“five more minutes,” comes the grumble from beneath you.

you huff out a laugh, trying to wiggle free from his grip. awsten’s bed makes a convincing argument, though. cool sheets, blackout curtains, the steady hush of the white noise machine filling the room. it would be so easy to stay here all day. but you have errands to run, and the two of you can’t spend the entire afternoon tangled up in bed.

“awsten, c’mon,” you murmur, attempting to pull away again.

his arm only tightens around your waist. his eyes stay shut, but there’s the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. he doesn’t move an inch.

fine.

your cool hand slips beneath the loose shirt he’s wearing, nails scratching lightly across the firm skin of his stomach. he hums softly at the feeling, but still refuses to budge.

so you decide to play dirtier.

you press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, nudging your nose against his cheek. little by little, you move closer until you’re swinging a leg over his lap, settling yourself against him with a smug sort of satisfaction.

that finally gets him.

he opens his eyes with a groan, hands immediately finding your hips like they belong there.

you grin triumphantly before leaning down to kiss him properly. he melts into it easily, fingers curling into your skin, warm and lazy and a little possessive.

“what do i have to do to get you out of bed?” you murmur against his lips, one hand threading through his sleep-mussed hair. your hips rock faintly against his, just enough to make him groan under you.

you shift again, feeling the way he reacts beneath you. the tiny victory makes you smile against his jaw as you kiss along it slowly. he’s still sleepy, pliant under your hands, letting you tease him however you want.

he only puts up with it for a few more minutes before he starts waking up properly, grip on your hips tightening as impatience creeps in.

deciding to be merciful, you tug lightly at the waistband of his boxers, teasing your fingers just beneath the fabric.

“is this okay?” you whisper.

the corners of his mouth twitch upward as he looks up at you like he can’t decide whether he’s more amused or ruined already.

“yeah,” he murmurs immediately, voice rough with sleep. “more than okay.”

your fingers toy with the waistband again, slow enough to make him squirm beneath you. his hands slide up your sides in response, warm palms smoothing over your skin underneath your shirt. there’s something unbearably soft about the way he touches you when he’s half-awake. lazy, affectionate, like he wants to memorize every inch he can reach.

“you’re evil,” he mumbles, though there’s no bite behind it. only a sleepy grin.

you laugh quietly when he tilts his head back against the pillow, letting you kiss along his throat this time. his fingers curl at your waist before slipping higher, nudging your shirt up little by little. silently asking.

you sit back just enough for him to pull it over your head, his gaze immediately dragging over you afterward like he forgot how to breathe for a second.

“god,” he says softly. “you’re so pretty.”

heat creeps into your cheeks under the weight of it. awsten notices instantly, smiling wider at the reaction he gets from you.

“no, seriously,” he continues, thumbs brushing along your hips. “you’re ridiculous. every time i look at you, it’s like… i don’t know. you just keep getting prettier somehow.”

you duck your head with a quiet laugh, but he catches your chin gently before you can hide from him completely.

“hey,” he murmurs. “lemme look at you.”

there’s so much fondness in his voice it almost makes your chest ache. his hands wander again, slower now, tracing over your skin while he peppers absentminded kisses wherever he can reach. your shoulder. your collarbone. the corner of your jaw.

“c’mere,” he whispers eventually, helping guide you closer until you’re pressed against him completely.

his hands slip to the hem of your shorts next, fingers hooking there carefully. he glances up at you first, waiting, even now. when you nod, he starts helping tug them down your legs.

except the angle is terrible.

you immediately wobble trying to lift yourself enough while still sitting in his lap, one knee slipping against the sheets. awsten lets out a surprised laugh as you catch yourself on his shoulders.

“hold on, hold on,” he says through his grin. “this is the least graceful thing i’ve ever seen.”

“shut up,” you mumble, already laughing too as you try to untangle yourself from both him and your shorts. one foot gets stuck completely, leaving you awkwardly half-draped across him while you fight for your life.

awsten is fully awake now, laughing into your shoulder. “baby, you’re losing.”

“i hate you.”

“no you don’t.” he reaches down to finally free your ankle from the fabric, tossing the shorts somewhere across the room afterward like he’s accomplished something heroic. “there. rescued you.”

you roll your eyes, but you’re still smiling when he looks back up at you. his expression softens almost immediately.

“beautiful girl,” he murmurs, hands smoothing over your thighs. then quieter, like he can’t help himself, “can’t believe you’re real sometimes.”

his eyes stay fixed on you while your fingers curl into the waistband of his boxers again, this time with a little more confidence. he’s awake now in the way you wanted him to be, all warm hands and heavy eyes and quiet little sounds every time you kiss him somewhere new.

“that’s my girl,” he murmurs softly when you finally push the fabric down just enough. his head falls back against the pillow again, throat bobbing when he exhales shakily. “c’mere.”

you shift over him carefully, suddenly hyperaware of how close the two of you are now. his hands steady your hips instantly, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into your skin like he can tell you’re nervous despite the teasing confidence you’d had five minutes ago.

“you okay?” he asks quietly.

you nod, biting back a smile when he immediately leans up to kiss you again anyway, sweet and lingering and reassuring all at once.

“pretty girl,” he whispers against your mouth. “you’ve got me losing my mind already.”

the praise makes your stomach twist pleasantly.

slowly, carefully, you guide yourself down onto him. the second you finally settle into his lap properly, awsten lets out a wrecked sort of groan, eyes squeezing shut for a second like he has to collect himself. his grip on your hips tightens hard enough to make you shiver.

“holy shit,” he breathes, laughing softly afterward at his own reaction.

you can’t help laughing too, cheeks burning at the completely awestruck look on his face when he opens his eyes again. like you’ve just handed him the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

“you good?” you tease softly, echoing him from earlier.

“absolutely not,” he says immediately, earning another laugh from you.

his hands slide up your waist again, slow and reverent, like he can’t stop touching you now that he’s fully awake.

“god, you’re beautiful,” he murmurs again. “seriously. look at you.”

you move experimentally against him, and the sound he makes almost makes you hide your face in his shoulder from embarrassment. almost.

instead, you keep going, slow enough to tease him the same way you had earlier. awsten reacts to every little movement like he can’t help it, head tipped back, fingers flexing against your hips while he encourages you through every second of it.

“yeah,” he whispers. “just like that, baby.”

he looks completely ruined already, messy hair falling into his eyes, lips pink from kissing you. but every time you hesitate even slightly, his attention snaps right back to you. kissing your shoulder. brushing your hair back. mumbling another soft praise against your skin.

“so pretty.”

another kiss.

“doing so good for me.”

it drives you insane, working you up quicker than you expected. you tighten and flutter around him, punching desperate moans from his chest. a particularly deep bounce has him shuddering beneath you.

“yeah?” you murmur, leaning forward to nip at his bottom lip. “are you close, baby?”

when he doesn’t respond, you bounce a little faster. it has him whining and gripping you tight at the hips. his eyes squeeze shut.

one of your hands wraps lightly around his neck. “i asked you a question, baby,” you murmur, still moving mercilessly.

when he forces his eyes open to look at you, his pupils are blown wide. he gasps out a few confirmations along with a few whines of your name before you feel him twitch, bucking his hips uselessly before flooding you with warmth.

he doesn’t forget about you, though, even in his euphoria. one hand leaves your hip to circle your bud with his fingers, knowing exactly how to touch you, exactly the way you like. with a couple more seconds and a whine, you collapse atop him as you reach your high.

the room is quiet as you both come down, the white noise machine the only sound besides your combined breathing. he holds you for a long moment, stroking his hand up and down your shoulder.

“we need a shower,” you murmur, shifting to slip him out of you. you both groan at the sensation.