#oh and this comes a couple of weeks after my husband's computer bricked *sigh*

[kris-mage-fics]

Just a heads up, I might be sparse on-line for a while. The TV that I hook my laptop up to just died, and I don't know when we can get a new one. I can use the laptop at the table, but that hurts my neck pretty quickly. I can't say I'm surprised this happened, it's like 16 or 17 years old. I actually said to my husband earlier this year I had a feeling it would die soon. Something I'd rather have been wrong about, lol

[bleep-bleep-richie]

part one

part two

He's not panicking.

Just because he knows Eddie had court at 9am and they had plans to talk at lunch, and it's now 7pm and he still hasn't called.

Nope, definitely not panicking.

He isn't pacing the apartment either. No, he's just taking a leisurely stroll back and forth across his living room. There's just nothing good on TV. He isn't panicking, there's no reason to panic.

He had texted him at 1 and, after getting no answer, again at 5. He picks his phone up where he'd thrown it not even five minutes ago face down on the couch. He swipes his way to his messages.

Nothing.

He clicks "💖Edwardo💖" and scrolls through their messages from the last couple days. He sighs and clicks the text box.

Hey, I'm gonna stay up until I hear from you, so call me whenever.

He sends it and throws the phone to the side, collapsing against the back of his sofa. He picks up his laptop, clicks on the video chat app, and stares at the stupid picture Eddie had chosen as his icon. The edge of his mouth lifts in spite of the sick churning in his stomach. "Eddie fucking Kaspbrak," he mumbles with a shake of his head. He's still looking at Eddie's picture when he starts to doze off.

He has no idea how much time has gone by when he's woken up by the sound of a call coming through his computer. His vision's blurry, he pushes his glasses back up on his face, and sees Eddie's smile way too close to the camera. He accepts the call. "What the fuck, man?"

"Richie!" Eddie cries. "Did I wake you? You said you were staying up."

Richie stretches and yawns before picking the laptop up and putting it on his coffee table. "Guess I fell asleep." He narrows his eyes. "Where are you?"

"Out! With Matt!"

Richie wants to ask who the hell Matt is but the camera is on the guy before he gets the chance.

"Look, Matt, it's my boyfriend," he hears Eddie say, "the guy I was telling you about!"

Richie has a moment of disconnect. "Uh," he says cleverly.

Matt leans closer. "Wait, holy shit, you really are Richie Tozier." He grins. "When Eddie said he was dating a celebrity, I didn't believe him."

"Fuck you!"

"Uh, hi?" Richie says. He's still reeling from 'boyfriend' and 'dating.' "Sorry, who are you again?"

Eddie turns the phone back, his face swims into view unsteadily. "My new manager! I hired him last week, he's gonna manage the New York branch when I leave."

"Okay, you're screaming."

"I'm celebrating!" he yells, raising a glass. He knocks it back and drains it to prove his point.

It's loud, Richie can hear the sounds of other people talking and laughing. He guesses they're in a bar. "Can you go outside or something? I can barely hear you."

Eddie's nodding as he gets to his feet. "Shit, yeah, sorry," he says when he swallows. "Matt, I'll be right back."

"Take your time, boss. Nice to meet you, Mr. Tozier!"

Richie makes a face. "Did he just call me Mister Tozier?"

Eddie laughs. He leans against the cool bricks of the building once he gets outside. "Yeah, he's like that."

"So," Richie starts after a beat, "how'd it go?"

"Oh! We found a place!"

"A place?"

"Yeah, an office building," Eddie replies excitedly. "Matt found it on the computer. And! He put up an ad for people to email me their resumes. It was so much easier than I was making it, big shocker there, right."

Richie tilts his head for a second. "That's fantastic, Eds, but what about court?"

"Oh, oh! Richie!" Eddie's smile splits his face. "She signed the papers! She dropped everything she was asking for, a share in the company, all the alimony. She told me on the way out it's because she's already engaged, and all I could think was 'that poor schmuck." He laughs, open and cheerful. Richie doesn't know if he's ever seen him so happy.

"Wow, that's awesome. Congratulations."

Something in his voice must give him away. Eddie's eyes soften and his smile fades. "Oh, Rich, I'm so sorry. I was supposed to call. I was just so excited to get everything done, we worked right through lunch. I'm booking a flight to LA tomorrow. Richie, we're going to he together before the end of the week." His eyes are so bright and happy, Richie wants to drown himself in them.

"That's- Wow, Eds, that's amazing." He pauses. "You're amazing." Eddie's eyes start to water and Richie figures he must be way drunker than he's letting on. "Wait, how are you video chatting from your phone?"

Eddie blinks. "Oh, there's an app for it."

"Yes, I know there's an app for it. How in the hell did you know there was an app for it? The only app you have on your phone is a calculator."

"Matt downloaded it for me. I saw your text and mentioned I needed to call you, so he showed me how to do it."

"That's great," Richie says flatly. "Matt's great."

"Yeah, he really is a whiz at the technology stuff."

"That's what happens when you hire a 20 year old."

"He's 25." He considers Richie a moment. "Wait, what was that?"

"What was what?"

Eddie eyes him. "That tone was hostile and, like, jealous. Are you-"

"I'm definitely not jealous."

Eddie's eyes widen. "You're lying! That's your lying face!"

"I have a lying face?" Richie asks, raising his eyebrows.

"You do, and you're making it right now. Why would you be jealous of Matt?"

"I'm not!" he protests. He sighs. "I dunno, man, it's just like, the most important day of your life and that's who you're celebrating with."

"Richie," Eddie says. His voice is gentle, like trying to coax a wild animal into a cage. It makes Richie want to punch a wall at how ridiculously easy it is for Eddie to turn him to mush. "I would rather celebrate with you than anyone in the world. But, baby, you're not here."

Richie's mind short circuits so hard over the word 'baby' that it takes him a full 30 seconds to process the rest of that sentence. He scoffs a laugh, completely humorless. "Yeah, and whose fault is that?"

Eddie's face crumbles and he looks down and away from the camera, like he's ashamed. Like Richie is embarrassing him.

He instantly feels like a jackass. "I'm sorry, Eds, I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I was just worried, when you didn't call."

"I said I was sorry. I got busy."

"I texted you three times," Richie replies. He feels like a petulant housewife who spent all day cooking a dinner that her husband never came home to eat. He guesses that's exactly how he sounds, too.

Eddie turns his sad eyes on Richie. "I didn't even look at my phone until like fifteen minutes ago. I called as soon as I saw them."

"I know, I know." He shakes his head. "'I'm sorry, 'm being a dick."

Eddie smirks. "Imagine that."

Richie breathes out his nose and wills himself not to be angry. Always understanding, never upset. Always with a joke but never with a complaint. How he's been all year, all his life with Eddie, if he's honest with himself. Never too emotional or serious, just in case it overwhelms. "I'll let you get back. Just let me know when you book your flight, I'll clean the guest room."

"The guest room?" Eddie's face falls. "I have to sleep in my own room? You're that mad that I forgot to call?"

"No, it's not- I just didn't want to assume-"

"Or is it because I'm out with Matt?" Eddie continues like Richie hadn't even spoken. "Because I barely even know him, Rich. I was just in a good mood and we both needed to eat. It doesn't- I don't know if he's even gay."

Richie feels green. "He's cute," he says neutrally. "He's there. You're drunk."

"Richie."

He shakes his head, rubs his palms against the denim on his knees. "I know, I know. I'm being stupid because I miss you and I missed today and I- I'm sorry."

Eddie eyes go big and wistful. "I would never- Rich, I've spent the entire time since I've met him waxing poetic about you. Besides business shit, you're the only thing we've talked about. He's probably getting sick of it, honestly."

The sudden leap of his stomach makes him want to puke. "It's okay, Eds, you don't have to-"

"Richie," Eddie cuts him off. He pulls the phone closer to his face. "Richie, I'm crazy about you. You know, sometimes-" He laughs, blushes, glances away for a second. Richie wants to look at him forever. "Somtimes after we hang up, I jerk off to the memory of the sound of your voice. It's kind of pathetic. I'm completely gone on you, is the point I'm making."

"I-" he stops himself. He'd sworn at least a hundred times over the passed year that he wasn't going to say it until Eddie is in front of him. And he's going to keep that promise. "You're- you're everything, sweetheart. I- You know how I feel about you, don't you, Eddie?"

Eddie's smile is blinding. "Yeah, I think you waiting on me for almost a year while I got my shit together is a pretty big clue."

Richie grins back.

"I have to go settle the tab," Eddie says after a moment.

"You could call me," Richie tells him, "when you get back to your room. Jerk off to my actual voice, instead of the memory. I could say something worth jerking off to."

Pink rises on Eddie's cheekbones and flushes down onto his neck, right where Richie wants to bite him. "Thanks, now I have to go back in there at half mast."

"Oh, you are so very welcome. No need to thank me. The pleasure's all mine, really." The sad thing is, he isn't lying. Nothing gets him going faster than the mere idea that Eddie wants him. The evidence of it, the confession, has him rock hard in his pants already.

"You're insufferable."

"Insatiable, Edward. The word is insatiable."

Eddie rolls his eyes with a chuckle. "I'm going to call you in 45 minutes," he promises.

Richie nods. "I'll have my script ready. The never ending list of things I'd do to corrupt the pure and innocent Eddie Kaspbrak."

"Insufferable!" He pauses, still smiling even though he's griping. "45 minutes."

"I'll be here, Eds." He flushes with the honesty of it. "I'll always be here."

[mcwriting]

The Marriage Project (2)

part 2 is already here! fun fact, I’ve actually written like 16 chapters and I probs won’t always be posting weekly but I really wanted to put out part 2 sooooo... yeah. The Tom Holland x reader high school AU continues

Story Masterlist

Warnings: mild language

Word Count: 2365 (shorter than before, I know)

% approximately 1st week of September %

The next week had been relatively uneventful. Mrs. Flynn gave you both an A on your budget for the first week.

She also drew the next weekly condition, which for you was a $300 doctor’s visit of one family member.

“Well that’s stupid. If this were real life, we wouldn’t even need to take our kids to the doctor as PA’s,” Tom argued.

“First off, it’s not real life, and secondly, what if the kid broke a bone? Who’s gonna cast it, genius?”

“Well we probably wouldn’t have to pay,” he grumbled

When Friday afternoon hit, you were almost disappointed to see Tom not in the stands for your game, but remembered that the team had to start all their pregame rituals a couple hours before kickoff.

After crushing the competition, you took a quick shower and put on the shirt every senior was supposed to wear and walked to the field, where some of your friends had already claimed a spot on the bleachers. 

It was still a half hour before kickoff, so you talked as they helped put paint streaks on your cheeks and tie ribbons in your hair to show school spirit. You also watched the boys run drills until they were called to the sidelines for the national anthem. 

The team captains met for the coin toss, and as Tom and his co captain headed back to the team huddle, Tom spotted you in the crowd and pointed directly at you.

You didn’t know what he was doing so you quickly flipped him off and went back to your conversation.

They ended up winning the game by a field goal, and true to his word, Tom had actually played pretty well, aside from getting sacked towards the end of the game. 

You and the girls, not yet wanting to go home, hung out in the parking lot as families left.

“Hey, look. It’s your husband,” Alexis pointed out as Tom and a couple other players came limping down the lot with bags in tow. They were still wearing their football pants but had removed their jerseys, leaving on sleeveless compression shirts.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. But I will say, his mom already loves me. We’re on a first name basis.”

She gave you a little low-five out of pride.

You couldn’t help but notice Tom pull the necklace out from under his shirt’s collar, the ring still attached.

Did he wear that the whole game?

He spotted you from a few yards away and yelled out,

“Hey hey hey. What did I tell you? Swooning yet?” he held his arms out as if to show he was right.

“Not quite, bub. But I’ll give you that touchdown pass. Don’t forget we have to work on the budget tomorrow!”

“Yeah yeah, see you then, princess.” He waved a hand as he continued on to his car.

Ugh. Princess.

Tom had been calling you that ever since the time freshman year you were the leading princess in a school play. 

You had hated the role for many reasons. 

For one, the character had no development and was basically dumb and defenseless (aka the exact opposite of you and everything you stood for). On top of that, the costumes were hideous, and what should have been a couple of pretty ballgowns and flowing skirts ended up being completely unflattering in color, shape, and style.

Everyone knew you hated it, and Tom loved to rub that in your face.

Eventually, you decided to retire home for the night since you had had such a taxing day.

%

You rang the Holland’s doorbell again, and this time it was opened by Tom’s youngest brother, Paddy. He was in the 5th grade, so you didn’t know him well. 

A perfect opportunity to make a good impression.

“Hey there, Paddy. Is Tom around? We’re supposed to work on our project today.”

“I’m not sure where he is, but I’m sure I can find him. Come on in.”

“Oh thank you. So polite.”

He sheepishly looked down as his face reddened. 

“I’ll be right back.”

He ran to the stairs and disappeared up them. A few minutes later an exhausted looking Tom appeared at the top of the stairs next to his brother.

“Come on up, I need to take a piss before we get started.” he called down, ever the charmer. He rubbed his eyes. He was only wearing a pair of sweats.

You followed his word and sat down on his bedroom floor, pulling up the documents on your computer as you waited. He came back wearing a shirt, a mug of coffee in hand.

“Want some? I made it fresh. I just woke up if you couldn’t tell.”

“No thanks. I don’t drink coffee, I find it disgusting. Caffeine addiction’s bad for you anyways.”

He looked down at the drink and back at you.

“Well we can’t all be perfect little princesses.”

You wanted to slap him, but just fired back with an insult and got to work. There wasn’t as much to do today other than reallocate the funds for the appointment and make up a story of what could have happened.

You both laid on your stomachs looking at the screen. As you typed, you heard heavy breathing and glanced over to see Tom had fallen back asleep.

Wow. He almost looks nice when he’s sleeping. What a disappointment.

You finished your paragraph and shook him awake.

“Ugh. sorry. I told you I’m a mess after game days.”

He went to push up to a sitting position when he winced, inhaling sharply. He put his head back on the ground.

“Woah there. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just pulled a muscle in my back last night. I think it’s from that sack.”

“Do you need me to get you something? LIke icy hot or some advil? I carry both at all times.”

“Icy hot would be perfect. I already took some painkillers.”

You shifted up and grabbed your backpack, pulling out the tube. You tossed it next to him to use.

“I hate to ask this, because you’re you, but could you put it on for me? I don’t think I can reach.”

You hesitated, but agreed since you knew what it felt like to be in pain like that. 

“Okay. Give me a general idea of where it is and I’ll poke around to find it.”

“Just under my shoulder blades on the right.”

He pulled up his shirt and you went to touch his back lightly. He flinched when your fingers graced his skin.

“Oh yeah, my hands are cold by the way.”

“No shit.”

You put your hand back, pressing lightly until he winced again, then you put a small amount of the ointment on your hand, massaging it in.

 You rhythmically rubbed your hand over the area in little circles, trying to loosen the tight muscle with your palm. You didn’t think much about it until he let out a moan, and you pulled your hand back like he was on fire.

“Oh my God I’m so sorry. It just felt so good on that spot and it just slipped out-”

“Let’s just agree to never mention this again. I’m gonna go wash my hands. And hopefully my brain while I’m at it. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Just across the hall. Can’t miss it.”

A little bit later and you were finally done for the day, so you helped Tom up and again packed your things.

“Sorry again about earlier. Thanks, though. It really helped.”

“Like I said, we don’t need to talk about it. Just never make that sound again, please. See you Monday.”

And with that you were out the door.

%

Another week, and Mrs. Flynn gave you another A and a budget condition.

Both you and Tom again won at your respective sporting events, and you again went to Tom’s.

Throughout the week, you and Tom had been on your usual game, firing shots. But at home it was like he was a different person. Sure you still jabbed at each other occasionally, but there was a more friendly aspect to it this week.

You were sitting on the floor when you felt a familiar pain in your lower abdomen.

You ignored it for a minute, but then it hit twice as strong. Immediately you shot up.

“I'm going to the bathroom,” you stated, speaking quickly.

“Uh. Okay?”

You rushed in and as you sat down pulled up your period tracker app. 

You weren’t supposed to start for 4 more days.

Well that’s a lie you thought as you caught a streak of red upon wiping.

You dug through the under-sink cabinet, hoping and praying to find something, anything you could use. When that came up dry, you just stuffed up some toilet paper and resigned to getting a tampon from your backpack.

A sense of panic filled your chest, however, when you realized the little bag you kept with extra supplies was nowhere to be found. That’s when you remembered that you had taken it out to replenish and apparently never put it back.

“Oh no. Oh no no no!”

There wasn’t even a single liner at the bottom of the bag.

“What’s got you in a tiff, princess? Don’t we have everything we need already?”

You sighed. You weren’t one to announce when you were on your period, since guys liked to believe that all women become bitches when they bleed. But you were desperate.

“Look, I know you’re gonna make fun of me, but I just started my period and don’t have anything to deal with it and I don’t know what to do.”

“Can’t you just hold it?”

“Ha ha good one. Seriously though I don’t know what I’m gonna do. If I don’t figure out something fast, I’ll bleed through my pants.”

Tom looked at you confused.

“Wait a second,” you started. “You weren’t serious right then, right? Like you do know it’s something women can’t control?”

“WHAT?” he exclaimed. “You can’t?”

“You know, for someone who calls himself so smart you sure are a dumbass. How do you know nothing about periods? You play football, haven’t you had a girlfriend before?”

He got quiet.

“No. I’m too busy competing with you that when I do get free time, everyone gets really intimidated by you.”

“Oh... “ you didn’t know what to say, but then a cramp hit you like a ton of bricks and you doubled over. “Ugh. could you just go get your mom? I need to go back to the bathroom and try not to throw up.”

Eventually, Nikki came and left some midol, tampons, and a heating pad for you and you were able to go back to Tom’s room, finding him leaning against his bed. He sat up straight when you walked in.

“Are- are you okay? You seemed to be in a lot of pain earlier.”

You plugged in the heating pad and turned it on, laying down on your back so you could drape it across your stomach. The midol hadn’t yet kicked in.

“Yeah, I’m good. It was early this month and I just wasn’t prepared,” you said staring at the ceiling, but turned your head to look at him. 

“Sorry if what I said was insensitive. I just figured you knew more about it than the average guy and I was so panicked that I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve never had a boyfriend either. Same situation.”

“Hah, nerd.” 

You rolled your eyes and threw a nearby pillow at him. 

“Like you have room to talk. Now let’s just finish this so I can go home and take a nap.”

%

When you got to home ec Monday, you hadn’t spoken to Tom since leaving his house Saturday. Frankly, you were embarrassed about the situation still and figured he felt awkward too. 

Then, of course, you learned that Mrs. Flynn had decided to throw the class a curveball to tie the marriage project into regular class assignments.

For a unit on sewing, she was making each couple work together to make a small “marriage quilt” approximately the size of a baby blanket. Partners would have to work together to choose the colors, make a design, and sew it together within 2 weeks in class.

So there you were, sitting in the back corner of the room discussing design options and drawing up a pattern with Tom.

Upon realizing you both loved blue, you decided to make a blue based quilt. There would be little teal and pink accents as well in a couple of the fabrics you chose.

You sat in silence as you both cut small squares of fabric and batting. Other groups were talking, but things still felt heavy.

“Hey, uh. About Saturday…” Tom began quietly from the right of you.

“Please don’t bring it up. Everything turned out fine so let’s just keep it that way. I don’t need you to embarrass me more.”

“No, it’s not that. I just… what you said got me thinking. I know about all kinds of stuff and I’d like to go into medicine one day, but I know nothing about women’s health. So, I spent a good portion of yesterday researching and honestly, I had no idea how much you all go through. We may hate each other, but I respect you a lot more than before.”

“Oh. Wow. You know, I’m sure you read about it yesterday, but it’s super different for everyone. I wouldn’t even consider mine nearly as bad to some peoples’. But that’s really nice of you. And just because we hate each other doesn’t mean I won’t offer to let you ask me questions whenever. Education is way more important than any rivalry.” 

He smiled slightly and looked down at his desk, then back up, putting out his left fist. 

“Is a fist bump a good enough agreement to let each other ask any kinds of questions like that, no malice intended?” he asked.

You smiled back and hit your right fist to his left one. Eventually you went back to your normal arguing, but you couldn’t stop replaying the scene in your head.

%

A/N: thanks for reading guys! I’m so so busy with school right now that it’s going to be hard to release chapters weekly but I am trying to keep a somewhat regular upload schedule! I’ve written about 16 chapters so I have a lot of content to share already and there’s still more before I finish. As always, I can’t reply to post replies but my messages and asks are always open! 

Tag List: @jackiehollanderr, @one-big-fangirl, @l0lmk, @primadonnasdream, @bookworm06

[connywrites]

to tame a beast 2

also on [ao3]

-

“You know that if they come after us again, they’re going to throw everything they’ve got our way,” North said, all too aware she was stating the obvious as one leg crossed over the other and she settled to sit on the ground.

“And it’s not like we have any military androids in Jericho.” Considering her statement, Markus paced, bare feet pattering along the ground as he tended to default to his friendlier-looking human form, out of the sake of habit as well as for his own moral display. Humans were less sensitive against creatures that looked like them, likely an intentional part of designing androids the way they were; but Cyberlife had no excuse to load them with mutant-esque traits and weapons to sell to people with the idea they’d remain domestic, a supposed ‘miscommunication’ after Cyberlife picked up the project from Kamski himself.

“No, but our strength will be in numbers,” he responded, pausing as he hovered in thought.

“We need to get everyone together that we can. Ideally, they’ll have backup programming to help them fight, but we might want to check over diagnostics before we go into battle. Finding more pieces is going to be difficult, but not impossible, if we know the right fitting biocomponents.”

“Do you know exactly how difficult that will be?” She scrunched her nose with a skeptical glare, narrowing her eyes at him while his own gaze remained patient.

“We’ll spend hours trying to match parts,” she urged, but Markus shook his head.

“No, we’ll do our research and spend a precious number of minutes gathering what we can,” he corrected her.

“Not a second will go to waste.”

-

“Jaws nice and wide, RK800,” the man enthused, and Connor’s lower jaw separated down the middle, each side separating like mandibles to show the cerulean wiring and translucent, shining membrane that lined the inside of its mouth. Hank watched as a tentacle-like tongue dropped down the middle, presentably flesh-toned until further back near the throat where the flesh tone merged into the gradient blues.

“Alright, put it all back,” he droned with boredom in his tone, and Connor shifted its jowl back into place, the pale tone of its skin rapidly washing back over the connective plates as its chin reconnected to become whole again.

Picking up a flashlight, the stranger turned it on to shine a bright white LED into one of its eyes, watching the rounded pupil constrict into a thin needle, following the source of the light as it moved side to side. Switching the light to a blacklight, he watched as the android’s eyes shifted to watch it just the same. Shifting the lens so it registered a radiance of heat alone, he repeated the motion; this time, the RK800 followed with its face as well as its eyes, sensing the warmth with sensors embedded in the ‘nose’.

“You know the drill.” Connor lifted its hands, the sound of sliding metal filling the air as it unsheathed curled talons, flat like single-sided knives with an underside blade. The man eyed them warily, then gestured it to withdraw them again, so it did.

“Alright. Looking functional,” the stranger stated, stepping away from the android that now looked fully human – as long as it didn’t blink. Hank looked impressed as the male in protective gear left the inspection room, tossing his gloves into the trash.

“You do this often?” Hank’s tone was half sarcastic, half genuinely curious as he crossed his arms and tilted his head at “Connor”, his ‘partner.’ So far, so fine, but he felt as if it would be all too easy for the machine to turn on him, a wary emotion he’d felt since ‘deviant’ android cases began and he was set after a few ugly crime scenes. Carlos’ was particularly brutal with deep gashes across his body in a plethora of numbers, and to think all it might take was one split second to trigger these things into attacking those they were supposedly meant to protect.

“Usually once a week,” replied the inspector, “but more often after the violence started. I’m just here to look after basic functions, anything beyond what I just did is Cyberlife’s business, but if you notice anything unusual, you’re free to contact us.” He passed Hank a card, and he glanced down at it; sure enough, the guy was some sort of professional set up with Cyberlife to keep an eye on the things; something like a mechanic’s nurse, in his mind. Mostly it made him curious who the real doctors were, when it came to the more complicated engineering within the android. For now, he supposed it didn’t matter.

“So how often am I supposed to have it do this, again?” The guy shrugged.

“The schedule’s a bit up in the air, but I recommend at least twice a week. Mention it to the DPD if you feel like it, they keep in contact with us to keep an eye on this series in particular.” Hank shrugged and nodded.

“Alright.” Glancing to Connor, he whistled and motioned his arm for it to follow after him; without missing a beat, the android was quick to shadow him with the audible click of heels against the ground as innocent-looking, rounded eyes watched him while it obediently trekked along, back to the home where it would act as his typical investigation partner when a case came up, as well as a personal guard otherwise, as most androids did with their assigned persons.

-

“Another case of another slaughter,” Ben informed Hank as soon as he’d stepped on the scene with his fellow partner always close behind. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead.

“And what are we s’posed to do this time?”

“The same as always. Have your little friend there hunt down the deviant. At this rate, with how dangerous they are, it doesn’t matter if they’re seized or destroyed, but it’s what that RK800 is made for.” Hank sneered with a look of disgust, turning on his heel to face Connor with a lazy half-shrug.

“You heard the man. Go get ‘em, tiger.” With its eyes turning toward the house, it immediately began to scan as it started to walk forward, before kneeling down to sniff at some blood on the living room floor before the long, prehensile tongue flicked out to lap up a sample. It paused for two seconds to compute it, before turning its head, and in a flash it was standing up, feet and hands shifting to extend as it was immediately on all fours, shifting beneath artificial clothes that either dissipated or merged into the chassis as they were made from a unique combination of holographic light and thirium-based semi-matter, thus never leaving behind a mess of clothes every time they shifted. Hank couldn’t deny being impressed, but a bit freaked out all the same.

“Well, there it goes,” he said with a small huff, raising his eyebrows as he turned to Ben.

“I guess this is my part now, huh?” Collins nodded, gesturing to the rest of the crime scene.

“All yours.”

Stepping forward to take a look around, Hank followed the trail of blood Connor originally discovered, tracking it down the hallway and to the bedroom. The way the blood was smeared against the floor gave him the impression the body was dragged the entire way, with the red lines and splotches leading up to the bed, and to the window, which was wide open; the android must have fled through it with the body.

“Collins,” he called, turning around while he waited before turning back to the mess.

“What is it?” he asked along the way, before pausing in the doorway, stopping and staring at the scene with a soft ‘oh.’

“Well, here’s hoping Connor finds whatever remains of the body, huh?” Hank groused and Collins sighed, glancing down at his tablet as he pulled up the police record.

“There was a married couple that lived here, husband and wife, but there hasn’t been a sign of either of them for at least a week. I’m sure the android can identify what might have happened, but who knows how far it got before we even showed up.” Hank walked closer to the bed, peering out the window to see if he could find anything, but there was nothing more than the continuous trail of blood leading past the backyard, through a gap in the broken wooden fence and beyond.

“What’cha think, should I follow the red brick road?” Ben glanced past Hank, assuming he didn’t find much else anyway, squinting his eyes warily as he bunched his shoulders up with a nervous shrug.

“I don’t think this is your job without some kind of protection on your side. Does the android usually run off without you?” Hank furrowed his eyebrows, scratching his head as he took a moment to think about it.

“No, actually, that’s the first time. Maybe the deviant’s still nearby.” Ben sighed, eyes trailing around the room as he turned around to leave the bedroom.

“Let’s go out and around the house, see if we can tell how far this goes…”

-

Soon enough, Connor was dragging a blue blood-leaking chasses behind it, held by one hand and weakly squirming while its LED repeatedly flashed red and yellow and back again. Having returned to its human form with no more need for the more violent attributes, Connor walked onto the front lawn, looking around with ever-attentive eyes for its partner. Walking up to the house, it glanced inside through the doorway with a quick scan, parting its lips and clicking its tongue a few times to utilize echolocation which quickly revealed the house was empty. Turning around, it headed back outside and around the house. Spotting the trail in the back yard, its vision followed along it until it spotted the designated company. Glancing back at the android nearly shutting down behind it, it scooped it up to carry it for the sake of ease and a slightly quicker speed, sprinting slightly to catch up with its superiors.

“I have obtained the deviant.” Hank let out a noise of surprise as he turned around, looking at Connor, and then immediately to the mess in its arms; mostly human-shaped, but torn open with cables and tubes hanging out and a mess of liquid thirium spilling from within.

“Holy shit,” he said, surprised and a bit baffled.

“That was fast…good job.” With furrowed brows and a look of contempt, he frowned down at the android in its arms.

“There enough left of that thing to be any use?” Blinking with its secondary lids only – something that deeply perturbed Hank as he quickly looked away – it shook its head in distraction, pawing at something on its face as it swiped away some debris that had gotten into its optical unit. Once that was taken care of, it nodded in response to the question and caught Hank’s gaze again, much to his unease.

“Definitely. It is mostly functional, central processing is still at 78.3% percent. External damages are easier to fix than data corruption, and I tried my best to keep the most important internal components intact, although some of the destruction couldn’t be helped.”

“Alright…what about the body?” He paused.

“Or bodies?”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate the husband that the blood matched up with and the wife likely ran away while she had the chance. The husband was either able to flee or disappeared otherwise. The trail stops at the warehouse where the deviant was hiding, as does any other sign of his general existence.” Hank blinked with an expression of disbelief, before taking a deep breath and starting to walk back to the house.

“Well, I guess we’d better try and find the wife, figure out what happened from her. Can’t you like, track her scent or something?” Connor blinked, looking to the house as it walked along beside him with the destroyed chassis still in its arms.

“If there’s any worn articles of clothing or she’s been in the bed recently, perhaps, but footprints or other tracks would be easier to follow as human scents don’t leave trails.” Hank was surprised that he was shocked it actually could track such specific smells, reminding himself to stop being taken off-guard every time he learns something new about these things, always being updated and granted new, disturbing parts.

“Alright. Wrap that up and we’ll drop it off, I guess, and you can try and track her down.”

“Got it,” it responded, sounding much too human for his own comfort.

[smkkbert]

10 Rules of Rebounding (4/15)

Oliver and Felicity start a sex relationship as rebounds for each other. What’s supposed to be just fun, soon gets complicated when it turns out that their work lives collide, Robert Queen fears their sexual relationship could threaten his company and an ex comes back into the play.

Characters: Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, Tommy Merlyn, John Diggle, Lyla Michaels, Ray Palmer, Anna Loring, Helena Bertinelli, Robert Queen

Rating: Explicit

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 or read it all on Ao3

Chapter 4 > Rule 2: No Having Dinner Together

“So, Sara is better again?”

“Yes.” Felicity could hear the relieved smile in her friend’s voice. “Luckily, it wasn’t anything serious anyway. The doctor says, children often develop a fever when they are teething.”

“Actually, there is no causal link between teething and fever. Babies can have a slightly higher body temperature, especially the day the tooth erupts, but teething does not cause fever. Most of the times, teething and infects just coincidence.” Felicity frowned slightly. “Maybe you should switch to a different doctor, if she doesn’t know that.”

“Why? I have you to correct her.” Lyla chuckled amusedly. “You really are the world’s greatest godmother, you know?”

Felicity smiled. She loved Sara, and she always did her best to make sure her little god-daughter had everything that she needed. Since she had known that her best friend was having a baby, she had paid money onto a bank account that was running on Sara’s name. She wanted her goddaughter to go to whatever college she wanted to go to without worrying about financing it or causing her parents to go bankrupt over it. Since Felicity hadn’t had that much time for the little girl lately, she was feeling a little guilty though. Lyla’s assurance that she was still a great godmother offered some relief in that situation.

“How does John like his new job?”

“Well, it’s not really a new job. He is still bodyguard for his usual client. Just his working hours and surroundings changed. Instead of working all through the night in a club, he’s now working the usual office hours in an actual office.” Lyla sighs. “I know that Johnny almost hates it as much as his client. Is it bad that I still feel relieved he got a somewhat normal job now?”

“Of course not.”

Felicity was actually surprised that Lyla had never talked about his job with John before. Being married and raising a child was certainly an exhausting task. Doing it with a husband who spent almost every night in a club, even if it was for work reasons, and who had a quite dangerous job had to make it even harder. Felicity had always thought that John would look for a new job once Sara was born. She guessed he loved his job, and Lyla didn’t want to take it from him though.

“I know I shouldn’t complain about Johnny’s working hours or his safety,” Lyla explained eventually. “Before we got married, he had clients that could have been attacked every day. His current client has a bodyguard because it’s a nice luxury and nothing more. Johnny is much more like a companion and fitness trainer for him. The worst that could have happened was getting into a fight at the club. He was already being safe. I am still glad his job is even calmer right now. That one time a fight at Verdant escalated and Johnny got stabbed, really was enough for me to endure for a lifetime.”

“I understand that,” Felicity assured her friend. “It’s normal to want the people you love to be safe, especially when it’s your husband and father of your child. I am sure John knows that too.”

“Yeah, I hope so.” Lyla sighed. “I asked my mom to take Sara tomorrow, so I can cook us a great dinner, and we get to enjoy some quality time as a couple.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I am sure you two-“

When Felicity’s phone buzzed, she stopped and pulled it closer. A wide smile spread on her lips when she saw who was calling her. Leaning back in her leather chair, she opened the text message she had just received.

O: I got a late extended lunch break. Wanna meet me in half an hour?

A week had passed since she and Oliver met at Poison and decided that a rebound relationship was just what they both needed. The next day, Oliver had sent her a photo of their rules and asked if she was still in. Felicity had hesitated for a moment, wondering if it really was a good idea. She had little to lose, so she had texted back that she still was in. Oliver’s only answer had been a winking emoticon.

She hadn’t heard anything more from him since then. Felicity had considered texting him for a few times. Whenever she had decided that she could make a little time to meet with him, she had gotten an idea for her project or something else had gotten in the way though.

Felicity cast a glance at her watch. She only had one appointment left for the day, and it was a dinner appointment. She could very well leave her office now, meet Oliver for some fun and head back to her townhouse to take a hot shower and get ready for the work dinner. After she had spent the entire week sitting behind her desk and working through a dozen of files, maybe having sex was going to ease the tension she felt in every single muscle of her body.

F: Send me your address. I’m on my way.

Felicity had barely sent the text when Oliver already texted her that he was excited to see her again. His address followed a moment later. Seeing that it was in the heart of Orchid Bay, Felicity shut down her computer and grabbed her keys, already about to get going when-

“Felicity? Are you still there?”

“Oh, Lyla!” Felicity doubted a lot of people forgot they were actually in the middle of a phone call when they still had their phones in their hands. She was just that special kind of headless sometimes. Maybe it was just the promise of having sex soon that made her forget about it though. “Sorry. I was distracted for a moment.”

“We can talk some other time if it’s bad,” Lyla offered. There was a short pause. “Why are you distracted though? Did you meet someone? Please tell me you met someone.”

For a brief moment, Felicity considered telling Lyla about her rebound relationship and her three encounters with Oliver. She doubted that her friend would encourage her though. Felicity couldn’t say why she believed that. It was actually just a feeling that Lyla would rather see her in a family scenario with a husband and a child like she herself had. It wasn’t like Lyla wanted to force her lifestyle onto Felicity, but Lyla wasn’t actually getting along with the other mothers in her neighborhood, so a friend turning mother would come handy.

Admittedly, what Felicity feared even more was that Lyla told her that a rebound relationship didn’t sound like Felicity at all. She would be right because it hadn’t been something Felicity had ever considered a possibility for herself. She believed in love and in relationships and in romance as long as it didn’t turn into trash. Her life just didn’t offer the chance for any of that right now.

It made her decide not to tell Lyla about this just yet. Maybe once she had gotten used to it herself, she would feel more confident about telling her.

“You know I am not interested in anything serious right now,” Felicity just replied, figuring it was no real lie. “I just remembered that I have this work dinner tonight, and I have to pick up my dress from the cleaners before they close.”

“So back to work?”

“Back to work.” A little lie wouldn’t be that bad she guessed. “I will call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright. Don’t work too much.”

“I won’t,” Felicity promised. “Tell John I said hi.”

“Will do.”

With that, the friends hung up and ended the phone call. Felicity grabbed her purse, dropped her phone inside, and headed to the underground parking where her car was parked. She entered the address in the navigation device since she knew the street was in the center of Orchid Bay but wasn’t sure how exactly to get there. As soon as the fastest route was loaded, she followed the directions.

Halfway through the city to the outskirts of Starling City, Felicity’s stomach growled. Putting a hand to it to stop the angry sound, Felicity puckered her lips. She hadn’t had time to each anything today. She always skipped breakfast for a mug of strong coffee, and her lunch break had been cut short because of an important meeting at the Department of Applied Science. If she wasn’t going to have at least a tiny snack, she was probably going to pass out during sex or when she took a shower later. Hence, Felicity made a slight detour to Big Belly Burger before she continued her way to Oliver’s apartment.

She parked at the side of the street in front of the apartment building. With its red brick-frontage and the large muntin windows, it looked really nice. Felicity almost envied him a little bit for this home. Her townhouse was much more unspectacular and looked like half of the houses in the street. On the other hand, at least she had a nice garden all for herself.

Felicity took the elevator to the topmost floor. She went to the door at the end of the hall where he had told her his apartment was. There was no nameplate, but she guessed it was the right door nonetheless. Lifting her hand, she knocked softly.

It wasn’t long until she heard steps and saw a shadow behind the alabaster glass door. It was opened only a moment later, and Oliver leaned into the frame. Felicity bit down on her tongue, biting back a comment about how hot he looked. He was still wearing his suit, at least the pants and the shirt. His tie was hanging around his neck loosely, the topmost buttons of his shirt were opened and the sleeves were rolled up, though. He was barefoot, looking quite relaxed even if somewhat exhausted at the same time.

“I think you forgot about our second rule.”

When Felicity perked up her eyebrows, Oliver nodded towards the BBB bag in her hand. Felicity puckered her lips in a try to look innocent and cocked her head at him.

“If I recall it correctly, the rule was no having dinner together. Since this is your lunch break, it counts as lunch. Besides, it’s not even four-thirty yet. I don’t think that can count as dinner. It’s a midday snack at most if it’s not lunch. Oh, I also have a work dinner today, so that’s one more reason why this just can’t be dinner. Since I am a really great rebound girlfriend, I brought you a burger too. I am trading it for a glass of wine.”

Oliver crossed his arms in front of his chest. Amusement was sparkling in his eyes, and the corners of his lips seemed to twitch. He bit back the smile with quite success though.

“I am not convinced.”

“Really? It’s an extra spicy burger with double cheese,” Felicity said. Oliver kept a straight face though, so Felicity just shrugged her shoulders, taking a tiny step backwards. “I guess my burgers and I will just leave then. We can start our rebound relationship some other time and-“

Before Felicity could take another step backwards, Oliver gently grabbed her wrist and took the BBB bag from her. He pulled her into his apartment and kicked the door shut behind her.

“Don’t let this become a habit.”

“You mean bringing you food?” Felicity chuckled. “Don’t worry. I just thought our first meeting as official rebounds deserved some special treatment.”

Oliver shot a look back over his shoulder, and Felicity smiled at him innocently. It elicited a chuckle from him, and he winked, letting her know that it was all just fun. It was weird how comfortable she felt around it. It was almost like they had been friends for years. She guessed casual sex created some non-romantic intimacy quite quickly.

Felicity dropped her purse to the floor at the door carelessly and kicked her shoes away. Loosening her hair from the high ponytails she always had when she was working, she followed Oliver into the kitchen area, looking around the loft at the same time.

“This loft is amazing.” Felicity stepped in front of the window. “I can almost see the ocean from here.”

“You can see it from the roof terrace, at least on good days.”

Felicity turned back around to him, perking up her eyebrows. “Roof terrace?”

“Yes.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t use it often, but it’s nice.”

“I am officially jealous of you now.”

Oliver chuckled. “If it makes you feel better, the traffic can be quite a nightmare. Until last week, there has been roadworks right around the corner, so the traffic jammed down the entire street at every time of the year. It’s been terrible.”

Felicity puckered her lips, approaching the kitchen island where Oliver was now placing the burgers on the plates and put wine glasses.

“It does, at least a little.”

Oliver smiled and lifted two bottles of wine. “1982 Lafite Rothschild or Pinot Grigio?”

“You pick.”

Felicity sat down on one of the stools, smiling at her burger. It had been forever since she enjoyed a good burger from Big Belly. Today seemed to be the perfect day for it, especially since the work dinner was taking place in one of those restaurants that served meals so tiny that she could barely see it even if she used magnifiers.

When Felicity lifted her gaze, she met Oliver’s eyes. Immediately, she felt a deep blush forming on her cheeks and spreading all the way down her neck and over the top of her chest. Oliver just smiled and came around the kitchen island. He poured both of them a glass of the red wine and sat down on the stool next to her.

“To our first meeting as official rebounds,” Oliver suggested, lifting his glass to the toast. “I am happy you didn’t retract.”

They clinked their glasses and took some nips of the glasses. Felicity sighed at the delicious taste. It had been too long since she had had the time to really enjoy a glass of good wine too.

“Why would I?” Felicity asked when she put her glass down. “I wasn’t less excited about the idea than you were.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I am so used to things going wrong in my life that I really wouldn’t have been surprised if this had ended before it had really started too.”

Felicity cocked her head. She hadn’t missed how miserable was about this new job. While some people might say that he should just get over it since most people were miserable with their jobs, Felicity didn’t see it that way. She was lucky that she had been able to make her hobby her job. It increased her motivation and made her life better than her job at a computer store during college had managed to do. While it was still in the computer business, working there hadn’t promoted her abilities, and she had actually been bored most of the time. She knew that having the job you always wanted was a privilege or maybe a luxury that not everyone could afford.

“Still problems with the new job?”

“Problems is definitely an underestimation.” Oliver sighed. “Let’s forget about that and talk about something happier though.”

Felicity took another bite from her burger, a spicy one with double cheese just like the one she had gotten Oliver.

“We should talk about the food,” Felicity suggested, her mouth full of the fluffy bun and soft meat, “because it’s delicious.”

“Big Belly makes the best burgers,” Oliver agreed. “You made a good choice with the burger by the way.”

“I know. This is by far the best burger they serve. I could eat a dozen of them right now.” Felicity smiled at her burger for a moment. When she realized Oliver’s perked up eyebrows, she chuckled. “If you were hoping for a stick, I have to disappoint you. Living from salad and water is just not my taste. I mean I like salad and I like water, but life’s not worth the trouble without pizza, burgers and steaks.”

“A girl after my heart.”

Felicity pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and cocked her head.

“Who’s the one falling in love here now?”

“Still you.” Oliver chuckled. “You are already bringing me burgers for my lunch break.”

“Oh, honey,” Felicity replied, patting his cheek playfully. “I gotta disappoint you. A five-dollar-burger is nothing compared to a bottle of wine that costs like three to four thousand dollars. Apropos, this wine really is delicious. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve been dying to get my fingers on a case, but it’s almost impossible these days.”

She lifted her glass and breathed in the fruity bouquet of the wine. Then she took another sip.

“I actually stole it.”

Felicity almost spit out the wine. She caught herself soon enough to avoid that. She choked on the wine instead, and it ended in a wild cough. Oliver laughed, obviously amused by her shock, but he gently patted her back until her breathing calmed down.

“I’m sorry,” he said, still chuckling, when Felicity took another nip of the wine on that shock. “I didn’t mean to make you freak out like that. I stole the bottle from my father’s wine cellar. It’s not that bad. He knows I am stealing wine from him every once in a while. I used to steal it from Verdant, so he has to live with me stealing it from him now that he forced me to quit the club.”

He really had known Verdant very well. He had known that office room, and he had known the code to open the door to the basement.

“You were working at Verdant?”

“I was one of the owners actually.” Oliver sighed. “It was my friend’s and my dream come true. After we managed to make our way through college, we decided that building a club together would be cool. We started it, and it was a success. We actually wanted to open a second facility here in Starling and maybe expand to Central City or something. My father forced me to give up the club and work for him though. As the heir of the family I should take the responsibility for his heritage and for the people working for us.”

Felicity frowned slightly. Part of her wanted to ask how his father was able to force him into giving up his job. She wasn’t sure he was ready to share that with her though. Besides, there was another question or rather suspicion distracting her from diving deeper into his problems with his father anyway.

“When we met at Verdant the last time, was that your goodbye party?”

“Yes.” Oliver nodded slowly. “The goodbye party where my best friend from childhood didn’t have time for me because he had to manage the club all alone now, my other best friend had to stay home with his daughter and my ex thought it was okay to come party with her friends.”

While Oliver shook his head, Felicity’s suspicion seemed to get more and more confirmed. Since this could very well have an effect on their rebound relationship, she swallowed down the last bite of her burger and cleared her throat.

“Your other best friend, the one who had to stay home with his daughter, isn’t John Diggle?”

Oliver frowned, wiping his mouth with the paper napkin. “Did you stalk me?”

“No.” Felicity chuckled. “I could have if I wanted though. I can find out everything about a person without even leaving my house.”

It was true. She was an experienced hacker although, of course, nobody could know about that given that it wasn’t exactly legal. Anyway, if mutual respect wasn’t as important to her, she could easily hack his phone and his computer and find out everything about him, starting with his last name that she still didn’t know and stopping with the brand of shaving water he used. She was that good.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“No.” Felicity chuckled once more and waved it off. “Actually, I am Lyla’s best friend.”

“Lyla Michaels? John’s wife?”

Felicity nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

Felicity nodded slowly before she shrugged her shoulders. She guessed their rebound relationship was ending before it had even really started then. It was a shame because, despite the lack of feelings, she had been looking forward to this. Oliver was hot. Their sex was great. They were having fun. In their own, maybe slightly twisted way, Felicity believed that they were good for each other and just what they both needed.

With their shared best friends, it got a little more complicated though. So far, their deal had been that they arranged hookups whenever they felt like it, and they didn’t see each other when they weren’t in the mood. With these new information, Felicity figured there was a decent chance that she and Oliver ran into each other outside of those hookups. While they might be able to deal with that, she guessed neither of them wanted it to get awkward for their friends.

“Does that change anything for you?” Oliver asked, narrowing his eyes at her slightly over the edge of her glass. “Because you look worried.”

Felicity hesitated. “Well, does it change anything for you?”

“Not necessarily.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “We are adults. We are sitting here together without having sex too. Why wouldn’t that work when we are running into each other at our friends’ home too?”

His words did hold some truth. She agreed with the part about them being adults and being able to handle it. She just wasn’t sure what their friends would think if they found out they were casually hooking up with each other.

“What will Lyla and John say?”

“John and I are friends, but I don’t think I care what he says about my sex life.” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, what are they supposed to say? If they ever find out, we will just tell this how it is. We are adults, looking for nothing serious. We know what we are getting into. There is no big deal. If it ends, it ends. It’s not going to be awkward.”

Felicity nodded slowly.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“So, does that mean that we get to the part with the sex now?”

“Maybe one little detour to the bathroom, so I can brush my teeth first?”

Oliver sighed dramatically. “Here I was thinking I had found someone for to casually hook up with, but you are already planning meals and demanding your own toothbrush. Really, Felicity, what are you thinking?”

“Hey, I am just staying true to our rules.” Felicity put the plates together and put them into the sink. “If you feel scared about a toothbrush, you should have set up a rule for it.”

“You’d just ignore it like the rule about dinner.”

Felicity rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “It wasn’t dinner. It was lunch or a midday snack.”

“Yeah, just try to talk yourself out of it, you little rulebreaker.” He winked before he slid off his stool and nodded towards the stairs that led to the upper area. “Come on, I show you the bathroom.”

He led her upstairs. From the upper area, you had a good overview on the main area downstairs. It looked even wider from down there. With the sparse furnishing, there was basically still enough room to celebrate a fancy ball down there. Felicity could bare walk from the front door to her bedroom without bumping against a handful of furniture. Maybe if she had time to move, she’d do something about it. She just didn’t have the time, and she was sure she’d feel lost in such a spacious home within a week.

Felicity followed Oliver into the bathroom. He opened one of the drawers of the cabinet and gestured to the individually wrapped toothbrushes in there. Deciding that they had been kidding around enough for the day, Felicity swallowed down whatever comment about the toothbrushes she could have come up with. He had said he had been in a faithful relationship until a few weeks, so he might really just have a thing for having ten or fifteen toothbrushes in reserve, or he had used the little time since he was single to make sure there were toothbrushes in case a one-night-stand needed one. Felicity didn’t care enough to waste any more thought on it.

Side by side, they brushed their teeth. Their gazes met in the mirror every once in a while, and Felicity was close to start laughing every time. There was just something weirdly intimate about brushing teeth together.

Once more, she wondered how she and Oliver could be so comfortable around each other despite barely knowing each other? Having sex with someone you barely knew was one thing. Feeling comfortable enough to tease, have lunch and brush teeth together was something completely different. Yet, it seemed to work because they didn’t only have great physical chemistry but kind of potential as friends too. There was probably no better combination for rebounds.

Felicity had just finished rinsing her mouth when Oliver already grabbed hold of her hips and turned her around to him. Before Felicity could do as much as gasp for breath or a let out a little screech at the unexpected turn of her body, his lips were already claiming hers and swallowing whatever sounds could have fallen from them. His tongue stroked against hers, eliciting a deep moan from her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lifted her right leg and wrapped it around his hips. She opened herself to Oliver with that, and he wasted no time to thrust his hips against hers. The zipper of his pants was pressing to her center, and she could feel himself hardening against her as he continued thrusting. Felicity gave back as good as she got, matching Oliver’s movements and rubbing herself against him.

It wasn’t long until Oliver put his hand to the back of her knee and lifted her off the floor completely. With both of her legs wrapped around his hips, her dress rode up her thighs until it pooled around her waist. It gave her more freedom to move. Felicity moved against Oliver more firmly.

Oliver started moving, and Felicity stroked her hands down his strong back. She could feel his defined muscles moving beneath her touch. The need to feel his warm and naked skin beneath her fingertips increase. She started unbuttoning his shirt, but she got distracted halfway when her back was pressed to a wall. She gasped for breath and her back arched, so she pressed against Oliver’s warm body and away from the cold tiles. Oliver used the opportunity to pull the dress over her head and drop it to the shower floor.

As his lips started moving down from her jaw to the side of her neck, hot water started steaming down on them. Felicity moaned, leaning back against the shower tiles as they were getting warmer now. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to suppress making any sound while she was enjoying Oliver’s kisses. He kissed, licked and nibbled down her throat, paying extra attention to her pulse point by sucking at it lightly. All the while, their hips continued rocking together.

When Oliver unclasped her bra and took it off, Felicity used the brief moment he stopped covering her body with kisses to grab some of the strands at the back of his head and pulling it back. She captured his lips in a searing kiss and bit down in his bottom lip. It elicited a deep growl from him that vibrated through his chest. Oliver thrust against her particularly hard, making her head fall back with a gasp for breath.

“Oh god!”

Oliver kissed down her body once more. This time, he didn’t stop at her throat though. Instead, he kissed a path right down to her right breast. His lips hovered over it when he adjusted her position, pushing her further up the wet tiles, so her nipples were on one level with his face.

Felicity was panting already. The anticipation of how his lips would feel wrapped around her nipple with his stubble scratching the sensitive skin around made her body feel like it had been set on fire. She was longing for the touch of his body. Every single inch of her body was prickling with need. Her inner walls were clamping down on emptiness, already aching for more. Her nipples, knowing the pleasure they could expect, hardened to a point that it was almost painful.

A moment later, Oliver’s lips wrapped around her right nipple. His flat tongue pressed against it, rubbing up and down quickly. His short stubble scratched the soft skin of her breast, and the feeling was even more delicious than Felicity could have hoped for. Her hand tightened in Oliver’s hair, keeping him where he was as the pleasure he made her feel filled her entire body. Her hips were rocking against his chest, seeking the friction his hardened cock had made her feel before.

Their clothes and bodies were soaked with water by now. Steam filled the room as the hot water continued streaming down on them. The sound of the streaming water mixed with Felicity’s moans of pleasure.

When Oliver tightened his lips around her nipple and started tugging, Felicity’s fingernails scratched over his scalp, trying to find something to hold onto. Her legs were shaking around his body. Her breathing was erratic, her heartbeat wild. Her breasts had always been sensitive, but nobody had ever made her feel so close to an orgasm just by pleasuring her breasts.

“Oliver, I-“

Oliver’s teeth scratched over the sensitive skin, and it was all Felicity needed to feel the pleasure taking over her body. It filled every single cell of her, making her muscles spasm involuntarily and her skin heating so much that it almost hurt. She moaned loudly, unable and unwilling to hold back on any sounds that told Oliver how good he was doing.

When Felicity came down from her high, her body sinking down the tiles a little until her hips met Oliver’s again, she met his eyes. His pupils were blown wide from pleasure. His lips were slightly opened, quiet pants falling from them. His chest was heaving against hers, capturing her more and more against the wall and his body with every intake of breath. Felicity’s lips were aching to kiss him, but she didn’t give into it. She just continued looking at him.

There was something intense about the way he looked at her. Desire for her was written all over his face. It caused heat to pool in the pit of her stomach. She tugged at his shirt.

“You are overdressed. We gotta do something about that.”

“Yes, we should.”

Their lips met in a heated kiss. Felicity put her feet back onto the floor, unbuckled Oliver’s belt and unbuttoned his pants while he got rid of his shirt. When his pants pooled around his ankles, Felicity wasted no time. She let his boxers follow and took hold of his erection. He was hot and hard in her hand. His skin was soft, and she could feel the thick veins running along his shaft.

“Felicity.”

He choked out her name as his hands rested against the tiles, seeking something to hold onto. When Felicity squeezed him, he groaned. His head came to rest against her shoulder as he tried to gather himself. Felicity licked her lips, exploring what he felt like between her fingers as she stroked up and down his hardness. It felt so good feeling him in her hands, having him at her mercy, and feeling his reaction to her caress.

After a while, his hips started thrusting into her hand, seeking even more friction. Felicity leaned her head forward and nibbled at his shoulder. His muscles were tensed as he tried to hold on instead of giving into the pleasure too soon.

Eventually, Oliver pushed himself away from the wall and captured her lips in another passionate kiss. His tongue stroked into her mouth, dancing with hers. His fingers pushed her hands away before they lowered his own boxers and let her panties follow.

“Condom,” Felicity demanded, feeling completely out of breath from their last kiss. “Now.”

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice. He bent down and grabbed a foil package from one of the pockets of his pants. He ripped it open, discarded the foil paper on the floor carelessly. He kicked away the pants and boxer briefs and stepped out of the shower quickly and grabbed one of the towels to dry his lap, so he could put on the condom safely.

Felicity watched him and took in the side of his naked body. She had seen his naked chest before. The defined abs and strong shoulders made him look like a young Adonis. His cock was long and thick. If Felicity’s core wasn’t already aching to feel him inside of her, she would be tempted to kneel down and taste him.

Before Felicity could go deeper into the imagination of what it would feel like to wrap her lips around him and pleasure him, Oliver stepped back into the shower. He caged her in between his body and the wall like he had before. Putting his hands to the back of her knees, he lifted her off the floor. Her legs came back to wrap around his hips like they had before.

When his cock brushed against her sensitive folds that were already so wet and ready to welcome him, Felicity moaned. Oliver swallowed the sound gladly, kissing her with so much passion that Felicity’s eyes would roll into the back of her head if it wasn’t for her eyes being closed already. Her back arched away from the wall, causing her hips to press closer to his. Oliver’s pubic bone rubbed against her clit. They both moaned in unison, breathing into each other’s mouths in response.

Pulling back enough to look at her, Oliver positioned himself at her entrance and sank into her slowly. He urged forward inch by inch, stretching her inner walls. When he was seated inside of her completely, their pubic bones pressing together, they held each other’s gaze for only a moment longer. Then they both leaned forward at the same time, their lips meeting in a heated kiss.

Oliver pulled his hips back a little, sliding out of her a few inches. He pressed back in slowly, stretching her walls just as deliciously as before once more. He continued with the slow rhythm for a few thrusts. His hands moved up and down her side, his thumbs brushing against her nipples briefly, matching the slow rhythm of his thrusts.

Soon, he picked up his pace though. His hips were snapping against hers. The sound of their skin slapping together mixed with the sounds of pleasure that fell from their lips as their breathing got to erratic to continue kissing. Their eyes locked onto each other’s, and the pleasure in Oliver’s eyes almost made Felicity come right there.

She held on though, not willing to have this end too soon. The hard, fast rhythm of Oliver’s thrust was just what Felicity needed. It took her mind off everything that had been going on at work these past days and made her focus on only her and how good she felt right now. She was here, really here in this moment with Oliver, and she didn’t want to be anywhere else, not in body or in mind.

No matter how hard Felicity tried, eventually the pleasure just got too much. She could feel that Oliver was close to because his thrusts were growing almost sloppy now. He pulled out and thrust back in so quickly that Felicity was almost bouncing up and down a little bit. If she had taken more from the wine, the alcohol mixed with the heat and the bouncing movements would actually make her feel dizzy.

When a particular deep thrust hit her just the right way and made his pubic bone rub against her clit, Felicity came once more. The heat that had been pooling in her stomach spread all through her body, reaching into every last cell of her skin. Her fingertips and tips of her toes were tingling. A long moan fell from her lips, and her fingernails scratched all the way down his back.

It wasn’t long until Oliver dropped his head to the crook of her neck and shoulder. His thrust into her a couple more times before his hips started stuttering. His cock jerked when he eventually released himself inside of her, and a guttural groan fell from his lips.

For a few long minutes, neither of them moved. They were both still breathing erratically, so they tried to catch their breaths. Felicity rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Agreeing to a rebound relationship had really been a good idea.

“The memory of this is certainly going to help me get through this boring work dinner tonight,” Felicity said with a sigh. “I feel so very relaxed right now.”

Oliver chuckled, angling his head back. Felicity could feel his gaze on her face, but she didn’t open her eyes yet. She wasn’t ready to leave her relaxing bubble of post-coital bliss yet.

“I hope you don’t really think about this when you are having dinner with colleagues or whatever.”

Felicity chuckled. “No, of course not. I will just feel all content and relaxed.”

“I am happy to have helped with that.”

Oliver pecked her lips before he put her to the floor. Only now Felicity opened her eyes to see Oliver leaving the shower cabin to get rid of the condom. With a sigh, she took a step towards the door, already about to step out. Oliver came back and pushed her back under the streaming water though.

“Hey, where do you think you are going?”

“Home?” Felicity asked, letting herself be pushed back nonetheless. “I still have to make the way through the city to my home, take a shower and get ready for that work dinner. I don’t have time for a repetition today. Maybe next time or-“

“I wasn’t suggesting a repetition,” Oliver replied. “That would have been nice, but maybe a little too much for our first time as rebounds.”

“Okay,” Felicity said hesitatingly and frowned. They had had sex twice and it wasn’t like they needed to take things slow or anything. Sex was sex. “What were you suggesting then?”

“We shower together.”

Oliver grabbed the shower gel and applied some of it to his hands. He rubbed his hands together and put them to Felicity’s stomach, massaging the gel into her skin. It smelled neutral, not particularly sweet and feminine but not masculine either. His hands stayed around her middle, moving back and forth between her stomach, waist and back.

“So, having dinner is too much, but having a shower together is okay?” Felicity chuckled. “Care to explain your logic?”

“First of all, showering together is not against any rules,” Oliver told her. His hands moved further down her body, stroking over the top of her thighs. “Secondly, I think it’s important to create more physical intimacy outside of sex. It makes the sex all the better.”

When his hands moved between her thighs, Felicity suppressed a moan. She put her hands to Oliver’s shoulders, holding onto him when her legs started feeling wobbly.

“You really want to make this as intense as possible, don’t you?”

“I don’t like doing things half-assed, especially when it comes to sex.”

“Oh, really?”

Oliver grinned. “Really.”

When his fingers dipped into her core, Felicity sucked in a deep breath. She shot him a brief glance, wordlessly reminding him about her work dinner. Oliver’s grin widened in amusement, but he pulled his hands back and continued massaging the shower gel into the rest of her skin.

Felicity did the same for Oliver. She let her hands travel over his body slowly as she massaged the gel into his skin. Little drops of water were running down his chest, making him look incredibly hot, hotter than usually even. She enjoyed the feeling of how his muscles tensed under her touch. It was a wonderful feeling. She could even see his cock twitch slightly when she let her hands sink a little lower.

Eventually, Felicity sighed and announced that it was time for her to leave. Oliver stepped out of the shower first. He opened one of the cabinets and took a towel out, wrapping it around his hips. He took out a second one and unfolded it for Felicity, holding it out in an inviting gesture. Felicity couldn’t say why, but she blushed when she turned her back towards him and let him wrap her in.

“Thanks,” she said, shooting him a pleased smile before she looked down again. When her eyes found their clothes on the shower floor, soaked with water and shower gel, Felicity sighed. “Okay, what am I going to wear for the drive home? Please don’t say the towel.”

Oliver chuckled and nodded towards the sleeping area. “Just take something from my closet.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, it was my fault your clothes got wet.”

“That’s right.” Felicity smiled back at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t exactly complain though.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Felicity tiptoed out of the bathroom and headed to the large wardrobe. She had to open three doors before she finally found sweatpants and a shirt. She threw both of it onto the bed and dried herself before she slipped into the clothes. They were way too big for her, so she had roll up the pant legs a few times before he feet even snuck out. She was glad there was no mirror in the bedroom or at least none that she couldn’t avoid. The look would probably challenge her self-doubts.

Oliver stepped out of the bathroom, still naked except for the towel that was wrapped around his hips and with her wet clothes resting over his forearm. Felicity bit down on her tongue. He looked incredibly hot. Since the towel was wrapped low around his hips, she could see the defined muscles move there too. His skin was still damp. When he moved his hand through his short hair, Felicity realized that he looked like a photo model. Just his grin gave him away.

“I look ridiculous, don’t I?”

“Kind of.”

“Good thing we are just rebounds and not girlfriend and boyfriend then, right?” Felicity asked. “That means I don’t have to be embarrassed about it because I don’t need to look good for you all the time.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Oliver replied. His grin widened. “I can see that you are though.”

Felicity bit down on her tongue and walked over to him, playfully punching his shoulder, making Oliver chuckle. She took her wet clothes from his arm and cocked her head.

“Maybe I need a bag here with spare clothes.”

Oliver pursed his lips and cocked his head, absolutely playing into her teasing. “That’s as far as my entire relationship of six years went, a bag of her stuff at my place. Don’t tempt your luck.”

Felicity chuckled and patted his cheek playfully before she headed to the stairs. Oliver followed her down to the main area and to the door.

“I have to go on a short business trip to Central City over the weekend. I will leave early Friday morning and come back Monday night, Tuesday morning at the latest. I am not sure I have time before that,” Felicity said, slipping back into her shoes.

Oliver nodded. “Alright. The weekend is going to be busy anyway. I am supposed to work through something for my dad.”

Felicity nodded. “Good.”

Grabbing her purse, she straightened back up, unsure what the protocol said about saying goodbye to your rebound. Luckily, Oliver made the decision for the both of them. He leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss, opening the door at the same time.

“Goodbye, Fe- John!”

Felicity almost flinched at the name of her best friend’s husband. She turned around quickly, seeing John standing in the door with his hand lifted to knock. He looked from Oliver to Felicity and back again with wide eyes.

“John,” Felicity said quickly, trying her best to ignore the blush that spread on her face and the heat it made rise to her head. As much as she tried to do so, she just wasn’t able to keep her cool in the situation though. She could already feel the babble building on her tongue before her lips opened to speak. “It’s so nice to see you here. You are probably wondering what I am doing here. Well, I could say that it’s not what you think it is, but he’s almost naked, and I am wearing his clothes so that would be ridiculous. I can assure you that we are just having sex though. I mean it’s not just sex. It’s great sex, amazing sex even. We didn’t have sex often yet, but it’s definitely great sex… which I am sure you don’t want to know about at all which is why I will leave right now.”

She really had to work on that damn brain-to-mouth filter Felicity thought to herself, already beating herself up internally for that terrible ramble that had given away way too much too soon. Since escaping the situation seemed to be her best chance to stop the embarrassment, at least for her, she stepped forward quickly. She kissed John’s cheek, mumbled a quick goodbye and hurried down the hallway towards the elevator.

Holding her breath, she pushed the button for the elevator and was more than glad that the doors opened immediately. She stepped inside the cage and pushed the button to close the door. She really didn’t want to be in their sight or earshot longer than absolutely necessary. Her face was red and heated as it was.

Just when the doors started closing, she heard Oliver say, “What? You heard her. We are just having sex.”

Groaning, Felicity dropped her head into her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. John couldn’t have found out under worse conditions. She guessed she had no choice but to tell Lyla now if she didn’t want her friend to find out about these developments from Felicity herself instead of John. With a deep sigh, she took her phone.

“Let’s better get this over with right now.” 

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