider.

Sliding her legs a bit higher up the bed, Jensen’s first slow thrust in the new position had him go deeper inside her, the head of his dick bumping into her cervix, causing both to groan loudly.

“Oh fuck, Ava!” he growled in surprise, forgetting she was a trained dancer and yoga enthusiast, which made her exceptionally flexible. His hand went to one of her spread-open thighs and caressed the soft skin before gripping tightly.

“Fuck! You feel so good, tell me you’re close, Princess?”

“Yes, baby. Almost… There… Oh, fuck!” she whined, the coil tightening further.

Jensen slid the hand on her thigh up her side and grabbed one of her tits, rolling her stiff nipple between his thumb and forefinger and dropped his mouth to suck the other.

“Yes! Oh, God, Jensen”

The coil sprang loose inside her, releasing a high-pitched, breathy moan of his name and sending her soaring over the cliff as fireworks exploded behind her eyes. Her walls clenching him pushed him into his own orgasm.

Dropping his head into the crook of her neck, he slowly thrust one last time before he stilled and loudly called her name into her neck as he came tumbling over the cliff right after her.

Breathless and sweaty, Jensen lifted his head from her neck and gently kissed her throat.

“Holy shit!” she panted.

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed as his lips trailed along her jaw and finally found her lips. He kissed her sweetly, and when he grazed his tongue along her bottom lip, she happily granted him access. They continued to make out slowly and sweetly, neither in any rush to let go of the other.

After a few more minutes, Jensen reluctantly pulled his lips away from her and withdrew himself from her satisfied core. Standing up, he removed the condom tying a knot at the top while he walked to the ensuite bathroom and disposed of it in the trash can.

Jensen stood in the doorway, smiling at Ava. He thought she’d cover herself up when he left the bed, but she didn’t.

Jesus, she’s really got herself a body! He thought and was glad she’d put a few pounds back on since San Diego. She’d lost far too much weight during her heartbreak.

She lay on top of his bed, in all her majestic glory, looking good enough to eat. Her chest was still heaving slightly as her breathing returned to normal. He wanted nothing more than to crawl up the bed, settle himself between her legs, and use his mouth to make her come over and over again. All. Night. Long.

“You’re staring,” she smirked, trying not to giggle.

“You’re beautiful,” he responded, returning to the bed.

“Oh, stop!” she blushed. Jensen walked to the right side of his bed, knowing she liked to sleep on whichever side was closest to the window.

“Never.” He said sincerely, untucking the sheets and pulling them down. Ava’s blush deepened, and she busied herself with untucking the sheets at her side and crawling under them.

Doing the walk of shame in a hotel was one thing, but doing one in her apartment complex was a different story. She wasn’t sure if she would stay the night or go back to her own place, but she hoped to cuddle with him for a while and have some pillow talk.

She also wasn’t opposed to a third round, either!

Ava smiled brightly when he opened his arms and said, “C’mere, Princess.” and she wasted no time snuggling into him.

Wrapped up in his embrace, she felt safe, wanted, and loved for the first time in a long time. And wasn’t that just the most fantastic feeling in the world?

Next Chapter >>

[imaginesupply]

Homecoming - Chapter One

Chapter Two can be found here

(Gif’s not my own.)

Summary: The day has arrived, Captain Syverson is going home. For good, this time. He is going home to a civilian life he can hardly remember and a wife he barely knows, with memories of the war still fresh on his mind. Love might not be able to heal everything on its own, but it’s a good start.

Genres: Romance, drama.

Story warnings: Smut (always fully consensual), mentions of PTSD and nightmares and mental health, angst, hurt and comfort, fluff, mentions of war (minor), mentions of cheating (minor), mentions of pregnancy (very minor), police appearance (very minor), violence (very minor).

Notes:

It’s my first time writing for one of Henry’s characters and I’m unsure I did Sy’s character any justice.

This is a Capt. Syverson x OFC (Ada) story, written in 3rd person POV but OFC’s physical description is very limited so it could also be read as Capt. Syverson x Reader, I think.

English is not my first language, so there might be some mistakes. Proofread, but not beta’ed. We die like men and all that.

Timeline is a little wacky: The movie takes place in 2003 and the U.S. forces were withdrawn from Iraq in 2011, but I never set a precise date because I don’t think it’s essential for this story. However, some elements might not be realistic because if we set this story in 2003: Phone cameras  quality was not as good as it’s now, but for the purpose of the chapters, I will need you to imagine you could film great videos with your flip phone haha. Plus, it says Sy is coming back after being deployed for more than three years which makes no sense unless we set this in 2006 or later. I am asking you disregard any time inconsistencies 

Also: I am not American. I only lived in the US for six months and it was in the Midwest, not Texas so please bear with me if I write something stupid.

Finally: This is pretty much a Christmas fic and I intend to post the last chapter (there will be seven in total) on or before Christmas. However, religion is never mentioned in this story and the Christmas-sy elements of this story are limited to family gathering, gift giving and tree decorating.

Chapter One starts after the cut. Let me know if you wish to be tagged in the new chapters.

Chapter One

Chapter warnings: Badly written smut (consensual), marriage awkwardness, alcohol consumption. Maybe OOC Sy, I don’t know. We never saw him being casual.

Sy checked his phone again as he waited for his bag by the baggage carousel. The airport was even busier than usual, it was taking ages and he was impatient to get out of there... and maybe even never set foot in an airport again for the rest of his life.

He read her text again, short and sweet. He sometimes called her that, short and sweet, just to tease her. Ada was considerably shorter than him and full of sugar, when she wanted to be, that was.

'I'm waiting by the gate for you, with a warm cinnabon :) So excited to see you again <3.'

Just then a notification popped up from Harper. It was a photo of the soldier at the airport, finally reunited with his wife and his two rugrats. It made Sy all the more excited to see Ada again, and then as if on cue, his camo bag appeared in the carousel and he groaned with relief.

He stood restless amidst the line, it seemed people in front of him were dragging their feet, but when they noticed his green beret uniform, most parted and let him through. Sy tipped his head gratefully.  

His wife was there, just outside the gate. Sy spotted her instantly in the crowd of people. She was wearing a red dress under her open coat and her hair looked fresh out of the hairdresser. He caught himself grinning at the sight of her. Then, once she spotted him making his way over to her, she started waving her hand excitedly as if there was any way his eyes hadn't already landed on her. He wished he still had his phone in hand to capture this moment for all of eternity, but his memory would have to do, he decided before casting his arms open for his wife. Fuck, did he love her!

°°°

Ada had been biting her nails nervously for the past two hours. She had arrived at the airport way too early. The parking fee would hurt but she couldn't find it in herself to care at this point.

Three weeks ago, she had received a call informing her that her husband and part of his unit had been ambushed. There had been an explosion in some building they were scouting only God knows where.

Only a full week after that did she receive a call from Sy himself. He was coming home. For good, this time. They were sending him home early, a full eight months earlier than what he had originally negotiated with his superiors. She hadn't been prepared for the news. She had spent the days following the call asking herself whether she had heard him right, making sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

Now he was here, stopping right in front of her, his thick arms inviting her right in for a hug. Ada wouldn't have been able to resist the invitation even if she had wanted to. Within a second, she was enveloped in his embrace, her cheek pressed against his chest. She was overjoyed to feel his heartbeat again. Sy kisses the crown of her head before putting her down, his hands never leaving her lower back, his fingers big enough to reach the swell of her bum from there.

They pulled away a few inches to take each other in. His beard has grown a little long, but it was not enough to hide his apparent dimples as he smiled. He looked a little older too, she hadn't seen in seven months, except through a shitty quality facetime call once or twice. Her careful gaze spotted the new scar by his temple, it was the only visible physical evidence of the explosion he had been caught in. She dreaded what she might under his uniform.

Sy caught her eyes and she found herself blushing under his stare. It was always like that the first few hours when he was back, until she got used to his overwhelming presence again and to the fact that this handsome bear of a man was indeed her husband.

"You're looking good, darlin'," Sy grinned, making her spin for him. "I missed you."

Ada couldn’t resist his smile. "I missed you too, Sy." She confessed, handing him the still warm cinnamon roll in its paper bag.

He accepted the pastry with a smile and started eating it immediately but not before throwing his arm around her shoulders as they began making their way to the parking lot. Sy was eager to get her out of the crowd and have her just to him himself.

"So, what's the plan, darlin'?" Sy inquired with mischief to his voice, balling up the paper bag with his free hand and throwing it inside the trash can. "Did you book that hotel with the jacuzzi in the bedroom again?"

It had become a tradition of some sort between them. They would always spend his first night back at that hotel: they'd order some room service and eat in the jacuzzi. Though, usually, they would first end up on together on the bed.

Ada stopped suddenly in her tracks, making him still behind her. She smiled sheepishly. "Don't be mad," she started, his smile falling at once, "but your family is waiting for us in the parking lot. Your mom insisted that we celebrate your homecoming at the restaurant. Something about you missing Thanksgiving just by a couple days."

Sy groaned, thinking about the evening that now expected him. He'd been flying for God knows how many hours, all he wanted was a warm bath and Ada whichever way she'd let him have her, not a damn dinner party.

"I'm sorry, Sy."

He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her forehead again. "Don't worry, darlin'. I know it ain’t your fault."

As soon as they reached the open-air parking lot, Sy's nephew and niece start running up to him, having escaped their parents' grasp. His family was waiting for him with cheers and a 'welcome home, soldier' banner. Sy hated that kind of attention and she found it cringy as well, but she had been unable to stop his mother. Ada watched him hug the kids and lift them up into the air, making them laugh as she walked up to the machine to pay the fee.

Her hand trembled as she inserted the ticket into the slot, missing the opening a few times. She was happy - no, scratch that - she was ecstatic to have her husband back. It's just that, could you really say 'back' when there was never truly a 'before', a 'there'?

They had met when he was already deployed, but on a short leave back in Austin. They spent three weeks together, got married and he returned to Iraq. Since then, the longest stretch of time they had been together had been twenty days. Neither of them had ever gotten settled into married life and now he was 'back'. For good. Which was wonderful and foreign and overwhelming all at once.

Ada paid the fee and returned to join them, finding Sy hugging his mother. She smiled at the sight. She walked over to greet her sister-in-law and her husband, confirming that they'd meet up at the restaurant. With that, she went to the car, deciding to give Sy some more time with his family, and herself an occasion to take a few breaths and calm her buzzing heart.

"You didn't tell me my mom had gotten herself a boyfriend." Sy grumbled immediately as he sat down next to her in the car, putting on his seatbelt.

Ada turned on the engine and backed out of the spot. "I knew you wouldn't like it," she defended before casting a side glance at him. "Besides, I figured it wasn't my place to tell you."

Sy hummed noncommittally, removing his cap to rake his hand through his cropped hair.

"Though, as much as I don't exactly like your mother," Ada added quietly, "she's been on her own ever since your dad passed a couple years ago. With your father gone and you away, she must have felt lonely.”

°°°

Sy spent the rest of the drive mulling over her words in his head. The fuck was that supposed to mean? As soon as a woman feels lonely, she takes up a boyfriend?! Was Ada lonely too while he was away and… He wanted to ask if she was implying anything but then one look at her and he decided against it. Breathing out deeply, he forces himself to relax. He was just stressed out and on edge.

It was inevitable that things would have changed while he had been away. That was something he thought about frequently late at night when he got to be alone. Still, he hoped things hadn’t changed all too much. Ada still looked just as she had on their road trip to Vegas, focused on the road but leaning back on her seat, just one hand on the wheel with a grin on her lips. His wife loved driving.

"You got your nails done." Sy commented, already hoping the whole dinner thing would be over quickly so that he could go home with her.

Ada turned to him with a chuckle for a second, wriggling her graceful fingers and red painted nails, her wedding band reflecting the light. "I wanted to look pretty for you."

Sy huffed. "You always look pretty to me, Ada," he said and then watched her scoff.

"Or maybe, I just wanted to make sure I'd be able to scratch you up nicely," she wife winked.

Yeah, this dinner thing couldn't be over fast enough.

°°°

Ada saw him eat so much over dinner, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to be sick later. And, of course, the double serving of smoked ribs had to be accompanied with generous amounts of beer and whisky. She didn0t blame him, though. Out of curiosity, she once researched what they ate while on deployment and it looked anything but tasty. If she had been in his shoes, she'd have been eating her own weight in pizza and brownies right now.  

It also didn’t help that his brother-in-law and his mom's new boyfriend, Phil from the hardware store, kept asking him about Baqubah and even touching on the subject of the explosion. It was obvious how uncomfortable the subject made him, his grip tightening around his knife and his jaw tensing up so tightly, she could imagine his teeth grinding.

So, Sy kept asking for refills, raising his glass, and giving them vague answers, but it seemed they didn't get the hint. At least, the subject changed when his sister interrupted the conversation to announce she was expecting again. A little girl.

Ada used the moments of cheer that followed to excuse herself from the table and go to the restroom. She was still somewhat nervous and her face was damp. She would have given anything for a glass of scotch at that moment but she was driving tonight.

Helen, Sy's mom appeared right behind her just as she was washing her hands. She hoped the woman would just disappear inside a stall but she wasn’t that lucky.

"Jack is back." Helen stated, arms crossed. A shiver ran through Ada's spine, damn she hated that woman. "For good."

Ada dried her hands with a paper towel, looking back at her mother-in-law through the mirror. "He is."

"Now's the time to prove yourself to this family and show us that Sy was right in marrying you.”

Before Ada could ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, Helen finally disappeared inside a stall. Rolling her eyes, Ada went to leave the restrooms when Helen decides to add some more venom. "Maybe a good start would be calling him by his first name, as a wife would."

°°°

"When do you start at Camp Mabry?" Ada asked, looking away from the steering wheel to glance at him for a second. Sy looked exhausted, not that she could she blame him after three different flights and a seemingly endless dinner. They had finally called it a night once the kids had started getting fussy.

"January 15th." He replied. "But they want me to stop by before then to have a look around the base and sign the contract."

"You're going to boss the hell out of the new recruits," Ada laughed, getting him to lighten up and even chuckle.

"You'd be surprised to know I'm actually a fair and considerate captain," Sy defended himself.

Next to him, Ada huffed as she tried stiffing the bubble of laughter, trying not miss the right exit off the main road.

"I just value discipline and compliance a lot," he added, his tone growing teasing.

This time, she was unable to stop her laugh. "Believe me, I know you do."

The drive was a short one to their house in the suburbs and she was soon parking her in their driveaway.

Ada fumbled with the key as she tried opening the front door, nervousness setting back in as she felt Sy standing behind her, holding his duffel bag. He followed in quickly after her, once she had finally managed to open the door.

"Welcome home, captain!" Ada cheered in her silliest tone as he discarded his bag on the floor.

Then, before she could even react, Sy was on her. His arms lifted her up, his body caging hers against the wall before capturing her lips in the most ferocious kiss she could imagine.

Out of instinct, her legs locked around his waist and her hands dug into his shoulders, unwilling to let go of him now that he was finally there. Sy grinned against her lips, amused by her fervour, not that he felt any different.

He broke off the kiss as he pulled them away from the wall, freeing a hand to shrug her coat off her shoulders. "You ain't gonna need that, darlin'," he promised, throwing the coat in the direction of the kitchen, not caring where it landed.

Then his mouth latched on to her throat, forcing a delicious moan out of his wife as he carefully manoeuvred them upstairs, still steady on his feet despite the alcohol. Sy was almost surprised when he pushed open the door to their bedroom with his foot and it didn't squeak, but that thought was fleeting as Ada started rolling her hips against his. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Not the war, not the explosion or his guilt, only the woman in his arms.

Unceremoniously, he let her fall on the bed, the urgency now flowing through his blood keeping him from doing things the gentleman way. Ada didn't mind, giggling as she unzipped her dress and slid the red thing over her head, along with her bra. Apparently, she had decided to forego panties. Sy stood there, almost mesmerised as he watched her, suddenly not certain if he dared tainting her with his touch but Ada quickly made that decision for him as she got up on her knees.

"A little less staring and a little more undressing, captain," she purred with a smirk, her fingers determined as they made quick work of the buttons on his shirt.

"That's it, darlin'. You're in for it now," Sy roared, pulling her in for another furious kiss before pushing her back against the mattress, making her land on her back as he got undressed in record time. Fuck, was he hard.

"Open up for your captain." Sy ordered and Ada complied instantly, her legs falling open for him as she peered up at him, holding herself up on her elbows and worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "That's a good girl," he praised.

Without losing another second, Sy settled in between her legs, wrapping his strong arms around her thighs and parting them to their limits. He wanted to worship her body the way she deserved, show her exactly just how appreciative he was of her, how much he craved her, but it had been months and Sy was a starving man who had just been presented with the perfect meal.

"Fuck Sy!" Ada screamed out, her back arching off the bed the instant he licked her just where she craved him most. He chuckled against her, marvelling at how wet she already was for him.

She tried closing her legs around his head, rejoicing at the feeling of his beard rubbing against her sensitive skin and never wanting him to leave again, but his arms were too strong for her clenching thighs. She was left defenceless against his assault, with no choice but to obscenely moan her pleasure and let herself cum against his tongue as his thumb expertly massaged her clit.

The coil inside her snapped and her body tensed up before letting go just as suddenly, her now damp back falling back on the mattress. "Fuck, Sy." Ada breathed out, her chest heaving as she tried to reopen her eyes only to find her husband playfully gazing up at her, smirking with her arousal glistening on his beard. The sight alone almost made her cum again. "I'll never let you leave again!"

He smiled in response, placing a kiss on her lower stomach before crawling up her body. "I've no intention to, baby," he promised.

Ada caught a glimpse of his hard, flushed erection as his body slid over hers, realizing in her post-orgasmic haze that she was in for an even bigger treat now. She could taste herself in his mouth as they kissed, his hand slithering behind her back to seize her shoulder and hold her closer. Teasingly, he started rolling his hips, his hard clock rubbing against her slick cunt, coating himself with arousal before finally, he found his way inside her, burying his head next to hers in the pillow.

Ada whimpered as he did so, her eyes tearing up as his clock slid inside her. She had evidently grown unaccustomed to his girth and length in his absence. Sy paused immediately, his muscles tense as he looked at her with concern. “You okay?” She nodded in silence, wanting him to start moving but Sy looked unconvinced, using all his strength to keep still despite his desire to fuck her right into the mattress. Without a warning, Ada tightly wrapped her legs around his hips, making him go deeper. Sy let out a reverberating groan. “God, darlin’. I missed you.”

He started thrusting into her with such vigour, such determination it felt as if he was trying to bury himself so deep inside her, no one would ever be able to pry him away from her again. It did hurt, her cervix was getting battered with each of his hard movements but she found herself enjoying the pain because it was him; it was Sy and he was right there with her, back in her arms, and she could feel his heart beat beneath her fingertips as her hand gripped at his chest.

"Fuck, I'm... I’m," Ada gasped incoherently, her nails now scratching the skin of his back. Sy was sure there would be marks there in the morning which made him enjoy the sensation even more.

"I got you," he rasped. If possible, he pulled her even tighter to him, his pubic bone now rubbing against hers in that delicious way only he was able to do. Her slick walls were now contracting around him, her second orgasm impending. "Fuck," he groaned, his breath coming out in a stutter. "Are you...Can I...?"

Sy didn't have to word it, she knew what he meant. "Cum in me, Sy. Please," she almost begged.

Her words did it. His hips stuttered as he pushed in deep just when his orgasm washed over him, exploding inside her. His face contorted with pleasure and that sight alone had her fast tracking her fall over the figurative edge. He had his face buried on the crook of her neck, muffling his groans and moans against her skin as the dam gave way within her.

°°°

Sy grunted against his pillow, slowly waking up the following morning. He was convinced he was just rousing after a very nice dream and he was ready to toss his alarm clock across the room, furious at the object for interrupting his dream, that for once, had been a good one. With a startle, Sy realized that no blasting alarm had woken him up but the sunlight on his face. Opening his eyes, he felt almost as if on foreign ground. He was home.

As quietly as he could manage, Sy turned around in bed, seeking his wife only to find her side empty. Just at that moment, he heard cursing coming up from the kitchen and scoffed. He’d bet his life Ada was cracking eggs, something she hated.

Feeling rested and in a much more relaxed mood than the previous day, Sy got out of bed and started searching for a pair of boxer briefs so he could go join her downstairs when he caught a sniff of himself. Fuck, did he stink. How Ada hadn’t thrown him out of bed, he didn’t know.

Out of habit, Sy hurried to the en-suite bathroom, wanting to shower as fast as possible before realizing that this time around, it was different. He wasn’t going back, he didn’t have to rush, their time together wasn’t counted. With that in mind, Sy forced himself to take his time, enjoying the act of brushing his teeth in a bathroom that smelled nice and showering with warm water. Ada had purchased his usual brands of shower gel and toothpaste, he noticed, even putting a red bow around his brand-new toothbrush by the sink. Even though he initially wanted to take his time to enjoy it, Sy still ended up rushing as he dried himself with a blue fluffy towel he didn’t recognize from his previous stay. He didn’t bother putting on anything more than his boxer briefs before heading downstairs. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t keep them on for long either.

Sy walked into one of the best sights he had even seen, when he entered the kitchen. Ada was standing in front of the stove, rhythmically tapping the black spatula against her naked thigh as she focused on the eggs and bacon she was preparing. The thin negligee - or whatever she called it, he always forgot - barely covered her ass and that outfit alone was one of the reasons he never minded that she always cracked up the heat so high, he felt like he was back under the hot desert sun.

Silent and stealthy like a predator despite his stature, Sy sneaked up on her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her startle before relaxing once she noticed it was him. She smelled heavenly, Sy thought, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Watcha got cooking, darlin'?"

"Obviously breakfast," she sassed, making him softly pinch her ass in response. Ada squealed and jumped up. "Good morning to you too, Sy," she said but not before slapping the handle of the spatula against his thigh. He decided to let it slide... for now.

"Morning darlin'," he answered, kissing the crown of her head before darting his fingers into the pan and picking up a piece of bacon. It was sizzling hot, but the taste was worth it. He had missed being home! Speaking of being home... "What do you say we take the food and coffee upstairs and have ourselves breakfast in bed?" His tone failed to hide his true intentions.

Ada scoffed, the back of her head rubbing on his hairy chest and she shook her head. "Nice try but I actually intend to feed you. Your mother will have my head if I let you go hungry."

It was Sy's turn to laugh, his hands now roaming her body as she leaned forward to turn off the stove, pressing her ass against his crotch and eliciting a husky groan from him. "I'm hungry enough to eat both breakfast and you, don't worry."

Ada turned around, a huge grin on her angelic face. "Alright, you win. What do you say, we have breakfast, we do the kinky and then go grocery shopping?"

Sy tried hiding his smile but it was a lost cause. He loved it when she talked like that. He loved her, point. "Yes, ma'am."

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

Chapter One. Welcome to Sweetland

the scene is set in 1956, a young man moved to Hollywood to follow his dreams of becoming an actor. But with little money and a struggle to keep his apartment, he is approached by a man who offers him a job at Sweetland

a/n: THE FIRST CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE! this story is loosely based on the Netflix series ‘Hollywood’. just the general concept of it and ofc adding my own twist to it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I loved writing it! happy reading <3

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The familiar click of his boots onto the tiled shiny floor is what Harry looked forward to all the time.

He found motivation as he walked down the hall as he passed by locals pacing back and forth with their fingernails in their mouths or sitting on chairs against the wall as they nervously chatted with one another. Some of the girls glanced at him seductively as he walked, making his confidence shoot up a bit. Harry took each and every single one of them in; telling himself to not let their anxiousness get the better of him because he was better than them, he was more good looking than them, and he was a better actor than them. At least that’s what his self affirmations tell himself every morning.

The bright light shining from above him as he takes each step made him feel like a spotlight. He put on his best game face and walked confidently as he wore a white crisp button down shirt with a yellow polka vest, blue flared jeans, and red boots. It was his lucky outfit and one of his favorites. It was a stuffy outfit for the hot weather in Hollywood, but he needed to look dashing. Plus they were all a steal in the clearance section!

“Harry! Over here!” He saw Mikey waving over at him at the end of the hall. Harry waved back at him as he hurriedly walked towards him.

“Hey, Mikey. How is it in there?” He asked as they tried peeking into the room everyone has been waiting to have a chance to get into.

“Man, it’s crazy. Everyone in there is so intimidating!” Mikey shook his head as he looked up at Harry. He was a tad bit shorter than Harry, but he was humorous and the camera always loved a funny person.

Harry and Mikey met in front of the gates at Paramount Studios almost a year ago. They were both standing right next to each other amongst the hundreds of people waving their hands up in the air as they tried to get the attention of the casting directors. But in the midst of it all the chaos, Harry had accidentally elbowed Mikey’s head, which caused him to get infuriated and led them to a fight.

“Think you can go fucking around elbowing people, huh?” Failed punches were being thrown at one another as they tackled each other to the ground; a crowd had circled around him. Despite Mikey’s height, he was underestimated. He was feisty, tough and can pretty much handle anyone.

But that fight had been broken up by security, and somehow and some way, the casting directors found that entertaining and picked the both of them to be an extra. They were both ecstatic, not knowing a so-called fist fight would lead them to being an extra on set. Of course, it was hard to work with one another after the fight they had caused. But after throwing looks at one another, they figured it was best to get along and work together.

And they found out they had many things in common and respected each other’s dislikes. Since then, they’ve been by each other’s side.

“I’m sure you did great. Don’t sweat it,” Harry patted Mikey’s shoulder, reassuring him from his audition.

“Oh, oh! They’re coming! Get ready!”

Two older women walked out of the doors of the room that was frightening but exhilarating all at once. Everyone rushed to the entrance of the door, putting on their best smiles and mystery looks as the two women looked around to find their perfect face. Harry stood still, not putting on his best look as a way to tell them he was trying too hard.

“Alright, here’s how this is going to work,” one of the women screamed out to the eager crowd. She was tough as she wore an all black dress that stopped below her knees and 2 inch heels. Her expression was stern, giving everyone a hard look as they listened to her. “I’m going to choose two of you to walk inside with us and you will be given a chance to audition. We want to see the best actors and actresses to give us the performance of a lifetime.”

“Everyone ready?” The other woman in purple said and everyone nodded their heads. “Please get into two lines on both sides of the wall.” The crowd did so. Harry being the first one in the line since Mikey saved him a spot. Nervous was an understatement for Harry. He wanted to be chosen and this can finally be the start of the career he’s been dreaming of.

The two women glanced at everyone as they walked between the lines, looking at everyone’s smiles and anxious looks. Everyone’s heads turned as they walked passed by them, frowns present on their faces as they didn’t get chosen.

After a few minutes, Harry heard their heels clicking onto the floor as they were walking back. He turned his head and saw a girl walking behind them as she beamed in excitement. A small frown was placed on his face, feeling as his hopes have been crushed.

Suddenly, he felt their presence stop walking and stopped in front of him. His head immediately was brought back up to look at them, frown was replaced by a small smile.

“You’re good looking,” the lady in black said with no emotion. Her stare was intimidating, making Harry stutter.

“T-Thank you,” he cleared his throat. “Thank you,” he said again more clearly.

“Can you smile for me?” She asked. Harry gave her his best smile. The one that wasn’t too bright nor the one that wasn’t too small. But he gave his charming smile, making his dimples pop out. She looked at him for a few seconds as she stared into his eyes before she said, “Okay, come with me.” And she walked off into the room followed by the other director and the girl that they picked.

Harry couldn’t believe that they actually picked him. He turned towards Mikey and he was smiling so big, giving him a big thumbs up and a pat on his shoulder.

“Go get ‘em kid!” He lightly pushed him towards the door as Harry felt his feet were stuck to the ground from the shock.

Entering the room, he was met by the eyes of three other producers sitting at a long table. They had their coffees in front of them and a notepad with a pen, looking through a list of actors and actresses they’ve come across.

“Okay, just wait here as we prepare. Names?” the lady in purple positioned Harry and the other girl in the center of the room in front of the table of people that would dictate his future as she got their names before walking back to the table.

The room was freezing and Harry shook as he got shivers down his spine.

“Nervous?” The girl said next to him.

“Yeah, a bit. You?”

“Eh, I’m doing okay. Not my first audition,” she said in a bragging tone, and Harry just simply nodded. She was a small petite girl with long hair as she wore a pink pleated skirt with a pink striped top. Her hair was short as it curled up towards the end of it, giving her a more girly and preppy look. “I’m Brandy,” she introduced herself.

“Harry.” They softly and quickly shook hands.

“Say, Harry, how about we have a little fun after this audition?” Harry looked down at her and she gave him a brow raise with a teasing smirk.

“Uh-” Harry hesitated and luckily, they were interrupted.

“Okay, you two. Since we planned on not doing any scripts for this audition, you’re going to need to improvise. Show us your true and natural talent. I’ll set the scene: you two are at a party and are about to break up. Okay? Ready? Action!” One of the producers told them hurriedly, giving them no time to take it all in.

Harry and Brandy turned towards each other, and Harry’s face was immediately met with the palm of Brandy’s hand, giving him a hard and loud slap to his cheek. Harry’s head whipped to the side, covering the sting with his hand.

“What the fuck?” Harry asked in shock.

“How dare you break up with me! You don’t get to break up with me,” Brandy’s eyes were immediately filled with tears, and Harry wondered how she was so quick to make herself cry like that.

“I-I’m sorry. But it’s not my fault I caught you fucking some other guy!” Harry retorted back. Brandy’s tears had fallen onto her face, and Harry’s face remained annoyed.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. It didn’t mean anything. I promise I won’t do it again,” she grabbed his hands as she pleaded.

“No,” Harry started softly, feeling sympathy for his co-partner. “This has to end. It’s for the best-”

“CUT!” One of the men screamed out, interrupting their scene.

“Great, great job guys. That’s all we need. Brandy, come see us. Harry, you’re free to go.”

Brandy squealed beside him, walking towards the table to possibly talk about a contract and a part in a film while Harry slowly walked back to the entrance that was now his exit, feeling completely gutted. He thought he did fairly well; if they had given them more time, he would’ve been able to continue on and show them what they’re really missing. But that was their decision, and Harry had no choice but to try again the next time.

As he exited the room, he was immediately met by Mikey waiting for him with a big and hopeful smile.

“Well? Got that contract you wanted?” He asked.

Harry shook his head in defeat. “Gonna try again the next time. Didn’t fully get to show my talent y’know?” He said as the two friends walked towards the exit of the building. Mikey put his arm around Harry’s body, hand resting on top of his shoulder.

“There will be plenty of more auditions to come. Don’t worry,” Mikey reassured his friend as they walked out the door to be met with the bright shining light of the California sun.

“S’alright. Gotta keep goin’,” Harry said, convincing himself not to give up as he places a cigarette between his lips and lighting it up.

“That’s the spirit! But listen, I gotta get going. The family needs me, but I’ll see you at the next audition! Be there!” Mikey bid him goodbye as he was walking away from him. Harry waved at him, watching his friend walk home to his family.

And Harry needed a drink.

He found himself at a bar close to his apartment. It was midday so no one was really at the bar except about four other people, chatting and playing pool. He was drinking whiskey, downing glass after glass, needing something stronger than a beer as he had a tough and long day.

“Long day, kid?” A man with a full head of grey hair and grey mustache asked. He was very attractive for an old man. Looked very classy and proper, probably had a good job because he just looked fucking rich; while Harry is struggling to find a stable job to pay off his bills.

Harry scoffed, “You have no idea.” He called for the bartender, getting his attention. “Can I get another one of these please?” The bartender sighed, shaking to himself while getting Harry another drink; his fifth one in just 10 minutes. Once the bartender set his drink down, Harry simply picked it up and threw it down his throat as if it was mouthwash.

“What’s got you like this?” The man asked curiously. Harry turned towards him, giving him a look up and down. He’s usually very polite with meeting new people and is usually shy, but with the alcohol in his system on top of the horrible day he had, it was like he was a different person. He’s usually the soft and cuddly type when he’s buzzed or drunk, but again, he just had a bad day.

“Ya wanna know?” He didn’t wait for the man’s answer, but he nodded anyway. “Well, for starters, got a fuckin’ audition earlier because y’know, that’s what I do. I’m an actor. Anyways, I do the audition that they picked me out of, like, 50 people, and this girl who bragged about having plenty of auditions. And when we start, not even 5 minutes as we start actin’, they stop us! Thought they were lovin’ what we were doin’ that’s why they stopped us, but she told that Brandy girl to meet them after and dismissed me, like for fuck sakes!” Harry was seething as he was telling the story, and practically everyone was listening in since he was talking so loudly.

“Sorry about that, kid. But that’s what you do huh? You act?” The man asked, placing his cigar in his mouth.

“Yeah. Tryin’ to make a fuckin’ living and I’ve been struggling keeping my apartment,” he rolled his eyes, trying to remember the next due date was for his rent and electricity bill.

“It’s a tough world out there. But hey, what do you say you work for me?” The man offered and Harry’s brows furrowed.

“Don’t even know your name.”

“Well if you must know, like you didn’t just tell me your whole life story, I’m Daren,” he offered a hand to shake, and Harry takes it.

“Harry. So what exactly do you do?” Harry wondered.

“I work for a candy store,” he simply stated.

“A candy store…” Harry repeated and Daren nodded. “What the fuck am I gonna do at a candy store?”

“Simple. It’s like a self-serve candy store, but my workers serve them instead. Just grab a bag and they tell you what they want, and you get it. Simple as that,” he explained. “You’re an attractive man! Got the face and everything, and considering you’re tall, bet you’re packing down there too,” Daren said nonchalantly.

“Are you offering me a job or you’re gonna compliment my cock?” He wondered why the sudden mention of his cock came to play, but brushed it off. Harry hadn’t realized that he would be working at a candy store when he moved to Hollywood. He had big dreams, and he wanted to follow his dreams by getting as many auditions as he can and be in front of the camera, not work in candyland.

“Both. Just think about it. You’d be making a lot of money working there—hell of a lot more than minimum wage. And I’m talking about starting at $30 for an entire day. You can’t pass that deal up! And you just said it yourself that you can’t afford to keep your apartment. I mean, let’s face it. When are you going to get another audition? You’ve already gotten rejected from the one today!” Harry was breathing out of his nose, practically huffing at him as Daren mentioned the rejection. He knew that what Daren said was right, but Harry was hard headed and didn’t want to believe him.

“Sorry, mate,” he stood from his chair, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket as he set out a $10 bill on the counter. “Thank, but no thanks,” he told Daren, pride getting in the way.

“Well, my offer is still on the table. I’m located on Sunset, so you know where to find me once you get what I said through your ass,” he said louder than usual as Harry was walking away with no look back, exiting the bar and walking home.

When he reached the front of his door, he was met by paper taped to it that read ‘LATE RENT SECOND NOTICE’. Harry sighed, ripping the paper off the door before unlocking it and heading inside. He briskly threw the notice on the table and he sat down on his couch, rolling out his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. His shoulder and neck felt tight—his overall body felt tense, like he couldn’t relax for a tad bit.

He was stressed. The dream of becoming an actor was made when he was a teenager. From auditioning for one of his school plays in comprehensive school and getting the lead role, he felt the rush of being on stage when he was only sixteen. From then on, he wanted to take that dream to the next step, and he was talking about being on camera, on billboard, stepping on stage when he wins and collecting his Oscar. Harry reaches for big dreams, and he was determined to make his dreams come true.

In his state of pondering about lifelong dreams of making it in the industry, the electricity had gone out. It was like he was so in his head about becoming a famous actor that he felt like he was in the clouds and nothing was limiting him, but the harsh reality of his source of light going out had brought him back to the ground.

A groan from Harry’s mouth was heard between the walls of his tiny apartment, frustrated that he can’t seem to find money just to save him from getting evicted from his home. He took a deep breath as his body was stretched across the couch, hands on his face as he debated what to do.

He thought about getting more auditions, which he will eventually try for because again, that was his lifelong dream, but how many auditions did he have to do for anyone to see him other than a pretty face. Let’s face it, Harry knew he was attractive and having a nice face helped him get auditions, although he’s only had two in his lifetime. But he wanted to be seen more than that. He wanted to be seen for his talent, his ability to act, and being the person the camera loves.

Harry then thought about the offer Daren from the bar made him. It was quite random how someone badly wanted him to work for some candy shop when there are so many people who are looking for a side job. Of course he didn’t want to work there, but he did remember Daren saying that he was willing to pay a lot. But who in the world has that kind of money to pay $30 for working at a simple candy store?

Hell if Harry knew, but he knew that he needed to make some sacrifices.

You were sat in the beige booth across from your two friends, waiting on your food as Alice was reapplying her lip gloss and Frances was talking to you nonstop about a boy she had met from class.

It was your usual Friday afternoon as the three of you met up at Mel’s Drive In to have weekly breakfast for lunches. It was a ritual ever since you were in high school.

Having met them your freshman year of high school when you three were in the same dance class, you girls were inseparable. You’ve been through breakups, crushes, and gossip with them; and they were like your sisters. Sisters who talk about anything and everything with no limits or shame.

And now you three were dance teachers at the academy school you all danced at. It honestly worked very well; when a dancer hits eighteen, they graduate and that’s their farewell from growing up and continuously dancing at the studio. A year before you three graduated from college, your ballet instructor, Sally, had told you three that her and the rest of the staff always loved your techniques and stability. And you were all very excited for the journey.

“I swear to god, I was gonna jump him right then and there,” Frances said waving her hand as if she was fanning herself.

“Wait, he did what now?” Alice asked, pausing from putting on her lip gloss. She did it all the time, but you had no idea as to why she was doing that when you were about to eat. But Alice is Alice.

“If you can take one second not eating your lip gloss, then you would have heard me,” Frances turned to her right to face Alice, a frustrated look on her face. It was the same old annoyed look Frances gave Alice and to others, it looked like she was about to start a fight, but to the three of you, it was just pure bickering and humorously messing with each other.

“Anyways, tell us more,” you said, reaching over to Frances, and she excitedly turned back towards you, happy someone was paying attention.

“He just kept flirting with me! Kept saying I looked so pretty and said he wanted to take me out, which I think he’s gonna ask me out the next time I see him because he kept hinting at it, and I’m just so excited! Although I wasn’t sure if I wanted to date another dancer, let alone a coworker, but I don’t care anymore!” She squealed in excitement, and told her how happy you were for her.

“What about you?” Alice asked suddenly.

“What about me?” You asked back, leaning back on the leather cushion. Before Alice was about to answer, their food had arrived and was placed in front of you,

“Any guys or girls you’ve been into lately?” You thought about it, and shook your head truthfully as you dug into your pancakes. “C’mon! There isn’t anyone at all?” You shook your head again, taking a bite. “Not even that Tyler guy?” You rolled your eyes, waiting to swallow your bite before you answered.

“No, no, and no. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to get out there y’know?” You slightly frowned, realizing that you had been missing the affection and attention you wanted.

“Oh, whatever! You’re just saying because you’re too shy and proper to say that you haven’t been fucked in forever,” Frances said too loudly for your liking. You looked around your table to see if anyone had any lingering eyes on the three of you, but everyone seemed to be only paying attention to their business. “Face it, the last time you’ve been touched was Chris—and hell if he did the job.”

“And we know you can get out there. You’re pretty, smart, funny, and you’re a rich bitch! So many guys go after you in the passing!” Alice added.

“Yeah, only cause they want to get to my dad, remember?” You raised your eyebrows at them, and they went silent for a bit, remembering that ordeal.

“Well, those fuckers don’t know what they’re missing,” Frances said back.

“Since when have you used such language?” You faked a dramatic gasp, teasing her as she laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Please, ever since you told us about your kinkful night of sex that one time our freshman year of college, knew you weren’t an angel yourself,” Frances smirked, and a gasp was heard from Alice.

“Oh god, I remember that! It was with that junior Lance Mills! I want to hear that story over again. It was like listening to a sex film.” Alice put her hands under her chin as they both eagerly waited for you to tell the story again.

“Maybe next time. Y’know when we’re alone and I’m not about to devour this pancake,” you promised and they nodded excitedly.

The three of you ate your food as Johnny Cash was playing from the jukebox. You and Frances were minding your own businesses, thinking the subject prior was far gone and over with until Alice spoke up again.

“Y’know…I know something that’ll help you with the whole…” she started waving her hand around you like she was casting a spell, and you were utterly confused.

Your brows furrowed, “With what?”

“Your whole dry spell of not being able to get some,” her brows raised, and your mouth slightly opened.

“I am not on a dry spell!” You exclaimed, crossing your arms once you were finished with your pancakes, but felt satisfied, knowing Mel’s pancakes were the best you’ve ever had.

“Please. It’s been what? A year since you’ve had sex? Unacceptable.” You rolled your eyes at Frances’ statement. “You have everything you want except a good orgasm. Can you believe that?” She turned her head towards Alice in disbelief; the two of them shaking their heads.

“Ugh! I don’t need to have sex to complete my life! I am perfectly fine with pleasing myself and not having someone do it for me, and I am perfectly fine with not having sex… at the moment,” you added the last part in case the universe had some weird way of working, making your dry spell even longer. Frances and Alice laughed, knowing you all too well that you loved having sex and someone to hook up with.

It was like you were contradicting yourself in your head--thinking you were okay with yourself, but wanting someone else. But you honestly were fine with doing the job yourself--you didn’t mind that at the very least, but it is always nice to have someone to do it for you. What you were thinking was: yes, you could do it and reach an orgasm yourself, but you didn’t need someone to do it for you. If someone comes your way and helps you out, great. If someone doesn’t, also great, you’d do it yourself.

“Anyways, as I was saying,” Alice spoke up. “One of the girls was talking about some shop that always has hot guys working there and they’re always hiring hot guys.”

Frances turned her body towards her, “Ooh, tell me more.”

“You are about to get asked out by some other guy. Don’t be greedy, this is for her!” You chuckled at them as they fought like a married couple. “Well, she was saying how she met this one guy there and they fucked in her car! She would not stop talking about orgasm after orgasm! And she also said all the other workers there are hot too, so you can go down there and check it out for yourself,” Alice explained. “You can just do it once too--get all that stress out of your system.”

You thought about how long your dry spell has been going for. It hasn’t been too long that you were deprived from having good sex, and you would love to look at handsome men even if that means you wouldn’t get any since you were tired of looking at the boys in your class as you thought none of them were really all that attractive to you. So, you nodded in agreement and Alice perked up.

“Where is this shop at?” You asked curiously.

“It’s a candy shop on sunset. But you need a code to get in.”

You confusingly asked, “A code? Why would you need a code?”

“Don’t know. Probably for some identity reason. But they also serve celebrities as well, so that could possibly be a reason,” Alice said.

“Okay…What’s the code?” You asked slowly.

Frances squealed, “You’re really gonna do this?” You shrugged your shoulders but nodded your head.

“So, the code?” You asked Alice again to see her and Frances smirking at one another. Probably because you agreed to doing this and admitting that you wanted to get laid.

“Cloud nine.”

Harry found himself in front of ‘Sweetland’ at 12 in the afternoon on Sunday.

After much debate, he realized he really needed the money when he was in the midst of a shower and the water had turned off. Just as he got soap in his eyes, he figured he would put his pride aside and take up on Daren’s offer. Because what could be so bad working at a candy store? People have to start somewhere in their life in order to make it.

He had a night’s long of pondering, telling himself that an audition is not just going to pop up out of nowhere, but he couldn’t lose hope just yet. And besides, he probably wouldn’t even get paid that much if he wasn’t under a contract with a big agency. So the candy shop would have to do it for now.

Walking through the door, he was met with a few pairs of eyes from men who perked up thinking he was a customer, but quickly put their heads down.

“Ah, so I see you decided to work for me,” Daren said as he noticed Harry at the entrance of the shop, a smirk placed on his face.

“Yeah. Just really need the money,” Harry replied honestly.

“Well, welcome to your first day, boy! Here is your uniform, restrooms are over there,” Daren handed Harry clothes and slightly pushed towards the restroom to get changed.

Once he finished changing and got out of the restroom, he noticed he was matching with the other workers; wearing a blue sparkly blouse with a pussybow and white trousers. He had to admit that he loved the outfit, but wished everyone had different outfits so he could stand out.

“Everyone! This is Harry. He will be joining our team and will be along with this journey of ours.” He noticed Daren smirk as he introduced him to everyone with a hand on his shoulder. There were about five other guys working at the shop that day, and everyone waved, greeting him.

Everyone working were guys and Harry noticed how good looking everyone was, and there were no women working at all, which confused him at the very least.

“Alright, so your job is to basically serve customers. Easy as that. You’ll just grab a bag,” Daren does so as he speaks, “and whatever you want, just fill it up to however they desire. Simple.” Harry didn’t miss his sexual innuendo, even if it was innocent as candy, but he chuckled, amusing Daren. “Got it?”

“Yeah. Seems pretty easy-”

“That’s the spirit! But first, I’m going to need you to stock some of the candy containers in the back,” Daren grabbed a couple of empty jars that were out on display, and Harry nodded as he followed Daren to the back where all the candy was stocked in large containers. “These have the labels on them, so just fill them with the right ones.”

“Alright,” Harry responded, and Daren pats his back before walking towards the exit. “Hey, Daren.” He stopped him before he was able to walk out. He turned around and Harry gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks. Y’know, for the job. I really mean it.”

Daren smiled back, “Don’t thank me yet, kid.” And with that, he walked out as Harry filled the empty containers with more candy.

After 30 minutes of filling jars and sweeping the floor, Daren called him to the front of the store. It was more busy than usual but enough for all the workers to be occupied.

“Ready for your first customer?” Harry perked up, and nodded his head eagerly as he was finally going to help a customer out and serve them. “There she is. Remember to smile, and if they say cloud nine, do as they say.”

“Wait, what’s cloud-”

“Go get ‘em.” With a slight push, Harry was lurched forward, walking towards the woman waiting by the door.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Harry asked with a shy smile on his face.

“Just a bag of candy, please,” the lady said as she looked around the store.

“Sure thing,” Harry grabbed a candy bag and followed her around the store as he waited for her to tell her what kind of candy she wanted.

“Can you put these in there?” She said, pointing to the container of gumballs and Harry grabbed the metal spoon, filling it before dropping it in the bag. “That’s all I want,” she said, and Harry ties the bag up.

“Okay. Anything else?” He asked.

“Yeah. Cloud nine?” Harry was utterly confused when she said the phrase; he didn’t know what to do at this point because Daren didn’t take the time to explain it to him.

The woman slapped a few quarters onto the counter before grabbing the bag of gumballs from Harry’s hands and walking out of the store. He turned around and looked at Daren raising two thumbs up at him and Harry was quick to follow her out.

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what you want me to do,” he said, still confused on what he was supposed to do. She stopped walking, stopping right in front of her white car, and turned around.

“I want you to fuck me,” she said straightforwardly, and Harry’s eyes widened. The woman was about in her forties with a diamond ring on her finger, flashing in his face from how bright the diamond is and how it clashes with the sun.

“P-Pardon?” He stuttered as his face turned red. The lady’s brows raised and Harry could tell that she was getting frustrated mentally and sexually.

“Isn’t that what you guys do? Fuck your customers when they want to?” She crossed her arms impatiently, and Harry’s mouth opened slightly but nothing came out from it, truly speechless at her words.

“I-I’m sorry…I don’t-”

“Ugh, never mind. Forget it,” the lady scoffed and walked to the driver side of her car and got in quickly before driving away, leaving Harry with an unsatisfied customer, a frustrated him, and possibly an angry boss.

With slow steps, Harry walked towards the entrance as he gave himself a 30 second pep talk before he had to go through the door, hoping he wouldn’t get fired on his first day.

He opened the door, the bell from above ringing from the movement of the door. The first thing that his eyes landed on was Daren’s confused face, and Harry frowned, nerves boiling through his veins.

“The fuck you still doing here?” Daren asked with his hands up. Harry scratched the back of his neck, feeling his blouse getting too tight for his own good.

“I, uh-”

“I sure hope to god you’re about to say you made her orgasm in two minutes. And you better not that you lasted two minutes,” his hands are now on his hips, waiting for his answer. “Well? Gonna give me a straight answer or are you gonna just stand there?” Harry’s brows furrowed in anger; from frustration and desperation of making money.

“You never told me what to fuckin’ do. Just expected me to hear a phrase and fuck someone? A little heads up would’ve been nice!” He snapped, his voice louder than he would like, but figured it’s necessary.

“Thought you already figured it out when I was talking about your cock back at the bar!” Daren retorted back, grabbing Harry’s arm and bringing him to the back, away from the other workers.

Harry yanked his arm back when they were both away from the rest, “The least you could’ve done was tell me straight up.”

“I didn’t think you’d care! You’re a good looking guy that probably wants to get laid. When was the last time you fucked someone anyways?” Harry looked at him and rolled his eyes, not answering his question. “I’m assuming it’s been a while…” he paused, eyes widened as if he made a realization. “Unless you’re a virgin because I’m not sure this is the right job for you—well, it might be depending how you look at it-”

“Yes, it’s been a while and no, I’m not a virgin. Not like there’s anything wrong with that,” Harry interrupted just to simply shut him up.

“Look kid, I’m sorry I wasn’t more clear on what this job offered, that was my fault,” Daren placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, how about the rest of the day, you just work with the candy. You don’t have to deal with customers today, and you can decide if you still want to work here. If you do, then you start tomorrow— actually start tomorrow this time. How does that sound?” Harry took a deep breath and nodded slowly, figuring he has about 3 hours to decide what he wants to do. “Great. There’s a few containers that need restocking and some unboxing in the back.”

Harry got to work immediately, but he took his time to make time somehow go by faster as he was surrounded by sour candies, chocolate, and bubblegum. And he was also thinking on how this whole thing will end up. It was only his first day so he wouldn’t get paid, but if Daren was true to his word when he said he would start out at $40, he may as well end up staying here. Because where else is he going to get that type of money in one day? No where. He’d have to work at least two weeks to get a whole $30 when he can make so much more if he were to stay at Sweetland.

Time did go by faster as his brain was scrambled with thought and his mouth felt like he’s eaten every piece of candy. He threw out all the boxes and stored the candy in its right container before washing his hands to see the rest of the workers cleaning up. He wanted to help out, even though he’s done enough, and grabbed a rag before wiping down the counter and the spaces between the candy containers.

“Hey,” Harry said to the guy, whose name tag read Pete, as he was sweeping the floor of sugar and dropped candy.

Pete looked up and smiled, “How did you like your first day?”

“It was unexpected.” Harry chuckled.

“It is, isn’t it?” Pete smiled, and Harry nodded.

“That’s how he dropped the bomb on all of us. Didn’t say much of what we do besides what we do with the actual candy, but just threw us into the pack of wolves and fed us alive.”

“That’s…descriptive.” Pete laughed. “I mean, is it worth it?”

“If you’re desperate for money, then yeah. The reason why we all stayed was mainly because of that, but we’ve grown to like it a lot, and that’s not because we get to have sex everyday. But because Daren is actually really fun and cool, and we’ve all made friends with each other. It’s an experience, for sure.” Harry nodded, taking everything in. He knew his answer before talking to Pete, but he just needed some reassurance, guidance.

Daren came to view when Harry looked up, walking towards him, obviously for one reason. “So, boy, what do you say?”

Harry thought for the last time. Quickly going over his decisions, and having a full on debate in his head as he imagined pros and cons lists. The pros out weighted the cons, and there was really no question about it. The pros were: lots of money, sex, nice coworkers, and good candy. The cons list was: nothing.

He didn’t think he’d end up like this. Working for a fake candy store, but in the sense it’s not fake because it sells real candy, and getting sex this way.

But again, he needed to make sacrifices in order to keep his place and practically live.

“I’ll stay.”

Your muscles were strained from the amount of hours you were on your feet--more like years since you’ve been dancing ever since you were little. From teaching your students a plie to releve to saute; always making sure yours and their toes are always pointed. Your muscles were aching and you were tired, physically and mentally.

It wasn’t like you didn’t love to dance--you’ve been doing it for years, hell, you were teaching it. But it was the long hours during the day where some days, you had to teach and rehearse for at least 12 hours a day. So, needless to say, you were exhausted.

But that wasn’t even the worst of them all. At the end of the day, you had to go home and deal with your family. They were supportive, but not in the sense where you want them to be. They were supportive in what they want for you, not what you want for yourself. It was something you had to live with--you don’t remember a time you got what you wanted, except when you suggested you wanted to do dance when you were younger.

It didn’t take long for them to agree for them to sign you up for dance classes, but only signing you up for classical ballet.

“Sweetheart, it’s just more elegant. You’ll learn how to be more flexible and fix that god awful posture of yours,” your mother had said when you suggested you wanted to do something like tap dance. You had nodded your seven-year-old head as you sulked back to your room, figuring ballet was better than nothing when you asked to take some dance classes.

Your mother, Jane, wasn’t always so harsh with you. In fact, her attitude towards you had gotten better as you got older, but that was probably because she found your dad, Richard, cheating on her with another woman. And she thought you didn’t know a thing, hence why her attitude changed towards you, but you knew everything.

But you were all Jane had, and it was when you were sixteen, she suggested a girls day with you; talking to you with a soft tone and not making any remarks towards how you look. But you were happy for the change; it bettered and strengthened your relationship with your mother and she sides with you with almost everything once your father comes at you for something so little.

Walking through the large doors of your home, you threw your bags on the floor, the heaviness was making your back and shoulders hurt even more, immediately walking towards the kitchen as you stretched out your limbs and joints.

It was almost 10 p.m and you realized you had so many things to do still. Between coming up with a routine and some new ways to warm up, you were filled with overwhelmingness, and you just wanted to have a decent meal in silence.

But sadly, you didn’t get that--either of that. Instead of silence, laughs were heard from the dining room, and once you walked into the room to see what all the noise was about, the thought of a decent meal was lost from your appetite at the sight in front of you.

It was your father laughing with your ex boyfriend, Chris. The sight was unbearable and you wanted to run out of the room, but first, you wanted to know what the actual fuck is Chris doing here.

“Ah, darling, so glad you could join us. Was just having a laugh here with your dear boyfriend, Chris,” Richard had said once he saw you, calming down from his laughter. Chris was looking at you with a smile, and you never wanted to slap a smile off someone’s face before him.

“Ex boyfriend,” you said clearly, making sure they both heard you right.

“Oh, tomato, tomahto. Same shit. Won’t be long until you get back together with him,” Richard chuckled, thinking he was right. But he was far from right; you have no plans whatsoever getting back together with him nor do you have plans ever associating yourself with him, so the fact that he’s in your house right now is just boiling your blood.

“Father, Chris and I are never getting back together. I mean it,” you tell your father, but looking at Chris as you say so, hoping to get your words engrained to his skull. But all Chris did was smirk at like you were wrong, but you rolled your eyes, not amusing him.

“Sure, whatever you say. How about you sit and join us.” Richard points his hands towards the empty chair next to Chris.

“I’d rather not,” you sighed.

“Not asking you, darling,” Richard gives you a disapproving look as if he’s trying not to lash out in front of his ‘perfect’ guest like he’s a ‘perfect’ host.

“Well, I’m telling you I don’t want to. Besides, I have schoolwork to do.” You told him sternly, completely over this conversation. As you were about to walk away, his voice raised slightly.

“Darling. Sit. Now,” he demanded. He was angry, that’s for sure, and the vein on his forehead looked like it was about to pop from you not cooperating.

Giving him the point, you sighed as you took a seat next to Chris, but left a chair between you two, not wanting to be anywhere close to him. You wouldn’t be in this position if you hadn’t walked in on your father and Chris being buddies, and you wished that you had just ignored the laughter because your night would’ve been much nicer than sitting at a table with the two of them together.

But you were rather proud of yourself for sticking up for yourself. Some parents may call it talking back, but that was nowhere near talking back. You grew a thick skin around him throughout the years. From the countless times of crying in your bedroom because Richard would call you names or tell you that you weren’t good enough, you had to grow that kind of toughness around him. Sometimes you had to fight back for yourself; you weren’t going to let him or anyone walk all over you. Seeing your father do that to your mother just broke your heart, but you told yourself that no one will ever treat you like that.

“So, Chris and I were talking about your futures together-”

You raised a hand up only for it to be smacked onto the table causing the table to make a loud sound. “What did I just say? I am never going to have a future with him.”

“Not after what he planned for us,” Chris pitched in.

“Well, you can shove that plan up your ass if you think I’m gonna let you plan my future!” You said, turning towards your father. You were on the edge of your seat, close to getting up and raising your voice even louder or completely walking out of the room as anger flushed through you.

“Do not speak to me that way! Who gave you the right to even use those words?” Richard’s eyes furrowed as he pointed a finger at you, obviously angry, and not giving a fuck if he had a guest hear his anger.

“Gave me the right? You did when you decided to be an absolute dick to mom and I!” You were fully standing up, hands planted on the table.

“Language! You don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“But I do, don’t I? Right, father? I know everything,” you gave him a challenging look, which he was not amused with.

“I’m gonna give you five seconds-”

“Don’t bother,” you scooted your chair back, and walked out of the dining room and up the stairs. You just wanted a peaceful and relaxing night, but you got the exact opposite.

You were headed up the stairs, quickly, furious and frustrated at your father. Stomps on the hard floor were heard that you didn’t even hear the footsteps following behind you.

“Hey,” the voice you recognized was Chris’, and you felt your arm slightly being yanked by him, causing you to stop walking. You turned around, immediately taking your arm out of his hold.

“Don’t touch me or ever grab me like that,” you said, and he thinks it’s the most serious tone he’s ever heard out of you.

“Chill, I was gonna see if you were okay after that-”

“Well, don’t! I never asked for you to check up on me, and stop grabbing me like that--I’ve told you a million times. It’s annoying, not cute,” you rolled your eyes. You were right in front of your bedroom door and you just wanted to go inside and be over with the day, but of course, Chris keeps talking.

“Would you stop being a bitch for once? I don’t understand why we can’t be civil with each other, I’m working with your father,” he said, voice slightly raised, but you don’t let it get to you.

“The only reason why I can’t be civil with you is because I can’t stand being around you. And guess who messed that up? You did,” you pointed at him. “You’re just like him. Can’t have one person satisfy you. Always wanna sleep around and think you’re forgiven,” you shook your head in disbelief, trying not to let the tears cloud your eyes.

It wasn’t like you were still hung up on the situation, but the thought of being that heartbroken again did not make you feel the best. The feeling of your heart sinking into your stomach was something you did not want to feel again. And you didn’t think you were wrong for wanting to protect your fragile heart. You were strong on the outside; not taking shit from anyone, and you think that’s a strong quality to have. But deep down, you still had your guard up. Physically, you were fine connecting with people, but emotionally, it was necessary to protect yourself.

“C’mon, baby, it was one time,” you cringed at the name.

“First, don’t call me baby. I mean it. Second, one time was enough. I’ve witnessed it--still witnessing it with my mother staying with my father when he cheats time and time again. That ‘one time’ shouldn’t have even happened. Now, leave me alone and get out of my house.” You walked into your room, but before you were about to shut the door, he placed a hand on it, stopping you from closing it.

“Y’know, maybe we can just have a little fun. Hate fuck all the anger out of each other. Maybe it’ll help get that stick out of your ass,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes in disgust and annoyance.

“Don’t worry, I have better places to go other than you.”

With that you slammed the door in his face, knowing exactly where you could go to destress.

just a glimpse of what their lives look like! CHAPTER TWO IS COMING ON AUGUST 21!

taglist babies: @froggystyles @outofsstyles @whoschantel @4592222 @groovybaybee @bfharry @wellbafineline @tfonty @bfilipa52 @afire-hes @thorsangel @brrilliant-harry @apples2019

[nialledfromfics]

nothing (except for your love)

 a part two oneshot to Summer Camp

pairing: Niall/ofc

word count: 27,192

warnings: sexually explicit content; nsfw; 18+ only please

what holds me when I’m alone, what makes the tiger tame

what turns the sky from black to gold, what sends my tears up in flames.

~~

The last time she had been back in her hometown was nearly four years ago. It was the summer before she had started college, Cat spending her last four weeks as a camp counselor. It was the best fucking summer of her life. The summer she met Niall Horan. 

She had to admit that it was slightly weird being back at her parents house, in her old bedroom. Walls haphazardly covered with posters of The Strokes and Evanescence, half-burnt candles still sitting on her nightstand and her faded yellow daisy comforter neatly tucked into her bed. It looked just as it did the day she left for college, and oddly enough, that made her feel somewhat comforting. Like it was welcoming her home with open arms. At least that's what Cat told herself. Reality of the matter was, the job that she had lined up after graduating college, the same one that she had studied her butt off for, didn’t pan out like she had hoped and left her jobless and up to her eyeballs in student loans and questioning everything she had worked so hard for up until that point. 

Her parents, of course, were beyond ecstatic to have her back home, in her old neighborhood, in her old city. And Cat was happy to be back too, she missed being around her family; her mother, always the one to make sure she was eating well and not surviving off of pizza rolls and Poptarts, her dad, always there when she needed advice or just to lend an ear and her little sister, Katrina, always ready to gossip and bicker at the drop of a hat, like nothing had changed. She was happy to be home, but a part of her wondered if it was just a huge step back for her. That she could have just stayed where she was and made the best of her situation instead of, as she looked at it, crawled back to her parents for help. 

The thought left a sour taste in her mouth. 

But she figured that the only thing she could do at that point was to make the best of her current situation. She was back in the city she grew up in, back in her old room and following the next morning, hopefully back to work. 

•

It was a Friday. Cat woke up bright and early, turning over in her squeaky-framed bed to tap away at the alarm going off on her phone. She grumbled, stretching under the sheets as she rubbed away at the sleep that had consumed her eyes. The rising sun had just started to peek through her curtains and she could already smell the aroma of coffee floating through the air, readily filling her nose. It was her dad. She picked up her phone to glance at the time, needing some convincing, before forcing herself up as she knew her interview was in just a couple short hours. Hopping in the shower, Cat put on the appropriate pressed black pant suit and a pair of beige heels and made sure her hair and makeup were done accordingly before she finally made her way out to the kitchen to grab a much needed cup of that coffee. 

“Morning, Dad,” she greeted her father who had just finished packing up his lunch for the day.  

He looked over at his daughter and gave her a smile. “Good morning, doll.” Cat opened the cabinet and took out a mug, helping herself to the pot of warm coffee. “Don’t you look all dressed up today,” her father then mentioned. 

Spinning around to face him as she took a long sip of her hot beverage, Cat nodded her head. “I have that interview this morning, remember? For that company downtown, Stomon Tech? It’s at 9:30.” 

“Oh right, right,” he stumbled, “you wasted no time, did ya?” 

Cat pressed her lips in a tight line and raised her brows. “Not home for a vacation, Dad, I gotta have a job. I still have bills to pay.” 

He nodded, grabbing his lunch pail and keys off of the counter. “Alright, kiddo, well, good luck and I will see you later. I think Mom is making cacciatore for dinner tonight.” 

Smiling as her father stepped over to kiss her cheek, Cat rubbed his shoulder before he turned to walk towards the front door. “Have a good day at work, Dad.” 

•

Her wide eyes scanned up the towering glass-paneled front of the 24-story building as she sucked in a steadying breath in an effort to appease the nerves that were creeping under her skin. Interviews always made her overly anxious. Would she say the right thing, what they wanted to hear? Were her credentials enough? Did she look and dress the part? Cat let out a tiny groan, annoyed with herself as she forced her feet to move, climbing up the front steps and into the building. 

The Stomon Tech company took up two floors of the massive office building, floors 23 and 24 respectively, and the young woman followed behind a few others that were filing into one of the open elevators. She knew she had to go to the very top floor, as that was where the person she had conversed with instructed her to go, so she watched with bated breath as the numbered buttons slowly lit up one by one as they passed. It seemed like they had stopped at each floor, a good five minutes of people getting on and off, before she finally made it to where she was supposed to be. 

The doors slid open with a ding and she was immediately met with a huge reception area; gorgeous marbled-tiled floors, partitioned walls made of beveled glass and ultra-contemporary light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, all topped off with a stunningly perfect blonde sitting behind a large curved desk that was straight ahead. There was a big sign above the girl’s head that read Stomon Tech Limited, seemingly carved out of a silvery metal. The place was very modern and shiny, very clean and Cat politely smiled as she walked up to the front desk. The blonde peered up at her, a timid grin on her dark painted lips. “Welcome to Stomon Tech, how can I help you?” she asked. 

Cat cleared her throat and placed a hand on the chest-high counter in front of her. She squeezed hard around the edge, hoping it would tame the shaking in her fingers. “Hi, uh, my name is Catherine Williams and I have an interview at 9:30.” 

Tapping at the keyboard of her computer, the receptionist read over her screen before she looked back up at Cat with a tight, but friendlier, smile. “If you want to find a seat right over there,” she instructed, pointing just over Cat’s shoulder to a small reception area, “someone will be with you shortly.” 

“Thank you.” 

Holding her folder of paperwork to her chest, Cat walked over and sat down in one of the chairs, planning to use the extra time to give everything she had brought with her one last check. She had her folder spread out across her knees, quietly scanning through the papers one by one, making sure nothing was amiss. A few minutes had gone by when she heard the ding of the elevator doors open next to her, and she glanced up just as a dark haired man in a suit hurriedly walked by. She paid him no mind and looked back down at her lap, her focus on the remaining paperwork she was going over. Cat bit at her lip as a few muddled whispers between the receptionist and the man floated through the air of the lobby, and she furrowed her brows to concentrate, mouthing the words as she read over the bottom page of her resume. 

“Cat?” 

Her lips stopped moving, her fingertip halting on the paper in front of her. How did that person know her nickname? And why did his voice sound so familiar? Slowly sliding her stare up, from the expensive black oxfords to the perfectly pressed grey suit to the crisp white button up that was left slightly open at the base of his neck, Cat’s breath stalled in her throat as her eyes finally met his. As blue as the salty ocean’s waves, cool and sticking to your skin, her heart nearly skipped a solid beat when he smirked, and then it hit her. Oh my God. “Niall?” 

Narrowing her eyes, she moved her folder from her lap onto the chair as she stood up. Her mouth hanging open slightly as she dragged her stare across his features, his smile getting wider the closer she slowly shuffled over to him. His hair was dark, no longer that bleached out blond that she had remembered of him, and it was cut shorter, styled much better, delicately swept over to the side with little pieces hanging just across his forehead. It looked soft and inviting, pretty if she had to give it an adjective, and the corners of her mouth began to tug into a smile. He was older than her mind was letting her remember him, more refined and his body definitely more defined, at least what she could tell under his extremely well-fitted suit, and he had a thick dark stubble lining his jaw. 

She pushed out a huff as she stepped closer to him and before she could say hello, even mutter a coherent word, he had wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her into a hug. Cat’s eyes fluttered as she buried her nose against his shoulder, inhaling slightly as her hands gently cradled his upper back. He smelled good. Really good. Nothing like the boy sweat and sunscreen that she remembered, but fresh and clean, like a soft floral mint with a subtle hint of cedar. She rolled her eyes at herself for dissecting the man’s cologne as Niall eased himself from the embrace. “Hi, Niall,” Cat finally greeted him, tucking some hair behind her ear. 

“Shit,” Niall huffed, his blue eyes noticeably spanning down Cat’s frame. She looked older too, polished and put together in her fitted dark pantsuit. Her hair was longer than he had remembered, a natural wave adorning the strands and her skin looked softer too, well taken care of and Niall immediately found himself struggling with wanting his hands on her. She looked beautiful, more beautiful than when Niall had seen her last. And he thought that would have been hard to top. She was a hot, fiery little thing at 18 when he had first met her, but now–Niall licked across his lips as his gaze met hers again–now she was a woman, and she was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. He stuffed his hands down into the front pockets of his trousers. “It’s been, what….four years?” 

Cat nodded. “Yeah...it’s, um, it’s been awhile.” 

“How are ya?” he asked her, his head tipping slightly as he kept his stare on hers, “I thought you lived in...Denver, was it? At least that’s where ya were going the last time we spoke.” 

“Yeah, I was living there,” she told him, “that's where I went to college. And I stayed there after I graduated but the job I had...it wasn’t-...well, it just wasn’t working out. So I moved back here, back in with my parents.” Cat scraped her teeth across her bottom lip, wanting to scream at herself for telling him that last bit. 

But he just smiled at her. “You’re parents live here?” 

“Yup, over on the Eastside,” she said, Niall nodding as Cat went on, wrinkling her brows. “Do you...work here too? I’m here for an interview.”

Niall huffed out a chuckle and bowed his head as he rubbed over his chin with his fingers. “Uh, actually,” he started, looking back up at her, “its-...this is my company.” 

Cat’s stare went big, her tongue stumbling over her words. She totally just made a fool out of herself. “Oh...oh God,” she mumbled, Niall highly amused as he peered at her with those dreamy hooded blue eyes of his. Bedroom eyes as Cat liked to remember them, and he knew it. She cleared her throat. “Um, wow, uh...are you interviewing me?” Her brows pulled in as she pointed at herself. 

He chuckled again, waving a hand in front of himself. “No, no, that would be Elena in HR. Probably would be a bit unfair if I were to interview ya. I’d be a little too biased.” 

Cat breathed out a smile and lowered her stare. Her gaze dotted across the silver-speckled tile that rested below her feet. “Yeah, I guess that would be a conflict of interest.” 

Bellowing out a hearty laugh, the reminiscent sound bounced off the glass walls around them and caused Cat to glance up at him. In that moment, with the crinkles forming by his eyes and that soft dimple pressing into his left cheek, he looked exactly like he had four years prior. It made her smile. Niall yanked his hand from his pocket to check his watch. “Shit, um, I really hate to cut this short, Cat,” he began as he met her gaze again, “unfortunately, I’ve got an important meeting startin’ in just a couple minutes, but, um…” 

Niall paused, licking over his lips as his brows pulled in. “We should meet up for drinks tonight.” 

His offer caught her off guard, and she stuttered a little before being able to pull herself together. “Uh...yeah, yeah...sure.” 

“Great,” Niall concluded, the edges of his mouth tugging up, “my secretary will get your number from your file and I’ll give ya a ring.” Cat nodded. “Good luck in there!” 

“Thank you.” 

Niall had already started to walk past the front desk and down the hallway, Cat having just made it back to the chair she had been sitting in. She reached down to pick up her folder when he stopped in his tracks. “Hey, kitty cat?”

The sound of his husky voice and that gritty accent, calling her that very thing that only he called her, that very thing she hadn’t heard in four years, caused her entire body to tense up and an instant warmth to pool in her belly. She slowly turned to face him and he cocked his head back, rolling his tongue in his mouth. “You look really fuckin’ good, by the way.” 

Giving her a wink, no other words were shared between them as he stepped away and disappeared around the corner. Cat couldn’t help but smile. That was the Niall she remembered. 

•

She received a call from Niall a few hours later, inviting her out that evening to a pretty popular bar downtown. Cat, who was already back at her house and into her sweatpants, agreed to meet him there around 9, as that was when Niall said he’d be through with work. She didn’t have much expectations for the night, and she wasn’t trying to encourage any expectations either, far be it to be honest, but she thought that for the sake of going out to a rather upscale place, that she would dress up a bit more than usual. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had dressed up, or even went out to a nice bar for that matter. 

As Cat sat on the bus, the bright neon lights of the busy city nightlife zipping past the window, she glanced down at her lap. For a moment she was questioning what she was wearing; a short blue dress that was low and tight across her chest but flowy around her hips, one that she had bought a year or so back for a friend’s wedding, and a pair of strappy black heels. Maybe, she thought, she had dressed up too much, maybe it would give him the wrong impression. The impression that she wanted anything to do with him. 

Sighing lightly under her breath, Cat turned her head and stared out of the smudged window next to her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about Niall all those years, it wasn’t that she hadn’t hoped that what they had had that summer could have been more than what it was at the time, or that they could have reconnected at some point, she had very much thought of all of that, many times over the course of her first year in college. But with four years passing since then, she was older, wiser, time had changed and so had she. Her biggest fear was that Niall hadn’t. And while that little piece of her hoped to cling onto that old Niall that set her world ablaze that one amazing summer, another part of her, a bigger part, hoped that he had also grown up and matured, that he had moved on from his womanizing ways. 

Maybe that hope was too big of a stretch. 

Cat arrived at the bar a little before their intended meet time and she wondered, as she stepped through the large baroque doors, how long she would be waiting there for him to show up. There was a hostess standing just off to the side behind a sleek black marble counter and she smiled as Cat bounced her stare around the incredibly posh looking space. “Welcome, do you have a reservation?” 

Cat looked over at the hostess, smiling politely as she walked towards where she was standing. “No, no reservation...um, I’m actually meeting someone...I’m not sure if they are here yet…”

“Niall Horan?” 

Wrinkling her brows slightly, Cat pulled her face in. “Yes, actually…” she chuckled. 

The young woman smiled. “Right this way.” 

Hugging the sweater she had brought with her to her chest, Cat followed the hostess through the swanky bar, weaving around high top tables and other equally as dressed up patrons before they came to a large booth tucked in the back corner. Her eyes met his the second the hostess stepped away, and Cat just stood there by the edge of the half-moon table, quiet and trying with all her might to stop the rattling in her chest. He was the only man that had ever made her feel that way with one single glance, even when she didn’t want it. Niall was slumped back in the booth, his suit jacket now off and folded next to him on the seat and his crisp white shirt unbuttoned even further, showing off that gorgeously dark smattering of chest hair and a simple gold chain, finished with a tiny round pendant hanging from it. Cat hadn’t noticed it before, but thought that it suited him well. 

She swallowed hard as her eyes flowed down the length of his arms, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his toned forearms and that very expensive watch that was strapped to his wrist. Cat looked back up at his face. He smirked at her, his brow rising just enough beneath those few strands of dark hair that laid across his forehead that it made the air catch like glue in her throat. All she could do was smile. “Hey,” she said, barely over a whisper. 

“Hi,” Niall responded, nodding towards his left, instructing her to join him into the crescent shaped booth. She willingly obliged and slid herself in next to him. Not even meaning to, she pulled in a deep breath as their bodies moved closer, instinctually needing to smell him. She wasn’t disappointed. “You look incredible, Cat.” 

Tucking her face down in a slightly sheepish smile, the girl combed some hair behind her ear and plunked her elbow onto the table, peering over at him. “You didn’t change,” she mentioned.

Niall peeked down with a chuckle, using his fingers to pluck at the semi-opened button up adorning his upper half. “What, ya sayin’ I don’t look nice?”

“I didn’t say that,” Cat said, biting at her lip.

Tapping his fingers on the nearly empty glass that was wrapped in his one hand, Niall raised his brows. “Would ya like a drink?” 

“Yeah,” Cat replied with a slight inhale, sitting back in the booth, “beer’s fine.” 

“Oh, ya like beer, huh?”

She shrugged. “I’m a simple girl, doesn’t take much to impress me.” 

“Shit, coulda fooled me,” he scoffed with a short chuckle. Cat just stared at him, a tiny roll of her eyes caught by Niall and he smirked. “Beer it is then.” 

Niall ordered them both a couple beers, and then a few more. Over the next hour and a half, they immersed themselves in light conversation, keeping the subjects superficial and easy flowing. They talked about what they had accomplished in school and work, where they had been living, a little friendly banter mixed in between until the effects of the alcohol had started to create a bit of tempestuous buzz in their heads. It wasn’t long before the vibe had shifted, their body language and their small talk becoming more relaxed and comfortable. Cat felt like maybe Niall had changed more than she had assumed, he was very polite and engaging, super sweet and had yet to make any crude remark. 

Though the night was still young. 

“I guess, I should thank you for the job, by the way,” Cat stated, taking a sip of her beer. Her eyes were locked on Niall’s over the rim of the frosted glass. 

He was leaned back, his one arm slung behind Cat along the back edge of the booth and he casually smirked. “Why do ya say that?” 

Cat rolled her eyes. “I know it was you, Niall. I hadn't even gotten back to my car yet, by the time they called me and offered me the job.” 

Niall brought his pint to his mouth, tipping his head back as he took a long, quiet and very telling, sip. Licking the remnants off his lips, he set the glass back onto the wooden table, twirling it around in the wet ring of built up condensation. “That was all you, Cat, must’ve had a really good interview.”

“Right…”

He laughed. “Listen, you ain’t gettin’ nothin’ outta me.”

Cat bowed her head in a giggle, and swept her hair behind her ear as she looked over at him. “Fine,” she said softly, “but thank you, really. I’ve not had the easiest time, so...it does mean a lot to me.” 

Niall’s blue eyes fanned over her face and he gave her a sincere smile, one that she knew all too well, and nodded. “Guess that means we’re gonna be hangin’ out a lot more now,” he joked as he pulled in a deep breath. 

Cat rested back into the booth, folding her hands on top of her crossed legs. “Are we gonna be work buddies?” she asked him with a playful grin. Niall glanced down, noticing her dress had ridden up a tad on her thigh. She used her fingers to straighten the material, her stare never faltering off his face and he peeked back up at her. 

The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly, and Cat felt the faintest of tickle at the back of her neck, as if someone was very delicately playing with the ends of her hair. It caused a shiver to splay across her skin. “I’m not talkin’ ‘bout work buddies,” Niall finally said, his voice low and heavy in his throat, inducing a familiar clamping of Cat’s thighs at the sound. 

She inhaled sharp and lightly shook her head. “Mmm...I figured you weren’t.” 

“So…”

Slipping her gaze from his, Cat glanced at the half drank pint that rested in front of her. She watched the tiny bubbles glide up the side of the glass. Her tummy was flipping in on itself, her heartbeat picking up as each second passed and she breathed out a sigh, hoping to create some calm within the obnoxious chaos going on inside her. “Look, Niall, I know what you’re hinting at and I just, um,..I want you to know that-...” Cat paused and scraped her teeth across her bottom lip as she slowly brought her eyes back to his. “I, um...I have a boyfriend.” 

His brows furrowed, his hand reluctantly inching back from its close proximity to her shoulder. “You do?”

Cat nodded. “Yeah, he still lives back in Denver...but, yeah.” 

Shifting himself to face her, Niall tipped his head as he lifted his arm from behind Cat and rubbed across his bearded chin. “Well, it can’t be that serious,” he mumbled.

“Why do you say that?” she asked him with wrinkled brows.

“ ‘cause he’s in Denver and you’re here,” he explained with a shrug.

“I-,” Cat paused and shook her head, her lips falling to a part, “its long distance…” 

“It won’t work out.” 

She was the one to turn her body to face him this time, her brows pulling in even more. Cat hooked her arms across her chest in slight annoyance. “You don’t know that,” she spit out to him. 

Niall scoffed lightly, dropping his stare to his lap as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, I do know that if you were my girl,” he began, catching her stare. His eyes looked dark, seedy in the low lights of the bar. “I would not be able to go more than one fuckin’ day without ya.” 

A heavy breath hilted in the back of her throat at his words, Cat staying quiet as Niall reached out and grabbed his pint from the table, taking a sip of his beer. Peering down, Cat slowly unfolded her arms from her chest and pressed her palms across her thighs. She chewed at a piece of dry skin from the edge of her lip before looking back up at Niall. “Maybe it won’t,” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulder, “but that’s where I’m at right now.” 

Niall shook his head, pulling a breath in between clenched teeth as he set his beer back down on the table. “It won’t. Trust me.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Enough about me. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Niall pushed out a snort. “No...I don’t.”

“And why not?” Cat asked him, shifting her eyes over his features. He was so handsome, it made her insides ache. His dark eyelashes, that perfect nose...his soft, pink lips. She wondered, for a single moment, what it would feel like to kiss him again. To have his mouth pressed to hers, swallowing his breath, tasting his tongue. Then she wondered what the hell was she thinking. 

Noticing her stare on his mouth, Niall tucked his lips in and cocked his head back. Her eyes landed on his once more. “Just don’t do serious relationships, ya know?”

“That sounds about right,” Cat muttered under her breath. “Can I ask you something, Niall?”

He lifted a brow in amusement. “Sure, petal, isn’t that what we’re doin’ here?”

“Yes, smart ass,” she replied sharply. Niall pushed out a laugh, taking another long sip of his beer. “Whatever happened with you and Sarah? You know the girl from camp? I mean, I’m only asking ‘cause I never went back and I’m...kinda curious.” 

Niall narrowed his eyes a bit and a smirk began to curl at the corner of his mouth. “Are ya askin’ me if I slept with her?”

She tilted her head. “In a less intrusive way, I guess...yeah.” 

With his hooded eyes darting over hers, Niall stayed quiet for a minute, almost as if he was trying to read what Cat was thinking. If only he could ever get a clear read on that girl. The one person he was never able to, and that frustrated him. She pulled in a shaky breath, moving her gaze away from his as it became almost too intimidating for her. “Do ya really wanna know?” he then asked her. 

She nodded and Niall straightened his body, leaning forward to rest his forearms across the edge of the table. His chin bumped at the peak of his shoulder as he looked back over at her. “I did end up fuckin’ her,” Niall went on, pausing to lick across his lips. “That next summer, actually.” 

Cat bit at her lip, a tiny pang settling in the pit of her stomach and she reached out to grab her beer, throwing back a big gulp. She didn’t like the way his words were making her feel. “I thought, um...I thought you didn’t like her.”

“I didn’t,” Niall spit out, lifting his shoulder, “but...you weren't there.” 

Shooting her stare back to his as she put her glass back down, she watched as a soft smile etched over his lips, nearly hidden behind the round of his shoulder. Cat cleared her throat. “I know,” she started, taking in a deep breath, “I really wanted to come back, I know I had told you the summer before I left that I would, but then I got this internship in Denver that I just couldn’t pass up, so I...just decided to stay–” 

His mouth turned down at the corners and he faintly shook his head. “It’s okay, Cat. I understand,” Niall told her, slumping back into the booth again. “It was my last summer there, and I dunno, I guess I got bored. She was shit, anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.” 

Cat’s eyes went big at his statement and she threw a hand to her mouth to stifle her laugh. Niall, on the other hand, freely belted out. The sound, still reminiscent of years before, made her laugh even harder. “I missed you that summer,” Niall then sighed out. 

“That’s surprising,” Cat chuckled. 

Niall wrinkled his brows. “Why’s that?” 

“Because I’m sure you had a swarm of girls all over you,” she explained, gesticulating as she spoke, “like you always do. Like I’m sure you still do.” 

He cocked his head back as his stare stayed on her. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t think about ya, Cat,” he said, lifting his shoulder in a shrug, “or that I didn’t miss ya.” 

Cat darted her eyes over his as an awkward quiet had settled between them. She really didn’t know what to say to that declaration of honesty coming from him, so she just picked her pint up off the table and silently guzzled back the rest of her beer. “You want another?” Niall asked her, pointing to her empty glass as she wiped across her lips. She glanced at it before looking back over at him, a smirk forming on his mouth. “Or should we just go back to my place…”

Cat chuckled as she set her glass down. “Nice.” 

“What?” he laughed. 

“I’m not going home with you.” 

Shifting his body closer, Niall inched his face in right up next to hers, her heart surging as she felt the heat of his breath on her jaw. She struggled with wanting to move away, with not wanting to move away, with letting her eyes flutter closed as the warmth of his entire body started to encapsulate every inch of her exposed skin as he ever-so-softly let the tip of his nose brush over her ear. “Are ya sure about that, love?” 

It was the slickest, naughtiest, grittiest tone of whisper that she had ever heard and it took every part of her to not jump in his lap at that very second. But she knew she couldn’t. Cat forced herself to laugh at his attempt and Niall eased back, a cocky smirk still plastered across his face. “Niall, as hard as you’re gonna try,” she told him, raising her brows to assert herself, “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

Plopping back into the seat in a defeated huff, Niall rubbed his palm over the front of his face. “Fuck...well, that ruins all me plans,” he joked as they both laughed. “How ‘bout I just take you home then?” he went on, catching her stare going wide as she peered over at him. He pinched his eyes shut in a snort upon realizing what he had said. “No-...to your home. Jesus…” 

Smiling at him, she softly giggled and nodded her head. “Yeah...that’d be nice, thanks.”

•

They had been sitting in his Audi, parked outside her house, chatting for a good five minutes. She glanced out of the passenger side window and glared slightly upon seeing the movement of a curtain in one of the living room windows. Clearing her throat, she shifted her attention back to Niall. “Thank you again for the ride,” she said to him, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Saved me from having to take the bus home at 11:30 at night.” 

“Of course, anytime,” he said, tipping his head over to the side as he slid his eyes down her body. He had been checking her out all night, Niall never being one to be shy about the fact, he knew and she knew, but he couldn’t help himself when it came to Cat. Licking over his lips, his stare slowly drifted over the suppleness of her exposed cleavage, his mind wandering back to the vivid memory of how her skin had tasted on his tongue. He swallowed hard as he shot his eyes back up to hers. “Cat, can I kiss you?” 

Cat’s fingers paused on the door handle, and she turned to look over at him. “Honestly, I’m surprised you're asking,” she chortled. 

Niall leaned his head back on the headrest, his hooded eyes narrowing slightly as he smirked. “Well, ya do have a boyfriend…”

She pushed out a chuckle. “So, the only reason you're asking to kiss me, is because I have a boyfriend?”

He flicked his brow and she rolled her eyes, gathering her sweater and small bag as she opened the car door. “You’ve really not changed a bit,” she finished. 

“So that’s a no?” 

Stepping out of the car, Cat spun around and bent over, catching his stare. “That’s a goodnight, Niall.” 

He smiled and nodded his head. “Guess, I’ll see ya at work on Monday, then.” 

“Guess you will,” she said with a soft smile, “but no special treatment, okay?” 

His mouth turned down as he lifted his head from the seat. “Can’t promise ya that,” he said, running the tip of his tongue across his lips. His eyes were darting heavily with hers, and Cat could have sworn she felt a drunken buzz quickly submerse her head. She felt dizzy every time he looked at her like that, with that intensity that only he knew how to do. She sucked in a shaky breath, attempting to settle herself. 

“Behave yourself, Niall.”

Quirking a brow, he gave her a low, thigh-clenching chuckle as he slipped his car into drive. “Sweet dreams, kitty cat.” 

Cat rolled her eyes, trying to bite away at the smile on her lips as she closed the passenger door and waved as he drove off. She watched the tail lights of his car disappear around the corner, before she let out a long, melodramatic sigh. Her mind was reeling with memories of him, how he talked to her, how he touched her, her body on fire even just being near him, but there was no way she was gonna let him in. Not again. 

Making her way into her house, Cat quietly shut the front door and looked up to see her little sister in the living room, hanging over the back of the couch as she curiously peered out of the large window. “Trina, what are you doing?” Cat asked, placing her hands on her hips. 

“Who was that?” Katrina questioned, hoping up off the couch and bounding over towards her older sister. 

Cat pulled in a breath, knowing her little sister was always the inquisitive one. And relentless about it too. “Just an old friend,” she told her, “someone I used to know a few years back.” 

Trina folded her arms over her chest. “He’s got a nice car.” 

Rolling her eyes, Cat let out a laugh and reached out to teasingly ruffle Trina’s head. “Go to bed, child,” she muttered as she walked away.

“Hey!” the young girl huffed loudly in protest, smoothing her hair back down as she watched Cat sneak her way upstairs to her bedroom. “I’m not a child!”

•

Monday came a bit quicker than Cat had hoped, and while she was eager to get back to a steady job, she was also nervous about how her first day was going to go. It was always a bit difficult for her to make friends; she was reserved but head-strong, opinionated when it mattered and learned very fast to not take anyone’s bullshit. All of those qualities sometimes made her more of a loner than an approachable person. But she was willing to try her best to be more personable, hopefully make a few acquaintances as well. 

One person she knew she’d have no trouble winning over was Niall. And that was a whole other ballgame. 

By late morning, Cat had settled in nicely to her work environment. She had her own desk and computer, a little space of her own within the huge, monochromatic space of the office located on the 23rd floor. Her co-workers, at least the ones in the cubicles surrounding her, were all very nice and had already offered to take her out to lunch as a welcome. Cat happily accepted, choosing to leave the lunch she had brought with her in the break room refrigerator for another day. 

Even though Cat knew Niall’s office was actually on the next floor up, she wasn’t really surprised to see him strutting around her floor a few times already that morning. He hadn’t come up to her yet, Cat supposed he was heeding her words about not showing her any special treatment, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t caught his eye a few times as she peered over and saw him propped up against a cubicle wall, flirting away with a few of the ladies throughout the office. He was very charismatic, and annoyingly sexy, using his charms and his wit to entice as many sweet giggles and subtle arm touches as he could get. 

Maybe that was his plan, to flaunt himself in front of Cat, showing her just how desirable he was, how easily he could get any woman he wanted. As if she didn’t already know that, or expect it. Niall would be leaned down, whispering sweet nothings in their ears with high pitched giggles spilling from their mouths as his blue eyes stuck right on Cat. She’d shake her head in a chuckle and focus back on her work, but the gears were grinding hard in her head. She wondered, just out of pure curiosity, how many of the women in the office he actually had bedded. And how many of them had felt what she felt when with him. She sucked in a deep breath, mad at herself for even entertaining the thought, because what did it matter to her? It didn’t and it shouldn’t. 

Later that afternoon, waist deep in a coding error she was attempting to fix, a notification popped up on Cat’s computer that she had received an email. It was from Niall. She peeked around the short walls of her cubicle, wary of prying eyes before opening it. 

            Cat, 

  Please come see me in my office. 

   Niall Horan

   CEO

   Stomon Tech Limited

Her heart thumped loud in her chest as she read over it a few more times, just that one single sentence causing a frenzy inside her and she figured since he was her boss, there was no getting out of it. Maybe that was another one of his plans. 

She smiled at the thought–it was textbook Niall–as she stepped off the elevator and onto the 24th floor. The blonde at the desk nodded her through and she made her way down the hallway, following it straight to his unnecessarily large office. The walls were all constructed of the same thick glass as the rest of the office, his door as well and she could clearly see Niall sitting at his sleek jet black desk, jotting something down as she reached out and gently knocked. 

His eyes raised from the papers before him to see Cat standing outside his office door. Niall pulled in a deep breath and stood up, promptly waving her in. “Hello, Cat,” he greeted her as she stepped through the door and closed it. Niall held his hand out to one of the chairs that were lined up in front of his desk and she walked over, smiling at him as she sat down. 

“Hey, Niall.”

Her eyes stayed glued to him as he stepped around his desk and stood in front of her, casually slipping his hands into his pants pockets. Cat bit at her lip, realizing he was finally close enough for her to get a good whiff of his expensive cologne and she tried to hide the fact that it was nearly intoxicating. On top of that, he had on a perfectly fitted deep blue suit, that hugged his broad shoulders and slim waist like it was a second skin. And with his dark hair, soft and swept to the side and just a hint of a scruffy beard, he looked like a dream. She hated that she couldn’t get those irritating thoughts out of her mind. 

She shakily cleared her throat and watched as he tipped his head slightly. “Just wanted to see how your first day’s been goin’,” he said, peering down at her. Niall couldn't take his eyes off of her. Off of the low cut blouse she was wearing, off the soft curl of her hair that was brushing at her shoulder, off the tiny bit of flesh showing at her thigh where her legs were crossed. She shifted slightly in her chair from the burning heat of his gaze, and it caused her skirt to ride up just a bit more. Niall’s breath caught in his throat. It was like she was tempting him, even if she didn’t know it. 

“It’s been nice,” she told him, fully aware that his stare was sliding over her lap where her skirt had ridden up and then over her breasts before finally settling on her face. She smirked. Maybe she did like flirting with him. Just a little bit. “Went out to lunch with a few coworkers. But really all I was wondering about is when you were gonna come over and say hi to me.” 

“Yeah?” he asked, raising a brow. 

“I mean, you were talking to everyone else…” 

Niall chuckled, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. His chin tipped down slightly as he kept his stare on hers. “Were you jealous?”

“No,” Cat responded, shaking her head. “I have no reason to be, I have a boyfriend, remember?”

“Ah, yes the boyfriend,” Niall said, licking across his lips as he reached up and ran a hand through the side of his hair, “I forgot about him.” 

“I bet you did,” Cat scoffed. 

“I wanna take ya out, Cat,” Niall then said, “on a date.” 

She breathed out a smile. “I can’t do that, Niall.” His eyes were darting over hers, as if he was trying to lure her in, pull her into his little trap just as he had done before. That reckless, all-consuming arousing stare, the one that shook her to the core, that literally brought her to her knees. The one that she would fall asleep thinking about almost every night. And that was all she could think about. Him. How he had made her feel, how they felt together. How he had turned her world upside down that one unforgettable summer night, and she never thought she would ever see him again. And now all she was trying to do was fight it. Fight that feeling of wanting him. She had to fight it. She had to.

“And why can’t ya?” 

Cat sucked in a sharp breath, tilting her head to her shoulder. “Well, let’s see, for one, the whole boyfriend thing and for two,” she paused, scraping her teeth over her bottom lip. Niall watched the tip of her tongue roll out across the pink-bitten skin of her lip and he swallowed hard. “...I don’t think that would look very good. I just started here and, well, ya know, favoritism and all.” 

“But ya are me favorite,” Niall bluntly stated with a smirk, quirking up his brow. 

Cat bowed her head in a bashful grin, bringing her fingers up to her lips. He really knew how to work her, that was for sure. “Okay, but I’m not trying to make enemies the first week I’m working here,” she explained, glancing back up at him, “if I went out with you, I don’t think the other ladies in the office would like me very much.” 

Niall furrowed his brow slightly and crossed his ankles as he rested his bum on the edge of his desk. “How so?”

“Niall, I’ve been here barely one day and have already heard them gossiping in the break room,” she told him, raising her brows. “And they all very much want to fuck you.” 

A loud laugh belted out past his lips, and he tipped his face down, hiding his pinched eyes behind his hand. “They’ve heard the rumors then,” he muttered between chuckles.

Cat’s brows twisted up. “What rumors are those?”

He brought his stare back to hers, slowly running his tongue over his lips. “You know first hand what those rumors are, kitty cat.” 

She could hardly breathe with his eyes on her like that, with his words floating in her head and she gently cleared her throat. “Yeah...well...they don’t know that,” she squeaked out. 

He narrowed his eyes. “You’ve not told ‘em?”

“Niall, I barely know these people,” she spit out, “why would I tell them that we slept together one time four years ago?”

Stepping towards her, Niall curled his hands around the arms of the chair and leaned down, his face sitting flush with hers. Cat kept her eyes fixed on his, her mouth falling to a faint part as his warm breath seeped over her lips. He was so close she could almost taste him on her tongue and her eyes fluttered just from the thought. A few strands of his dark hair had fallen over his eyes, and Cat’s lungs were struggling to find air as a delicious smirk slid over his mouth. “ ‘cause, baby, the way I fuck is life changin’.”

His comment made Cat gasp, before she realized his obvious intentions with the remark and she breathed out a soft giggle instead, rolling her eyes. “You’re insane,” she mumbled, Niall chuckling at her response. He leaned up and stepped away, clearing his throat as he shuffled back behind his desk. Cat watched him for a moment, never having been around someone as bluntly cocky and intriguing as Niall, and she bit at her lip as he picked up a portfolio and began flipping through some pages. “How many of those girls have you actually slept with anyway?” she asked. 

Niall’s fingers stalled on the papers and he peered at her through the tops of his hooded eyes. “What, the girls who work for me?”

“Yeah…”

“None actually.” Her stare went wide at his answer, obviously surprised by it and he pinched an eye shut. “Don’t wanna mix business and pleasure and all that, you know…”

Cat tipped her face down in a laugh. “Right,” she said, glancing back up at him, “Niall, the forever chivalrous gentleman.”

Niall snorted out a laugh and dropped the portfolio back down on his desk. He glanced over her head before catching her stare again. “Reckon ya better get back to work now, Ms. Williams, or you’ll be havin’ lots of gossip to answer to in the break room the next time you’re there.” 

Her brows wrinkled. “Huh?”

Faintly nodding towards the glass wall behind her, Cat turned around in the chair to see a few nosy busy-bodies with their full attention planted on the two of them. She was bound to be the talk of the office break room after that. Cat huffed out a laugh as she looked back over at Niall, giving him a grin. Niall watched as she stood up from her seat and smoothed down her skirt. “We’ll chat later,” he told her.

She nodded, biting off her smile as she began to step away. “Have a good rest of your day, Mr. Horan.” 

He shot her a wink. “You too, Cat.” 

•

The next two weeks were surprisingly calm. Cat had settled nicely into work, and with her colleagues, better than she was expecting, and her interactions with Niall seemed to be more on the friendly side than him trying to flirt his way into her pants. To be honest, that confused her a bit. But she was always left confused and thrown off balance when it came to Niall. She had a hard time denying how much she wanted him, how he made her feel just by looking at her, but also knew that it would be disastrous if it ever happened again. She had to remain logical at all times around him, because God knows, he was extremely tempting and she had to fight within herself to not lose all sense of control. 

He had called her a couple times, again, just friendly conversation and light banter, but other than that, Cat really hadn’t seen too much of him at work. She was aware of a huge project deadline coming up, Niall telling her of the copious amounts of boring meetings he had been partaking in and even flying out to NYC for two days on business. She thought it was oddly sweet that he was keeping her in the loop, so to speak, of his schedule and his life, and they would often find themselves texting each other well into the night, just to say goodnight. 

Cat thought it was lovely that she could have real, thoughtful and intellectual conversations with him, because up until that point, even during the summer they had met, it had only been focused on one thing: sex. Not that she minded much. A man like him wanting a woman like her, it was flattering and it made her feel good, she definitely wasn’t going to deny that. She was just happy that her and Niall had moved into a more comfortable level in their growing friendship. Cat was happy to have him as her friend. 

It was an early Saturday afternoon, Cat was at home with her family, her mother and sister in the kitchen unpacking groceries that they had just picked up for the evening. Cat was in her bedroom finishing her laundry, and had just put away some of her folded t-shirts when her cell phone rang. Bumping the dresser drawer closed with her hip, she shuffled her bare feet over to her nightstand to grab her phone, checking the name that was highlighted across the screen. Niall. 

She breathed out a smile and answered, tucking the phone between her shoulder and her cheek as she walked over to her closet and pulled out a few hangers. “Hey, you,” she greeted him as she made her way back towards her bed to hang up some of her dresses and pantsuits. 

“Hey, kitty cat, what ya doin’?”

She giggled. “Just some laundry,” she told him, “what are you doing?” 

“Uh, layin’ in me bed,” he told her, Cat noticing a softness in his voice. “Naked. Thinkin’ ‘bout you.” 

Cat rolled her eyes in a snort. “So...just a normal day then, huh?” 

A deep laugh rumbled from his end of the line. “I was wonderin’ if maybe ya wanna go out with me tonight?” he then asked, pausing for a moment to clear his throat before he continued. “Just as friends. Been so busy with work lately, we haven’t hung out and I miss seein’ ya.” 

Cat bit at her bottom lip, her cheeks running warm as she stepped back over to her closet to hook her clothes up on the rack. “I don’t know, Niall,” she hummed out, darting her stare around her room and realizing she had left her water bottle downstairs. “My mom has this whole family dinner thing planned for my Dad’s birthday tonight and it would be kinda rude for me to just bail.”

Bouncing down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mother and sister were still putting groceries away, she held the phone to her ear and snatched her water bottle off of the counter just as Katrina had opened the cupboard above her head. Trina shot her a look, and Cat stuck her tongue out at her. “Hmm...okay, well, maybe tomorrow then? Are ya free?” 

“I should be,” Cat huffed out as she refilled her bottle, her eyes studying the clear stream of water filtering into the metal flask, “what did you wanna do, anyway?” 

Niall had started to mumble something, when Cat’s mom looked over at her. “Who’s that?” she nosily asked. 

“It's that guy with the really nice car, isn’t it?” Trina interjected.

Cat’s eyes went big at her little sister as Niall continued to talk into her ear, and she set the water bottle down and smushed her hand over the bottom of the phone. “Shh!” she snapped back, shifting her eyes from her sister to her mom. “Just...a friend.” 

“Who?” 

A distinguishable quiet had settled on the end of the line before the young woman heard a faint ‘Cat?’ in a low, husky voice. She held up her finger to her mom and put her attention back to Niall. “Yeah, I’m here, sorry my mom was saying something to me. Can you hold for, like, one second?” 

“Yeah, sure.”

Blocking the end of her phone again with her palm, she playfully glared over at Trina before pushing out a sigh. “Just this guy, Niall. I met him a few years ago before I left for college and, weirdly enough, he's now my boss.” 

Trina rounded her lips. “Oooh.” 

“Your boss?” her mother repeated, opening the fridge to set a gallon of milk inside. “Well, Cat, you should invite him over for dinner tonight!” 

“Mom, it’s Dad’s birthday,” she questioned, wrinkling her brow, “And I thought it was just ‘family’ anyway...” 

The older woman waved off her daughter with a huff, turning to gather up the reusable shopping bags from the countertop. “Please, you know your father would love to meet your boss, Cat, birthday or not. And he's your friend. Invite him over.” 

Cat’s heartbeat picked up in her chest, so much so that it was like a heavy bass drum in the back of her ears steadily getting louder as her palms started to sweat. It was obnoxious. She curled her fingers tighter around her phone as she silently shot her stare between her mom and her sister, who had a very smug grin plastered over her lips. “....alright,” she gingerly sighed out, bringing her phone back up to her ear. “Niall?” 

“Yup?”

“Hey, so, um…” Cat paused, bowing her head down and anxiously scratching across the skin of her forehead, “weird question, I guess, but would you, maybe...like to come over to my house for dinner tonight?” 

“With your family?” 

“Yeah.” 

Scraping her teeth over her bottom lip, two sets of curious eyes were glued to her, waiting in as much anticipation as Cat was for Niall’s answer. She heard a short chuckle bleed into her ear before Niall pulled in a deep breath. “Sure, I’d love to.” 

•

Niall was standing on her front stoop, knocking at her door only a mere few hours later. Not really sure why she felt so nervous, her belly tying into knots as she had been getting ready and her heart thumping along with the ticking of the clock as it counted down to when he was supposed to arrive. But the second she opened the door, the second his stunning ocean blue eyes met hers, it all faded away. He looked gorgeous, as he always did; a fitted pressed dark pair of trousers topped with a silky patterned button up short sleeve shirt, it was undone slightly at the top, just enough to showcase that gold necklace that hung around his neck. Niall smiled at Cat as she invited him in. 

His eyes danced over her body as he stepped through the door, seeing her in a pair of tight jeans and slightly fitted top, she hadn’t dressed sexy, it was her Dad’s birthday after all, but Niall thought she looked amazing. He liked seeing her in a more casual look, different then how he had seen her at work. He noticed right away that her hair, usually down and sitting just below her shoulders, was pulled back into a high ponytail and for a moment, he was transported back to summer camp. Back to that first time that he saw her. Standing amongst the other counselors, listening to the director spout out the camp rules and whatnot, but even then, Niall’s full attention was on Cat. She looked absolutely beautiful, just like every time he had laid eyes on her since. 

Smiling back at him, her parents had made their way into the small foyer, eager to meet the mystery boss-friend with the super nice car. Cat introduced him, Niall having brought her father a bottle of extremely expensive Irish whiskey as a gift, and she stood off to the side as he engaged her parents in polite small talk. He was very impressive to watch–Cat finding herself sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as he freely chatted and laughed along with her parents. His charisma even snagged her old, rigid dad and his cheekiness made her mother blush a shade of pink Cat had rarely seen. 

“And this is my sister, Katrina,” she said to Niall, pointing at her little sister who had just emerged from the living room as her parents made their way back into the kitchen to finish up dinner. 

The young girl popped her gum in her mouth as she gave Niall an apathetic wave. “Everyone calls me Trina.” 

“Nice to meet ya, Trina,” Niall greeted her with a nod. 

Perching her hands on her hips, Trina narrowed her eyes as she looked over at Niall. Her stare slid down his frame and then back up before she tipped her chin in a smile. “You’re smokin’ hot.” 

“Trina! Jesus,” Cat snipped, furrowing her brows as Niall chuckled. She grabbed around Niall’s bicep and he moved his attention to her. “I’m sorry, she’s just–”

“Spitting facts?” Trina raised her brows. 

Cat glared at her sister and before she could respond with a growling rebuff, their mother called out from the kitchen. “Trina, behave yourself!” Rolling her eyes in a displeased huff, the teenager spun around on her socked heels and slumped back into the living room without another word. 

Niall licked across his lips, fighting off his inevitable snickering as he looked over at Cat. “She’s cute,” he told her, quirking a brow.

“She’s fifteen,” Cat shot back. 

“I can tell,” he snorted, “she’s still funny, though.” 

“You’re only saying that because she said you were hot.” 

“Uh, smokin’ hot,” Niall corrected, cocking his head to the side. “Would’ve rather you been the one sayin’ it though...”

Cat giggled. “Keep dreaming, Niall.” 

“Ya just keep breakin’ me heart, Cat,” Niall mumbled out, dramatically slapping a hand to his chest. “Jesus…”

Her eyes pinched shut in a laugh before she reached out and grabbed Niall’s hand. “C’mon,” she said, pulling him after her, “I’ll show you around a bit.”

After leading him through the downstairs area, Cat took Niall upstairs and into her bedroom. She didn’t really think much of it when he was trailing behind her up the stairs, their hands still loosely entangled with the heat of his skin melting into hers. It felt natural to her, so much so that she had forgotten that she was even holding his hand that whole time until they stepped into her room. “So, this is it,” Cat said, her fingers slowly sliding from his as he brushed past her and further into her bedroom. 

Niall stood near the side of her bed with his hands hooked on his hips, his stare floating across the small bedroom; from the posters still hung up on her walls to the shelves of academic trophies and awards she had acquired throughout school. Cat crossed her arms over her chest, gnawing on her lip as she kept her eyes glued to him. He had faced himself away from her, studying some old pictures of Cat and her friends from high school that were pinned up on her wall, and she let her gaze drag down the length of his frame. His shoulders were wide under the thin material of his shirt, his back broad, a lot broader than she had remembered, and his waist slim, but it was the deliciously supple curve of his ass that forced Cat to draw in a jittery breath. He had such a nice body, toned but soft in all the right places and her eyes fluttered as the memories of how he felt on top of her, pushing himself inside her, came rushing like an unstoppable flood back into her head. 

Her eyelids were pressed closed, enjoying her dirty thoughts, when Niall had unknowingly turned around to get her attention. He smiled to himself upon seeing how pretty Cat looked with her head tipped to the side and her bottom lip sucked into her mouth. He cleared his throat and her eyes popped open, met with a cocky grin. She froze. “This looks familiar…” he said to her, his brows raising as he held up a grey snapback that had been slung over the front bedpost of her bed. 

She smiled at him. “It should. You gave it to me.” 

Niall flicked the hat in his hand as he peered down at it, the very tip of his tongue poking out between his lips. “I know, I remember,” he mumbled, wiggling the hat down on his head. Her stare went glassy, widening slightly as she peered over at him, struck with how much he looked like he used to once that hat was back on him and she struggled to find a solid breath. The corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk. “Bring back any memories?” 

It did. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. 

Dropping her hands at her sides, Cat slowly stepped around the end of her bed and came up flush to him. His hooded gaze was fixated on her, holding tight to every movement, as she leaned herself in close to him, so close that Niall could feel the tiny wisps of her hot breath against the front of his neck. It made his stomach twist. His mouth parted slightly as she rose to her tiptoes, his blue eyes darting wild over hers and there was a hint of a devilish smirk pulling at her lips as she inched closer and closer, her warm body practically on top of his. 

And as quick as Cat had pressed flush to him, she just as quickly reached up and snatched the hat off of Niall’s head. She leaned past him slightly as she flung the hat back onto the bedpost where it belonged. “It’s still mine,” she claimed, raising her brow. 

His stare hadn’t left hers, it couldn’t even if he had wanted it to and Niall turned his mouth down at her, fully impressed that he had fallen for that little game she had just played. She grinned at him, pleased with herself and it made Niall’s chest ache with how cute she looked. “It’s still yours,” he assured softly, giving her one single nod. 

Cat tilted her face down, hiding the flush that had invaded her cheeks as Niall moved his eyes beside her. “So this is where you sleep?” he asked, pointing to the bed.

“Well, that sounds creepy,” she mentioned with a giggle. 

Niall laughed. “Just tryin’ to get a feel for the place.” 

“Oh, right,” she scoffed, plopping her bottom down on the side of the bed. “Yup, this is my bed. Same one since I was, like...twelve.” 

Sitting himself down next to her, Niall carded his hand through his hair as he turned his head to catch her stare. “Should I be jealous?” 

“Of what?” Cat asked, wrinkling her brows.

Niall peeked over his shoulder at her yellow daisy printed comforter. “All the people that have gotten to sleep with you in this very spot.” 

Cat rolled her eyes before meeting his stare again. “Niall, we’ve had sex before so, no, you shouldn’t be jealous and to be honest, besides that, there’s nothing to be jealous of…” 

His brows pulled in. “You tellin’ me you’ve never had sex in this bed?” 

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” she huffed, glancing down at her lap. “I’ve never even had a boy in this room before.” 

Niall clicked his tongue in his mouth. “So I’m your first…”

“Weird way of putting it,” Cat replied with a soft giggle, peering over at him, “but yes.” 

Leaning in towards her, the air stifled in the back of Cat’s throat as she felt his hot, silky breath spill over the slope of her neck. It made her eyes flutter, and she fought back a whimper when the tip of his nose just barely brushed along her jaw. His large palm was resting at her lower back, ever so faintly and she swallowed hard and stayed still, not daring to move an inch as Niall hungrily licked across his lips. “We can add another first to the list if ya want…” 

Slowly turning her head to look over at him, she caught his hooded stare. She struggled to find her words. “Are you, um…are you propositioning me, Mr. Horan?” Cat whispered, darting her eyes with his. Her chest was rising high with her quick, unruly breaths, her fingers curling into the thick blanket on both sides of her knees. Niall lifted his shoulder in a shrug, his brow quirking up. The darkness in his eyes was filling Cat’s belly with a fire that was proving hard to fight off, and she scraped her teeth across her bottom lip. “With my parents right downstairs?”

“Makes it even hotter,” he confidently said with a wink.

Cat let out a groan and playfully pushed him away with a nudge of her shoulder. “You’re filthy,” she told him, shaking her head as she stood up. 

Niall belted out a laugh, looking up at her. “Mmm, well, we both know that’s how ya like it.”  

With her eyes going big, her pouty lips fell to a part and Niall smirked proudly at her reaction. All she could do was let the dizziness fill her head, flustered every time he even so much as caught her stare as Niall reached out and gently grabbed her hand. Her knees wanted to crumble beneath her, her body wanting to let go as his thumb rubbed tiny circles over her skin. She slowly lifted her gaze back to his, her breaths stunted in her lungs, just as her father called them down to dinner. 

Cat squeezed her eyes closed for a split second as Niall stood up right in front of her. His intoxicating scent filled her nose and she let her gaze drift up from his chest to his blue eyes. “Saved by the bell, huh, kitty cat?” 

Pressing her lips in a line, she tipped her chin up, determined to not let him get the best of her. “It’s not like I was considering it.” 

A smug smirk tugged at the edge of Niall’s lips and he lightly placed his hand to Cat’s waist, his fingertips pushing in slightly. “Oh, baby, you were definitely considerin’ it,” he whispered, his voice low and rough in his throat. A pulsing heat coursed through her entire body, from her head to her toes, itching over her skin and pooling between her thighs. Licking across his lips, Niall quirked his brow as he quietly stepped away, slowly letting his fingertips drag down the curve of her hip. 

Watching as he sauntered out of her bedroom, Cat pushed out a heavy, choppy breath and reached up to rub across her dampened forehead. She didn’t even realize she had started to sweat, just from that short interaction and she swallowed hard before shaking her head and following him out of the room. 

She hated that he could still, without question, cause that kind of reaction in her.

•

After an uneventful, yet really good dinner followed by some delicious homemade birthday cake, Cat and Niall found themselves sitting out on the steps of her small front stoop. The sun had long set, just the street lamps casting a yellow glow along the road and the porch light shining onto their backs. Niall had his arms resting on his bent knees, sipping on a bottle of beer that Cat’s father had graciously offered him. Peering over at him, her eyes trailed the long slope of his throat as he tipped his head back to take a gulp. She pulled in a deep breath, hugging her arms tighter around her middle. 

“So,” she began, shifting her eyes back out into the dark of the street, “is owning a tech company something you always wanted to do?” 

Niall had just finished another sip of his beer and he chuckled as he licked his lips. “No, not really,” he admitted. “I mean, I knew I was gonna own a company one day, my dad owned a company, and I don’t have a business degree for nothin’, but...tech wasn’t really somethin’ I was ever super into, ya know?” He shrugged. “It is what it is, I guess.” 

Cat peeked over at him, resting her chin on the round of her shoulder. “So it was…easy for you.”

“An easy choice?” he repeated, catching her stare. “Yeah, I had the money, I had the resources.” 

Cat chuckled under her breath, shaking her head as she drifted her eyes along the chain link fence that enclosed her tiny front yard. “What?” Niall asked. 

“Nothing,” she replied, “just...crazy how shit always comes so easy for you. Wish I had a little bit of that.” 

“Shit doesn’t always come easy for me,” Niall scoffed.

Rolling her stare over to him, Cat snorted. “Oh yeah? Like what?” 

Niall licked over his lips. “You.” 

“Me?” she huffed, wrinkling her brow, “you never had to try hard in that department, Niall.” 

With his mouth falling to a part, Niall pushed out a low huff. “Are ya kiddin’ me? I’ve never had to work so hard for a second go in me life.” 

Cat groaned and reached out, snatching the beer bottle from his hands and promptly taking a sip. “You deserve a challenge once in a while.” 

Niall chuckled and leaned towards her, his eyes stuck on hers. “If you think for one second that I’m not up for it, baby, you’re bloody fuckin’ wrong…” 

Her heart nearly skipped a solid beat as she pushed out a soft chuckle. “Charming.” 

Niall threw his head back in a laugh before hoisting himself up. He turned around and stood in front of her at the bottom of the steps. Cat bit at her lip as she looked up at him, noticing a smirk pulling at his mouth as he leaned on the handrail. “I wanna take ya somewhere,” he then blurted out. 

“Like...now?” 

“No, this weekend,” Niall chuckled. 

Cat dropped her gaze to the ground under his feet and swallowed hard. “ Where do you wanna take me?” she asked, glancing back up at him. 

“I’m not tellin’ ya,” he said, raising his brows, “it’s part of the surprise. It won’t be for the whole weekend, just Saturday. It’s not too long of a drive.” 

Narrowing her eyes at him, Cat took another sip of the beer and tucked her lips into her mouth. She stayed quiet, studying his features as he turned his face slightly and peered down at her through the corners of his eyes. Niall wasn’t sure what she was thinking, or what her answer was going to be, but he was hopeful. “What do’ya say?” 

Pulling in a deep breath, Cat set the empty beer bottle down next to her. “Do I have a choice?” 

“Baby, you always have a choice,” he replied, cocking his head back slightly. 

Cat dipped her head down in a smile. “Okay, fine,” she said as she looked back at him, “but we're only going as friends. Nothing is gonna happen.” 

“Of course,” he smirked, “would ya expect anythin’ less of me, kitty cat?” 

Her brows raised. “Do you really want me to answer that?” Niall pointed a finger at her. “No.” He watched as Cat’s head softly rolled back to her shoulders in a laugh, her eyes squeezing shut and he couldn’t help but smile as the pretty sound slipped past her lips. She was perfect. “Alright then,” Niall went on as Cat caught her breath, “I’m gonna head out, but, um...thanks for havin’ me over. It was lovely. I had fun spendin’ time with you.” 

Cat chewed at her bottom lip as she darted her eyes over his, hugging her arms around her middle once again. “Yeah, it was...surprisingly nice. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for coming.” 

Fishing his car keys out of his front pocket, a tiny breath hitched in Cat’s chest as Niall leaned down and pushed a tender kiss to her cheek. “Sweet dreams, petal,” he whispered, the warmth of his lips lingering on her skin. It was one of the sweetest, softest moments she had ever experienced. And it was coming from Niall. 

Her eyes fluttered open when he stepped back, a smile on his face as he spun around and made his way to his car. Cat watched with a dreamy haze in her eyes, curiosity bounding to her fingertips and an ache befalling her chest as he hopped in his car and drove off. She sat on that top step of her stoop, head cupped in her hands and a million thoughts pouring through her mind for what seemed like ages. 

What was she getting herself into? And more importantly...after all these years, why did she still want him so bad?

•

It was hard for Cat not to think about Niall over the following week, the nonstop, and frankly, obscene cataclysm he created inside her and how confused it made her feel. It was also hard for Cat to hide how excited she was for whatever Niall had planned for that weekend. She tried telling herself that it meant nothing, he was just doing what Niall did and did well; seduce and concur and that it would be no different this time around, but the thoughts of how much she wanted to be with him, wanted to feel him, wanted to kiss him and touch him and taste him again, how much she wanted to just be with him, kept creeping into the back of her mind. 

Part of her, an incredibly hard to ignore part, didn’t care that Niall was a self-proclaimed womanizer, at least to her knowledge, and all she wanted was to have him. To let herself feel what she had always felt for him, without hesitation or worry, without a second thought. To let him care about her…love her. She knew without a doubt that Niall would treat her well, that he would be good to her, but there was always that inkling of what if. What if she let herself give into him again and he didn’t want anything more than that. What if she succumbed to those physical primal needs that itched across her skin every time he was near, and that indescribable longing in her heart she couldn’t hide from and it turned out that he didn’t feel that same way about her. What if she fell for him, really fell for him, and in the end...he didn’t want her anymore. 

That was what Cat couldn’t shake from her mind. The fear of him not feeling for her the way she knew, deep down, she really felt for him. 

Niall picked her up at her house around 3 that Saturday afternoon. Cat was beside herself; she was nervous, but excited, giddy like a teenager going out on her first date, and if anyone would have asked her why she was feeling all of those things, she really could not have given them a straight answer. Apart from the fact that it was mainly because of Niall. Being around him made her feel exuberant and alive, he made her feel sexy and alluring. He made her feel important and wanted. He made her feel 18 all over again, but more mature, more in control. And as hard as he tried, as much as he used his charms and his flirtatious ways on her, it was clear that she was the one in control this time. She was the one who was holding him like putty in her hand. And that simple fact made her feel more powerful than she had ever felt before. 

He refused to discuss where they were headed as they drove, just telling her that it wasn’t very far away, but Cat was more than eager to find out what the big surprise was. She had worried for a moment while getting ready that she was overdressed, a light breezy yellow sundress and pair of low open-toed sandals, but Niall immediately complimented her outfit as he met her at her front door and that quickly reassured her. He was also dressed quite freely with a linen short sleeve button down and a pair of fitted twill trousers, Cat smiling as she looked him over, making sure to tell him that he looked nice as well. 

The late afternoon sun was bright, strings of gold streaming in through the car windows and Cat peered over at Niall as he sat buckled in the driver's seat. Her eyes tenderly fawned down his profile, engrossed in the perfectly sharp slope of his nose and the tiny pout of his lips. His beard was grown in heavy, his dark brown hair styled softly and over to the side, and she couldn’t see his eyes underneath his sunglasses but she knew they were just as blue, just as gorgeous and dreamy as they had always been. The thought made her smile and without thinking, she reached over and gently ran her fingers through the side swept part of his hair, right over his ear. 

Niall slowly glanced over at her, a faint smirk at the corner of his mouth and Cat stared at him as she retracted her hand and rested it back into her lap. “Sorry,” she muttered, flinging her face forward as she peered down at her hands, “couldn’t...help myself.” 

A chuckle left Niall’s lips and she felt the faintest brush of his fingertips over her temple and then carding delicately through her hair. “It’s okay,” he told her. 

Her eyes flew over to his. “So you’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” 

“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. Cat’s stare slipped down the length of his arm that was gripped onto the steering wheel. The sun’s rays glimmered across the silver metal of his watch and it made her eyes squint. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I did that.” 

“I’m much more surprised you didn’t blindfold me,” she chuckled. 

Niall’s grip on the steering wheel tightened at her words and he shot his eyes over to her. “I can definitely do that if ya want,” he said, voice deep in his throat. 

Cat smiled, biting at her lip as she turned her head to peer out of her window. “Maybe later…” 

Fluttering his eyes under the guise of his sunglasses, Niall blew out a heavy breath and licked across his lips. He was trying so hard to control himself around Cat, to not be who she had this perception of him to be, and he folded his fingers into a fist on his thigh as he continued to drive. “Not much longer,” he said aloud. 

•

The second they turned down the tree-lined dirt road, Cat knew exactly where they were. Her eyes went wide and she leaned forward, staring up through the windshield as they passed under the old wooden sign: Camp Sparrow. It had been years since she had been back, four years to be exact, and she breathed out a smile, glancing over at Niall. He quirked his brows at her as they slowly drove down the winding lane of dirt and rocks towards the front office of the camp. “I can’t believe you,” Cat whispered, mainly to herself but Niall heard her loud and clear and he dipped his chin down in a big smile, a pink hue blushing his cheeks. 

Coming to a stop in the same exact place that Cat had watched Niall leave that very summer, the two of them climbed out of the car, Niall grabbing a cloth bag and blanket from the back seat. It was clear that the camp was no longer a functioning summer camp; the grass somewhat overgrown and the wooden buildings a bit worn down, but as Cat peered around the large area, from the numbered cabins to the old dock that jutted out into the lake from the tiny beach area, it felt like nothing had changed. Niall had planned for them to have a picnic, some light food and wine and they spent the following couple hours sprawled out on the woolen blanket in the grass, staring off into the dark muddled water watching as the sun slowly set behind the trees. It was beautiful and quiet, serene and the two of them talked and laughed and reminisced about their past summer together. Cat felt good, she felt happy and she peeked over at Niall, catching the cute lopsided smirk on his face and it made a warmth flutter in her tummy. 

Niall was just happy to see Cat happy, it made his heart pound in his chest to hear her soft laugh and see her bright smile. He knew bringing her back to that place was exactly what they needed, what he needed to show her just how he felt about her. Taking one last sip of wine as the sun had just dipped below the treeline across the lake, Niall dusted off his palms as he stood up. 

“C’mere,” he said, holding out his hand to her. Cat tipped her head back to look up at him, biting at her lip. Sliding her hand into his, Niall gently pulled her up to her feet and slowly began to lead them out towards the lake. Cat’s heart was lashing against her ribcage, heavy and fast as her fingers tightened around Niall’s. His skin was blistering hot, but felt soft pressed to her own, and she thought for a moment that she would be content to stay like that with him. But she also thought that everything that was happening, all that she was feeling was just some kind of fever dream, something that could never really be and she pulled in a jittery sigh just as their bare feet hit the cool white sand of the tiny man-made beach. 

Niall’s fingers eased away from hers and he slipped his hands in the front pockets of his pants. Cat chewed lightly at her bottom lip, unsure as to why he had let her hand go and she crossed her arms over her chest. They stood there reveling in the peaceful silence, stares drowning in the little ripples of water that floated by from the tepid breeze before she cleared her throat. There was something on her mind that she had to get out. “Niall?” she said, her voice meek and nearly carried away by the soft lapping of the water on the shore. 

“Yeah?” He had turned his face to look over at her, Cat’s gaze watching the silhouette of a bird coasting above the tree line.  

She sucked back a sharp breath, peeking down at her painted toes as they curled into the cold sand. “Why did you bring me here?” 

He remained quiet for a moment, her question hanging idle in the air as he gathered his thoughts. “I don’t know,” Niall shrugged, “I guess, I thought that maybe...bein’ here again, seein’ the lake and the cabins and shit, that it would, ya know...spark somethin’ in ya. Memories. About me. About...us.” 

Cat hastily ran her tongue over her lips as she kicked her toes in the sand. “There never really was an us, Niall,” she stated, chuckling lightly, “I mean, we flirted for a few weeks, slept together once...then went back to our normal lives. If anything, I’d say it was just...a summer fling.” 

Niall shifted his stare downwards, rolling his lips into his mouth as he nodded his head. “So I didn’t mean anythin’ to ya, then.” 

Shooting her eyes over to him, she furrowed her brow. “No, I didn’t say that–” 

“Because I know I made ya feel good,” he spit out, aggravation clear in his voice as he caught her stare, “didn’t I?” 

Cat swallowed hard. She couldn’t lie to him, not about that. “Yeah,” she said softly. 

“You liked the way I fucked ya.” 

His words, so deliberate and suggestive in their intention as they floated off his tongue, made her chest feel heavy, like a ton of bricks smashing her down as her breaths stuck thick to the back of her throat. But she still couldn’t lie to him. “Yeah…” 

Niall turned his broad shoulders as he faced her, his brow raised. “The guy you’re with now, does he fuck you like that?” He paused and licked across his lips, his chest swelling with his rapid breaths. “Does he fuck ya like he needs ya, like he can’t get enough of ya? Like he owns ya?” 

Cat’s lips parted as she struggled to find the words, any words and she gingerly shook her head. Honesty was all she could muster as she darted her stare with his. “You’re the only person who’s ever fucked me like that,” she said, her tone subdued, “who’s ever made me...feel like that…” 

“That’s what I thought,” Niall huffed out. 

She rolled her eyes at his callous attitude and pushed out a heavy breath. “You really haven’t changed, have you, Niall?” 

“Not much, kitty cat,” he lightly scoffed, “ ‘cept I’m richer now and I fuck even better.” 

His joke, if that was what he was trying to intend, made Cat sigh out loud. “And it seems like you’re even more full of yourself,” she said. 

Niall smirked at her. “You used to be into that.” 

“Yeah, well...it worked,” she snapped, moving her gaze back out to the calmness of the water. “Four years ago.” 

Niall’s eyes narrowed and he yanked his hands from his pockets, crossing his arms over his chest. Licking across his lips, his eyes studied over Cat; the light flutter of her eyelashes and tiny upturned pout of her mouth, watching as a slight breeze swept a few strands of her hair over her cheek. She reached up and tucked it behind her ear. She was so hauntingly beautiful, it made his chest ache to even look at her, but she consistently left Niall stumped. He didn’t know what to do or say around her, he didn’t know how to pursue her. How to make her want him as much as she had four years ago. As much as he wanted her. But he was determined to find out. “So tell me then, what works now?”

Cat slowly peered back over at him. “You, Niall,” she told him blankly, “just be you.” 

“This is me–”

“No,” she choked out a laugh, shaking her head, “it's not. It's not the real you. Niall, you’re sweet and caring, and sensual and fun. But this? This is you when you’ve got one thing on your mind. When all you wanna do is sleep with somebody, when you’re on the chase.” 

Cat watched his eyes narrow, listening as she went on. “And I’m not saying I don’t like when you talk dirty to me or...flirt so shamelessly and try so hard to get me into bed, I do, but the chase is over...you’ve already fucked me.” 

He cocked his head back. “And what if I wanna fuck you again?” 

“Maybe…” Cat paused and sucked in a shaky breath. His eyes fixated on hers, the intensity causing a ripple of heat to glide over her skin, tiny goosebumps shedding its path. “Maybe you just don’t need to try so hard this time.” 

Niall tipped his head back to his shoulders in a low, frustrated groan, rubbing his palms down the front of his face. Perching his hands on his hips, a dumbfounded chuckle broke under his breath as he looked back over at her. 

“What?” she questioned, wrinkling her brow. 

“I don’t even fuckin’ know anymore,” he snorted, “you make me-...fuck, you make so confused, Cat. It completely fucks with me head, ya know? I feel so different when I’m around you, I always have. And I knew from the first time I saw ya, that first day at summer camp four years ago, that I had to have ya.” 

He paused, licking across his lips. “But it’s like...I don’t even know how to act around ya,” he told her, scratching through his scruffy beard. “The things I’d normally say, what I’d normally do. I flirt with ya, I do everythin’ I can to get ya to want me but, ya just...ya don’t fall for any of me shit. I don’t know what else to do.” 

Cat’s eyes pinched shut in a soft snicker, her head rolling to her shoulder. “I do fall for your shit, Niall,” she confessed, glancing back over at him. “I have...I am.” 

His brows shot up. “You are?”

Biting at her lip, Cat tried to tame back her emerging smile. “I mean, as much as I’d like to say no, that none of your usual shit is working on me, I’m here...right now with you, Niall,” she said softly, “and...I could never lie to you about that.”

Niall gingerly nodded his head, “Okay,” he spoke up, a confidant smirk sliding over his lips, “so if that’s how ya feel, what would you say if I told you that I wanted to lay ya down right here...and fuck ya like you’ve never been fucked before...” 

A breath stalled in Cat’s throat and her eyes fluttered as she peered over the ground at their feet. “Well,” she gently mewed, “I would say that I’d rather not like to have sand in my bits while you’re fucking me, so maybe we can find a hotel nearby instead?” 

Niall took her words, as salaciously as they had left her lips, as a joke and he dropped his forehead into the cup of his hand in a rowdy laugh. Raising his eyes back to hers in a sigh, he noticed that she wasn’t laughing, or smiling along with him. Just...staring at him. His eyes narrowed as he settled himself and he swallowed hard. “You’re serious. You really want me to fuck ya, don’t ya...”

It came out more of a statement than a question in that gritty accent of his, dripping over Cat’s ears like warm honey, sticky and thick, begging to be licked. Her fingers curled into her palms, an unstoppable heat coursing through her body as she sank her teeth down into her bottom lip. She tried to smile at him, tried to conjure up the nerve to be flippant with the lewd words floating in her head, but she couldn’t even settle the uneven pounding of her heart. It was too much. He was too much. “Honestly, Niall,” she said, turning towards him, “there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by these last four years that I haven’t wanted you to fuck me again.” 

Cat barely had time to react before Niall had stepped up flush to her, cradling her face in his big hands. The blistering heat from his palms seared into her soft skin and she lightly gasped as he slowly slid the pad of his thumb over her plump bottom lip. “You don’t know how long I’ve dreamt about hearin’ those words come out of this pretty little mouth.” 

Her eyes fluttered and she swallowed hard, eager to play his game. “Should I say them again?” Cat teased. 

Niall smirked and leaned in closer, his lips just ghosting over hers. His breath, hot and silky, spilled out over her lips and she eased her hands up, splaying them at his sides. His hooded eyes darted fast with hers, a recklessness fading into the dark and she struggled to properly inhale. He was too intoxicating, too overwhelming but she wanted him. She wanted him so bad she could feel it swirling in her lower belly and taste it tingling on her tongue. And that was all it took. 

“I...want you...to fuck me…” 

A seedy growl edged from Niall’s throat at Cat’s words and she felt his body tense up under the press of her palms. His chest was heaving, rising high against hers as his lips brushed at the corner of her mouth. “Can I kiss you now?” 

Cat’s eyes fell closed at his sweetness and a hint of a smile tugged at her parted lips as she raised just a bit to her tiptoes. “Yes…please...” 

Niall pushed his mouth to hers, kissing her deep and full, sweeping his tongue into her open mouth. Cat whined out as she kissed him back, harder and with more vigor than she knew she had in her. Niall brought that out in her, that greedy hunger, a hunger she needed to feed. To feel his lips on hers, to taste him on her tongue and swallow his warm breath, she didn’t even realize just how much she had missed him, missed feeling him, until it was happening. Her fingers twisted into the material of his shirt, yanking at it as she tugged his body even closer into her. His big hands held her face, his tongue curling over hers, and Cat felt as if she was going to float away if Niall hadn’t had her tethered so taut down against him. 

The heat was indescribable, the fieriness surging between their flesh sending both into an unyielding desire that neither had thought possible. She wanted him even more than she had years before, and he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any other woman. Niall had this need inside of him, an almost feral desire that only she could tame. She was his weakness, and he lavished the power she had over him. With her hands coming up and wrapping around his strong forearms, Niall nipped at her bottom lip as they left hers, a desperate gasp of air shared between the two. His darkened eyes only met hers for a second before he had grabbed her hand in his and began leading her back into the grassy area. 

Without a word spoken, they both hurriedly gathered their things and the remnants of their picnic and headed towards Niall’s parked car. Hopping in and closing the doors, Niall leaned his upper body almost all the way over into her seat, bringing Cat into a heated kiss once more, not being able to help himself. She ran her fingers up through his soft dark hair, twisting into the tiny ends as she urged his tongue into her mouth. Struggling to catch her breath as Niall kissed over her chin and down to her neck, Cat tipped her head back as he sucked along her throat. His thick fingers were tangled in the side of her hair, his tongue slinking over her exposed collarbone before she forced herself to inch away from him, his lips popping off her flushed skin. 

She was drowning in the gaze of his heavy lidded eyes and it took all she had in her to fight off the temptation to straddle him in his seat and fuck him right then and there. Niall swallowed hard as he stared at her. “We have to wait,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering as she cupped her hand around the back of his neck and tugged him into another kiss. “Not here.” 

Nodding his head as he reluctantly eased back, Niall wiped across his mouth with the back of his hand as he settled himself into the driver’s seat. He raked his fingers through his hair, a long drawn out breath huffing past his lips before he started up the car and took off. The ride back was torture, Niall’s big hand not leaving its claimed spot on her thigh, the pads of his fingers kneading into her silky skin as their eyes shot over to one another with each passing minute. He knew he needed her; needed to touch her, taste her, fuck her. Cat could barely hold herself together, her mind reeling with the thoughts of his touch and his kisses, her body aching to have him inside her and her stare stayed hooked on him as he drove, racing through the twists and turns of the back roads. 

After about twenty minutes, Cat had noticed that they had passed a few different motels and was perplexed on why he hadn’t bothered to stop at any of them. “Niall, where are we going?”

“I’m not fuckin’ you in a motel,” he bluntly said, his eyes on the road. 

Cat’s head toppled back to the seat rest and she ran her hand over his that was still clutched to her thigh. “You were gonna fuck me by the lake,” she reminded him, raising a brow. 

Niall peeked over at her, a seriousness written over his face. “Cat, I’ve waited four years to be inside ya again, I’m not wastin’ it on some cheap ass motel.” 

A shaky breath spilled past her lips as he flicked his eyes back to the road ahead, just the bluish beam of his headlights lighting their way. Biting at her bottom lip, Cat could feel herself aching for him, just the way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, the way his touch felt on her skin, it was all more than she could take. She needed him inside her. Slowly tugging the bottom hem of her dress up her thighs, she spread her knees and with the guide of her fingers, eased Niall’s hand down between her legs. 

The car jerked slightly as Niall glanced over to her and was instantly captivated by the seductiveness in her eyes. A rabid heat pulsed through his veins from the soft, playful look on her face. Using the press of her fingertips, Cat kept her stare on Niall as she pushed his hand harder against her. His heart was pounding in his chest as he took her lead, carefully inching the middle of her panties over to slide his fingers along her warm, wet slit. Cat’s eyes fluttered closed, her head tipping back in a shallow gasp as Niall played with her, the pads of his fingertips swirling deliciously over her swollen clit. 

Her hips rolled gently against the seat as she held his hand right where she wanted him to be, coaxing him for more and more. It wasn’t long until he had two of his thick fingers pushing inside her and a barrage of whimpers and moans poured past her parted lips. Seeing Cat like that, rocking herself against his hand, completely at his mercy and falling apart just from his fingers inside her, was the sexiest thing Niall had ever witnessed. But there was no way he was going to let her finish. He was hard as rock in his pants, throbbing with his need for her, and he continued to work her, fingering her and teasing her clit until he knew she was right there, right about to spill over that blissful edge before he yanked his hand away. 

Cat’s mouth dropped open in a shattered gasp, her body trembling from the loss of his touch as she cupped her hand between her legs. Her chest heaved as she strained to catch her breath and she peeled open her eyes to glare over at him, seeing a half smirk tugging at his lips. “I was so close,” she breathed out. 

“I know,” he told her, licking over his lips, “but you’re not allowed to come yet.” He had done it on purpose, bringing her so close and then ripping it away like she was a bad girl being punished and she huffed out an annoyed groan, clamping her thighs together to ease the vibration of her core as she turned her attention out of the passenger window. 

Niall chuckled at her reaction and adjusted himself in his pants as they continued their way back into the city.

•

They made it back to his place, the penthouse of the most luxurious condo building downtown, of course, in nearly record time. His mouth on hers as soon as the doors to the elevator slid closed behind them, her fingers cupped around the back of his neck as his hands slipped up under her dress. Cat gasped for air as his lips left hers when the elevator finally made it to his floor, opening right at his front door. She had soaked all the way through her panties by that point, and it took her a moment to gather herself as he shuffled off the elevator and over to his front door. Stepping up behind him, Cat raised to her tiptoes and slid her hands around his waist as her wet mouth attached to the side of his neck. Niall was fumbling with his keys, cursing lightly under his breath as he was more than desperate to get the girl inside his apartment. 

“Fuck,” he groaned, attempting to turn the lock. Cat giggled against his neck, pleased with his reaction and her eyes watched his fingers shake as he continued to struggle. Burying her nose into the side of his throat, his skin was tepid and salty on her tongue and she hummed faintly as her small hand ran down the front of his body. Niall choked back a breath as he felt Cat palm him on the outside of his pants. 

She smiled to herself, feeling just how swollen he was for her already as she wrapped her fingers around his length. Swallowing hard, Niall finally clicked the door open, but he froze, slowly turning his face to catch her stare. She was still feeling at him, his cock pulsing against the curve of her palm and he smirked. “You want it, don’t ya?” 

Cat pushed the tip of her tongue to her teeth, the pads of her fingers roughly tracing down the length of him. “It’s still mine.” 

“It’s still yours,” he breathed out. 

Tugging Cat in front of him by her wrist, Niall cradled her face and pushed his mouth to hers in another deep kiss, leading them through the doorway and into his place. The front door eased closed and Niall had her slammed up against it, his hips rudding into hers as his tongue swept past her lips. Cat mewed against his mouth, her body vibrating with the yearning to feel him inside her and she tightened her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself harder into him. Breaking the kiss, Cat strained to catch her breath but kept her parted lips brushing at his. Niall had his hand up under her dress again, hooking her thigh at his hip as he groped roughly at her backside. “Not here,” she whispered, eyes pinching closed in a low gasp as his fingers desperately clawed at the soft, meaty flesh. A disjointed whimper spilled out of her mouth. “Your bedroom.” 

Niall faintly chuckled and clasped his hands around her waist, easily hoisting her up. Cat threw her head back in a squeal and locked her heels around his bum. Her mouth was back on his a second later, eager to swallow his hot breath as he walked them to his bedroom. His strong arms were wrapped around her waist, his fingers digging into the thin material of her sundress at her lower back and pulling frantically at the fabric. Holding her hands around the sides of his face, Cat playfully nipped at his bottom lip and rolled her tongue into his mouth in a heated whine. The sound sent shivers down his spine.

As Niall entered the bedroom, the lights low with just the bright glow of the full moon cascading in from the large wall of windows, Cat barely had time to register her surroundings, her eyelids fluttering as Niall sauntered straight over to the end of the large bed and plopped her down onto the mattress. His eyes, now hauntingly dark, were on hers, his chest heaving under the lay of his linen shirt and Cat scraped her teeth across her bottom lip, drowning in the intoxicating heat of his stare. Only the rapid exhales of their breaths could be heard and after a few long, excruciating seconds of them just staring at one another, Cat slowly started to bring her knees up. 

Niall’s lips parted in a low, short gasp as he watched her slip her sandals off her feet and let them drop, his fingers curling into fists at his sides in an attempt to wain the need to have his hands on her. He wanted to touch her so bad, so bad he could feel her searing into his skin, burning his flesh like an unheeded firestorm, reckless in its path. But he also wanted to wait. Watch. He wanted to savor the moment with her, savor being with her and as much as he wanted to feel her tightening around him, feel her skin melting into his as she came, he knew he had to wait. Cat, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was doing. Her chest rose high, a stuttering breath itching at the back of her throat as she rolled her head to the side. With her eyes remaining focused on his, she grabbed at the hem of her dress and carefully pooled it up around her lower tummy. Her fingers danced from her sides to the front of her hips, and she watched Niall bite furiously at his bottom lip as she stuck her thumbs into the hem of her cotton panties and started to wiggle them over her bum. She couldn’t help but giggle, the sound faint and teasing, as she slid her panties down her thighs. 

Niall watched, bated breath and dark hooded eyes, as Cat let the wet, dainty fabric fall from her toe onto the ground at his feet. He swallowed hard as his stare moved from the small heap resting on the floor, back up to her face, a smirk sitting pretty on her lips. “Jesus Christ,” he breathed out, Cat raising a brow slightly at him as she spread her knees apart and slipped her hand down between her legs. Her fingertips hit her swollen clit and Cat pushed her head back in a clenched hiss, her eyelids fluttering closed. Her hips bared down into the mattress as her fingers swirled through her warm, slippery built-up wetness, her thighs shaking out of her control and her toes curling into the white duvet that laid beneath her. Whimpers flowed past her lips, as Cat played with herself right in front of Niall, teasing him, taunting him. She wanted him to want her more than he ever had. Niall strained to settle his breaths, his blue eyes swimming over her as she laid splayed out before him and it got to a point, when her two fingertips circled just right at that sensitive little nub nestled between her folds and caused a broken whine to edge from her throat that Niall couldn’t take it anymore. She was swollen, bright pink and dripping wet, just waiting for him, begging him to slide himself inside her, to fuck her and a deep grunt pushed from Niall’s chest as he leaned down and gently grabbed Cat’s hand. 

The action startled her and she popped her eyes open, staring up at him. “You’re dirty little girl, teasin’ me like that,” he growled out to her, a gasp leaving her lips as Niall brought her used fingers up to his mouth. His eyes stayed on hers, darker than she had ever seen them, as he slowly slipped her coated fingers past his lips. His tongue curled around the ends, Niall sucking the taste of her off of them before he eased them from the heat of his mouth and very slowly pulled her body up to sit. Her head toppled back to her shoulders as she peered up at him, Niall slotting himself between her spread legs that hung off the end of the bed. Cat innocently tucked her bottom lip into her mouth, staying quiet as Niall bent over and began to undress her. She inhaled sharply when Niall’s face rested against the side of hers, Cat feeling as if her skin was going to melt away from the blistering heat of him hovering over her as his fingers fumbled with the back of her dress, easing down the zipper. 

Niall could feel her trembling in anticipation, and he softly tipped his face down against the crook of her neck, pressing his mouth to her skin. “Niall…” she quietly mewed, as his tongue sucked across to her exposed shoulder. His eyes rolled back from the sound of his name spilling so sweetly past her lips as his big hands dragged across her lower back, curling around the thin material. Standing himself back up, Niall tugged her dress up over her head along with him.

“God, you’re fuckin’ beautiful,” he told her, his half-lidded eyes draping over her unclothed body. Cat pulled in a garbled breath, and she carefully reached behind her back to unhook her strapless bra, letting it fall onto the floor next to her dress. There was a single moment where 

Niall just stood there in front of her, Cat completely naked with a parade of goosebumps floating over her skin as his stare slid from her face to her breasts to her center. It was erotic and intoxicating, overwhelmingly sensual and with the wild thumping of her heart in her chest and an ache settling deep between her thighs for him, Cat hurriedly reached out and began to undo the buttons of his pants. Her gaze, now easily matching the pitch black of his own, was glued to him, seeing the tiny flush of pink invading his cheeks and the strands of dark hair falling over his forehead and into his eyes as she yanked his pants down his legs. There was a fierceness in her motions, Niall could see it in her face, feel it in her touch and he went to unbutton his own shirt before Cat hastily swatted his hands away. 

He chuckled at her eagerness, instead carding a hand up through his disheveled hair while she worked to undo each button one by one before easing the linen shirt off of his broad shoulders. Now just as naked as Cat, Niall hung his head down, watching as the girl ran her palms down the front of his body, her curious stare taking every single part of him in as her touch trailed after it. He was beautiful, stunning. The changes in his body since she had seen him last, nothing short of perfection. The soft, dark hair smattering across his toned chest, his tiny waist that was sculpted just enough that you could still sink your nails into. Her fingers gently scratched along the lines of his hips bones that led to the breathtaking landscape of his manhood; hard and thick and red-slick with his want for her. She slowly peeked back up at him, the very tip of her tongue running hungrily across her bottom lip and that was all it took for Niall to give up, clasping a hand around the back of her neck as he leaned over and hastily pushed his mouth to hers.

He crawled up onto the bed, his mouth devouring hers as he led them both further up the mattress. “I want ya so fuckin’ bad, baby,” he muttered against the delicious curl of her tongue. Cat had latched her hands up into the long strands of his hair, humming in agreement as Niall used his knee to spread her legs even more and nestle his body down between. Her head hit one of the many pillows that adorned his bed, his palm dragging from the back of her neck, over the curve of her breast to her waist and he gripped harshly at her warmed skin. A moan edged past her pouty lips as Niall eagerly rocked himself into her, his swollen cock rubbing along her slit as his lips kissed over her chin and attached to the side of her throat. 

With her eyes falling closed, Cat wrapped her arms around Niall’s broad shoulders as he used his strength to lift her hip up slightly off the bed, the angle enough to let the tip of his pulsing length sit right at her opening. Pulling in a jumbled breath, she dug her nails into the smooth skin of his upper back, her body on fire, already vibrating underneath him as she waited for him to sink himself all the way inside her. Her mind was going frantic; the heat of him nearly suffocating as she buried her nose into the crook of his shoulder and he assaulted the flesh at the side of her throat with the hot-wet of his mouth. She knew it was what she wanted, it was everything that she wanted. Him. Being with him like that, just like that. And she couldn’t take it any longer–she fucking needed him. Her thighs clamped around his hips and she rolled her bottom up, encouraging him to enter her. She wanted to feel that burning stretch that she had missed so much, that she had dreamed about for so long. She wanted to feel him buried inside her once again.

A whimper burst freely past her parted lips as his fingers tangled into the side of her hair, Niall finally easing his hips towards her as he oh-so-slowly pushed his hardened length inside her warm, wet center. His body tensed as he entered her all the way, a low groan spilling out against Cat’s sticky skin as Niall began to move inside her. Her head fell back under the guide of his hand entangled in her hair, Niall rounding his back slightly as his mouth trailed down from her neck to her collarbones to her chest, his lips pinching around her supple breast. Cat’s fingers slipped up into the back of Niall’s thick brown hair, pulling at the ends as he thrust his hips harder against her and sucked across her clammy flesh, exploring all her soft, pretty parts. The feelings were building fast in her lower tummy, dancing around like a fiery flame waiting to explode and she whined as his teeth nibbled harshly the sensitive bud of her breast. 

His lips popped off her nipple and he licked between the valley of her breasts as he leaned his upper body up. Cat’s fingers untangled from the strands of his hair as Niall rested back on his hunches, both his big hands curving down the length of her trembling body and grabbing tightly around her thighs as he continued to fuck into her. Easing her eyes open, Cat dreamily stared up at him as heated sparks quickly rushed through her entire body, shooting from the lingering taste of his breath on her tongue to the tips of her tightly curled toes. Tiny grunts were spitting past his parted lips as he fucked into her, sweat dripping along his dampened hairline and down his heaving chest. His stare was fixated between her spread legs, watching as he sunk himself into her over and over, her warmth devouring every impeccable inch of him. She felt so good around him like that, her center swollen and silky-wet, taking him so perfectly and Niall licked across his lips as he tipped his hips down and buried himself all the way inside her. 

Cat cried out from the intense sensation, his thickness stretching her tight walls as her body started to shake under the press of his big hands. Niall shot his eyes up to her face, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he diligently watched her and she gulped back a heavy breath, unruly waves of her impending orgasm creeping up from her aching core and pouring hot over her dewy skin. Clawing her fingers into the duvet at her sides, Cat caught Niall’s stare once more, the look in his eyes sending her into a reckless fit, her body needing to him to fuck her, really fuck her. It seemed so new, so different, but harnessing that same wild heat and unrestrained passion she had felt before. But as Niall continued to push himself inside her, his fingertips bleeding into the meaty flesh at the front of her trembling thighs, Cat wanted more. She needed more. 

Whining out in desperation, Cat pinched her eyes closed as she shook her head, rolling her hips harder into him. “Damn, baby,” Niall chuckled, seeing her lash out. She shuddered slightly, catching his stare again as she untangled her fingers from the soft fabric of his bed and slapped her hand down between her legs, frantically rubbing at her clit. Niall could tell her she was desperate to get off, he could feel her throbbing around him, the quivering of her body and rather than give her exactly what she so clearly wanted, instead he pulled himself nearly all the way out of her. Cat gasped from the loss of him, her brows folding in as she wildly darted her eyes with his. 

Her fingers stayed swirling at her clit as her center throbbed, and Niall just watched her reaction in amusement as he rested the tip of his cock right at her entrance. He was being spiteful, menacing, purposely teasing her at that point and Cat was struggling to catch her breath, her chest heaving as she curiously stared up at him. Her lips pursed and she bucked her hips towards him, wanting him to give her more. Raising a brow, Niall obliged, slowly pushing himself inside her again and Cat moaned, her eyes rolling back at the satisfying feeling. “Niall...,” she whimpered out again, easing her stare back to his. Niall was already looking down at her, his massive hands now wrapped around the sides of her waist as he slowly, and very precisely, rocked his hips against her. His darkened eyes were stuck to hers, watching as her lips briefly parted and she choked back a breath. 

“Fuck me like you did before.” 

It came out as a soft whisper, humming sweetly through the thick air like a cyclone attempting to drown them and Niall licked over his lips, dragging his narrowed stare over her flushed face. “Oh, ya want it like that, huh?” he said to her, cocking his head back slightly. His hips were still thrusting against hers, the intensity nearly overwhelming Cat as she gingerly nodded her head. 

“Please,” she begged under her breath, “just a little bit…” 

Cat knew what she was asking for, Niall knew what she was asking for. And he had been waiting for that exact moment. Rolling his tongue in his mouth, a delicious smirk slid over his lips as he leaned himself down on top of her and placed his mouth right at her ear. Cat’s eyes fluttered shut as Niall squeezed bearishly at her waist and rolled his hips, burying himself all the way inside her, so far it almost hurt. Bringing a hand up, he curled his fingers tight into her hair by the side of her face and held her still. “Tell me how ya want me to fuck ya,” he whispered, his streamy breath sticking to the side of her neck. 

Cat clawed down the slope of his back at his words, biting off a broken cry that had escaped her lips. He was heavy on top of her, their combined sweat pooling between their chests and she could barely breathe, but all she wanted was for him to fuck her, fuck her exactly like he had fucked her before. He was thrusting into her as he waited for her words, deep and steadily, but she wanted more. “Harder…” she gasped with a creaking swallow, “please…” 

Niall cradled his palm around the side of her face, his thumb pressing firmly into her jaw. Sliding his stare over to look at her, he kept his mouth by her ear, just barely letting the tip of his tongue slip over her earlobe. “No, kitty cat,” he teased in that deep, filthy accent of his, “tell me exactly what ya want.” 

Wrapping her hands around the back of his balmy neck, Cat brought Niall’s face flush to hers. Their gaze locked heavy, and she swallowed hard as Niall gripped her chin and brushed the tip of her nose with his own. “Tell me,” he mouthed. 

Cat huffed out a low whine as she held his stare. “Fuck me,” she breathed out, “fuck me harder. Choke me, use me.” She paused, swallowing hard as she felt the cold metal of his necklace slapping against her throat. “Make me come. Make me yours.” 

Niall raised a brow and gave her a faint nod. “Louder,” he demanded, thrusting roughly into her. She gasped against his parted mouth, the feverish, tempting action nearly knocking the air straight from her lungs. Slipping his fingers from the side of her face, Niall pried her hands from around the base of his neck and swung them up above her head, pinning both her wrists down into the pillow. Cat’s mouth dropped open as he ghosted his lips to hers again. She could taste him on her tongue, and she struggled to take in a decent breath under the press of his weight. Niall smirked, clamping harder to her wrists and she shivered from his dominant touch. “I wanna hear ya beg for it, baby…c’mon...” 

Her eyes darted languidly with his as a fiery haziness started to invade her head. “Please,” she pleaded, her voice soft as a whisper. “Niall…please, fuck me, use me...make me yours.” 

It was the last bit that was getting to Niall, that was making his heart pound uneven in his sweaty chest and his stomach tangle into knots. Hearing those words slide so richly, so intently off her tongue, it was like heaven and there was nothing else in the world that he wanted. He swallowed hard. “You wanna be mine?” 

“Yes.” 

“All mine? To do what I want with?” 

Cat lifted her chin just enough to rest her lips to his, barely nodding. “Yes...yes, please,” she breathed out, “I’m all yours.” 

Niall smirked, a devilish little smirk that sent an unparalleled rage of scorching heat pulsing over Cat’s skin before she felt his fingers drag up from their grip on her waist and tap right at her mouth. His darkened stare focused on hers as Cat anticipated his next move, gasping lightly as she felt his two fingers slip past her parted lips and push down her throat. She gagged around the stretch of his thick fingers, her eyes pinching closed before he pulled his hand away, smashing his mouth to hers. He kissed her hard, swallowing her warm spit and her rapacious whines as Cat wiggled beneath him, struggling to yank out of his strong grip. Niall chuckled at her attempt as he sucked at her tongue and held her down.

His hips went crazy; faster and harder, crashing into hers with so much force Cat swore she could see blinding lights flickering under her eyelids with each of his heavy grunts spilling down her throat. But all she could do was moan. She moaned and whimpered and took whatever it was that Niall wanted to give her. She was his. All his. And she was enjoying every single filthy little second of it. 

Pulling back from the kiss, Niall leaned up slightly, Cat’s eyes easing open as she stared up at him and with his hand still holding her wrists tightly, pressing all his weight onto them, Niall reached down and grabbed under Cat’s knee, a jumbled breath filling her lungs as Niall hooked her leg onto the broad of his shoulder and sunk himself all the way inside her. The angle was unbelievable, filling her to the brim with all his perfect swollen thickness and a cry pierced past her pouty lips as she flung her head back into the pillow. He was fucking her so deep; his strokes long and slow, hitting that sweet little spot inside Cat every time his hips met hers. Niall just watched her as he moved on top of her, watched her body shake and coil up as her nipples grew harder with each thrust. He watched beads of sweat drip along her mottled flesh, his hooded stare following the trail of them down the curves of her breasts. He watched her eyes flutter closed as his public bone smacked against her clit, sensuous moans breaking out of her bared throat and Niall pushed out a groan, dropping her leg from his shoulder as he slapped a splayed hand to her lower tummy, slowly sliding his palm up the middle of her torso. 

Cat’s mind was a fury, and she shook her head under the pitch black of her closed eyes just as she felt the heat of his touch cradle around her throat. She choked back a breath before his fingers tightened around the sides of her neck and he started to fuck into her just a bit faster, rolling his hips upwards as the tip of his cock hit right at her slippery upper wall. “Fuckin’ look at you,” she heard him grumble between panting breaths. “So fuckin’ gorgeous takin’ me like this.” 

Cat strained to whine out under the press of his hand, her body convulsing as the unstoppable crest of her orgasm was begging to rip through her. Her center was hot and pulsating, her wetness spilling out of her with every pull of his cock and she began to tremble, her chest burning with the need for air as her body quickly, and unrelentlessly, started to give into her much needed release. It was fast, sneaking up on her with a velocity of a thousand lightning bolts charging through her wasted body all at once. Niall continued to fuck into her, not letting up, the sweet whines that cracked from her pinched throat, her beautiful writhing body urging him on and Cat popped her eyes open and caught his stare just as she hit her peak, her mouth hung idle with the silence held at the tip of her tongue. Her face was bleeding red, her eyes rolling back as Niall buried himself deep inside her and unclamped his hand from her throat. 

She gasped, fully giving into her frantic orgasm as it finally over took her entire sweat-coated body. Slipping his other hand from her wrists, Niall hovered above her with both his palms pressed into the bed beside her head as he slowed his thrusts, languidly pushing inside her. Cat moaned out his name, the sound coming out soft from her dry throat and her sticky chest heaved as she struggled to find her breath. Peering up at him, she carefully brought her arms back down and wrapped her hands around his forearms that rested right next to her face. They stayed like that for a moment, all starry-eyed as they stared at one another, soaking up the feeling of Cat pulsing around him as he just barely moved his hips. 

“Fuck yes,” she breathed out, turning her face to press a tiny kiss to the inside of his wrist. It was a sweet gesture and Niall fought the racing of his heart. “You’re so good.” 

Huffing out a short chuckle at her words, Niall confidently smirked down at her and Cat couldn’t help but smile, a slight bashfulness taking over. He looked so pretty above her like that, ethereal, like a God with his brown hair sweeping into his eyes, his skin shiny and patchy red, covered in sweat. His gaze was dark and salacious, full of lust and an uncontrollable need for her. She had just had one of the best orgasms of her life, but she could already feel the heat starting to build again just from looking up at him. Niall reached over and gently brushed away some matted hair that was stuck to Cat’s forehead, a tender touch to her hot skin before he grabbed around her chin and leaned down, pushing his lips to hers. He kissed her, kissed her deep and with purpose and Cat snaked her arms around his shoulders, curling her fingers up into the back of his dampened hair. 

Inching away slightly, Niall caught her stare again. “I’m not done with you yet,” he told her, a gasp leaving her mouth as Niall shoved an arm up under the arch of her back and yanked her up from the bed. Cat tightened her arms around his shoulders as Niall rested back on his knees and eased her wrecked little body into his lap. He was still buried inside her, the quick motions of him sliding her into his lap not letting him leave the warmth of her for even a second. Niall squeezed his forearm around her lower back, holding her taunt to him as he tangled his other hand into the back of her hair. Cat’s mouth was back on his, eager to kiss him. She sucked at his tongue, nipped at his lower lip and swallowed his hot, panting breaths as he thrust his hips into hers. 

Cat felt the prickles of her next orgasm bubbling wild in her lower tummy, Niall moving faster and sloppier inside her with each minute that passed. She knew he was working himself to his own release, needing to feel that same nearly insurmountable high as Cat had just felt and she cupped her hands around his sweaty neck, whining against his tongue. She started to move with him, her hips rocking to meet his and Niall could feel this change in her, feel her center starting to clench up around him, swollen and warm and he dug his fingertips into the side of her waist, his grip tangling tighter into her hair as he gently tugged her head back. Cat let out a curdled cry as her head fell to her shoulders, her eyes pinching shut and her nails scratching helplessly at his scalp. Niall pushed his wet-hot mouth to her neck, slinking his tongue over the hollow of her throat as he bit hard at the soft skin. Cat sucked back a jilted breath at the feeling, her body starting to tremble and shake against him with each perfect meet of their hips. She was already close again, so fucking close, the fire igniting in her belly and swarming like a fuse throughout her and she rocked harder against him, her arms curling tighter around his shoulders. 

His grunts grew more desperate as his lips travelled over her sticky skin, lapping up the beads of sweat that were painted across her naked body. He sucked along the span of her shoulder, his grown-in beard roughing her tender flesh as the scent of his body heat, thick and musty with arousal, seeped into her nose. He held her tighter as she attempted to rub herself against him, and it was so tight Cat almost couldn’t breathe and she brought her face down, moving her arms to hug around his neck. “Fuck...f-fuck,” Niall moaned out in his gruff voice, his thrusts becoming even rougher. Cat squeezed her eyes closed and buried her face down against his broad shoulder as Niall’s mouth hung open right at the slope of her neck. Curling his fingers into the thick of her hair, Cat whined out as her body started to shake, that familiar heat surging over her skin as the waves of her impending release teetered right at the brink, just teasing her to spill over. She struggled to breathe, struggled to swallow back the spitting cries that were being forced past her lips and just before he was able to coerce her begging body over that blissful edge once more, Niall stiffened inside her. His muscular frame tensed within her hold, his sticky body coiling up and gripping tight to her as he finally reached his well-deserved high. 

A low growl of her name spilled from his mouth onto the side of her neck and Cat gasped as she felt him come inside her. She could feel the warm streams of his load filling her up, thick and slippery, something she had never experienced before and her eyes fluttered as she slowly started to roll against him, wanting him to completely empty himself inside her. There was something about it, something about feeling his sticky, hot cum inside her that turned her on even more. It was filthy, obscene. So fucking sexy. And she couldn’t get enough of him. 

“Holy shit,” Niall barely groaned out, jerking his hips as he finished, “shit...fuck, baby…” His big hand was cupped at the back of her head and he held her quivering body against his, sweetly kissing along the span of her shoulder. He was being soft with her, but Cat wasn’t done. She whimpered at him, rolling her hips against his that had all but stopped moving at that point. Lifting her lips to his ear, Cat swallowed hard as she gripped her hands at his sweat-coated upper back. “Stay inside me,” she breathed out, “please…” 

Her body wriggled against him, throbbing around his spent cock as tiny desperate whines purged from her throat. Niall knew she wasn’t done. He knew, without a doubt, she wanted more. 

Lifting his mouth from the crook of her neck, Niall brought her face to his. Her eyes, half-lidded and glassy, locked on his and Niall drifted his stare over her delicate features, his hot mouth hovering at hers. Cat grinded against him. “You wanna come again, don’t ya?” he teased as the young woman faintly nodded. 

Niall smiled and pressed his lips to hers. Before Cat could even properly kiss him back, he pulled away and had her tossed to the mattress on her stomach. It happened so quick that Cat barely had time to even process what was happening, the side of her face smashed into the bed as Niall fumbled around behind her, roughly grabbing at her hips with his wide palms and lifting her bottom up just a bit. Cat sharply inhaled, twisting her fingers into the blankets beneath her, preparing for what he was about to do to her. A broken cry left her lips, laced with soft desperation as her center ached with the need to feel him inside her, to have him make her come all over again. She could feel his warm load seeping from her opening, dripping down her slit and just as Cat went to turn her head to peer back at him, the unmistakable wet-hot of his mouth cupped around her heat. 

A gasp shuddered past her parted lips, soaking into the white duvet as Niall slipped his tongue along her folds, eating hungrily at her. Her body shook as he curled his lips around her clit, sucking hard as his fingertips dug into the supple flesh of her bottom. He held her still and spread her open, licking and sucking and tasting at her, Cat rocking her bum back against him as she wordlessly pleaded for more. Her tummy sunk in, her eyes fluttering closed as she started to feel the wicked pangs of her release itching across her clammy skin once more. Niall hummed as he slurped over her swollen folds, sinking his tongue down inside her. Twisting her head forward to bury her face down into the duvet, Niall had just moved his mouth to suckle her clit before she felt the warmth of his mouth dissipate and the delicious stretch of his cock push inside her once again. 

She cried out, fisting rough at the blankets as the weight of Niall’s sticky body consumed her. He was back on top of her, his hips slowly rolling into hers as he began to fuck into her. She almost couldn’t fixate on anything she was feeling; him, his thick body on top of her, how he felt so fucking good inside her, his hot breath panting out onto the back of her damp neck. It was all too much, overwhelming and out-of-this-world intense, and before she knew it, Niall had sucked a trail up the side of her throat. “This what ya remember, huh? This what ya want?” he asked her, his voice gravelly in her ear. “Me fuckin’ ya just like this?” 

Cat moaned at his lewd words, the memories of being pinned down on that cold, hard desk as Niall roughly fucked into her from behind, gagging her with his thick fingers and making her come around him, instantly sent a wildfire soaring through her body. She writhed uncontrollably under him, gasping back needed breaths as he continued to move on top of her. God, she needed to come again so bad. His thrusts picked up, feeling the way she was reacting to him, and Niall reached up and wrapped her hair around his fist, easing her head up off the bed. 

Cat’s mouth dropped open in shocked silence, her eyes fluttering as Niall slapped his hips against her bottom, fucking into her even rougher than before. He felt so fucking good and it made her squirm. “This is how ya want it, baby?” he growled out to her, sucking feverishly along her neck. 

“Yes...God, yes…” she choked out. 

“Like bein’ me dirty little girl, don’t ya? Takin’ my big cock so good…”

Another seedy moan edged from her throat and the sound made Niall smirk against her skin. “I wanna come,” Cat begged, barely a whisper between her heavy gasps, “please Niall...I wanna come so bad.” 

Niall swallowed hard at the sweet, pleading sound of her voice, something about hearing her beg him, hearing her wanting him so bad, wanting him to make her come, it made him weak. He was so goddamn weak for her. “Fuck, kitty cat,” he moaned, settling his mouth back at her neck as he took a hand and shoved it under her tummy. 

His hips slowed a bit, fucking into her with long, deep thrusts as his hand slipped down between her spread legs. Cat cried out as she felt the pads of his two fingers start to circle at her clit. Niall had eased her face back down, hovering over her as his puffy lips stayed resting at the corner of her open mouth. She breathed heavy as he continued to fuck her, slow and steady, the tip of his hardened length hitting perfectly inside her swollen center as his fingertips played with her sensitive little nub. Her mind was frazzled, wicked and drenched with the sensations that were quickly consuming her entire fucked-out body and it was when Niall softly brushed some strands of her hair away from the side of her face, tiny kisses being planted to the crease of her mouth, that she knew something was different. His big hand was cradling her head as he pushed inside her, his hot breath mixing with her own as they perfectly moved together and a smile started to tug at the corner of her lips. 

His eyes were stuck to her as he rested his forehead at her temple. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed out, “so fuckin’ beautiful. God, baby, I-...” he paused, swallowing hard as he gathered his breath. Cat faintly moaned as he buried himself deep inside her. She was right there, so close fucking close to coming she could taste it on the tip of her tongue, her center clenching hard around him. But all she wanted in that split second was to hear his voice. “I missed bein’ inside ya so much.”  

Unfolding her fist from the white blanket, Cat reached behind her and curled her fingers into the back of his hair. “Couldn’t stop thinkin’ bout ya, ‘bout fuckin’ ya just like this,” Niall went on, “all I wanted...was to be with ya again, feel ya around me, sinkin’ into ya, baby.” 

A low whimper poured from her lips and Cat rocked her body back into him, the last little thing she needed before she felt her body lose all control. She slowly writhed under him, under the heat of his thick, strong body, her toes curling and her shaken breaths stalled in her risen chest as he continued to fuck into her, riding her through her intoxicating, mind-numbing high. Broken moans bounced off his stark walls and filled their ears as Niall kept his stare on her, urging her through with the steady, skilled rocks of his hips. His fingers moved between her folds, the warm wetness of her orgasm slick as it spilled out around him and onto his hand. Cat called out his name, over and over, as she succumbed to him, to all that he was giving her, her desired release long and nearly paralyzing, the intense heat crawling over her wrecked body and biting at her flushed skin as she trembled uncontrollably against him. She had come hard, harder and more thoroughly than she had before and she didn’t even know that was possible. And with the mind-blowing sensation of her letting go around him again, it was only a fraction of a moment before Niall was hitting his own second release, much more soft and subdued that time. Cat couldn’t help but smile at the intimate feeling. 

“Oh my God,” she finally mumbled, both having barely come down. Cat strained to find her full breaths as Niall eased his hips to a stop. “I-...I’ve never felt like that before. With anyone.” 

Her eyes were still closed, Cat reeling in the over-heightened feelings of her powerful orgasm as Niall chuckled against her. He pressed his lips to the side of hers. “Good,” he said, slowly pulling his hand out from under her. The loss of his touch between her legs made Cat whine, and Niall smiled down at her. “I love makin’ ya feel like that.” 

Niall stayed resting inside her for a few minutes, sweetly kissing along her jaw and shoulder as she continued to come down, her sticky body relishing in the cool air of his bedroom. Contented hums slipped past her lips, a blissful smile following as she finally was able to catch her breath. She had never felt so satisfied, so purely whole, before in her entire life, he had outdone himself and they were both blatantly aware of that fact. Niall, on the other hand, had never felt with anyone the way he was feeling with Cat in that very moment. He had never felt happy, so fulfilled, so...absolutely in love. Twisting her fingers into his damp hair, Cat lifted her face from the mattress just enough so she could fully kiss him. She needed to kiss him. She needed to taste his breath on her tongue and feel the beautiful heat of his mouth. Niall eagerly kissed her back, and it wasn’t long before he had slipped himself from her and turned her body over in his arms. Curling up in his bed, they tenderly kissed until their lips were sore and their naked bodies nearly listless. They stay snuggled together under the warm covers, a sated, simple quiet filling the room between the last few soft kisses until they both drifted off to sleep. 

•

Sometime in the middle of the night, Cat awoke. Her eyes blinked open, struggling to adjust to the dark room and she wrinkled her brow, unsure as to where she was before everything came flooding back to her. Peeking over to her left, she caught a glimpse of Niall. He was laying on his back, perfectly still as he slept, his chest rising with the soft ebb and flow of his steady breaths. He looked so pretty, his dark brown hair all disheveled and swept across his forehead as his tiny eyelashes rested daintily on his cheeks. But there was nothing dainty about that man. Sweet in his own ways, soft in others, but he was rough and dirty, and eager and good, and as the thoughts of just a few hours prior started to swim around in her head, Cat suddenly felt the soreness that had settled between her legs. Niall had fucked her, really fucked her, fucked her better than she had ever had before and the girl chewed at her lip as her stare lazily dragged over him, the only thought left in her mind was what was going to happen between them now.

Deciding that she needed some water, her mouth unnaturally dry–she assumed from the endless moans and many frantic kisses shared–Cat very carefully untangled her naked body from his and out from under the covers. She sat at the edge of the bed for a moment, finally being able to take in the sight of the room she had been holed up in all night. Her stare didn’t know what to focus on first; the expansiveness of the space with its decadent art pieces adorning one of the walls, the large expanding floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the cityscape or the enormous bed that she had just been laying in. Cat twisted around, peeking back at Niall. He hadn’t moved a single muscle. And still looked just as cute, just as breathtakingly gorgeous as ever. She smiled down into the round of her shoulder and a slight chill broke out over her bare skin. 

Scraping her teeth over her dry bottom lip, Cat eased up from the bed and peered around the floor, grabbing the first thing she saw to cover herself up with. It was Niall’s linen button up. She slid her arms into the shirt as she quietly stepped over to the window, just letting the thin material hang open down her body. It was a bit short, just barely covering her bum, but it did the trick for the time being and she tipped her head to the side as she flicked her wide, curious stare out across the city’s rooftops. It was beautiful, the bright flickering neon lights, the wiz of the cars zooming through the dark streets and Cat stood there, arms crossed over her front for a few more minutes, soaking up the beautiful scene in front of her before tip-toeing out of the bedroom. 

She didn’t really remember how they had gotten back to his bedroom; her attention, and her mouth, stuck to Niall on the way in, but it wasn’t hard to find her way back out into the open floor plan of his two-story condo. If she had thought his bedroom was spacious, she didn’t even know what to do the second her bare feet hit the threshold of his main living space. Another enormous wall of windows overlooking the city, the space decorated just how she had imagined it would be, much like Niall’s office. Modern and sleek, incredibly expensive, with only a few punches of color amongst the dark tonal colors, it was unreal. There was no questioning that Niall was a wealthy man. 

“Holy shit,” Cat breathed out to herself with a short giggle, tucking some unruly hair behind her ear. She stepped forward, making her way through the open living room and into the kitchen. There were a few lights on, just really soft dim lighting under the cabinets that she assumed accented the atmosphere of his home, so she was able to easily find her way to the fridge. Niall had a few glass bottles of water resting along the shelf in the door and Cat eagerly helped herself to one. Unscrewing the metal cap, Cat shuffled over to the long kitchen island, facing out towards his living room as she put the rim of the bottle to her lips and took a nice, slow sip. Her eyes fluttered closed as she tilted her head back, letting the cold refreshing liquid slip down her dry throat. She had never tasted water that good before. 

The girl must have lost herself in the water for a moment, as it was only when she heard the faint clearing of a throat that she shot her eyes open, bringing her chin back down. It was Niall. Standing just at the threshold of the kitchen, in nothing but a tiny pair of white boxers. Licking her lips, Cat smiled at him, her stare noticeably dragging over the exquisitely intricate lines of his toned body. He was by far the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. And she was pretty sure he knew it too. 

“Thirsty?” Niall commented. 

Cat wrinkled her brows and flicked her gaze back up to his. “Huh?” He nodded towards the bottle of water in her hand as he stepped over to the kitchen counter, pulling out a stool to sit down. Cat peered down at the bottle that was gripped in her hand. “Oh...yeah,” she giggled in response.

Niall leaned in, resting his forearms on the edge of the counter. His tired, half lidded eyes stayed on hers, those hypnotizingly ocean blue eyes that Cat just couldn’t seem to get away from. As much as she knew she should. She quickly took another sip of water. Niall gaffed and tipped his head down, running his fingers through his mess of hair. “Cat, can I be honest?” he then blurted out. 

Swallowing down the frigid water that was held in her mouth, Cat faintly nodded as she set the bottle down on the counter in front of her. His eyes darted heavy with hers and for a moment, Cat almost couldn’t breathe. She didn’t like that feeling. Not when she had an idea what was coming next. “I wanna be with you,” he said bluntly. 

She dropped her stare, mainly because the intensity of his was eating at her skin, and tucked some fallen hair behind her ear. “I...can’t,” she muttered, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she annoyingly picked at the paper label of her bottled water. 

“Why?”

“Because, I-…we shouldn’t,” she said. 

Niall shook his head. “Listen, if it's this boyfriend of yours,” he started, Cat catching his stare again, “ya know it’s not real, it can’t be. And ya know I can fuck ya better, you know I can treat ya better. Better than anyone.” 

Rolling her eyes, Cat huffed out a breath as she rubbed over her forehead. She knew it had gone on long enough, and she had no choice but to tell him. She couldn’t keep lying to him. It was tearing her up inside. “Look, Niall…” Cat paused, already frustrated and needing to collect her thoughts before continuing, “I’ve got to tell you something and I don’t want you to get mad at me.” 

He narrowed his stare at her as he listened, not sure where the conversation was headed. “I, um…” Cat fiddled with a button on his shirt, tugging the airy material tighter around her chest, hoping it was covering her bare breasts. “I don’t really have a boyfriend.” 

“What?” he scoffed.

Cat flicked her eyes up to his, she could see the confusion pulling at his face. His lips dropping open, his eyes scouring over hers, like he was desperately searching for answers. It nearly broke her heart. “I was-, fuck, I don’t even know now why I did it,” she started, plopping her elbows down to the countertop as she covered her face with her hands. “I guess, I said that hoping it would keep a distance between us. To...keep myself from...falling for you.” 

Niall’s brows drew in further. He wasn’t even mad that she had lied, just more than confused at that point. He never knew what was going on inside that girl’s head, and it frustrated the hell out of him. “Cat, why would ya wanna do that?” 

“Are you kidding me?” she shot back, scrunching her face in. “You told me yourself that you don’t do serious girlfriends. You’ve slept with half the city, Niall. I know you. I know how you are and I know that I was to ever get involved with you, really involved... it wouldn’t end well for me.” 

Niall darted his stare over hers for a second as he stayed quiet before he pushed out a long sigh, Cat watching as he hung his head down. She sucked in a deep breath, instantly feeling horrible for all of the shit that had just spewed from her mouth. She hadn’t meant for it to come out like that, not in that way and definitely not after the night they had just had. But she also didn’t know how else she was supposed to get it across to him. He was stubborn, persistent and with guys like Niall, sometimes it was just easier to rip the bandaid off fast. It was better for both of them that way. No matter how she actually felt. 

And as much as she needed to get all of that off her chest, she hated seeing him upset. It hurt her heart looking over at him, slouched over his countertop with his head hanging between his shoulders. He didn’t say a word, not a single word and Cat couldn’t take it anymore. Shuffling around the kitchen island, she stepped over to him and cradled her hand to the side of his face, her thumb rubbing over his bearded jaw. “I’m sorry, Niall,” she whispered, “I didn’t mean it like that, I–”

“That’s exactly how ya meant it,” he mumbled. 

Cat let out a soft sigh. “No, it’s not. Not at all. I like you, okay?” she went on, “I really...I really do like you. What I feel for you is–...I can’t even explain it, and I don’t know how to make any sense of it. I never meant to lie to you, but I’m just-...I didn’t know what else to do. I’m trying to protect myself, okay? I have to.” 

Niall flung his head up as he looked over at her, his body following his movements. His knees bumped hers and she herself slotted between his spread legs, facing each other. “Protect yourself from what?” he asked, brow furrowed. “How I feel about ya? How I make ya feel?” 

Cat shook her head. “You’re gonna get tired of me, Niall.” 

“No.” 

“Yes, you are,” she told him, exasperation idle in her voice, “you’re gonna get tired of me. You’ll get tired of me and you won’t want me anymore and it will just-...I won’t be able to take it, okay? Not from you. It will break my heart.” 

And there it was. The real reason why she was scared. Why she was so intent on holding him at a distance. Why she had lied to him in the first place. Her feelings for him were much deeper than she was letting on, much deeper than maybe she even wanted to admit. Niall huffed out a deep breath and reached up, cupping his hands around the sides of her face. Cat’s gaze met his, and she nearly wanted to burst out crying. She didn’t even know why. “Listen to me,” he began, his brows raised as he stared at her through the tops of his eyes, “I will never get tired of you. I couldn’t. Cat, you are all that I think about, all the bloody fuckin’ time. I can’t get ya out of me head. Shit, I don’t want to. You, love, you are what I want. You have always been what I wanted. I have loved ya since the first time ya looked at me and havin’ ya back in me life these past few weeks, it’s just made me realize that I am nothin’...nothin’ without you.” 

His words slid over her ears, so sweet and so pure, it was hard to believe it was coming from Niall. But it was, and it made her heart soar. She was so intent on the thought of him breaking her heart, on not feeling the same way for her that she did for him, that she hadn’t even thought of the possibility that he, Niall Horan, had real, honest, true and undeniable feelings for her. She swallowed hard, resting her hands to his chest as he went on. “The reason why I haven’t had a serious girlfriend is not ‘cause I didn’t want one, not ‘cause I wanted to go out and fuck everyone, Cat...it’s ‘cause none of them were you.” 

A heavy breath eased past Cat’s lips and she knew there was no way she could hold in the tears that had worked their way to the brims of her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered closed, her chin wobbling as a tear slid down her cheek. She softly giggled, her nerves getting the better of her and Niall gently wiped the tear away as he stood up and pushed his forehead to hers. “Baby, none of them were you.” 

Dragging her hands across the span of his bare chest, Cat gingerly shook her head and just barely eased her chin up, bringing her mouth to his. She kissed him, kissed him soft and then deeper, wrapping her arms around his body as a few more tears slipped down her face. Niall might have shed a tear or two as well, not being one to shout that from the rooftops, but Cat felt the wetness on her skin as he buried his face against her neck when he pulled her into a tight hug. 

“So, you’ll be mine then?” Niall spoke up once more after a few quiet moments, inching back slightly from her embrace. 

Cat smiled up at him, reaching up to brush some hair from his eyes. They were too pretty to cover up. “Niall James, I was always yours. From the first time you kissed me. Besides…how on earth could I say no after that?” 

He snorted. “I’m sure you’d find a way…”

She pinched her eyes closed in a faint laugh. “Not this time,” she whispered, urging him into another kiss. His tongue curled around hers, and Cat sweetly whined before just barely pulling back. “So...I heard you, like, love me or something...” 

Niall cocked his head back, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, ya did, did’ya?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, with a faint shrug.

He breathed out a soft smile, one that made her heart nearly explode. “Well, ya heard right. I fuckin’ love you, Cat.”

“I love you, too, Niall,” she replied, her eyes dancing over his, “I always have, even though I spent the last four years trying to fight it.” 

With his brow raising, Niall licked across his lips. “Figured that. I always knew ya loved me,” he said. 

“You’re just being cocky now,” Cat rolled her eyes, her fingernails raking down the slope of his back. “You didn’t know shit.”

Niall laughed. “Of course I did, petal. Just had to get you to admit it,” he said. Pulling himself away slightly, he slipped his gaze down her scantily covered frame. She was on full display, nothing being hidden by the material of his shirt at that point. A familiar heat began to crawl over Cat’s exposed skin, Niall’s wild blue eyes bleeding dark as the intensity of his stare grew with each passing second that he looked over her. She knew that look all too well. “And I also know…” he paused, slipping one of his hands inside the hem of his open shirt that adorned her body. She faintly gasped as he groped at her breast, rubbing his fingertips across her pert nipple. His playful touch burned at her sensitive flesh and he peered back up at her. 

Niall thumbed at her bottom lip as he leaned in close. “...we got a lot more fuckin’ to do, kitty cat.” 

Cat bit off the bashful smile that was etching across her lips, her cheeks punching a bright pink. Niall chuckled amusingly at her reaction and took her hand in his, kissing sweetly across her knuckles before leading the way back to his bedroom. And as Cat held his fingers within hers, watching the muscles in his back move as he walked in front of her and felt the soreness between her legs dissipate as that uncompromisable need for him took over, all she could think about was the fact that he was hers. All hers. Hers to kiss and touch, to play with and fuck. To laugh with, and cry with and cuddle and enjoy. Hers to make love to. Hers to love.  

And it was so much better than a million hot and sticky nights spent at summer camp. 

~~

Without your love, I’m jaded, going crazy, come save me,

Hearts beating, not breathing, I’m breathing...

[fluffyvillain]

The Bond

Chapter: 7/?

Summary: Henry figures out a way to find out where Mila is.

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: Mentions of smut

A/N: Yes, Ruth meddled in again.

@ly–canthrope​ @vikingsbifrost​ @peakygroupie​ @winchwm​ @thethirstyarchive

Henry ran for miles and miles on Orchard Beach in Bronx, he was trying to get rid of Mila's images in his head, like the one of her slightly crooked smile before bidding him goodbye last night. They were driving him crazy. He had to jerk off twice last night because he couldn't stop imagining banging her against the wall on which she was leaning last night, he imagined hiking up her dress, ripping off her panties end entering her so slowly that she would beg him to start moving faster.

He ran until his knees started shaking, but the images of her never went away. Need for her developed in both his body and his soul. He waited until his breath evened out before calling Ruth. There was absolutely no way he could wait for two weeks, the period she said she would be absent. "Good afternoon, Ruth."

"Hello, Cavill."

"How are you?" Ruth was quickly becoming very dear to his heart.

"Still hangover, but good. How can I help you? I guess you didn't call me just to chat. "

"I want to thank you for the last night first." Henry was walking towards his car, he was in a desperate need for a shower. "And second, I'd like to know whether Mila arrived safely."

"She did, but didn't you exchange phone numbers last night, couldn't you ask her?"

"Last night was... I don't know, I forgot to ask for her phone number, I wasn't thinking clear. I have her e-mail, but he doesn't really respond to anything I send her. Can you tell me where she is?"

"Yeah, she is in Italy, why? Do you want to go after her?"

"Italy, huh? I thought she could be somewhere in the Caribbeans. But, yes, I do." He sat in his car, slamming the door behind him.

"You can't be serious." Ruth's voice turned colder and firmer.

"She said I could join her."

"And yet she didn't tell you where she was going?" Ruth became suspicious.

"I asked her if I could join her and she said, and I quote: "Only if you manage to figure out where I am."" He put on a seat belt, but didn't want to start the car before ending the conversation. "I'm really lucky to have you and I'd be really grateful if you told me exactly where she is."

"You and I both know that she said that only to blow you off, but still, she did say it, she can't deny it. You know, I really want to see her happy and I deeply believe that she won't be truly happy unless she is with you, so I will tell you, but under one condition."

"Just name it."

"You wont go there yet, let her rest for like a week. I don't know what her reaction will be and I don't want to ruin her vacation completely if she gets pissed off when she sees you there."

"Okay, I promise."

"She is in a small village, I will send you a message with the exact address, I've stayed there for a couple of times with her. You can try your luck with finding a room there now, but I'm not sure that you will be able to do it. Mila is in a small house on the coast."

"Thank you. I owe you big time."

"You bet you do because Mila will kill me."

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

7 DAYS LATER

 Henry couldn't wait to get out of taxi he took at the airport, he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, maybe this wasn't such a good idea - that thought crawled inside his mind as soon as he landed. He kept staring at the sea from the moment it appeared before them. The taxi driver tried to chat him up a bit when he figured Henry spoke Italian, but his thoughts were aimed in Mila's direction, so he wasn't really involved in the conversation. Once they reached their destination, he gave the taxi driver a fat tip and ran to the entrance of a hotel he booked. Ruth was right, it was really difficult to find anything in this location, so he was ecstatic when he actually found a room. He was even happier when he figured out that the hotel was really close to the house Mila has rented.

He was grateful that check in process was done pretty fast, so he could drop off his bags and take a quick shower. Just minutes later, Henry was walking over a gravel path on a side of a road, following Google maps direction to the address he typed in. Soon he stood in front of the gates of a house that was his destination, Ruth was kind enough to also include some photos of the house and its surroundings, so he knew he was in the right place. He took a few deep breaths and his index finger hovered over it for a few second before ringing a doorbell on the gate. He expected Mila to show up at the house door, but nothing happened. He rang it once again and still nothing. He contemplated his options, but the most logical one at that moment to him was to try to go down a very steep bushy slope on a side of the house, so he could reach the stairs leading to this villa's private beach. He hoped Mila would be there.

He immediately cursed himself for wearing flip flops and a swimming shorts after making the first step. He almost slipped and those were some thorny bushes. The next few steps weren't easier at all. Have I gone insane? I could be charged for breaking and entering. He took a few more steps and his heart swelled, he saw Mila in the distance and he no longer cared whether he was committing a felony or making the wrong decision by coming to Italy. After taking a couple more steps, he was able to jump over a wall and then jump down to the stairs leading to the beach. He went down the first set of stairs, focusing solely on Mila. Soon her voice became audible to him, she was humming at first and then she started singing, she felt and looked so carefree in a one piece white and indigo blue horizontal stripes swimsuit with her long wavy hair falling on her back. He knew he would have this image engraved in his memory for good.

She was singing her heart out, being completely oblivious to Henry's presence. There were only a few steps left before he reached Mila when felt a huge mood change and a pang in his heart and he knew exactly why when she started singing the next song and he knew right away which song it was and why she felt the way she did. The pain in her voice sliced his soul in half.

 Thought I found a way

Thought I found a way, yeah

But you never go away

So I guess I gotta stay now

 Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here

Even if it takes all night or a hundred years

 Henry kneeled next to her and gently tugged one of her earphones until it fell out of her ear, she tuned to him and flinched, but didn't say a word. He continued where she left off, not taking his eyes of hers.

 Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near

Wanna feel alive, outside I can fight my fear

 Isn't it lovely, all alone?

Heart made of glass, my mind of stone

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello, welcome home*

 He kissed her shoulder softly before placing her forehead on it. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

If somebody had asked Mila at that exact moment what she was feeling, she'd ramble a whole list - happiness, sadness, love, anger, relief, anguish, fear, hope... "Five years. For five years the first thing I had to every morning, every single one, was to find a way to block you before I could even start thinking about continuing my day. You were so happy most of the time while I was falling apart. I don't blame you for that, I really don't. But, the way you treated me..." Mila looked at the horizon line where sky met the sea. "You broke me into million pieces and I spent every day sticking piece by piece together, but I could never feel whole, not to this day."

Henry cupped her cheeks and turned her face to his, still on his knees, soothing thumb movement wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, please." He wiped away her tears until they stopped falling and her breath evened out. He pressed his forehead against hers, keeping his eyes closed. "I will spend the rest of my life redeeming for this, let me do so, please."

Mila didn't say anything, but she started opening up for his feelings again, feeling genuine sadness and worry. She backed away, leaving his hands in the air. She had moved to the edge of her made-for-two beach towel  before lowering herself on it, lying on her hip. She tapped a sun lit part of the towel which was soon to be in a shade and Henry took off his shirt, lowering himself, following her order, not saying a word.

Lying on his back, he turned his head towards Mila. Her stared into depths of her blue eyes an he was sure that no river, lake, sea or ocean had such a beautiful colour. It didn't take long before his eyelids became too heavy to keep them up.

Mila watched Henry's chest rise and fall in even intervals. He must've been really tired because of his flight. Mila was convinced that he belonged at Mt. Olympus in myths, but somehow he was real and he bonded with her out of billions of people. Every muscle of his was hard and well defined, his biceps was bigger than her thigh, she was sure. He still kept his scruff and he grew his mustaches slightly longer, but most of his hair was gone, his sides were pretty short and the middle part was slightly longer and slicked back.

Mila wanted to let him rest, so she took her phone first, sending Ruth a threatening message to stop meddling in her life, but that she was also grateful that she did it this time, then she got back to a book she started reading that morning. She glanced at Henry after reading every couple of paragraphs and he was sound asleep every time. When she lost concentration, she went for a swim, enjoying coldness of the water. She didn't know how much time she spent swimming, but when she got out Henry was in the same position as when she left him.

She kneeled down next to his sleeping body, he was indeed perfect. She bit the tip of her index finger before she decided to trace a knuckle over his eyebrow, barely touching it, when he didn't flinch, she used the tip of her finger to trace the other one too, when she went back to the valley between his eyebrows, she continued her exploring by moving her finger down his nose. She scooched over and reached to the other side of his body, flattening her palm on the ground, keeping her balance. She got braver, so she used tips of all of her fingers to roam over his cheeks and forehead, she scratched his scruff with her nails and he leaned into her touch.

Water dripping from Mila's hair on Henry's chest woke him up, his lips curved in a smile before opening his eyes, Mila's hand remained on his cheek.

"Hey." Mila smiled back at him.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep, I was really tired." Henry started caressing the forearm of the hand on which Mila was leaning. "What time is it?"

Mila moved away to check the time on her phone and he immediately regretted asking. "Almost six."

"Shit. I've been asleep for almost two hours." He set up, rubbing his eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but you have to go now." Mila got up and grabbed her book and phone. "I have a date and I don't want to be late."

"Huh?" Henry also stood up, completely confused, he did not expect this.

Mila felt a hit of jealousy and sadness wash over Henry. "Yes, with you. I'll pick you up at 8. You just need to tell me where you are staying."

Relief washed over Henry as hew as folding the towel. "That little hotel just up the street."

"Okay." She took the towel from Henry and waited for him to put on his shirt. "How did you even get down here?"

He pointed at the top of the hill. "And then I pretty much jumped over the wall right about here," he moved his finger to that point.

"You could've gotten yourself hurt, don't do that ever again."

"It was worth it. I rang the bell, but you obviously couldn't hear me. That's why I need your phone number, you know, to call you in this kind of situations."

"Your phone, please" Grace gestured for him to hand her the phone so she could put in her number.

[oh-theatre]

Moceit for a holiday fic!!! If you want to!!!

IF I WANT TO?? OFC!! OH MY GOD!! I WOULD LOVE TO! I LOve them and you :D

Oh, I do hope you like it!! 

- - - - - - - -

Last Christmas

Words: 1741

Summary: Pattons Christmases only seem to improve

Pairings: Moceit (Patton x Deceit)

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart” Patton sang sweetly, moving carefully through the shop as he works “And the very next day..” He matches the pitch, it seems a mix between a hum and actual words, the lights flicker as they come together “You gave it away..” He clicks the first string lights on as the room fills with color, an overwhelming beauty. He takes another set moving towards another step ladder “This year...to save me from tears” He turns as the familiar jingle of the door rings out “I'll give it to someone...” His eyes fall upon a sophisticated stranger, wrapped in a delicate coat, meeting his eyes alight with curiosity “Special” He barely whispers.

Somewhere along the way, he must have lost his balance, a fight begins as he wobbles trying to remain stable but soon enough finds himself planted defeated on the floor, a growing sore on his back. A quick rush and he notices a shadow sheeted beside him.

“Are you alright?” The voice is much nicer than imagined, not that he had much of a perception. Patton sits up straight taking his back as he does so, the figure helps him stand, keeping a gentle arm on Patton. “That was quite a fall” He muses


“I've had worse” Patton responds, a flustered smile upon his sweet face. Finally, he can see the man's face, its...in the most professional sense...dazzling. There are just some things that can capture a person in an instant, and this was that. It was hard to look away, his eyes told a story as they welcomed Patton, his face remained smooth and soft, not that Patton would know…

“Would you like some help?” He offers, gesturing to the lights, Patton bites his lower lip watching the man.

“Oh! I wouldn’t want to trouble you!” He removes himself and continues his journey on the stepladder. The man laughs but keeps a steady arm on Patton, wary to let go. He finishes safely jumping down with ease. Neither noticed how close they end up, the man's arms are so respectful and yet intimate. “Patton” He greets with a squeak

“Damien” He recoils, offering a hand as they introduce themselves. Patton takes it shaking it confidently, he watches Damien smirk below his perfect hair. “I apologize, I should be on my way” He rescinds, Patton waves him off his smile remaining ever so sweet. “It's a lovely shop you have,” He says, his eyes finally making his way around the room. The shelves lined with books, the aromatic waft of coffee and promise of sweet treats making its way up to his nose. Patton watches his face, a slow desire grows upon Declan.

“Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?” Patton wonders, Damien sighs nodding nonetheless after a hesitation. “Come” He suggests making his way towards the small coffee shop they’ve set up. He offers Damien a seat as he works quietly on the caffeinated delectable, a soft hum again. “One hot cuppa Joe” Patton gleams handing the stranger a cup.

“You’re too kind,” Damien remarks, he's not usually so…at a loss for words. Something about the way this shopkeeper well…kept himself was different. Damien could watch him for hours, well now he just sounded creepy. “Why don’t you sit?” He says only now realizing that Patton hadn’t stopped working.

“I guess…it couldn’t hurt” He sits, shifting uncomfortably. “I'm sorry, I'm not…

“You don’t like to sit still, I get that” Damien understands, his words feel too casual, he wants to despise this but…it comes naturally. They continue their conversation, can a room truly get brighter should no one add more light to it? It can as they laugh away the evening, humbly waving goodbye at the midnight hour of the snow ridden moon. “Goodnight Patton”

“Good-

~~~

“-Morning dear” Patton greets with a giggle as a less than ecstatic Damien curls his way around Patton, laying his head upon Patton's shoulder. “Oh cheer up, its Christmas!”

“The most wonderful time of the year” Damien mumbles sleepily, Patton laughs turning to him, his arms make their way around his neck. Damien yawns as his own arms rest around Patton's waist now, holding the world in his arms, hoping the wind would never change on them.

“Indubitably!” Patton plants a soft kiss on Damien, a warmth spreads across the taller man. “Now come, I've got cookies in the oven, a few more presents to be wrapped and our parents should be here soon” Patton lists, Damien, groans into his partner's chest.

“I still can't believe you invited them, its gonna be like world war three in here” Damien makes his way around Patton, tickling his waist unintentionally, his finger dipping into the almost empty cookie dough. “Scrumptious!” He delights

“Good! You can clean it” Patton says, stroking his thumb against Damien's cheek lovingly. He pouts but obliges, it's the least he can do after the house had been turned to a winter wonderland. Especially for later that evening…

“How about a tune Damien?” His father requests pointing towards the dusted piano, Patton squeals nodding encouragingly as he cleans away the delicious dinner.

“Oh I…I haven't played in ages” Damien lies, feeling red as the eyes fall on him. He looks to Patton, his safety embracing him as his blue eyes hit him with a tidal of support. Patton sets down the dishes joining Damien by the window “Only if you’ll sing with me” He whispers

“Always Dee” The nickname rolls off so easily. Damien nods after a squeeze from Patton is felt, he sits his eyes remain on Patton. He plays slowly, beginning a familiar tune, Patton places a hand on his back ready to carry his own. “Let it snow, let it snow…let it snow” They finish, light applause but they don’t care. Their eyes lost in each other, the magical evening.

“Any requests?” Patton teases only slightly, Damien laughs he mocks a pointed finger.

“Will you-

~~~

“-Marry me?” Damien feels the cold seep through his pants but he doesn’t care, he cant not as he watches Patton's unmistakable expression, the pure joy as he laughs softly. Damien's hands trembled with the velvet promise of eternal love.

“Yes” He cries carefully, Damien stands to embrace him as the snow continues to fall upon them, he kisses him lightly. Spinning him around, his heart at the full mercy of the giggles released. They pull away clutching to one another. “Yes a million times”

“Oh, Patton don’t cry” Damien begs, the feathery tips of his glove wipe away the small tears that fall from his fiancees face. He kisses his cheek softly, Pattons smile is endless.

“Happy tears my love, I promise,” He says taking Damien's hands “I love you,” He says as he had done so many times, the cold white substance frosting his face. Numbing his joy but he couldn’t care less. Not with the love of his life in his hands, something he never thought he’d experience, or that he deserved. “Come,” He says extending his hand “We are much too excited, let's skate of some of this energy,” He says, feeling the dream hit him.

“That's all I ever wanted to hear,” Damien says taking his hand, as he always has and always would. He wasn’t the best but Patton glided so easily he did enough for the both of them. Spinning fast through the frosty air, what a bright time Damien noted looking deeply at Patton, never wanting to let go. Once they’ve exhausted their legs, and meet each other once more in the snow, Patton examines his finger where a gold band lies.

“Oh my god!”  He exclaims, his face in horror “It's real, I'm…” Feeling faint he turns helplessly to Damien.

“Pat, breathe” Damien takes his face, cupping it “You’re going to be ok” After a moment he matched his breathing, Patton stares into the amber flame that is Damien's eyes.

“With you?” He says taking a deep breath “I'm always ok, well…more than ok” He kisses Damien allowing the world to melt away underneath his touch. Pulling away he watches the children around him, grasping their packages filled with wonder tightly. He gasps delighted, he pats Damiens chest, his eyes full of promise “Come-

~~~

“-Presents time!” Patton calls out, Damien chuckles from his position on the couch, his eyes scan the newspaper. “Kiddos! Let's go! Or Dads going to open all of your presents” That seems to gain their attention

“No! No Papa dont let him!” Virgil begs running right into his father, a calmer Logan follows propping himself next to Damien who puts away his paper, wrapping his arm around his smaller son. Patton lifts Virgil up seating him on his lap as he sits next to his husband.

“Can I go first?” A timid request falls from Logan's mouth, Patton smiles brightly nodding, Damien ruffles his son's hair encouragingly. Patton sighs leaning into Damien, his husband kissing his forehead lightly. Logan picks the first one he sees with his name, unwrapping it carefully. Virgil groans falling into his father. Logan pouts turning towards his parents holding out the gift “help”

“I'll do it!” Virgil volunteers hopping off his father's lap, he goes to where Logan now sits across the floor and helps him in his own way. Patton watches them smiling as he only cuddles further into Damien.

“Having a nice time?” Damien jokes, only placing more gentle kisses upon his forehead. Patton leans up slightly fully meeting his lips, he’d never admit it but even after all these years…it still feels a dream, surely he didn't deserve this. “Are you alright love?” Damien checks

“I love you” Patton wants to make sure he knows it, that Damien has those words seared into his brain, almost to the point where it annoys him. The children pull apart ripping the present open, chatters of laughter play out. “And them” Patton smiles. One more kiss upon the forehead from Damien is placed on Patton.

“I love you too” Damien responds, the Christmas air pushing through as the world fades away. The only thing to keep was their magical time under the lights…as they had met so many years ago. “Last Christmas…gave you my heart” Damien hums gently, Patton yawns “Next day…” He skips over a few lines, watching the children open more gifts “Give it to someone…” He looks to Patton “Special” and he had

[suitofvibraniumarmor]

Yours Truly [Part Seven]

Summary: Fourth of July is a family affair on the Pratt farm; something new sparks between Chris and Sadie. Pairing: Chris Pratt x OFC, Chris Evans x OFC Word Count: 1775 Warnings: Mentions of divorce and abandonment. A/N: This fic was previously posted on my multi-fandom account; in honor of OC Appreciation Day, I figured I would queue it all up for your reading pleasure throughout the day! This was a collab with @captain-s-rogers , and I will link her chapters at the end of all of my posts! Some GIFs were difficult to find again, so if there’s no credit, they’re from Google Image Search or from the original post. 

July 4

Caroline,

Happy Fourth of July! Honestly, I don’t know who’s more excited for fireworks, me or Layla!

I’m including the pictures from the birthday party with this letter. We had so much fun! Layla said it was her best birthday ever, and that’s all I need to know. Her friends seemed to enjoy it, too, and Chris and his parents were happy with everything, so that’s good, too.  

Chris’s parents are super nice, but they want to take Layla for the rest of the summer. Chris told them no, that he didn’t want to be away from Layla, and he doesn’t want Layla to be taken away from me. In light of some other things that were said, he’s going to talk with me later about what happened exactly between him and his ex-wife, while Kathleen and Daniel take Layla into town for a few things for the barbecue later on. They’re all at breakfast right now – I was invited to go, but I think some family time might be better for them.

We watched Chris’s rally last night, and I actually saw you! Looking powerful and professional as always. You’re rocking this job, C, I just know it. I’m hoping there are some more details in your next letters that come about what’s going on with you and your boss. (I’m a horrible influence, I know.)

There are more things I want to tell you, but I just can’t get them onto paper. Telling you always makes things real, and I want them to be real but they still seem so overwhelming to put on paper – maybe it’s time for a phone call? Miss you much, bestie!

Yours truly,

Sadie

After addressing, sealing, and stamping the envelope with the letter and pictures in it, Sadie left it in Kathleen’s trusted care to take into town and drop off for her. The post office would be closed, but the big blue box was always open.

Once Layla was gone with her grandparents, Sadie set to work in the kitchen preparing food for the mid-afternoon cook-out. Chris helped her by slicing up some vegetables for a tray while they talked.

“How was breakfast with your parents?” she asked.

“It was good, and much needed, like you said. Not that I’m happy admitting you were right,” he teased.

Sadie laughed lightly. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Hopefully you’re not upset, but I agreed to let Layla go up to Minnesota with them for a week when they head back. I’ll fly up the last couple of days to visit and bring Layla back with me.”

“Why would I be upset?” Sadie frowned. “She’s not my daughter, Chris, she’s yours. They’re her grandparents. Even if you had decided to send her up there for the rest of the summer, I would have been disappointed but not mad. It’s not my choice to make.”

“Thanks,” Chris said, piling a handful of celery sticks onto the tray. “I guess we could go ahead and talk about Emily.”

“Only if you want to.”

He let out a deep breath, deciding where to begin, exactly. “She left almost a year ago. Layla had just turned four, and I could tell Emily was getting restless. She wouldn’t talk to me about what was wrong, just grew more and more distant. Finally, one day, she told me she had met someone else and she was leaving. I told her,” he took another deep breath, “I told her that I wasn’t going to allow her to take Layla, to which Emily replied that she hadn’t planned on taking her.”

Sadie’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not saying that leaving you is any better, but how could she leave her own daughter behind? And willingly, at that.”

“Emily didn’t want kids when we started dating. By the time we were married, she had changed her mind without any convincing from me, and when she got pregnant with Layla, we were both ecstatic. It didn’t take long for her to remember why she didn’t want kids, I guess.”

Sadie’s eyes welled with tears; her heart broke all over again for both Chris and Layla. She tried to stop the tears, but it was to no avail.

“Hey, don’t cry, Adie,” Chris said, using Layla’s name for her as a means to cheer her up. He set down the knife and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. “We turned out all right. We got you.”

“I know,” Sadie sniffled, “and I know it’s not about me. It just makes me so angry and so sad. You and Layla both deserve so much better.”

“You have a big heart,” Chris said, running his hand up and down her arm. “That’s what makes you so special to us.”

Sadie leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m not going to save you deviled eggs just because you’re flattering me, you know.”

Chris laughed and went back to the vegetables. “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Sadie laughed, too, and dried her tears. “Change of subject, but I might like to stick around while Layla’s gone, if that’s okay. Look for some jobs in the area.”

“Yeah, of course. You’re welcome to – hey, if you find one close to here, you’ll be around for harvest.”

“Come to think of it, what do you farm? I mean, I’ve been here for a month now, and I assumed it was wheat, but we’ve never actually talked about it.”

“Sunflowers,” Chris smiled, blushing a little.

Excitement beamed bright across Sadie’s features. “I love sunflowers!”

“Well, you’ll have to at least come around during harvest. I’ll make sure you get some good flowers.”

Their conversation flowed easily after that, with witty banter and flirty teasing. By the time Layla, Kathleen, and Daniel returned, it was as though they were old friends, comfortable and familiar.

The air smelled of bug spray and firecrackers by the time night fell. They were all full on hamburgers, hot dogs, and a variety of fruits and veggies – not to mention the desserts that Kathleen and Sadie had baked.

Layla had frosting smeared across her face, and her hands were sticky from a slice of watermelon. When they all set out lawn chairs to watch the fireworks the neighbors down the road were shooting off, she crawled onto her father’s lap and leaned her head against his chest. She was asleep before the fireworks even started.

“She had a long day,” Sadie commented.

Chris nodded, kissing the top of Layla’s head. “That she did, and I don’t think she was fully re-energized from her birthday.”

“I think you’re right.” She leaned her head back and sighed, watching Layla sleep. “I’m going to miss her next week. I haven’t been here that long, but it seems like it’s been forever.”

“Yeah, it does,” Chris said.

Sadie studied him for moment before turning back to the fireworks. There was a note of relief in his comment, and Sadie couldn’t help but feel encouraged for it. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who was feeling something more than what would normally be considered professional or even friendly when it came to the relationship with Chris.

She was in the midst of accepting that these feelings were actually happening when Chris confirmed that she was, in fact, not the only one feeling that way: he reached over and slipped his fingers through hers. Sadie tried not to smile too big, squeezing his hand a little in acknowledgement of the gesture.

The next morning, Sadie’s heart was still on a high from the night before. Holding hands with Chris while the fireworks exploded over them wasn’t something that she had expected to happen, especially within seconds of coming to terms with her own developing feelings.

She hummed all the way through making pancakes for breakfast, cleaning up the patio from the Fourth of July celebration, and doing the dishes that had been abandoned the night before. She smiled to herself through the laundry and through Layla’s counting lesson. By the time lunch rolled around, she was more than a little excited to see Chris come in from his outdoor work with Daniel that morning.

Chris, it seemed, was just as excited at the prospect of something new as Sadie felt. The two of them shared blushing glances and secret smiles all throughout lunch. They didn’t say much to each other, but he did wink at her on his way through the back slider when he returned to the fields.

After lunch, Kathleen laid down for a nap, and Sadie set about getting Layla packed for her trip.

“If I’m not leavin’ till tomorrow, why do I have to pack my clothes now?” Layla groaned, leaning on the edge of the mattress.

“First of all,” Sadie smiled, “I am packing your clothes, not you, little miss. Second of all, it’s good to be prepared.”

“It’s not ‘cause you want me to go away?”

Sadie zipped up Layla’s bag and sat on the bed, pulling Layla into her lap. “I never want you to go away, Layla, but I can’t keep you here all the time, either. That’s selfish.”

“You promise you’ll be here when I come back?”

“Of course! Me and Daddy are going to be so bored with you gone!”

Layla grew quiet and pensive, so Sadie set her back on the floor and double-checked around the room that she had packed everything.

“Are you taking your monkey or your goose to Grandma and Grandpa’s?”

“Goose,” Layla answered definitively. The pensive look returned to Layla’s countenance, but this time she verbalized her thoughts. “Sadie, are you gonna kiss Daddy?”

Sadie turned to Layla with her brow raised. “Kiss Daddy?”

Layla nodded, excited now that the subject was out in the open. “Yes! He was so sad when Mama left, but he’s happy now! And he says you’re a blessing, to both of us. And I know you was holding hands last night.”

“Oh, Layla …”

The little girl took Sadie’s hands. “It’s okay with me!”

“Oh, it is?” Sadie chuckled. “Can you keep a secret, sweetheart?”

Layla nodded. “Yes. Is it about Daddy?”

Sadie nodded, too, and crouched down in front of her. “And about you. I wasn’t sad before I came here, but I was kinda lonely. And I’m not, now that I’m here with you and Daddy.”

Layla flung her little body into Sadie’s hug. “That’s why you have to stay forever!”

Sadie hugged Layla tightly, not saying anything, but thinking, if only for that moment, she would be fine staying there forever with Chris and Layla.  

Part Eight

[mere-mortifer-writing]

His quiet whispers - Part One

Pairing: Lucifer/Reader; Lucifer/OFC

Rating: Explicit. Like, very explicit.

Summary:  “So, what do you say, love? Yes or no?”, Lucifer interrupted her thoughts, oblivious, gently cupping her cheek with one hand. He stroked the skin there, seeming mesmerized by the softness of it. Fluttered and disbelieving, she huffed a laugh. “How can I say no?” she mumbled, leaning against him without realising. Her eyes languidly passed over his pretty dark eyes, down to his lips curled into half a smile, and they settled against the smooth skin of his neck like attracted by a magnet. “How could I say-”, but she couldn’t finish the sentence, because suddenly her mouth was busy kissing the skin she was just admiring, and wow, why did she hesitate, again? *** I wrote this in the middle of the night because the fantasy was so detailed in my head that I thought, “I might as well write this down”. This is shameless, reader insert sex with Lucifer. Like, that’s it, that’s the plot. Enjoy!

Tags: Oral sex; Body worship; Multiple Orgasms; Shy!Reader; Making out on the piano

You can also read it on Ao3

>> Chapter Two

She was sitting at the bar, self consciously clutching the purse close to her lap. Her friend had disappeared in the crowd a while ago, probably to dance with one the many guys present on the dance floor, so she was stuck at the bar until she came back. She had tried to go have fun by herself, but suddenly she had felt very awkward in her uncomfortable high-heels and short black dress. Too exposed - no matter that a couple of hours ago she had felt very pretty in the attire. Social anxiety is weird like that. She sipped her Cuba Libre, hoping that nobody would approach her. Well, nobody but one man. She wanted to talk with him - almost desperately, if she was being honest. Lucifer Morningstar, the owner of Lux. Her eyes were drawn to him like a stage light was following him everywhere, looking like sin in one of his many tailored suits. He had chosen a black one that particular night, and the detail had her breath stuck in her throat for some reason. Maybe because they were matching?

She scoffed at herself. Half of the people in the club were dressed in black, it’s not like it was a sign from above or anything. Fuck, she thought, dragging her eyes away from Lucifer, I’m acting like a middle schooler with a crush. That man - that devil - was just so…so magnetic, with his dark eyes and long legs; he made her want with an intensity she didn’t think she could feel about a semi-stranger. What do you truly desire?, she had heard him ask a gorgeous man the first time she saw him at his club, while walking past him. She had gotten close enough to take a deep breath of his cologne and and in her head she had answered for him: you, I desire you and she had almost said the words out loud. How embarrassing it would have been, how mortifying…He hadn’t even been talking to her, but the question got stuck in her head for weeks - that’s why she came back to Lux with her friend that night, just to get a glimpse of him again. Because of that inexplicable pull she felt towards him. The same one that the rest of the goddamned pub seem to feel.

She was so stuck in her thoughts, busy stirring the ice cubes in her drink, that she didn’t even notice someone approaching until he spoke. “Hello, there”, she heard. She recognized that British accent in a second, and a shiver went down her spine. Lucifer was leering at her from the barstool next to hers, intense dark eyes doing a once-over on her form that made her pulse skyrocket. She remembered how to talk only several second later. “Hi”, she managed to say, hating herself for how breathy she sounded already. But she couldn’t help it, he looked even more stunning up close, illuminated only in the dark fleshy lights of the dance floor. She couldn’t imagine how breathtaking he would be in the natural light. His smile grew more flirtatious, like he could read on her face what she was thinking. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before, darling. First time?” He raised his eyebrows at the question, still smiling. For a second he looked almost boyish, genuinely pleased at having worked an innuendo in a fairly innocent sentence. A shaky laughter escaped her, surprising even herself. “Uh, the second actually. You didn’t notice me the first time.” Why the fuck did I just say that,she thought, frustrated. Way to look desperate. She resisted the urge of covering her face in embarrassment, but just barely.

Lucifer just chuckled and slid closer to her, angling his face just so that she could perfectly see the elegant line of his neck. Once again, she could smell his cologne, and once again it made her feel light-headed. “That’s not the way to treat a guest as lovely as you” he drawled, sliding his gaze from her eyes, to her lips, down to her cleavage. Completely shameless, she thought. It suits him. “Let me offer you a drink to make it up to you. What’s your name, love?” She told him, and she saw him mouthing it to himself like he was savouring it. Like, and the realization made her blush more than she thought physically possible, he intended on using it later in a different context. She imagined him breathing it against her neck, her breasts, uttering it like a prayer while his long fingers explored the rest of her.

Fuck, he had said two sentences to her and she was already fantasizing about falling in bed with him.

“I’m Lucifer Morningstar, and it’s a pleasure to meet you” he said, passing her a new Cuba Libre. He didn’t comment on the fact that she obviously already knew who he was, and for that she was grateful. She was trying very hard not to make a fool out of herself. Her social awkwardness wasn’t helping in the slightest. The bartender that made her drink handed Lucifer a glass of an amber colored liquid, and the two of them clinked their drinks and took a sip; Lucifer looking like some sort of big cat studying his prey. I love cats, she thought deliriously, so attracted to the man in front of her that she could hardly see straight. She was so nervous under his scrutiny, feeling more and more self-conscious by the second, and that part of herself was at war with the other part, the one that would have let him fuck her there on the bar table if he so asked.

How, how was it possible? Where was that- that lust coming from, that mindless desire…she didn’t do this, having sex with beautiful strangers that barely knew her name, she was not wired for it…but him, oh, him, how lovely he was, so tall and elegant and- And suddenly very close to her. “Say, should we bring the conversation somewhere else? To get to know each other better, of course.” He put a strand of her hair behind her ear, peering at her from under dark eyelashes. “More intimately” he added. Her breath hitched, and he didn’t try to hide that he noticed. He was looking at her expectantly, so infuriatingly sure of himself that she imagined, for a second, how he would look like laying underneath her, with one of her hand pulling at his hair to keep him down. Ecstatic, most probably. Very pleased with himself. It was that image, more than his proposition, that gave her the courage to tilt her head so that their faces were only centimetres apart. He instinctively let his lips fell open and his hot breath mingled with hers. “And where would that be?”, she managed to ask, hands trembling and head spinning from the sheer force of her wanting. He kept his dark eyes trailed onto hers. “My penthouse, of course - just a floor away. So I can give you my undivided attention.” She swallowed. Fuck. Fuck this man, fuck his British accent and fuck his perfectly kept 5-o’clock-shadow. Her attraction was making her stomach turn into knots, but still, anxiety and self-doubt were gnarling at her. Lucifer could have anyone he wanted: people were quite literally falling over themselves to be with him, even if just for a night. She feared her relative inexperience in bed and and her nerves would annoy him; that he would spend a disappointing few hours with her before sending her on her way.

“So, what do you say, love? Yes or no?”, he interrupted her thoughts, oblivious, gently cupping her cheek with one hand. He stroked the skin there, seeming mesmerized by the softness of it. Fluttered and disbelieving, she huffed a laugh. “How can I say no?” she mumbled, leaning against him without realising. Her eyes languidly passed over his pretty dark eyes, down to his lips curled into half a smile, and they settled against the smooth skin of his neck like attracted by a magnet. “How could I say-”, but she couldn’t finish the sentence, because suddenly her mouth was busy kissing the skin she was just admiring, and wow - why did she hesitate, again? She could have been doing this for a while, pressing her face in the crook between Lucifer’s neck and shoulder, peppering wet kisses wherever she could. He was burning up, temperature so high she would have been worried about him, had she still been capable of worrying about anything. She heard him chuckle in her hair, putting his strong hands against her hips to get closer to her. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered in her ear and she instinctively spread her legs to welcome him between them. Closer, she wanted him closer, she thought feverishly; inside if possible, as soon as possible. She went to pull his shirt tails out of his pants, but warm big hands took hold of hers before she managed to. She raised her face from his neck and found his heated gaze with hers, confused. Lucifer was breathing heavily - I did that, I did that, she thought, high on the feeling -, but still took a step away from her, holding one of her hands in his. She got on her feet, catching her purse before it could fall. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, trust me, but we really need to get to my apartment first”, he explained, not unkindly. Still, she suddenly felt extremely embarrassed by her actions, and all her doubts came back like they had never left. He probably noticed her expression fall, because a second later she was flash against him as he placed a heated kiss on the corner of her mouth, and then fully on her lips. He gently started moving them away from the bar, step after step, licking and biting the soft skin behind her ear with all the purpose of a man with a mission. “You’re all good, love”, he murmured, and then he said her name exactly like she had been imagining before - and she was gone again. She put her free hand in his soft, dark locks, stumbling with him toward the lift in the corner of the club. “Just-oh, fuck- please, just…”, she tried to say, struggling to form the words but needling to ask, “Stop me from thinking.” He left a last, searing hot kiss on her collarbone before lifting his head. He looked ruined, already, hair a mess from her hands and lipstick smeared all over his neck. “Don’t worry, I’m quite good at that”, he smiled - and without her realising that they had arrived, the doors of the lift opened behind her.

***

She was pressing Lucifer against a wall of the elevator, kissing him so hard he couldn’t breath, when the doors opened again on his dark penthouse. The view from the door length windows was spectacular, too bad that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man under her hands to appreciate it. They interrupted the kiss long enough for her to see his dilated pupils and his bitten-red lips before his tongue was firmly back in her mouth - right where it belonged, if you asked her. His hands were everywhere; palming her ass, her hips, or combing through her hair. She raised her thigh, caressing his leg in the process, and in a second he understood what she wanted: she picked her up like she weighted nothing, making her tight dress slide even further toward her waist, and the move put her core directly against him. He was so, so hard, and she felt so, so wet - and, alright, she was losing her grasp on the English language. Who could blame her.

They both moaned at the contact, her hips rolling against his without her control. Lucifer appreciated that so much that he gasped her name, breathless, and that made her grasp at his hair with more strength that she intended.

Suddenly he was moving, and before she knew it he was letting her sit on a cold wooden table - no, not a table, a piano, like the one he had downstairs. Was he gonna fuck her on his piano?

Oh, yes please, she thought, and she felt herself get even wetter, so much so that she had probably soaked through her panties.

Lucifer kissed her again, biting softly her bottom lip before soothing the area with his tongue. She was suddenly offended that he was still wearing clothes, and she tried to unbutton his shirt to get rid of it. He took off the jacket himself, never letting go of her mouth, but after a minute of her struggling with the buttons she was the one to pull off the kiss. She stayed close to him, close enough to breath in his cologne and his unnatural warmth, but her attention was all on the damned shirt buttons. Her hands were shaking too much - she even entertained the thought of tearing the shirt open, just to see and touch his chest, but she didn’t have enough strength left in her fingers for that. Lucifer let her struggle for a second before coming to her aid, undoing the shirt himself in seconds. “Are you quite alright, darling?” he asked, stroking her legs from knee to hip, getting each time closer and closer to where she really wanted him. He was pleased with himself, and not at all surprised by her strong reaction to him. He hadn’t even touched her yet and she already so wet she was dripping, hands and legs shaking. This man is sin, she thought, no wonder he has people call him the Devil.

She nodded, smiling weekly. “Yes - yes, I’m fine. ’M sorry, I’m just a bit overwhelmed.” His hands stilled on her legs, so she was quick to add: “But like good overwhelmed, not bad overwhelmed! Please…uh, please. Mh. You can keep going. If you want.” She almost cringed at her words, but Lucifer seemed happy with her earnest reaction and started playing with her dress’ straps, teasing her. “With pleasure”, he murmured against her lips, pushing her gently until she was lying completely on the piano. The new position put her core directly in line with his straining cock, and she didn’t waste a second in hooking her calves behind his ass to push him right against her. Lucifer groaned when they came in contact, and he immediately started gently rolling his hips against hers like he couldn’t help it. “You know,” he started, voice low and breathless, “you look ravishing like this, spread out and desperate for me. You look good enough to eat”. She was past words at this point, and that was all she could do to bring him down on top of her to kiss him deeply. He responded with the same passion, pushing his hips more insistently against hers. The new angle made it so that his trousers were rubbing against her clit with every move, and she was on the brink of an orgasm in seconds. She wanted to ask him to touch her, to feel how wet and ready she was for him, but words escaped her. However, when she desperately started pawing at him, Lucifer anticipated her and slipped one of his hands down between them, and he slid his fingers along her folds through her underwear. They both gasped, Lucifer moaning something against her neck that sounded suspiciously like “so fucking wet”.

His thumb circled on her clit at a delicious pace, and she felt the pleasure rise and rise with each wide stroke. She kept his head close to her chest, gasping and moaning in his hair, while he kissed and sucked the top of breasts where her dress had slipped down a bit. His hips pushed against her thigh at the same rhythm of his hand - she could feel how hard he was through his pants and boxers, but he didn’t complain. “Come on, love,” he said, nuzzling his nose between the valley of her breasts, “you’re so close, I can feel it. Just let go.” His gentleness, more than his words, brought her closer to her climax - and after another minute of delicious torture, she came shuddering in his arms.

***

She must have blacked out a second, because next thing she knew she was being picked up by a still very hard, very revved up Lucifer. He was carrying her princess style into his bedroom, a few steps away from the piano. She simultaneously felt guilty that she hadn’t made him come and disappointed that he wasn’t going to fuck her over the instrument, but she was distracted by him gently releasing her on his unmade bed. Comfortable against his silky sheets and still light headed because of her orgasm, she watched Lucifer remove his belt with a hiss.

Fuck, she was feeling more and more ashamed that she hadn’t even took off his pants and touched him a little, too busy coming her head off to notice his discomfort. It probably hurt by now, if Lucifer palming himself to find some relief was a proof. “Darling,” he said, shaking his head at her, still touching himself over his trousers. She felt anxiety twist her stomach into knots, but before she could apologize he continued: “I promised you to stop you from thinking, but you’re doing just that. Have to admit, I thought making you come would do the trick.” If she wasn’t blushed down to her chest already, those words would have done it. How did she end up in bed with this…this ridiculous, devilish man, who talked about orgasms like he was discussing his favourite type of tea? She covered her face with one hand and she heard Lucifer chuckle at her. A beat later he was climbing on the bed and on top of her, holding himself up on his elbows. “Aren’t you adorable? Anyway, my word is my bond, so-”, he rolled off of her and made himself comfortable against his many pillows, “hop on.”, he finished. And then he gestured to his face, like…like he was actually suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. Because, no way. No way he was putting off his own pleasure again to have her- “Sit on my face, if I wasn’t being clear.” He smiled like he was having the time of life, like he couldn’t wait to have her cut off his air supply. She took a deep breath and got up on shaky knees, unbelieving at how much hotter Lucifer became just because of those four words. She decided to repay him later, with interests, in whichever way she could, but for now - for now she stripped out of her dress as sexily as she could manage, trying to give the man sprawled in front of her the show he deserved. He looked at her, ecstatic, slipping a hand inside his boxers to slowly stroke himself. She got rid of her underwear, too - ruined, at that point -, and swang one of her legs over Lucifer’s chest, who immediately brought his hands to palm her ass.

He looked at her naked form above him with unfiltered awe and desire in his eyes, so raw and sincere that she managed to bite back her embarrassment and brought herself as close to his mouth as she dared. He was having none of it. He tugged her towards himself with his hands, and a second later his hot mouth was making contact with her sensitive skin. She took a sharp breath at the sensation, and Lucifer responded with a low, grumbling moan that sent shivers down her whole body and made her press more firmly on him. He was looking up at her through hooded lids, hair a complete mess from her hands, and she knew that that image of him would come back to taunt her many lonely nights in the future.

He brought her back to the present with a long stroke of his tongue, like he was trying to taste her, through her lips and up to her clit, which he started sucking on earnestly. She hissed involuntary, still too sensitive from her previous orgasm to enjoy the move, and she lift herself up to escape it. “‘M sorry, love,” he mumbled in a low voice, seemingly devastated at the loss of contact. “Come back here” - and, honestly, who could refuse a request like that? From then on he was more gentle, if not less passionate, and after he found the right rhythm of licking, sucking and occasionally plunging his tongue as deep into her as he could, she was gone. So much so that she forgot to hold at least a bit of weight off of him, but the lack of oxygen didn’t seem to disturb him, his nose pressed firmly on her clit. She was so, so close, she felt the pleasure tighten low in her belly, and one of her hands went to desperately hold tightly onto his hair. He moaned directly on her, in her, and the hands that were roaming everywhere on her body went to her ass to encourage her to grind against his face. Shocked by how much of a walking wet dream Lucifer could be, she went to do just that, chasing her release. One of his arms disappeared lower down his own body, but she was too lost in her pleasure to notice. She didn’t know how long he kept going: could have been a minute or an hour, but a firm stroke of his tongue finally made it for her - and then she was coming so hard her eyes rolled back into her head, and she couldn’t figure out even after if she had screamed his name or only sobbed it against the headboard. He licked her through the entirety of it, and then some after, to the point that she had to beg “No more, no more” to get him to stop. She collapsed right beside him on the bed before she could go boneless while still sitting on his face. “That was-that was…” she tried to say, still panting hard. She didn’t even know what she wanted to say - she suspected her major brain functions had kind of leaked out of her. “Spectacular? Unforgettable? Why thank you, you weren’t so bad yourself”, he said, so sure of himself, voice still low and grumbly from his arousal. The way the words rolled out of his tongue, in that smooth accent of his, had desire swiftly return low in her belly. And the she turned to look at him - and she was lying before, this, this image of him would never leave her until the day she fucking died, it seared its way into her brain like a hot brand: Lucifer, dark eyes reflecting the lights of the Los Angeles view, face and lips still wet and glistening with her. The urge to kiss him was so strong and sudden that she couldn’t have stopped herself if she wanted. She draped herself over his naked chest, skin so hot she had to gasp, and kissed him deeply and without reserves, tasting herself on his tongue. He seemed content just making out with her for a minute, putting strands of her hair behind her ears before holding her face close to his. Taken aback by the sudden tenderness, she took the opportunity to really appreciate his beautiful body. She slid her right hand down his neck and along the line of his broad shoulder, intending on finally touch his properly - and honestly, he deserved so much better than being ignored for so long; she desperately wanted to make him feel good. But when her hand stroked down in sternum and arrived on his stomach, her finger touch a pool of something quickly cooling in the air. She looked down, surprised, and saw that he had in fact already come without her help, pants and boxers halfway down his thighs. “Ah, yes, I’m afraid I took some of your fun away, haven’t I?” he said, not embarrassed in the slightest. He took some tissues from his bed-side table to clean himself, while she gaped at him without knowing what to say. Has he really come from just eating her out, without her touching him at all? “Did you- did you really…?” He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a boyish smile on his face, tossing the tissues away. “You were quite hot, riding my face like that. And as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” he said, unabashed, planting a kiss her on the lips before continuing: “You taste delicious. Couldn’t help myself, really.” She blushed to the tips of her hair, breath caught in her throat at his words. “Fear not, though! I’ll be ready for you in a minute.” He quickly took all the way off his pants and underwear, leaving himself blessedly naked for her scrutiny, and he preened under her attention like he was born for the spotlight. “Just a minute?” she asked, feigning incredulity, like she hasn’t heard many stories about his incredible stamina in bed. “Of course, darling, don’t you know? I’m the Devil.” He flashed a wicked smile, rolling on top of her. “It takes way more than this to tire me out.” And then he brought his hands close to her body, caressing her ribs and then up, up, until he was cupping her breasts in feverishly hot fingers. He whispered her name, just to see her shiver, and planted on her neck a kiss so tender she fell a bit in love with him there and then. Then his lips went lower, sucking a mark above her collarbone before taking one of her nipples in her mouth. She arched against him, instinctively closing her legs around his hips to bring him closer, and she felt his cock filling up right against her inner thigh.

Lucifer was so hot to the touch, she couldn’t stop running her hands along his arms and down his back. She hesitated for a second when she felt scars under her fingertips, but he thoroughly distracted her when he switched from one breast to the other. One of his hands ran down her body, stopping for a second to caress the soft skin between hip and leg, and then he cupped her where she was still wet and hot from his earlier treatment. “Lucifer…” she gasped, bringing his face to her so she could kiss him. She slotted her lips against him - a bit sloppy, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was still just cupping her without moving his fingers. “Yes, love?”, he whispered back, smiling deviously against her lips, rolling his hips against her with a bit of urgency. He wasn’t as unaffected as he was trying to look - talk about an ego boost for her. She would have loved nothing more than see this impossible, stunning man come apart in her arms. “Please, please, touch me. I want to feel you.” she said, putting on a bit of a show for him. She pressed against his hand and bit her lower lip, infusing as much lust and desire in her eyes as she could master. It didn’t take much effort.

Judging from the low growl coming from his throat (and did his eyes just flash red?), it worked. “If you ask so nicely”, he murmured against her ear, giving her the opportunity to breathe in properly his cologne again. Two of his fingers slid inside her, easy as breathing - it didn’t surprise her, considering how turned on she was. She felt his onix ring, cold in contrast to his feverish skin, stop the easy entrance of his finger. The thought of him still wearing the probably priceless piece of jewelry while fingering her, not bothered by the fact the he was getting it all wet with her, hit her like a punch to the stomach. Why it was so erotic to her, she didn’t know, and yet it made her moan his name out loud and sink her nails in his shoulders. He seemed more that happy to take the assault.

She thought Lucifer wouldn’t hesitate a second longer to get inside of her, instead he just added a third finger and did everything in his power to make her lose her mind. He crooked his fingers to find her g spot, mouth busy sucking hickeys on her neck and breasts, and when he found something that she particularly liked - narrow, slow circles on her clit - he kept at it until she fell apart a third time in his arms. And he kept going, relentless, to make her come again, so strong and unexpected that she blacked out a second. Then, and only then, Lucifer picked her up like she weighted nothing and slid her onto his cock, letting out a low moan of her name like it tore its way out of his chest. She couldn’t do much, still shaking and almost sobbing because he’s the Devil, of course he’s the Devil, what man could ever do this to her, make her feel like this… He was driving slow and deep inside of her, so hot he felt like molten lava against her skin, and then his thrusts became more erratic and he had to close his eyes and rest his forehead on her shoulder. He was basically picking her up and letting her fall down on his lap with no help from her, and she almost felt sorry for a second - expect that it’s difficult to feel sorry about anything after coming four times in an hour. She had no strength left, and he only had himself to blame.

Lucifer put his arm more firmly around her and let himself fall forward on her. Suddenly she was on her back again, on leg on his shoulder and the other in the crook of his elbow, his eyes stuck on her breasts and how they bounced with every thrust. She couldn’t do much to help him, so she decided to just try to look pretty and enjoy the rest on the ride while Lucifer chased his own release. It didn’t take long, just enough for her to start feeling pleasure again, and after a couple of minutes and a searing hot kiss that was all tongue and teeth, he came deep inside of her. The choked off sound of her name on his lips spurred her into holding him tight against her when he tried to slip out. Lucifer collapsed on her with a breathy laugh, content to let her stroke his hair while they both calmed down. “Well” he said, looking up at her, “I’m ready for round two whenever you are, love.”

*** They didn’t have a round two. Well, not immediately at least. She did wake up few hours later, cuddled up against him, and decided to see if she could get him hard while he was sleeping. She could, so she slipped under the covers and he woke up not much later with his cock already halfway in her mouth, and she sucked him off with all the enthusiasm a man like Lucifer deserved. What she lacked in technic she made up in earnestness. They fell asleep again, not before he tried to do the same to her (“But that’s what I do, darling, a favour for a favour”), but she was still too sore and way too tired for it. He made up for it in the shower the next morning, anyway. More than once.

***

It was already late morning, and they were both getting dressed to finally start the day. Lucifer was being a gentleman, of course, but she didn’t want to overstay her welcome so after their shower together she decided to get ready to go before he had to ask her to. He was putting on a dark blue suit she has never seen him into, while she looked for her shoes somewhere near the piano. She found them near her purse by the elevator, and she remembered for the first time that last night she wasn’t at Lux alone. She took her phone out of there purse, founding 3 lost calls and six new messages for her best friend:

(01.30) - Hello???? Where tf are u?

(01.45) - Seriously im getting worried

(01:55) - YOU LEFT WITH LUCIFER, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR

(01:55) - HOLY SHIT I CAN’T BELIEVE IT

(01:56) - asdfghjkl homegirl is gonna like, get it!!!!

(01:56) - im going home i guess lmao take some pics of his ass thanx and bye

She snickered while reading the messages, relieved that her friend found out where she was (probably from the bartender) before she got really worried. She sent her a quick message to her to let her know she was still in one piece. Mostly. She couldn’t really walk properly. (10:30) - I lived, bitch And then another, because she was in the mood for a bit of revenge: (10:30) - that’s what happens when you ditch me in the middle of a club. We could have had a threesome with him, such a wasted opportunity smh

She didn’t wait for a response and opted for putting her shoes back one - how was she going to walk in those after the night she just had, she didn’t know, but she had to manage.

Suddenly the elevator doors to the penthouse opened up, and a young woman with a long blonde ponytail walked out. “Hey, Lucifer, we’ve got- a… new case”, she finished, noticing her for the first time. “Hi”, she said, awkward as usual. She was half undressed and her hair was a mess - not really the best look to make a good first impression on someone. “Uh, hi. Is Lucifer here?” “Oh, Detective! I didn’t know you would swing by.” Talk of the Devil, she thought, while he entered the room perfectly dressed, fixing one of his cufflinks. She shifted awkwardly on her feet, and the Detective gave her a cold look. Or was it a pitying one? She couldn’t decipher it, nor she particularly cared. “Mh, I’ll leave you two to it. Thanks for- thanks for everything, Lucifer” she said, and he took a few steps in her direction to kiss her squarely on the lips. “You’re more than welcome. Come back whenever you want.”, he whispered after they broke apart. She blushed and nodded, stepping out of his presence with some effort. A quick smile to the other woman and she was already in the elevator. The last thing she heard Lucifer say was another warm, familiar “Detective”.

Aaah hope you enjoyed it! Any feedback is more than appreciated

>> Chapter Two

[nikkalia]

Pops in the Park

TITLE: Pops in the Park

AUTHOR: Nikkalia

PAIRING: Tom/OFC

RATING: M

SUMMARY: This is the result of a conversation on Discord about Loki!Tom crashing a concert. It went downhill from there... Dedicated to my darling @igotloki

NOTES/WARNINGS: (kinks, triggers, general warnings.) Smut, which is really difficult to write in first person for some reason...

TAGS: @igotloki @fandom-and-feminism @mrshiddleston-uk @fadingcoast @mischievousbellerina 

NOTES: Someone remind me to fix the hashtags later?

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming... No,” I whispered to no one. Speeches make me nervous and you could definitely hear it in my voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us tonight...this evening. Ugh, why do they make me do this?”

“Because Anthony Daniels canceled when it wasn’t all about Star Wars,” Mike answered, grinning. “Relax, you’ve got this.”

“No respect from my concertmaster,” I smirked as he clapped my shoulder.

“So, is the magic man making an appearance tonight?”

“Nope. He’s otherwise occupied.”

Mike laughed. “What does that even mean?”

I shrugged. “It means...he won’t be here.”

“Oh, come on. He can’t pull away from whatever he’s filming for one night to celebrate your 5 year anniversary with us? Loser.”

“Whatever.” I blew out a sigh and looked back over my notes. “Really hate speeches.”

“See, magic man should’ve been here. He likes to talk and the ladies love to listen.” Mike winked and got a smack on the arm for his trouble before wandering off.

He wasn’t wrong. Tom loved to talk and everyone loved his voice, not just the ladies. In the two plus years we've been together, I’d never known him to refuse an opportunity to tell a story - except to hear me tell one. He was the only man I’d ever met that could listen as intently as he does, to make you feel like the entire universe centered around you. Management had actually approached his agent about serving as emcee when Daniels backed out, and they declined, citing a previous commitment. Which was, at the time, a bald-faced lie.

We argued about the timing of this show only a few days prior to the request because the concert was so close to our own anniversary. He had, in typical Tom fashion, made some grand plans involving travel and luxuries and all the things that drove my simplistic heart manic with worry, and hadn’t bothered to check the concert calendar. So, when I told him I couldn’t blow off the fund-raising event of the season, he went ballistic.

And I fired back. How dare he get upset when he’d canceled God knows how many times in favor of an audition? Where did he get off saying that one night wasn’t as important as ‘us’ when he’d confused night after night for his career? It turned really ugly and I ended up flying back to New York earlier than planned because of it. We didn’t speak for a week, and all of our communication after that was strained. Six weeks later, I stopped hearing from him altogether, despite assurances from his mother and sisters that we were still very much a couple. He was deep in some remote area with no wireless signal, they said. I sighed, pushing back tears.  

“Two minutes to curtain. Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you that an emcee has been located. You’re off the hook.” a stagehand told me.

“Thank you, God!”

I found Mike walking toward me, making sure everyone was ready to go.

“Conductor,” he nodded, a glint of mischief in his eye.

“Concertmaster,” I nodded back, grinning. Our pre-show ritual complete, he returned to his place in the lineup and the procession began with the welcoming announcement. I watched from the wings as the line of bodies filed into their seats to thunderous applause. The house looked to be full. “Must be doing something right,” I said to the stagehand.

A hush fell over the crowd, followed by the sound of a solid A from Mike. The strings followed, then woodwinds, brass. Mike nodded again. I nodded back, then to the stagehand, who gave his own cue to the booth. I took a deep breath, prayed a little prayer, and strode out on the stage as the house announcer introduced me. I bowed, gesturing to the musicians who were doing all of the real work tonight, and smiled.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage our master of ceremonies for the evening, mister Robert Downey, Jr.”

Bob strode out to the center of the stage, grinning from ear to ear.

I shot the dirtiest look to Mike, mouthing, “You knew.”

He shrugged, then smiled. Jackass.

“Maestra, you look stunning,” I heard beside me. He leaned in for a cheek-to-cheek kiss, lingering a little longer than maybe he should have. “He misses you,” he finally whispered, pulling away.

“Then he should be here.” I croaked. Poor Bob, reduced to a mere messenger boy. “Shall we?”

Being the gentleman that he is, Robert led me to the platform, holding my hand as I made the tiny step up, then returned to the podium on the other side of the stage.

I reviewed the first few measures of the music in front of me while Robert began his speech. He told the audience of his love for the music we would begin the performance with, the “John Williams Suite”. It was an orchestration I’d been working on for months, often to Tom’s frustration. Sheet music tended to consume the kitchen table in my loft apartment, something that was not at all conducive to his attempts to cook for me. I smiled as we began with ‘Indiana Jones’ themes, recalling a particular incident where he walked into the apartment completely unannounced, arms overloaded with grocery bags to find the table had been covered with scores from half a dozen films. He just sighed and went into the kitchen to begin cooking. Another meal on the sofa, he lamented. I simply kept on writing, struggling to get the transition between ‘E.T.’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ just right.

The music followed into the Star Wars medley. Lost in memory, I had to pull myself together enough to get through the rest of the piece. ‘Duel of the Fates’ was no joke to perform, much less conduct. Some of the choir members referred to it as the marathon. The horn players laughed at them until I reminded them that this was the reason why I stretched my arms before every rehearsal. Tom knew when rehearsals were intense by the way I held my shoulders afterward. He’d always massage the muscles, wondering if I was perhaps a bit too animated in my conducting. I’d always ask if he was perhaps a bit too animated when he read the Saint Crispin’s speech. That’s usually when the tickling started.

After a few moments pause for the audience to show their appreciation, and for the orchestra to move sheet music around, we moved into a mix of old and new Star Trek themes, ending with the suite from Into Darkness. There has been a great deal of debate within the group as to which series - old or new - was better, followed by discussions of films, actors, approaches, and which made my little geeky heart happy. Tom had no comment on the matter, despite the fact that his eyes lit up a little more when we opted to watch Ben’s version of Khan instead of the original.

The piece finished and Robert began rambling on about music and film and... I stopped paying attention after a few seconds, focusing again on the upcoming music. One of the stagehands appeared on my right and placed a wireless mic on the music stand. I put it on, thinking I would be expected to say a few words about my time with the orchestra, what an honor it was, blah blah blah.

Celebrate yourself, Tom would say. If anyone deserves accolades, it’s you. My response was almost always, “yeah, whatever,” which would send him into a 20-minute monologue extolling my virtues as a musician and human. I’ve always preferred to let the music speak for itself.

I heard Robert say “This is gonna be fun,” and knew we were up. I’d arranged a medley of Queen songs - Somebody to Love, I’m Going Slightly Mad, Days of Our Lives, and Bohemian Rhapsody. When Mike saw the score for the first time, he asked if I was okay. I just wasn’t ready to discuss the argument, so I brushed the question off with a shrug. “Feeling nostalgic,” I told him. “Besides, I want to show the altos some love.”

The altos later told me that was not the kind of love they were looking for. The sopranos, however, were ecstatic. Divas, the whole lot of them.

Music from the MCU finished out the evening. Black Panther, Thor, Captain Marvel, and all the Avengers films wrapped into 10 minutes. It was supposed to be for Tom. I’d seriously contemplated scrapping the whole section after the fight but the entire orchestra vetoed the idea, citing it as the “entertaining” piece of the evening. I knew that if the musicians weren’t happy, no one was happy, so it stayed but they just wanted to play Immigrant Song.

We’d moved through to ‘Portals’ from the Endgame soundtrack and I could feel the energy of the audience change. They started shouting and clapping behind me. Maybe they’re loving the music with the latest movie having been released. We reached the scripted pause, and I kept going, but the orchestra doesn’t. They just sat there staring at me, and I was suddenly aware of “Loki” being chanted behind me. I glared at Mike, who’s grinning like the Cheshire Cat. That’s when the glint of gold caught my eye. I turned, finally dropping my arms when my mouth follows suit.

Loki, or Tom, in full Loki regalia, strode toward me like a demi-god possessed. The horns sat above smoldering eyes, cape flowing behind him as he approached me like an animal stalking his prey. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to pounce on him in front of God and the globe. I never could resist that costume, and he knew it. Instead, I simply crossed my arms.

“Please,” he growled, the swagger growing, “don’t stop on my account. Summon your Avengers.”

“Bad enough you destroy half of Manhattan with some half-baked scheme to take over the world. Now, you have the audacity to crash my gig and interrupt their music?”

He stopped short, head cocking to one side. I don’t think he was entirely sure if I was serious or just playing along. The infamous smile returned.

“Forgive me. The interruption of the arts is indeed a sin, but the purpose behind my visit warrants such sacrilege.” When I didn’t answer, he removed his helmet, eliciting a new wave of cheers from the crowd. His hair was its natural ginger, long and wildly out of control. He turned to them and held a finger to his goateed lips, a la 2013’s Comic-Con visit before placing the helmet on the stage.

“I have found myself lamenting the loss of something very dear to me of late. Something that I believe you alone can help me recover.” He paused, his voice echoing through the speakers while his hands fell to his sides. “It pains me to admit such shortcomings, but I find that I am weaker without you, that I am lost without your presence in my life. I am heartbroken at each day that passes without the sound of your voice. So,” his cloak flew behind him with a flourish and he fell to one knee. A collective gasp came from the audience and the stage. “My lady, would you consider restoring to me the grace of your life and your love on a permanent basis?”

What the hell is happening? I glanced over at Mike. He and the rest of the orchestra are literally sitting on the edge of their seats. When I turn back to Tom, his arm is extended towards me, a small box with a ring sitting in the palm of his hand. Tom, channeling Loki, channeling King Hal. I was doomed.  

“Will you consent to be my queen and my love? Will you marry me?”

His head dropped and my heart leaped into my throat. Time seemed to slow to a crawl while I recalled every fight, every laugh, every moment of passion and joy and sorrow. How could I possibly say yes? How could I not?

The soft sound of a camera lens focusing on me snapped me out of my time stop. He was still on bended knee, his arm shaking a bit. I stepped off of the platform and lifted his chin. For all his eloquence, I could only come up with a single word response.

“Yes.”

Tom jumped to his feet and kissed me as everyone within earshot roared with approval. ‘All I Ask of You’ began to play and I made a mental note to fire then promote Mike later, as I was sure he’d been part of this plot all along. A moment passed in his arms before he finally stepped back, scooping up the golden horns.

“I shall be waiting with white horses, my queen.”

“And here I thought you’d want me to play you out.”

“As long as it’s not ‘Performance Issues’.”

“No promises.” I winked then stepped back onto the platform. “Ladies and gentlemen, shall we skip to the end?” Mike nodded and everyone found their page. I raised my hands and music from the Avengers theme rang out in the park.

Tom bowed to me before he slid the helmet back over his head, turned and walked to the side of the stage where Robert stood, raising his hands in victory when applause followed. I caught them embracing out of the corner of my eye and knew I’d have to give both of them grief later for the first glimpse of ‘FrostIron.’

We made it to the loft long after the final note sounded. There had been a sea of people congratulating me on the concert, the engagement, and everything in between. Tom vanished long enough to de-Loki, much to my disappointment, but stayed right next to me for the rest of the night. When we were finally able to leave, he ushered me out to a white Jag. White horses, indeed.

He zipped through the streets of Manhattan with ease, taking as many backroads as possible to avoid traffic. I took the time to get a good look at the ring, and oh God was it stunning. A large oval stone set on its side with two smaller stones at either end set in a band of polished silver knotwork. Definitely handcrafted and a perfect fit.

“The band’s tungsten. I know how hard you are on jewelry,” Tom said with a wink.”The stones are moldavite, amethyst, and garnet.” he glanced over, a smile on his face. “Us.”

“It’s perfect,” I blushed a little, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “And you’re a dork of the highest caliber.”

That little laugh that drives all the ladies crazy slipped out as he nodded and pulled into the parking garage. Our elevator ride was silent as the family that snuck in just as the doors were closing bombarded Tom with more questions about Loki than I’d ever come up with. It made me think we’d have to take the service elevator from now on.

All thoughts of anything beyond the man wrapped around me vanished as soon as the apartment door closed. Tom spun me around, planting a kiss that went from chaste to passion in point zero six seconds. I heard my keys hit the floor after I missed the end table. He growled when I tried to pick them up, nipping a little harder at my neck, pushing me toward the bedroom.

We were all hands trying to shed clothes on the way. You’d think that as much coordination we had individually, we’d be able to make it look as graceful as it did in the movies. The poor boy got so frustrated that he picked me up, carried me down the hallway, and dropped me on the bed. Shoes and socks off, he stepped closer to unzip my dress while I worked on his pants. The ‘conda sprang free as soon as the zipper fell. Another growl came from above when I wrapped my hand around it, morphing into a moan as when lips added.

The bed dipped to one side a little with the weight of his leg. His hands rested on my shoulders as he tried to steady himself while I rolled my tongue around his cock. I couldn’t see his eyes with his head leaned back, but knew he was lost in the sensations, his hips rocking back and forth. He pulled out suddenly, tugged my hands away and upward to my feet.

Another kiss, slower and more passionate while he finally figured out the zipper of my gown. His hands moved the fabric down, and the frustrated moan came when he remembered just how much effort went into making slinky black dresses look good. He nuzzled and nipped his way across my face and down my neck while he fumbled with the clasps of my bra. I returned the favor, dragging teeth along his neck until I was able to get his shirt open.  

What was left of my clothing dropped to the floor in one swift motion when Tom dropped to his knees, pushing me back onto the bed. I slid up the mattress and he followed, kissing and licking his way up my legs. He stopped at my hips, licking upward along the inside of my thigh but never quite made it to the center.

“If all you’re gonna do is tease,” I panted, “then get up here.”

“You would deny me the pleasure of devouring your already dripping quim?” Loki’s voice followed the dark, lust filled eyes that looked up at me. Before I could wrap my brain around my impending demise by god-lust, a finger slid inside me, followed by another. The smirk became a grin and he lowered his mouth to my clit, his eyes never leaving mine.

He growled again as he began to suck, slowly pumping his ridiculously long fingers in and out of my pussy. I tried to squirm away when he picked up the pace and he wrapped his free arm around my leg, locking me in place. I lost count of how many times he brought me to the edge only to back off and begin again. My fingers found their way into his hair, tugging him upward, only to be rewarded with his teeth dragging across my swollen bud.

“Not until you cum,” he purred, still latched on to me. He began thrusting the fingers inside me, curling them around to brush against that little bundle of nerves while he clamped down with lips and teeth. It didn’t take long for my body to shatter beneath him, my orgasm tearing its way out of me with a scream. He anchored me down with both arms, sucking out every last drop I could offer.

When I came back to reality, he was making a slow path up my body, his breath hot on my skin. His lips finally reached mine and I took rough possession of them, wanting to taste him. The tip of his cock brushed against my pussy and I shivered. Tom pulled away a bit.

“Need a bit longer to recover?” he whispered, nuzzling against my cheek.

“Absolutely not.” I pulled him closer to me and shifted a bit, sliding a hand down his stomach. “Only thing I need is you.” My fingers wrapped around his length and guided him inside.

“Oh. My. Go...” The last syllable was lost in the moan that rumbled in his chest. He was completely still above me except the slow thrust to push himself deeper, nearly purring as he went. I moved my hands along his sides and he sighed. “Been too long. Won’t last.”

“Ditto,” I breathed into his ear, “on both counts. Just move.”

Tom obliged, rocking his hips back and forth, moving a little faster with each thrust. I tried to lift my hips to his, but he built a pace I just couldn’t maintain. All I could do was hold onto him, losing myself in the feeling his body in mine and the sounds we made. His moans took on a higher pitch and his thrusts became erratic until every muscle in his body tensed, his seed spilling in waves. Feeling him cum sent me back over the edge, and I could’ve sworn I heard him chuckle as I clamped down around him.

We lay tangled in each other for a while, basking in the afterglow. He finally moved to the side, eliciting a groan from both of us when he did. Ever the gentleman, he let me duck into the loo first while he turned down the bed. Both settled back in bed, I curled up next to him, my head resting on his chest.

“Love?” he whispered, toying with a lock of my hair. “Are you sure?”

“Sure of what?”

“This,” he spoke as he ran his fingers along my left hand to the ring. “I know you wouldn’t have refused me in front of the entire world and half of Manhattan, even if you wanted to.” I lifted my head from his chest to look at him. There was a genuine concern on his face as he sighed. “So, are you sure?”

“You’re serious?” His face turned sheepish. “Then let me answer a question with a question.”

“What? You hate it when I do that!” He sat up a bit and I pressed a finger to his lips.

“Thomas William Loki Adam Hank Henry Robert Freddie Jonathan Oakley Hiddleston the fifth, Lord Nooth, rightful king of the Jotunheim, England, Ireland, Scotland...”

“Okay, okay, enough,” he chuckled. I grinned at him.

“Will you marry me?” His eyes went wide and teared up a bit. He began nodding furiously until I kissed him.

Neither of us slept that night.

[debbiechanclub]

The Ocean In Between

Characters: Adam Cole x OFC x Zack Gibson

Summary: Madeline McGregor’s been given a second shot at the top in the form of NXT UK, and she’s more than willing to grab the brass ring. But it’s more than gold that motivates her to set her sights across the ocean; so long as she can keep from looking back.

Note: I’m not expecting there to be nearly as much interest in this as there is Paradigm Shift, but I wrote it so I’m posting it. Prove me wrong, Tumblr!

Tagging: @dagreatest316 @blondekel77 @pinkxlips @gamer705

Part 1/?

Chapter One: I Have News

Sunday, June 1, 2019 NXT TakeOver: XXV – Bridgeport, Connecticut

As she stared across the table at Triple H, Maddie felt—as Candice would say—like a duck: calm, cool, and collected to the outside world, but frantically treading water just beneath the surface. After all, this meeting would go one of two ways; and if she had to guess, she’d say her chances were 50/50 as to whether she was about to get good news or the worst news of her life.

“Alright, Maddie,” he leaned forward on his forearms, cutting an imposing figure. His expression was entirely unreadable. “First I want to say thank you for coming up here to meet with me. I know you’re not on the card tonight, so I appreciate your flying up from Florida.”

Maddie swallowed a lump in her throat. That didn’t seem like a good start to the conversation, but she forced a smile. “Oh, it’s no problem. I was planning on coming, anyway; there’s no way I’d miss a TakeOver, let alone one this big.”

Hunter sent her a stiff grin of his own. “I know you wouldn’t. You’ve been dedicated since day one; that’s something that’s always stood out to me about you. You never complain, you always show up and put in the work no matter the situation.”

Maddie’s heart hammered so thunderously that it almost drowned out the compliment. “Thank you. It means a lot that you think that of me.”

“You’re welcome. And that sort of segues into what I wanted to talk to you about.”

She sat up straighter, wringing clammy hands in her lap. This was it. Her entire future hung upon whatever the next words would be to come out of his mouth.

His tone was even and steady as he spoke. “I know things haven’t gone how you expected or hoped they would over the last year. Unfortunately, there’s only so much opportunity to go around, and you’ve gotten lost in the shuffle here.”

Blood rushed to her head and she went momentarily dizzy. He was going to release her. This was the end of the road, her last night in NXT, in WWE—

“Which is why I want to see how you do over in NXT UK.”

Suddenly, the world stopped. “I’m sorry what?” she blurted. NXT UK? Had she heard him correctly?

He let out an amused laugh at her utter bewilderment. “Is that something you’d be open to?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Maddie proclaimed. Her heart was still pounding, but it was a different sensation now. “That’s just not—I’m really surprised.”

“I get it,” he sympathetically returned. “But this is actually something I’ve been considering for a few weeks. You made a name for yourself over in Britain working for Progress and Pro Wrestling: EVE. They know you there, they like you there, and, at least right now, I really think there’s greater opportunity for you on the NXT UK roster than there is down in Florida.”

Maddie couldn’t agree more. “When do I start?”

“Well, the next round of UK tapings will be at Download Festival. In two weeks.”

“Then I’ll be at Download Festival in two weeks.”

Hunter genially knocked his knuckles against the tabletop. “That’s what I like to hear. In the meantime, all I need you to do is be ready to go. I’m still ironing out the creative details, but I should have more to tell you in about a week.”

For the first time since sitting down, Maddie gave a genuine smile. “That works for me.”

“Great,” Hunter nodded. “Well, that’s all I had for you, Maddie. Get outta here, go enjoy the show.”

“I will. Thank you so much, Hunter.” She shook his hand and nearly bounced out of the room, feeling a million times lighter than when she’d entered. For the first time in a long time, it felt like something good was on the horizon; and for the boss himself to recognize her dedication and talent made all the difference.

She had to share the good news. It was just past 5 o’clock, so that meant it was just past 10 o’clock in England. They should all still be up, she thought as she whipped out her phone and composed a group text to her closest friends on the UK brand: Toni Storm, Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, and Mark Andrews.

Guys!! I have news! Trips just spoke with me and he’s putting me on NXT UK!!

Pete was the first to reply. But you’re a yank.

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes at the curt, typical Pete-ness of his response; but before she could fire off a snappy retort Toni chimed in.

PETE! Shut it. That’s fantastic Mads! I’ve been wanting a new opponent to defend my title against ;)

Brilliant, Trent added. Don’t listen to Pete, he’s got his cranky dad pants on.

Fuck off mate, Pete returned. To which Trent simply said:

See.

Maddie laughed to herself as her fingers flew over the keyboard. Wow, I can already tell this’ll be a barrel of fun.

Mark checked in next. Mads! This is fantastic news. Will you be at Download?

Yes! she texted back. They’re still working out the details but he said they should have it all figured out by then. Dozens of possibilities flew through Maddie’s head as she hit send, each one better than the last. She hadn’t wrestled Rhea since the inaugural Mae Young Classic, and she’d love to have a re-match; and, of course, she’d want to set her sights on the NXT UK Women’s Championship as soon as possible, whether Toni had it or not. After nearly two years, she’d had yet to taste gold in NXT, and her hunger was growing unbearable. To win that championship would prove that none of the blood, sweat, and tears she’d put into this business had been in vain. It would prove that she belonged.

Her phone vibrated in her hands. Tyler had finally responded. Congrats Mads. Toni needs someone to come over here and knock her down a peg.

Maddie’s eyebrows arched when she read that. She was not about to insert herself between Tyler and Toni—and Trent apparently felt the same.

And that’s my cue to exit, he said.

A text came in from Toni next. I’ll just pretend you didn’t say that, she returned, and Maddie prayed Tyler would just keep his big mouth shut. Thankfully, when nothing else was said, it seemed he knew he was better off just staying quiet.

ANYWAY, Mark interjected. I’m so excited for you and I can’t wait to see you at Download!

Thank you!! Maddie typed back. Alright, I’m gonna go since it’s TakeOver and all. See you in two weeks!    

She smiled down at her phone, thrilled that her friends seemed just as happy as her—and then she remembered. “I have to tell Candice!”

She hurried back down the hall toward the direction of the women’s locker room, cut hard around a corner, and slammed right into a solid body. She stumbled backward from the impact, dazed, and two hands grabbed hold of her shoulders to steady her. When she regained her bearings and focused in on who was in front of her, she realized it was the last person she wanted to see tonight: Austin Jenkins; or, as he was known to the world, Adam Cole.

“Whoa, where’s the fire?” A bemused smile crinkled the skin around his blue eyes, but Maddie didn’t return it.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you. “ She shrugged out of his grip and tried to step around him, but he moved with her, blocking her way.

“Wait. I’m glad I ran into you, literally. I have news.”

He was practically bouncing on his toes. As much as she didn’t want to give him the time of day, Maddie didn’t have the heart to rob him of the excitement of sharing his news, whatever it was. She was in the same boat. “Well?” she asked expectantly. “What is it?”

He couldn’t stop smiling if he tried. “I’m winning the NXT Championship tonight.”

For a second, Maddie just stared up at him wide-eyed, unsure what to do, what to say. She’d known this day would come—everyone did—but it was different now. Before, she’d always imagined him winning the title with her there by his side, greeting him with a kiss as he returned through the Gorilla curtain, sweaty and exhausted and ecstatic. But now it felt impersonal; like someone else living out a dream that had once been hers. “Congrats,” she managed say. “You’ll make a great champ.”

His grin faltered for the first time. “You seem surprised.”

“Well, I am,” she blurted. “I mean, not that you’re winning, but that you’re telling me.”

He looked confused at that. “Of course I’m telling you. There’s no one else I’ve talked with about this more than you.”

Maddie felt bile coming up from her stomach in the form of words, nasty and foul, but before she could spit out what her heart wanted her to say she forced her brain to take over. “I have news too.”

Austin’s face went stoic, and the mood suddenly shifted. He must have heard about her meeting with Triple H—Candice probably told him—and now he was clearly uncomfortable, uncertain if her news was good news, if he’d inadvertently rubbed his happiness in her misery. “Yeah, Candice told me about your meeting,” he cautioned. “How’d it go?”

She kept up her poker face; kept her tone even. “Good. They’re putting me on NXT UK.”

“What?” His obvious shock spewed out of his mouth, and he had to reel it back in. “I mean, that’s cool. I know you like wrestling over there. You’re not gonna have to move there, are you?”

What do you care? she thought, but she kept the question to herself and shook her head. “No. They film just like we do. I’ll still be here—well, in Florida. At the PC.”

He nodded like that information mattered to him. Like he would notice if she was on the other side of ocean. But Maddie knew he wouldn’t. He had someone else to warm his bed. “Well, congrats,” he said, and then they were left with nothing but the awkward silence between them.

She shifted to step around him again. He didn’t stop her this time. “Well, I’m gonna go tell Candice. Good luck tonight; although I guess you don’t need it.”

“Oh no, I probably still do,” he joked.

Maddie sent him an artificial smile, and then she was on her way again to the women’s locker room; to Candice and their friends; to people who really would be happy for her and not just superficially so. But just before she got to the locker room door she slowed to stop, wondering. She looked at her phone again, pulled up his name, debated sending him a text. But no sooner had the thought arrived than she dismissed it. She hadn’t heard from him in weeks; hadn’t seen him since WrestleMania. He probably wouldn’t care anymore than Austin had, and she didn’t want another lukewarm response.

[niksfiks]

Pops in the Park

Originally posted 6/10/19

TITLE: Pops in the Park

AUTHOR: Nikkalia (niksfiks)

PAIRING: Tom/OFC

RATING: M

SUMMARY: This is the result of a conversation on Discord about Loki!Tom crashing a concert. It went downhill from there... Dedicated to my darling @igotloki

NOTES/WARNINGS: (kinks, triggers, general warnings.) Smut, which is really difficult to write in first person for some reason...

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming... No,” I whispered to no one. Speeches make me nervous and you could definitely hear it in my voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us tonight...this evening. Ugh, why do they make me do this?” 

“Because Anthony Daniels canceled when it wasn’t all about Star Wars.” Mike answered, grinning. “Relax, you’ve got this.” 

“No respect from my concertmaster,” I smirked as he clapped my shoulder.

“So, is the magic man making an appearance tonight?” 

“Nope. He’s otherwise occupied.”

Mike laughed. “What does that even mean?”

I shrugged. “It means...he won’t be here.”

“Oh, come on. He can’t pull away from whatever he’s filming for one night to celebrate your 5 year anniversary with us? Loser.”

“Whatever.” I blew out a sigh and looked back over my notes. “Really hate speeches.”

“See, magic man should’ve been here. He likes to talk and the ladies love to listen.” Mike winked and got a smack on the arm for his trouble before wandering off. 

He wasn’t wrong. Tom loved to talk and everyone loved his voice, not just the ladies. In the two plus years we've been together, I’d never known him to refuse an opportunity to tell a story - except to hear me tell one. He was the only man I’d ever met that could listen as intently as he does, to make you feel like the entire universe centered around you. Management had actually approached his agent about serving as emcee when Daniels backed out, and they declined, citing a previous commitment. Which was, at the time, a bald-faced lie. 

We argued about the timing of this show only a few days prior to the request because the concert was so close to our own anniversary. He had, in typical Tom fashion, made some grand plans involving travel and luxuries and all the things that drove my simplistic heart manic with worry, and hadn’t bothered to check the concert calendar. So, when I told him I couldn’t blow off the fund-raising event of the season, he went ballistic. 

And I fired back. How dare he get upset when he’d canceled God knows how many times in favor of an audition? Where did he get off saying that one night wasn’t as important as ‘us’ when he’d confused night after night for his career? It turned really ugly and I ended up flying back to New York earlier than planned because of it. We didn’t speak for a week, and all of our communication after that was strained. Six weeks later, I stopped hearing from him altogether, despite assurances from his mother and sisters that we were still very much a couple. He was deep in some remote area with no wireless signal, they said. I sighed, pushing back tears.  

“Two minutes to curtain. Oh, and I’m supposed to tell you that an emcee has been located. You’re off the hook.” a stagehand told me. 

“Thank you, God!”

I found Mike walking toward me, making sure everyone was ready to go. 

“Conductor,” he nodded, a glint of mischief in his eye.

“Concertmaster,” I nodded back, grinning. Our pre-show ritual complete, he returned to his place in the lineup and the procession began with the welcoming announcement. I watched from the wings as the line of bodies filed into their seats to thunderous applause. The house looked to be full. “Must be doing something right,” I said to the stagehand. 

A hush fell over the crowd, followed by the sound of a solid A from Mike. The strings followed, then woodwinds, brass. Mike nodded again. I nodded back, then to the stagehand, who gave his own cue to the booth. I took a deep breath, prayed a little prayer, and strode out on the stage as the house announcer introduced me. I bowed, gesturing to the musicians who were doing all of the real work tonight, and smiled.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage our master of ceremonies for the evening, mister Robert Downey, Jr.”

Bob strode out to the center of the stage, grinning from ear to ear. 

I shot the dirtiest look to Mike, mouthing, “You knew.” 

He shrugged, then smiled. Jackass. 

“Maestra,you look stunning,” I heard beside me. He leaned in for a cheek-to-cheek kiss, lingering a little longer than maybe he should have. “He misses you,” he finally whispered, pulling away. 

“Then he should be here.” I croaked. Poor Bob, reduced to a mere messenger boy. “Shall we?”

Being the gentleman that he is, Robert led me to the platform, holding my hand as I made the tiny step up, then returned to the podium on the other side of the stage. 

I reviewed the first few measures of the music in front of me while Robert began his speech. He told the audience of his love for the music we would begin the performance with, the “John Williams Suite”. It was an orchestration I’d been working on for months, often to Tom’s frustration. Sheet music tended to consume the kitchen table in my loft apartment, something that was not at all conducive to his attempts to cook for me. I smiled as we began with ‘Indiana Jones’ themes, recalling a particular incident where he walked into the apartment completely unannounced, arms overloaded with grocery bags to find the table had been covered with scores from half a dozen films. He just sighed and went into the kitchen to begin cooking. Another meal on the sofa, he lamented. I simply kept on writing, struggling to get the transition between ‘E.T.’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ just right.

The music followed into the Star Wars medley. Lost in memory, I had to pull myself together enough to get through the rest of the piece. ‘Duel of the Fates’ was no joke to perform, much less conduct. Some of the choir members referred to it as the marathon. The horn players laughed at them until I reminded them that this was the reason why I stretched my arms before every rehearsal. Tom knew when rehearsals were intense by the way I held my shoulders afterward. He’d always massage the muscles, wondering if I was perhaps a bit too animated in my conducting. I’d always ask if he was perhaps a bit too animated when he read the Saint Crispin’s speech. That’s usually when the tickling started. 

After a few moments pause for the audience to show their appreciation, and for the orchestra to move sheet music around, we moved into a mix of old and new Star Trek themes, ending with the suite from Into Darkness. There has been a great deal of debate within the group as to which series - old or new - was better, followed by discussions of films, actors, approaches, and which made my little geeky heart happy. Tom had no comment on the matter, despite the fact that his eyes lit up a little more when we opted to watch Ben’s version of Khan instead of the original.

The piece finished and Robert began rambling on about music and film and... I stopped paying attention after a few seconds, focusing again on the upcoming music. One of the stage hands appeared on my right and placed a wireless mic on the music stand. I put it on, thinking I would be expected to say a few words about my time with the orchestra, what an honor it was, blah blah blah.

Celebrate yourself, Tom would say. If anyone deserves accolades, it’s you. My response was almost always, “yeah, whatever,” which would send him into a 20 minute monologue extolling my virtues as a musician and human. I’ve always preferred to let the music speak for itself. 

I heard Robert say “This is gonna be fun,” and knew we were up. I’d arranged a medley of Queen songs - Somebody to Love, I’m Going Slightly Mad, Days of Our Lives, and Bohemian Rhapsody. When Mike saw the score for the first time, he asked if I was okay. I just wasn’t ready to discuss the argument, so I brushed the question off with a shrug. “Feeling nostalgic,” I told him. “Besides, I want to show the altos some love.” 

The altos later told me that was not the kind of love they were looking for. The sopranos, however, were ecstatic. Divas, the whole lot of them. 

Music from the MCU finished out the evening. Black Panther, Thor, Captain Marvel, and all the Avengers films wrapped into 10 minutes. It was supposed to be for Tom. I’d seriously contemplated scrapping the whole section after the fight but the entire orchestra vetoed the idea, citing it as the “entertaining” piece of the evening. I knew that if the musicians weren’t happy, no one was happy, so it stayed but they just wanted to play Immigrant Song.

We’d moved through to ‘Portals’ from the Endgame soundtrack and I could feel the energy of the audience change. They started shouting and clapping behind me. Maybe they’re loving the music with the latest movie having been released. We reached the scripted pause, and I kept going, but the orchestra doesn’t. They just sat there staring at me, and I was suddenly aware of “Loki” being chanted behind me. I glared at Mike, who’s grinning like the Cheshire Cat. That’s when the glint of gold caught my eye. I turned, finally dropping my arms when my mouth follows suit. 

Loki, or Tom, in full Loki regalia, strode toward me like a demi-god possessed. The horns sat above smouldering eyes, cape flowing behind him as he approached me like an animal stalking his prey. It took every ounce of self control I had not to pounce on him in front of God and the globe. I never could resist that costume, and he knew it. Instead, I simply crossed my arms.

“Please,” he growled, the swagger growing, “don’t stop on my account. Summon your Avengers.”

“Bad enough you destroy half of Manhattan with some half-baked scheme to take over the world. Now, you have the audacity to crash my gig and interrupt their music?”

He stopped short, head cocking to one side. I don’t think he was entirely sure if I was serious or just playing along. The infamous smile returned. 

“Forgive me. The interruption of the arts is indeed a sin, but the purpose behind my visit warrants such sacrilege.” When I didn’t answer, he removed his helmet, eliciting a new wave of cheers from the crowd. His hair was its natural ginger, long and wildly out of control. He turned to them and held a finger to his goateed lips, a la 2013’s Comic Con visit before placing the helmet on the stage. 

“I have found myself lamenting the loss of something very dear to me of late. Something that I believe you alone can help me recover.” He paused, his voice echoing through the speakers while his hands fells to his sides. “It pains me to admit such shortcomings, but I find that I am weaker without you, that I am lost without your presence in my life. I am heartbroken at each day that passes without the sound of your voice. So,” his cloak flew behind him with a flourish and he fell to one knee. A collective gasp came from the audience and the stage. “My lady, would you consider restoring to me the grace of your life and your love on a permanent basis?”

What the hell is happening? I glanced over at Mike. He, and the rest of the orchestra, are literally sitting on the edge of their seats. When I turn back to Tom, his arm is extended towards me, a small box with a ring sitting in the palm of his hand. Tom, channeling Loki, channeling King Hal. I was doomed.  

“Will you consent to be my queen and my love? Will you marry me?” 

His head dropped and my heart leapt into my throat. Time seemed to slow to a crawl while I recalled every fight, every laugh, every moment of passion and joy and sorrow. How could I possibly say yes? How could I not?

The soft sound of a camera lens focusing on me snapped me out of my time stop. He was still on bended knee, his arm shaking a bit. I stepped off of the platform and lifted his chin. For all his eloquence, I could only come up with a single word response. 

“Yes.”

Tom jumped to his feet and kissed me as everyone within earshot roared with approval. ‘All I Ask of You’ began to play and I made a mental note to fire then promote Mike later, as I was sure he’d been part of this plot all along. A moment passed in his arms before he finally stepped back, scooping up the golden horns.

“I shall be waiting with white horses, my queen.” 

“And here I thought you’d want me to play you out.”

“As long as it’s not ‘Performance Issues’.” 

“No promises.” I winked then stepped back onto the platform. “Ladies and gentlemen, shall we skip to the end?” Mike nodded and everyone found their page. I raised my hands and music from the Avengers theme rang out in the park.

Tom bowed to me before he slid the helmet back over his head, turned and walked to the side of the stage where Robert stood, raising his hands in victory when applause followed. I caught them embracing out of the corner of my eye and knew I’d have to give both of them grief later for the first glimpse of ‘FrostIron.’

We made it to the loft long after the final note sounded. There had been a sea of people congratulating me on the concert, the engagement, and everything in between. Tom vanished long enough to de-Loki, much to my disappointment, but stayed right next to me for the rest of the night. When we were finally able to leave, he ushered me out to a white Jag. White horses, indeed. 

He zipped through the streets of Manhattan with ease, taking as many backroads as possible to avoid traffic. I took the time to get a good look at the ring, and oh God was it stunning. A large oval stone set on its side with two smaller stones at either end set in a band of polished silver knotwork. Definitely handcrafted and a perfect fit.

“The band’s tungsten. I know how hard you are on jewelry,” Tom said with a wink.”The stones are moldavite, amethyst and garnet.” he glanced over, a smile on his face. “Us.” 

“It’s perfect,” I blushed a little, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “And you’re a dork of the highest caliber.”

That little laugh that drives all the ladies crazy slipped out as he nodded and pulled into the parking garage. Our elevator ride was silent as the family that snuck in just as the doors were closing bombarded Tom with more questions about Loki than I’d ever come up with. It made me think we’d have to take the service elevator from now on. 

All thoughts of anything beyond the man wrapped around me vanished as soon as the apartment door closed. Tom spun me around, planting a kiss that went from chaste to passion in point zero six seconds. I heard my keys hit the floor after I missed the end table. He growled when I tried to pick them up, nipping a little harder at my neck, pushing me toward the bedroom. 

We were all hands trying to shed clothes on the way. You’d think that as much coordination we had individually, we’d be able to make it look as graceful as it did in the movies. The poor boy got so frustrated that he picked me up, carried me down the hallway, and dropped me on the bed. Shoes and socks off, he stepped closer to unzip my dress while I worked on his pants. The conda sprang free as soon as the zipper fell. Another growl came from above when I wrapped my hand around it, morphing into a moan as when lips added. 

The bed dipped to one side a little with the weight of his leg. His hands rested on my shoulders as he tried to steady himself while I rolled my tongue around his cock. I couldn’t see his eyes with his head leaned back, but knew he was lost in the sensations, his hips rocking back and forth. He pulled out suddenly, tugged my hands away and upward to my feet. 

Another kiss, slower and more passionate while he finally figured out the zipper of my gown. His hands moved the fabric down, and the frustrated moan came when he remembered just how much effort went into making slinky black dresses look good. He nuzzled and nipped his way across my face and down my neck while he fumbled with the clasps of my bra. I returned the favor, dragging teeth along his neck until I was able to get his shirt open.  

What was left of my clothing dropped to the floor in one swift motion when Tom dropped to his knees, pushing me back onto the bed. I slid up the mattress and he followed, kissing and licking his way up my legs. He stopped at my hips, licking upward along the inside of my thigh but never quite made it to the center.

“If all you’re gonna do is tease,” I panted, “then get up here.”

“You would deny me the pleasure of devouring your already dripping quim?” Loki’s voice followed the dark, lust filled eyes that looked up at me. Before I could wrap my brain around my impending demise by god-lust, a finger slid inside me, followed by another. The smirk became a grin and he lowered his mouth to my clit, his eyes never leaving mine. 

He growled again as he began to suck, slowly pumping his ridiculously long fingers in and out of my pussy. I tried to squirm away when he picked up the pace and he wrapped his free arm around my leg, locking me in place. I lost count of how many times he brought me to the edge only to back off and begin again. My fingers found their way into his hair, tugging him upward, only to be rewarded with his teeth dragging across my swollen bud. 

“Not until you cum,” he purred, still latched on to me. He began thrusting the fingers inside me, curling them around to brush against that little bundle of nerve while he clamped down with lips and teeth. It didn’t take long for my body to shatter beneath him, my orgasm tearing its way out of me with a scream. He anchored me down with both arms, sucking out every last drop I could offer. 

When I came back to reality, he was making a slow path up my body, his breath hot on my skin. His lips finally reached mine and I took rough possession of them, wanting to taste him. The tip of his cock brushed against my pussy and I shivered. Tom pulled away a bit. 

“Need a bit longer to recover?” he whispered, nuzzling against my cheek. 

“Absolutely not.” I pulled him closer to me and shifted a bit, sliding a hand down his stomach. “Only thing I need is you.” My fingers wrapped around his length and guided him inside. 

“Oh. My. Go...” The last syllable was lost in the moan that rumbled in his chest. He was completely still above me except the slow thrust to push himself deeper, nearly purring as he went. I moved my hands along his sides and he sighed. “Been too long. Won’t last.”

“Ditto,” I breathed into his ear, “on both counts. Just move.”

Tom obliged, rocking his hips back and forth, moving a little faster with each thrust. I tried to lift my hips to his, but he built a pace I just couldn’t maintain. All I could do was hold onto him, losing myself in the feeling his body in mine and the sounds we made. His moans took on a higher pitch and his thrusts became erratic until every muscle in his body tensed, his seed spilling in waves. Feeling him cum sent me back over the edge, and I could’ve sworn I heard him chuckle as I clamped down around him.

We lay tangled in each other for a while, basking in the afterglow. He finally moved to the side, eliciting a groan from both of us when he did. Ever the gentleman, he let me duck into the loo first while he turned down the bed. Both settled back in bed, I curled up next to him, my head resting on his chest. 

“Love?” he whispered, toying with a lock of my hair. “Are you sure?”

“Sure of what?” 

“This,” he spoke as he ran his fingers along my left hand to the ring. “I know you wouldn’t have refused me in front of the entire world and half of Manhattan, even if you wanted to.” I lifted my head from his chest to look at him. There was genuine concern on his face as he sighed. “So, are you sure?”

“You’re serious?” His face turned sheepish. “Then let me answer a question with a question.”

“What? You hate it when I do that!” He sat up a bit and I pressed a finger to his lips.

“Thomas William Loki Adam Hank Henry Robert Freddie Jonathan Oakley Hiddleston the fifth, Lord Nooth, rightful king of the Jotunheim, England, Ireland, Scotland...”

“Okay, okay, enough,” he chuckled. I grinned at him. 

“Will you marry me?” His eyes went wide and teared up a bit. He began nodding furiously until I kissed him.

Neither of us slept that night.