parris!!

His life on Erid was far more familiar than he could have ever hoped, Rocky had made sure his scientist friends had given Grace every comfort he could think of. They even managed to replicate Skittles, alongside all the plants that had survived the trip. It was a long three years in the journey to Erid, but luckily Rocky and Grace had each other to keep company. He had been unbelievably lucky to get to Rocky in time, he couldn't imagine the grief of the alternative. That made a shiver crawl up his spine so he shook his head, changing his thoughts. 

It was also only after the fact when Grace had sent the Beetles to Earth did he realise they had more fuel than he thought they would and given how small they were with less mass to carry he deduced it would also only take them about three years to reach Earth instead of eleven. Which means... they would have arrived to Earth some months ago. By force of habit he looked up into the sky, except it wasn't a sky, it was a dome of sorts. Not that he could see it through all the bright lights and how high up it was. If it wasn't for the fact the gravity was stronger here, which weighed on his joints more, you'd have no idea this wasn't Earth.  

Grace had been here for a little over eight Earth months, the first few on Erid were a little touch and go as he didn't have a lot of food left and had been rationing. Luckily most of the plants and seeds survived but there were only so many cherry tomatoes and zucchinis they could produce. Thankfully, they all seemed to thrive on Erid, with the scientists creating a replica of Earth's soil and using UV lights for growth. Grace was thankful for the UV lights, he'd been low on Vitamin D for some years now, alongside a few other deficiencies. Still, he had you to thank for saving him from wasting away.  

That all too familiar pang in his chest grew tighter each time he thought about you. Seventeen odd years would have passed on Earth. You were twenty-six when he left Earth, so you'd be forty-three now. Grace was thirty-one but because of time dilation he'd only experienced seven years, now making him only thirty-eight. There was still a five-year age gap but now he was the younger one. It made his stomach churn thinking about the time lost.  

You still bewitched his dreams, dreams of every kind, even the kind that had him hard and aching. He could feel heat rising to his cheeks when he thought back to the three year only trip to Erid, there had been times he'd been so needy for you. A man has desires, damnit! And for the most part he'd been good at... keeping it from Rocky, only relieving himself thinking of you when Rocky was dead asleep. Except for that one time. That had been awkward to explain, especially to a species that doesn't necessarily have sex like humans do, let alone for fun and not strictly for reproductive reasons.  

That of course opened a whole can of worms and Grace had to come clean about you being his mate. Rocky, understandably, felt very guilty that Grace had chosen to save him instead of going back home to Earth. Grace had to keep reminded him too many years had passed on Earth anyway. Besides, Rocky needed help and Grace knew you would make the same choice. As would Yao and Ilyukhina.  

He looked up at his ‘tree’ that sat next to his house, it didn't have any leaves as it wasn't genuinely a real tree. Obviously, none of the seeds onboard had been trees, they'd all been vegetables. But it still touched his heart that Rocky and his team tried so hard to bring him more comforts from home. He looked down onto his pebble beach, he didn't have work today so he decided he'd have a swim. It took a few trials and errors to get the temperature right, but Adrian managed to get it to the perfect temperature; just a little on the cold side. The beaches in the bay area of Northern California weren't exactly warm so he liked to be reminded of home, though lucky the ‘surf’ here wasn't so rough.  

He had been apprehensive about arriving to Erid, for a multitude of reasons. But mainly that Rocky would be too busy to spend much time with Grace. It was stupid really, Rocky had his mate Adrian to come home to and the Erdians needed to find a way to get the Astrophage to Threeworld. He had said as much to Rocky when they were days away from Erid, but Rocky had reassured Grace that figuring out food and shelter for Grace would be a top priority. Erid had a much thicker atmosphere than Earth did so it was not as urgent to find a cure to their apocalypse as it had been on Earth. Still, there had been a separate team working with the Taumeoba and a separate team to work on Grace. They were able to get the Taumeoba to Threeworld without a hitch and Grace only spent a month or so on the Hail Mary until his ‘enclosure’ was ready, the Eridians sure work fast. Cloning his food was easy enough and they were even able to clone his own cells to make “me-burgers” as he called them. And above all, Rocky still visited Grace almost every day. Much to Grace's happiness.  

He was very despondent without his alien friend, probably not in a healthy way. But after all they had been through together it was to be expected. Though, Grace got on well enough with the other Eridians he met, including Adrian. Rocky and Adrian had some ‘pebbles’ as Grace liked to call them not long after they arrived. Seeing tiny Eridians was cute beyond words, Rocky was proud of his little offspring. Plus, Grace loved his students, loved having a classroom again. It was nice having purpose again but not having two whole entire worlds’ survival weighing on his shoulders.  

Because Erid's atmosphere was so thick, spaceships could not take off or re-enter and instead a space elevator of sorts was used. It still boggled his mind thinking about it, he can't imagine such a structure working on Earth. It took a few hours to use and was one of the most nerve-wracking things Grace had ever been on, and he'd done some dangerous spacewalks. Still, it enabled the Eridians to work on the Hail Mary and refuel it and recalibrate it. Only three months into living on Erid did Rocky tell him the Hail Mary would be able to go home to Earth, but that would involve travelling for sixteen years. Besides, there was no way of knowing if Earth had used the Taumeoba to control the Astrophage, being lightyears away the Eridian astrophysicists wouldn't be able to see Sol brighten for another sixteen years from now. Of course because of time dilation, Grace wouldn't experience sixteen years, it would be closer or six or seven, but that was a long time to stay in a coma. And what if the coma went wrong again? Grace theorised that because he was induced early and hooked up to the Hail Mary before leaving Earth's orbit that he was induced properly. With Yao and Ilyukhina inducing themselves... maybe that's where things went wrong. Though Yao clearly died some time before Ilyukhina did...  

He flexed his fingers in discomfort. Thinking about his crewmates demise never got any easier. There was never a doubt in his mind that they wouldn't do what Grace did: save Rocky. Yes, they had families back home, but they were brave and would do the right thing. A pang of guilt washed through Grace as he thought about his initial refusal. He wasn't willing to give up his own life for eight billion people, including you, but he had been willing to do it for Rocky. Sure, there was Erid too... but it was Rocky that drove his decision. His crewmates wouldn't have hesitated to help Erid. What would they have thought of life on Erid? How would they have rationed the food between them on the way here? He winced at the thought, they would have been on the verge of starvation in the three years it would take it get here. He idly wondered if Taumeoba was edible, it was an organic life form that didn't appear to have any toxins. He was lucky it didn't come to that – except lucky wasn't the right word as it meant two of his crewmates had died. Did volunteering to save Rocky and therefore Erid atone him for his sins? Did it undo his refusal to save Earth? Did it make him less selfish?  

Before guilt and anxiety could fester any longer, he made his way down the steps that lead to the beach. It wasn't a particularly ‘sunny’ day, instead it was raining ever so lightly thanks to the sprinkler-esque system Adrian had developed, but that was how Grace liked it. That was how you liked it too. On a day like this he should surely be inside curled up with a book, well, a digital book on his tablet. You had always said rainy days were perfect book reading weather.  

He stripped down to his trunks and before he could sike himself out he got into the water, it was cool enough that it most certainly woke up his senses. He thought about warp speed in Star Trek, about how their warp drive had different levels to it. Each level going fast and faster than the speed of light. Also artificial gravity without the need for centrifuge force. Crazy stuff. Of course, thinking of superluminal speed had his thoughts wandering back to you, back to that smile of yours that crinkled the corners of your eyes. It was a picture though, that was fading. And it alarmed him a great deal. Sure, his brain was still a little mushy from the coma and induced amnesia in some regards, but seven years had passed since he last saw you in person. He replayed your video over and over, enough that he knew exactly what words would come out of your mouth. But still... picturing you... remembering you... It was getting fuzzy at the edges, almost out of focus. He was forgetting what it was like to touch you, to hug you and to kiss you. It broke his heart.  

“Grace?” Came Rocky's sing-song voice. Thankfully, Grace was fluent in Eridian, though of course he replied in English. 

Grace opened his eyes and stopped floating, opting to swim towards Rocky on the beach. “Yeah, Pal?”  

Rocky was standing in his little body suit enclosure and at the edge of the waves. “Why are you swimming in the rain? I thought humans only did that when the weather was clear. Do you want Adrian to change to sunny weather?”  

It was nice in the water, now that his body was used to the temperature, so he opted to stay in just enough to crouch. “No, I'm okay Rocky. Sometimes we swim in the rain, we're getting wet anyway.”  

Rocky made a disapproving noise. “Do not get too cold and get sick. Or I'll be pissed.”  

That made Grace laugh a little. “Don't worry, pal. I won't be out here for much longer.”  

“You should come out now. Do you remember that probe that was in Erid's orbit three months ago?” 

He did in fact remember that. There had been some type of very small spacecraft darting around Erid's orbit, though it hadn't stayed long before it left. It has taken great interest in the Hail Mary, hovering around it for longer than anything else. It seemed to also be also powered by Astrophage, the IR signal the scientists found was unmistakable. That made Grace frown, heart stuttering. “I do. Why?” He got out of the water, grabbing his towel out from his waterproof bag. 

“Well, there is a bigger spaceship in orbit now. They think it is from Earth.” Rocky's voice was stern.  

Grace froze, unable to really process what he just heard. “Wait, wha– what?! A spaceship!?” Blood was rushing through his ears, causing them to ring loudly as his heart thundered in his chest. “From Earth?!”  

Rocky was nervously fidgeting with a handful of pebbles. “Affirmative. Though it looks as if no one is onboard from the echolocation, but markings on the outside are in English. They have not yet opened it.”  

Grace couldn't think straight, couldn't begin to decipher what this meant. An unmanned spaceship from Earth? “Do they want me to look?”  

“Only if you feel that you are able. Your spacesuit is working fine and I can go with you. There will be some scientists who can come too.” Rocky's voice sounded a little worried.  

“What did it say on the outside?” Grace's voice was breathless.  

Rocky paused for a short moment before answering, “There was a diagram of your solar system and the words: Project Prometheus.”  

That made Grace frown deeply, “Prometheus...? The Greek Titan who stole fire?” That puzzled him deeply.  

“Why would they name it after him?” Rocky asked, just as baffled as Grace was.  

“By giving fire to the humans he effectively started civilisation and was punished by the gods for it... he selflessly saved humanity.” If this was a spaceship sent to bring him home... he didn't dare have too much hope on the thought. But the name didn't make sense to Grace, he didn't volunteer. They had to give him short-term amnesia to make sure he wouldn't sabotage the mission. Though, he knew he wouldn't have been able to do that. But then there was Rocky and Erid – he had risked his life to save them too. “Prometheus was later saved by Herakles.” He remembers you vividly complaining about the use of ‘Hercules’ instead of ‘Herakles’ in Greek mythological films. 

Give yourself grace – Dr. Grace, your voice rushed through his mind. He felt as if he was going to collapse.  

Authors note: Sorry for the shorter chapter, the next one will be much longer (eek!). Also the whole things with the Beetles was a circumvention, we can't wait 11 years for them to get to Earth lmao Tags (lmk if you want to be added): @shittyprofilebutfuckit

You got to your place of employment, also known as the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center's Emergency Department at around 6:30 am. You couldn't quite recall the last time you were this early. Sure, you were always early, it was one of the things that made you one of Robby's favourites. You couldn't specify though, if it was a good thing or not.

You ran into Ellis and Shen, showing them screenshots of yours and Luke's last conversation. They were... simply unimpressed. As usual, anyway. The two night shift residents, along with Collins, Mohan, Langdon, and even Mckay, were firm believers that your taste in men had to be professionally checked. They always explained themselves by asking rhetorical to them questions, like 'how does a woman so beautiful always end up with men who look like a social disgrace' or 'how does a woman so intelligent end up with men who lose iq battles with mirrors', and so on.

You decided to get some fresh air before your upcoming shift which you knew would be tiring to the point you might want to cancel your date with Luke later. If only you had.

You step out to the roof and immediately regret it because here you were now, staring at dr. Jack Abbot's back.

Dr. Abbot was always kind to you, if you had to point to a flaw of his, the only thing you could say was that he may seem intimidating because of his rbf. Although, it is not as if you knew said attending well neither personally nor professionally, since you didn't work night shifts. Usually.

Over the years you have spent here, ever since being a med student, you happened to have the wonderful opportunity to work some nights. That way, you became very close with Parker and John.

However, you and Abbot only had brief exchanges over your patients, never having time for chatting or really... the courage to do so. Yes, Jack Abbot was an attractive man, you couldn't lie about that. He always had this look when speaking to you, as if he was trying to see through your soul in the most gentle way. Whenever Ellis and Shen talked with him, as they often did, since they were close with their attending, and you happened to be working a night, you would just awkwardly stand there, trying not to get caught absolutely ogling him.

So, no, you couldn't say you knew the guy, I mean, you wouldn't be able to tell what his favourite colour was, although... it was probably blue.

"Oh, shit sorry, didn't know anyone was here, sorry, I'll leave now-" you stammered, his presence, even though so familiar by now, still having a clear intimidating effect on you.

"Stay. Need to talk to you anyway" his raspy voice reached you from those few feet away, as you were about to turn around and go back inside, his head turning after saying those words, and you couldn't help but wonder for a second, 'did he just recognise me by my voice?'. After all, you didn't talk often, let alone recently.

You turned back around, and it was only now that you had realised he had been standing behind the safety railing of the roof. Not close enough to the edge of the building for it to be dangerous, but it was definitely concerning. It was one of the things the two attendings of your workplace, Jack and Robby, had in common. They were both mentally unstable.

"You... need to... talk... to me?" You stuttered out, cursing yourself in your head for it.

"Yes" the older man answered so naturally, making it sound obvious, as if you two had an urgent, important conversation to have. He turned around, so he was facing you now, and leaned forward, resting his forearms against the railing. Staring at you. With that gentle, yet amused, look. With that almost unnoticeable smirk that you caught almost every time. He lifted his hand and by a move of his pointing and middle fingers of his right hand, he signalled you to come closer. Oh God.

Your legs almost gave out as you felt his shrewd gaze on you, but you kept your head down to prevent them from doing so, an excuse in your mind already forming ; 'I need to watch where I'm going, been so clumsy recently'. Which was of course a simple lie.

As you finally placed your feet together next to him, standing behind the safety railing, you leaned your side against it, resting your left elbow and forearm on it. He turned his head towards you, and you thought you had maybe imagined it because of how quick he had done it, but you just witnessed dr. Jack Abbot dragging his eyes from your shoes to your eyes, as he leaned up, making himself taller than you again.

He now had his left palm around the railing, facing you, looking down at you, with that same look he had before.

Now, he was just staring at you. You didn't want to admit it, but you felt it deep inside, yes, he was studying you.

You cleared your throat, making him meet your eyes."Well?"

He cleared his throat too, "Right". He looked away, as if he had gotten shy all of a sudden, and looked back towards the sunrise. "What is it about you buying food for my residents?"

You frowned slightly. So this is what this was all about? Food?

"Well, it's not only for residents, it's also for nurses, med students, although I'm not sure if you have any at the moment, it's for all staff, really" you explained.

"Why?" he asked, and the question seemed so surreal. There were endless ways in which you could answer it. You didn't know exactly what he was asking you; why do you buy them food, or why do you let them have it for free.

You blinked at him. You chose to think he wouldn't want the deep, emotional answer. "Have you seen this emergency department? Half the staff would die of malnutrition without intervention."

He huffed out a laugh, and you smiled a little.

"Besides, if Ellis passed out from low blood sugar during a trauma, I don't think I'd forgive myself" You added.

"Don't you think they are grown adults and could buy themselves their own food?" He asked, after a small moment of silence. The thing with silence in his company, it was oddly comfortable.

"You're a grown adult, dr. Abbot. Do you buy yourself your own lunch?" You wish you had bit your tongue, that was a very risky thing to say to a superior, implying he didn’t buy himself lunch. However, lucky for you he found it amusing.

"Good point" he nodded.

Another small moment of silence, during which both of you had been looking out at the beautiful sunrise unfolding right in front of your eyes.

"Is that all, dr. Abbot?" you asked, turning your head to him once more. God, he looked beautiful in the soft, orange, sun gleam.

He straightened himself. "No, actually."

"Well, make it quick then, my shift starts in 7 minutes" you teased, risking your whole career once again. And again, he found it amusing.

"Two things; it's Jack" he leaned his head down a bit, making more of a direct eye contact with him.

You raised your eyebrows slightly at that.

"Not dr. Abbot" he mocked you slightly, teasingly. "Just Jack."

You nodded slowly, "Okay, Just Jack. Just Y/N, pleased to meet you."

He laughed slowly, closing his eyes for a second before looking back at you, now jut smiling rather... you didn't know how to describe it... fondly?

"And let me pay you back" he finally added.

You raised your eyebrows once again, and shook your head this time, "Uh, absolutely not."

"What?"

"I rejected your offer of financial compensation for the sushi that I had bought for 'The Nightrawlers'."

He chuckled before asking again, "Just let me pay you back, at least this one time."

"Nope." You said, already walking away.

"At least what restaurant did you order from, it was really good!"

"Go home and get some rest, Just Jack!" you laughed as you went inside. Walking down the stairs, you ran into Robby, who was going upstairs. He let you know that you're gonna round soon, which you nodded to.

Once you got downstairs, you greeted everyone properly, and your shift began.

A few hours into your shift you were already properly acquainted with the new residents; Santos, Whitaker and Mel, as well as the med student, Javadi. So far, your opinions amongst your friend group were very different from each other.

You yourself thought Santos had a bright future ahead of herself, she was truly a good doctor, but she had to stop coping with stress by bullying others. Especially Whitaker. Poor boy was clearly a great doctor, had a lot of empathy for his patients, reminded you of Mohan an awful lot. Mel seemed to be getting along with Langdon very well, which, since you found Mel adorable, was a very cute sighting. And then Javadi, whom you did not get to see as much, since she was working triage with Mckay after crashing in Trauma. But in those moments that you did happen to catch her, made you think she seemed like a smart girl.

You were in the middle of catching up some behind charting, when a text came through from... dr. Abbot? You supposed you should change his name to 'Just Jack' now, or... should you?

a/n - yikesss.... listen i was going to add more but the 30 photo limit is preventing me from doing so... I guess yall have to wait for part 1!! I honestly hope you guys liked it, i personally think it was funny here and there.. oh and im so sorry for writing so much instead of just screenshots but in my opinions those were like semi important things that are going to be in fact relative laterr (altho idk well see as i said i do NOT have a plan). I am sorry for my poor writing in those written out parts, I feel like it was going well and then someone shat themselves or smth and suddenly its all so dry and robotic.. anyways if you guys have any questions feel free to ask, i know it might be a bit confusing, if you'd like to be added to the taglist feel free to comment!! love u!!

as you usual, thank you @cursed-carmine for the pretty dividers!!

!! taglist: @melissa66orion @sunbonesss @saralovesjoelmiller @escapingrealityalways @annalee316 @xoxoloverb @sofia-the-scholar @darknessofhell666-blog-blog @p1nk-cvp1d @longfulforlee @looseshoelaces

You put your phone away, wanting to end the day, the tiring day you'd had as a senior resident, sadly not excited for your not-so-free-anymore day tomorrow. Which reminded you, you still haven't texted Luke about the whole rescheduling the date day thing. You knew why you had forgotten even though it had been a matter of minutes; Langdon. Frank fucking Langdon. You were over him, yes, it's been years, which is exactly why you were asking yourself now: "How the hell did he remember that?".

Not wanting to burden your head with such a small thing, especially since it did feel like emotional cheating a bit, you decided to just focus on your current boyfriend instead and face your fear of... what exactly? Luke was a good guy. At least, that was your general impression of him. He took care of you when you needed taking care of, he helped you whenever you needed help, he was... lovely. But your latest impression of him? Oddly different.

He just seemed... different. And your last argument was very odd, it seemed as if he thought you knew of something very bad that he had done and wanted to compensate you for it... You simply asked if there was a specific reason he was being so distant lately, and he had suddenly gotten so hyperactive and keen on taking you out.

Usually, you would have loved it and you loved the idea that he was taking you out, but... PittFest? You have been with Luke for a little bit over a year and he must have remembered your thoughts on PittFest, and on that note, any kind of festival or just.. a big group of people.

You don't know exactly why it freaked you out, overwhelmed you whenever you were in a crowd, I mean, sure, you had a suspicion but you had no energy to think about that right now. Ever since you could remember, whenever you found yourself surrounded by a group of people, in a crowd, even worse if it was a loud one, you would suddenly lose your breath, get hot and wouldn't be able to think straight. And Luke knew that. Right?

Shen and Ellis were in the middle of snacking on some sushi you had left them after your shift, when Abbot walked into the break room, looking for his residents.

"Eating during work hours? Really?"

"Sounds to me like you've never had some good free sushi, boss" Says Ellis, as she shoves a packed with veggies and rice maki into her mouth, after which a supportive 'mm!' sound comes from Shen.

Abbot walked up closer to them, studying their lunch, before pointing vaguely at it. "Where'd you get this? I may be old, but I don't have dementia-"

"-not yet-" Shen joked.

"-and I do not remember a sushi delivery during tonight's shift. What'd you just say?" he pointed at Shen.

"Maybe not demented, but may need a hearing aid" Ellis joked this time, looking at Shen, and after they had ended their giggling they looked to their side, to see that their boss was indeed still standing there and just looking. Once he finally got their attention, he widened his eyes for a moment, indicating that he was still waiting for an answer about the food.

Ellis swallowed and smacked her tongue, before answering "It was left behind for us by a certain dayshift resident".

Abbot frowned ever so slightly.

"A certain dayshift resident whom you very much are normal about, which you insist on every time we talk about her?" Ellis continued.

"Conversations you start, by the way" Shen added, pointing at his attending.

There was a moment of silence as Abbot stared at the maki and nigiri, clearly thinking, whilst Ellis and Shen continued on chewing.

"And this is just for you two?"

"I mean, she left a bunch of boxes tonight, she never said nobody else can touch them except for us, so... knock yourself out" Shen explained.

Abbot reached out and grabbed a simple maki with salmon. It was actually so delicious. Seeing the amount which she ordered after also looking in the fridge, it must have cost a fortune. "And you didn't pay her anything?"

"Well, no" Shen answered.

"it started out by her leaving some lunch accidentally one time and I sent a picture of it to her, asking if it was hers, turned out it was, and she said I could finish it if I wanted to. And oh boy, did I want to" Ellis added.

"Yeah, and with time she started leaving us like proper lunches. And it's free!" Shen kept eating, as Ellis kept talking with Abbot.

"She said once that for every lunch we finish she should be paying us, because otherwise the food would go to waste" Ellis went back to eating.

"She's such a philanthropist" Shen said, his voice a little muffled by the amount of food he had in his mouth.

"Hm" Abbot hummed. "That's ridiculous" he muttered as he pulled up a chair and sat down with them to eat.

"Why? Because she's being a good person and contributing to society by leaving some starving doctors food?" Shen joked.

"Because she's simply being a good samaritan?" Ellis added, smirking.

"Because she's buying a million dollar worth amount of food and she's not even the one eating it" Abbot answered, grabbing a fried shrimp and dipping it in soy sauce.

A few minutes of silence passed as they ate in silence, until Shen sneakily caught eye contact with Shen.

"Are you... planning on something?" Shen asked, catching Ellis' agreement in her eyes with his question.

"He's been planning for a few years now" Ellis smirked into her food as she saw in her peripheral her boss frowning at her, annoyed.

Abbot looked over at Shen. "Yeah, I'll pay her back for it. I mean... Sushi's expensive, right?" He went back to eating, and his residents exchanged an amused look.

a/n - HELLO!!! This ended up being a bit shitty at the end, and I knoww I knowww it's long, I doubt the next parts are going to be this long, although let me know if you like this length or not!! I do plan on adding some reaction pics to the screenshots to spice up the comedy part of this series!! Also, I have so many more ideas for more The Pitt smaus!! However as a beginner writer forgive me, but I will stick to writing one series at a time, maybe once I reach a safe point in this one will I start a new one! Love you so much and thank you for all your support that I have gotten so far, which has been only today, which is insane!! I lovee you!!!!

and ofc thank you @cursed-carmine for the beautiful dividers!!

!! taglist - @melissa66orion @sunbonesss @saralovesjoelmiller @escapingrealityalways @annalee316 @xoxoloverb @sofia-the-scholar @darknessofhell666-blog-blog

You sigh, “sorry.” You press yourself up against the side of the car as Pope plops down next to you. 

“The hell are you doing?” He asks gruffly. 

“What are you doing?” You huff, “sit at the corner.” 

“I don’t want to.” 

“I’m telling you to.” 

“Why do I have to listen to you?” 

“Pope, move.” 

He’s childish, you’ve come to realize. Instead of scooching to the other side of the seat, he moves closer to you. “No.” 

“Pope.” You groan loudly. 

“Uncle pope,” Lena calls from her seat. She’s tapping away at her tablet with one hand as Sammy holds the other. “Are you being mean?” 

“Yes.” “No.” 

“They just like each other, mama.” Nicky chimes in, turning in her seat to grin at Lena. “You tease the people you like.” 

“I do not like him.” You hope they believe you, since it’s a complete lie. But your friends know you better than you know yourself. 

Lena laughs like it’s the funniest thing in the world. “They do like each other! So gross!” 

The drive is incredibly long. Your body was aching from the way you were pulling from him and you had to give in. His leg is nudging against yours, pressing harder at turns.

“Move.” You groan, nudging him away. 

“No.” He nudges his knee against yours again. 

“Pope…” you huff, glaring at him. “You’re being annoying.” 

It’s his turn to huff, “you annoy me all the time.” 

“I do not.” 

“Do too.” 

“Kids…” J chimes this time, “settle down.”

“Ain’t a kid.” You toss a napkin at him from the back seat. 

Pope decides to keep going, “sure act like one.” 

“Sure act like one.” You mock, deepening your voice. 

“I don’t sound like that.” 

You mock again, “I don’t sound like that.” 

“Quit it.”

“Quit it.” 

Sammy groans this time, “both of you shut up.” 

Lena is out cold when you all get to Sammy’s family cabin. It’s nice, sleek. It doesn’t look like it belongs in the deep foliage, too modern. Her mother has expensive tastes though, so it’s not a surprise that there’s technology all throughout the place.

J and Pope argued for a minute about taking Lena in but J ultimately won, now heading in with the lolling girl in his arms. Nicky follows suit, already complaining about needing a shower and the bugs all around. Sammy chimes in about the high tech bug zappers her mother has in every room. 

You’re stuck behind with your bags in your hand. “Hello?” You call out to Pope as he starts walking to the cabin. “Where are you going?” 

He turns, his own bags in his hand. “Inside?” 

You wiggle your bag around. “What happened to chivalry?”

He glances at your bags and back at you, bored. “It died.” 

“Pope.” 

“Yeah?” He hums, uninterested. 

“Help me.” 

There’s a grin tugging at his lips, one he’s trying to fight as he turns back to you. “Where are your manners?” 

“Pope!” You sigh, “really? I’m too pretty to do this.” But he’s not budging. “Fine. Please.” 

That’s enough for him because he’s moving over to you, grabbing your bags with a triumphant smile, “good girl.” 

You think about his words long after. You hate that you want him so badly. No matter what’s said or done, nothing pulls you from this aching need.

You wonder if he’s being intentional. From what you’ve gathered, he doesn’t have much female attention. Not because women don’t want him, you see the way eyes trail over him. But he’s awkward. You’re not sure if he even notices the way he’s lusted after. 

He spends so much of his time acting like he doesn’t want you, when he makes a move that he is interested, you find yourself dissecting it for hours. It’s hard not to, especially when his softer acts are rare, in text or person. 

“What are you doing?” The strong voice makes you jump in your spot. 

You pull your hand out of the hot tub, the water dripping down your now cold arm. You turn to him, leaning against the tub. “Letting it warm up.” A pause. “Are you getting in?” 

“No. I hate hot water.” 

You roll your eyes, turning away from him. “Whatever.” 

You don’t hear his feet shuffling away, so you know he’s still here. And you can feel him. Feel the way his eyes are on your backside. 

“Whose shirt is that?” You’re wearing a huge t-shirt, practically a dress as it sits right beneath your knees, and the neck falls off your shoulder, showing off your collarbone. 

The idea is immediate. You bite your lip to stop yourself from cackling and giving yourself away. You dip your hand back into the bubbling water, humming, “why?”

“It doesn’t look like it’s yours.” 

You nod, “it isn’t.” You’re grinning, wanting to turn around and watch him. Watch the way his face twists in confusion. “Absolute truth?” 

He hesitates but agrees. “Yes.” 

The lie is easy as you turn to face him, face back to neutral. He doesn’t know that you’ve been celibate almost three years. He doesn’t need to know that the T-shirt is J’s which you stole from Nicky a while ago.

You shrug, continuing, “an old fling. Met him on Tinder.” You can’t tell what he’s feeling. You hate that you can’t because he always looks serious. Always looks stoic. “We went for drinks and ended up back at my place.” 

“But you live with your parents.” He’s trying to get you to say more, that much you can tell. 

“I’m not gross, Pope. I didn’t let him touch me until they were gone for the night.” 

“Okay.” Is all he speaks. 

You shrug, turning your back to him once more. You’re scolding yourself because of course it didn’t work. He’s not into you. He doesn’t want you. You’re the one who wants him. You’re the one who is chasing him. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. 

“What did he do to you?” 

His question makes your breath hitch. Slowly, you turn around to face him again. You flinch softly at how close he is to you now, chest practically pressed up to yours. “I don’t think you want to—“ 

He doesn’t let you finish. His harsh tone cuts you off, “Tell me.” 

“He…” you’re scrambling. Nothing is coming to mind because this isn’t remotely close to being true. There’s no other guy and there’s definitely no Tinder. You mumble out the first thing that comes to mind. “He fingered me.” 

His body close to yours tells you a lot more than you’ve ever seen on him. His breathing is labored, chest rising and falling from what you’re assuming is jealousy. His hands are ghosting at your hips, scared to touch you. Now you know what you need to do.  

“Didn’t let him fuck me, Pope.” He backs you up fully against the hot tub, nose trailing down your cheek, to your jaw, and to your neck. He inhales you. Smells the mixture of your faint perfume mixed with the light sheen of sweat from the heat emanating from the hot tub you’ve been hovering over. “Couldn’t let him.” 

This solidifies what he wants— what he needs from you. His hands fall to your hips, face nuzzled into the crook of your neck. His rough hands slowly move from your hips and to your thighs, letting your t-shirt scrunch up as he desperately searches for your soft skin. 

You can’t take a full breath. His hands are tugging at the bottom of your bathing suit beneath your shirt. You expect him to tug them off of you but that doesn’t come. He pulls it taut to the side of you, letting it sit awkwardly. But you can’t focus on that when a single finger pushes between your lips, letting the tip of him press at your bundle of nerves. 

A soft gasp leaves you as he begins to rub circles at your clit. “Fuck…” you whimper softly, brows furrowing as the little waves of pleasure course through you. 

Your hips grind into his hand, desperate for more from him. He adds another finger, and another. He’s moved his face from your neck, his intense eyes watching your face twist in pleasure. “Pope, I…” you whimper softly, letting your forehead fall to his shoulder. 

“Hey, hey,” his free hand grabs your chin, forcing you to look back up at him. “Don’t look away from me.” 

And that’s all you need to listen to his command. His eyes won’t leave yours. You’re embarrassed. Embarrassed with how vulnerable this feels, having him watch you. 

You almost cry when his fingers stop the motion at your clit, but you’re quickly shut up when his hand slides a little ways down and a single finger pops into you. You try to hide your face against him again but he doesn’t allow you to. The grip on your chin tightens, fingers spreading to your cheeks, lips puckered out, and keeping you still as he pumps the single finger inside of you. 

You can’t speak. You’re a whimpering mess as he adds another finger. And another. You’re riding his hand desperately, completely flushed and flustered by his utmost attention. He’s captivated by you; by the way your face twists and turns in absolute pleasure, the way you’re rutting into him with a desperate need. 

“Are you going to cum?” If this were anything else, you’d cackle at the serious way he speaks those words but you can’t talk. You nod wildly, hips stuttering. He’s smug. You’ve never seen him look so smug before. So damn proud of himself at the way he’s got you. 

You’ve never cum so hard in your life because he refuses to let you look away. Your eyes have to be on him as your orgasm crashes over you, spasming around his fingers as your hips stutter and slow. 

The grip on your face turns soft, thumb caressing your cheek. Your chest is rising and falling, catching your breath. You choke softly when his face moves closer into yours. His nose nudges yours, lips ghosting your softly painted ones. You close your eyes, lifting your chin softly to try and meet his lips. He doesn’t let them, instead, he’s pressing a soft kiss to the tip of your nose. 

You’re sure you could have taken more from him but Sammy’s familiar voice is heard. “I can’t find the shorts I bought!” She calls out your name. She’s getting closer. 

Pope pulls away from you, tugging your shirt back down your legs, hiding your body again. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t even look at you as he walks out of the room, rushing past Sammy as she makes her way onto the back patio. She watches him curiously before turning back to you. “The hell is his issue?” 

Your eyes are wide, “oh my god, Sammy. He just fucking fingered me.” 

☆ ☆ ☆ authors note . . . hey… hey… what yall doing… okay deadass honest opinion. tnd and ino is my first “real” smut and it’s not my forte AT ALL so i hope you all love it hehehehe (this is also not edited… bear with me)