#bdrpsmut

REZA

Reza’s breathing came labored as he stood dripping dry in the shower, skin still burning from the too hot water running over it until he was sure any evidence of the night’s sin was washed away. It wasn’t his first sin, nor his first of that nature, but it was the first time he watched someone he loved draw their last breath because he killed them.

Allah knows there was no other choice. It was kill Mekki and avenge his victims and prevent him from killing more innocents, or let Mekki stain Reza’s hands with more blood. Mekki Masmoudi only became so powerful because of Reza’s guidance anyway.

If killing him was the lesser sin than letting him live, why did he feel so heavy?

Heaving a sigh, he stepped out of the shower, wrapped the towel around his waist, and headed back to his bedroom to go to bed. Maybe he’d wake up feeling somewhat human.

AURORA

Aurora was at an impasse. 

The whole reason she had come on this trip was for this moment. For the moment Reza came back, quiet and withdrawn and heavy, so she could be there. So he wouldn’t get caught in his head, so he wouldn’t be alone. So there was someone there to remind him he was still loved and respected, someone who had no familial obligation to.

But now that the moment was here… she didn’t know what to do.

The shower seemed to run for hours as Aurora paced the floor of her guest room, twisting her fingers nervously in the chain of her necklace as she tried to plan her next move. Should she go and wait for him in his room? No, no, that wouldn’t work. She didn’t want to force her company on him (okay, so she kinda did, but not so obviously). Would just… waiting and knocking work? Ask to be let in and hope she hadn’t ruined their friendship so much the door stayed closed.

Aurora groaned lowly in the back of her throat, rubbing her hands across her eyes. She was making this too complicated, she knew she was. But wasn’t it a complicated situation? He had just killed a man. And she couldn’t even say she didn’t think it was the right thing to do.

Her thoughts caught and tripped as she heard a door open across the hall, and without thinking, Aurora quickly went to her own door and rushed outside. She should try to catch him before he laid down, yeah!

Except no, bad idea, because Reza hadn’t taken his pajamas into the bathroom with him and now they’re standing in the hallway, staring at each other with Aurora in her jammies and Reza in a towel and nothing else.

Well. Fuck you too, universe.

“Sorry,” Aurora said, quickly looking away. “I just- I needed- um, water?”

REZA

Well. Fuck you too, cruel, cruel world.

This was just the cherry on top of the bullshit pile, wasn’t it? Rory seeing him all but completely ass-naked after he murdered a man and washed his blood out of his hair was the last thing he needed. Fuck, god. He just wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

“Kitchen’s the other direction.” Reza said quietly, but without any playful tone to suggest he knew he caught her in a lie.

AURORA

So this was already going so well.

His tone was all off, and Aurora instinctively knew that she needed to step away for a moment, give him a chance to gather himself before she tried anything.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. Still not looking directly at him (though part of her mind was thinking about the morning after the Titanic and wondered if she could see some of his tattoos now). “Do you want some water, too?” she asked.

At this, she finally looked at him, meeting his eyes head on. Not flustered or blooming, no reagents to give her away. Just an honest, open expression, asking silently ‘Do you need me to be with you, too?’

REZA

She didn’t need to see him like this; and he didn’t want her to see him like this. Why didn’t she just stay at home when he told her to? Though, he supposed she wouldn’t be the Aurora Briar he knew if she had listened to him. 

If nothing else, he was determined to bring her home from Tunisia untouched, unscathed, and on one piece. 

“I…fuck.” He hissed, clutching his shoulder as he was reminded how a flying piece of concrete had gotten him real good. “...could use a glass, yeah. Um. I’m going to put pants on.”

Or try his best with one working arm.

AURORA

She had been doing a wonderful job Not Looking At Him until he had cursed, then her eyes had automatically drifted to his shoulder. His incredibly fucked up shoulder.

Aurora gasped, covering her mouth before she immediately stepped into his space, everything out of her mind except for the bruising and lacerations along his shoulder and collarbone. "Reza!" she said almost like she was chastising him. Her fingers moved carefully along his skin, barely touching him at all. "Lead with the fact that you got hurt, god!"

Now she was definitely forcing him to let her in (although she did note that he had said yes to the water, to her coming back).

"Go put on some pants, I'll get the water and first aid kit," she said, taking off for the kitchen before he could respond, pink curls flying behind her in the dark.

REZA

“It’s not even that bad.” Reza grumbled, hardly making it into his room before he let out a string of swears in his native tongue. 

He just barely managed to pull a pair of boxers on in time to hear Rory give the courtesy knock on his door. 

AURORA

Aurora was only so quick because she had packed her own first aid kit, sending it through with her checked luggage. So it was only a moment for her to drain her own glass of water, refill it and Reza's glass, then get the kit. She approached Reza's door carefully, knocking softly before stepping in once he had given her the okay.

"Here we go," she said, keeping her voice quiet as she set everything down. Once her hands were free, she turned back towards Reza and gestured to the bed. "Have a seat so I can take a look, please?" Aurora asked softly, pulling on curl of hair nervously. Hopefully nothing was worse than needing basic first aid- there was absolutely no way she was getting him to a hospital. 

REZA

“I’m fine.” Reza grumbled, except, in the same breath he swore as the attempt to talk with his hands irritated the injured shoulder. “Just a flesh wound.”

Or twenty. But who’s counting?

“Not like my arm’s off.” Monty Python, anybody? 

But he obeyed and sat down on the edge of the bed, motioning for her to sit next to him or behind him and do her thing.

AURORA

"And let's try to keep it attached, aye?" she responded, very barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his stubbornness. Thankfully, he did sit, and Aurora easily grabbed his water and the kit before she went to stand in front of him. "Here," she said, passing him the water before getting on her knees. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, Aurora carefully leaned in so she could get a better look, wincing at how his shoulder was already starting to discolor with a bruise.

"It doesn't look dislocated, which is good," Aurora said as she dug through the small kit, putting out a few antiseptic wipes and bandages. Carefully, she began to dab at the various cuts scattered across his shoulder and then across his chest, staying quiet the whole time. She didn't want to pry or poke, or force him to talk to her when he didn't want to.

Instead she just balanced herself with a hand on his knee, watching herself work as she just focused on filling space and making sure he saw nothing but her trust and care for him in both the reagents curling around her and the way she didn't hesitate around him.

REZA

Reza didn’t laugh at Aurora’s, admittedly, very funny joke. Managed a soft smile though, which he hoped she saw. She always could manage to cheer him up just the slightest bit.

He didn’t say anything. Maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he was afraid of what he would say if he tried. 

It was a long moment before he did say another word. “I killed somebody not two hours ago.” Reza deadpanned. “I didn’t even hesitate when I saw my opportunity, I just.” Reza mimed wrapping something around his neck with his good arm. “Garrotted the fucker the second I got the chance.”

“Probably would’ve bled out anyway if I hadn’t.” He said, laughing mirthlessly and not looking at Aurora. “But I’d lost my stabbing knife between using it and then.”

AURORA

She had noticed his small smile, her own lips ticking up in return as warmth washed through her. It was that smile that convinced her that she was doing the right thing, that coming here with him was the right choice.

The slight smile had faded while she worked, and she was finishing bandaging most of the bigger cuts on Reza when he started talking (Thankfully it really had looked worse than it was). Her eyes immediately swung up to his, listening to him silently.

Should she be horrified? Knowing that Reza had killed a man? Killed someone who, at some point, had been in her position. An apprentice. Maybe a friend.

There was no horror though, just… sadness. For him. For Mekki. For everyone. Aurora was silent as she smoothed the last bandage in her hand over a wound against his rib, only hesitating for a moment before rising up higher onto her knees. She reached up, wrapping her hands carefully around his neck before pulling him down just enough so that their foreheads could touch. She didn't look away from his eyes. 

"You did the right thing," she whispered. "Not the easy one, but the right one." The government wouldn't have shown the mercy of a quick death. Reza had. And then he had made it back home (to her).

REZA

“Why are you saying that, Aurora?” Reza asked, horrified that she would say such a thing. Him? Do the right thing in strangling his former student to death? Right.

He closed his eyes and gave a labored breath that sounded more like a choked sob than anything. Reza was a dangerous man with more blood on his hands than Mekki Masmoudi’s. The kind of man who should be kept far, far away from women like Aurora.

“I should have stuck to my empty threat of ditching you at the airport.” He said, just before opening his eyes to see her still looking at him, like he wasn’t some kind of monster.

She shouldn’t be doing that. “Rory, stop touching me.” Reza said flatly, without conviction. “You’re getting your hands dirty.”

AURORA

"What were your other options?" she asked quietly, not really expecting him to answer. "Leave it be so he could hurt more people, or turn him in to a government that wouldn't have shown him the mercy of ending his life quickly? He can't hurt anyone anymore, not even himself."

Aurora gently rubbed her thumb against the skin of his neck as he breathed heavily, each one strained with all the weight he seemed determined to carry on his own. Well, too bad, Atlas. You were getting help.

She allowed herself a small, wry smile at his dramatic statement, moving her fingers gently up into his hair by the base of his neck instead of letting go. "You're not dirty," she murmured. "You're just a man. I'm not letting go until you remember that."

REZA

If Reza were a wise man he would have pushed Aurora away. Nobody ever accused Reza of being a sage. 

“Not an hour ago, right where your hands are, I had the dried blood of a man I’d known since he was Sabiha’s age. I didn’t even flinch.” He said. “I didn’t— god I feel like my skin is nothing but layers of his blood.”

“Like I cannot get it off no matter how hard I try.”

AURORA

Aurora didn't hesitate to rise onto her feet, pulling Reza into a proper hug as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she pressed her cheek to his. What were you even supposed to say to something like that? How could she possibly make this better?

"Mekki was dangerous," she said softly. "To the people you both know and to himself. Reza you tried to help him, and when he couldn't be helped, you took the responsibility for him. Not a lot of people can do that." She pulled back just enough so she could cup his jaw in her hands gently.

"That doesn't make you a monster. It makes you a man, trying his best for the people he loves, even if the best he has is a horrible, difficult choice." She leaned down, pressing her forehead to the top of his head, lips barely brushing against his hairline. "No one expects you to be okay with what you had to do right away, but don't let it consume you, Reza," Aurora murmured. "There are too many people who love you and are waiting for you to come home."

REZA

“Please stop trying to justify it. That’s for me to do, not — not you. It’s not the first time anyway. Hardly the first body I had on my hands to handle. Just the first one I have a damn about.” Reza squirmed out of Aurora’s touch and reached for a pack of cigarettes on the nightstand. 

“Fuck, Rory. This is exactly why the last thing I wanted was for you to come with me.” He grumbled, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag as he flopped onto his back, wincing a little as he landed on his bad shoulder. “You don’t need to see what it’s like for people like us here, or need to understand what that means we’re willing to do.”

He let his outstretched arms flop down onto the bed, all of his many scars and tattoos clearly visible, except the 36.4073° N, 10.6225° E (Hammamet’s coordinates) that showed up whenever he brought the cigarette to his mouth for another drag. What a masochistic act, loving a country dearly that didn’t love you back. 

“I thought that if I even brought you to my country, it’d be to learn something really useful, and I’d show you what’s good about it. Not make you a co-conspirator in my vigilante homicide.”

AURORA

'Well, there was the line' she thought sadly as he moved away from her, her hands cold when they weren't pressed against his skin. If he thought snapping and cursing at her would get her to leave, however, he was mistaken. Having her heart already broken by this man had finally started to toughen her skin, and now she just huffed as she crawled onto the bed and sat with her legs folded beneath her; close enough he could see her face, far enough they weren't touching. She reached out for the cigarette, plucking it from his hands and snuffing it out on the nearby windowsill as she gave him a look that said 'Your dad said no smoking in the house and you know it.'

"I volunteered for co-conspirator duty, Reza, that's why I came," she told him honestly. "Because I didn't want you to be alone in your head right now, so-" she shrugged " -suffer."

She curled her legs up to her chest, fiddling with the lace on her shorts with one hand as the other wrapped around her knees. "I still want to see more of Tunisia, and learn more and all that good stuff, but right now I'm here for you. Let me be."

REZA

“Merde.” He hissed when Rory took his cigarette.

“I’m not suffering.” Reza replied, shaking his head in disbelief she’d even say that. “I mean I am. Generally. Not because of you, though.”

He turned over on his side, laying on his good shoulder, to better talk to Aurora. If this were a year ago he’d reach out and affectionately play with her hair. But he knew about her feelings now. Stoking the flames even if touching her like that would comfort him wasn’t something friends did. 

“Yeah I...suppose I should buy return flight tickets. Didn’t want to waste money in case…”

AURORA

Flopping down on her back next to Reza, she turned so she could look at him with a faint, wry smile. She had long accepted her status as the annoying friend who pushed too much, and maybe she would have joked about it any other night. But this wasn't about her fumbling to find her footing in a world where her feelings had been firmly rejected. This was about Reza.

"We can figure that all out tomorrow," she told him, resisting the urge to pet his hair back out of his eyes. "There's no rush. Tonight, just tell me what I can do to help," she said softly. "At least with the non-Me related suffering."

REZA

“I don’t know Rory.” Reza groaned, closing his eyes and willing his racing heartbeat to settle so he could feel like his entire world wasn’t spinning like a coin on a tabletop. “I don’t know.”

As his breathing felt normal again he opened his eyes and shrugged his injured shoulder. “I just. Don’t. I don’t feel like a person anymore. The other times I had to kill someone, they came at me with the intent to kill first. But I — I hunted Mekki Masmoudi down for years. Even from my hospital bed in Austria I was gathering intel on his movements.”

AURORA

Aurora still wasn't convinced what he did was entirely wrong, what with morality being more of a grey scale than black and white, but it was kind of odd hearing him talk about how premeditated it all had been.

Not weird enough to make her move. But just enough to make her sad. It was a lot for one person to shoulder.

"When I'm dissociating," she started quietly, "I like to find something to ground me. Remind me who and where I am, and that I take up space in the world. Sometimes it's knitting, sometimes it's a friend." Aurora held out her hand to him, not pushing, never pushing; just a quiet, earnest offer.

REZA

“Oh. Is that what I’m doing?” Reza said slowly, ending with a sad little laugh. “Add that to the kinds of fucked up I am I suppose.”

He took her hand and squeezed gently. 

AURORA

"It's the closest thing I can think of," Aurora said with a small shrug, twining her fingers between his and rubbing her thumb against his hand in slow, steady movements.

"It's not a new kind of fucked up, it just happens." Thinking of her mother, Aurora turned on her side so they were facing each other and took his free hand in hers before pressing it to his chest over one of his many tattoos. She could faintly feel his heart pounding away under his skin. "Breathe in for five beats, out for five," she instructed, demonstrating with a slow in and out as she tapped out his heartbeats against his hand.

REZA

“Okay.” He muttered, thankful for Aurora’s steady presence. 

Reza still wished she would have stayed in England, and always would, but he was glad she was here. He periodically closed his eyes as he synced his breathing with counting to five until he thought he could look right at Rory without devolving again. 

“I. How can you just...be here?” With him. Alone. And not be afraid of him now?

AURORA

She watched over him carefully as his breathing went even, not moving closer no matter how much she wanted to press against his side and tuck herself against him. He didn't ask for cuddles? She wouldn't cuddle him. She would only give the comfort he asked for.

His question made her blink owlishly at him for a moment, before she smiled at him softly. "Because I know you," she said gently, raising their joint hands so she could press her cheek against the back of his hand. "Because I trust you." 

'Because I love you,' she didn't say, praying that her magic wouldn't give her away. He got nervous around her love, clammed up and awkward like he thought she expected more from him. She never had, and tonight certainly wasn't an exception. Thankfully no flowers bloomed between her curls.

"I want to be here," Aurora reassured him.

REZA

“I’m...glad you do.” Reza said slowly, squeezing her hand tighter before coaxing her slightly closer to him. He didn’t dare slip his arms around her to cuddle her properly, but just. Just short of that.

That was all he could say. He only laid there, staring at either her or the ceiling, for a long while.

“Aurora, aren’t you disgusted, though?” He asked quietly.

AURORA

Aurora let herself be tugged ever so slightly closer, looking up at him with wide, lilac eyes as her heart raced out of her chest. He didn't say anything else for a long while, and she let herself relax; curling closer to him until they were just shy of touching.

Her eyes had slipped closed when he had finally asked his question, and she opened them slowly to look at him. She wore the same, soft smile as she wiggled closer, tucking herself under his chin carefully. "Not even a little," she promised him softly, clasped hands still caught between them.

REZA

Reza let out a tiny, pained noise as her insisting it was fine. Everything was fine. They were fine. He was fine. When it wasn’t, he wasn’t. God, he could still smell Mekki Masmoudi’s blood, as if his bleeding body was in this room.

“The sickest part? I felt accomplished when the deed was done. It was a comfort. What kind of person -” Reza let out a shaky breath and idly played with Aurora’s hair. “You should run far away from anything to do with me, Aurora. My hands are bloodier than they’ve ever been now.”

AURORA

His hand in her hair was almost enough to distract her, almost enough to keep her curled up close to him. But she knew that edge to his tone, knew the reagents that curled around him like chains. She knew where his mind was at, and soft cuddles wouldn't snap him out of it.

Aurora pushed herself up on to her elbow, frowning at Reza as she twisted so she was kneeling on the bed instead; leaning over him and dominating his field of vision. "Hey," she said, voice gentle and firm as she took his hands in her own. "I told you, what you did was the right thing to do." She pressed his hands to her cheeks, leaning fearlessly into the hands that not three hours ago had ended a man's life. Her eyes caught his, steady and determined.

"Nothing you can do will scare me away," she told him. "I won't run from you. Besides, we both know I don't take directions well," she said with a small grin.

REZA

Reza’s breath hitched as Rory leaned over him, her hair falling in his face and keeping him from being able to look at anything else but her. Gasped as she made him touch her face without moving to shy away from him at all. 

How she still saw a person instead of a bloodlust driven murderer inhabiting his skin was beyond him. 

“That much is true.” Reza acknowledged with a nervous laugh as his eyes remained unable to look away from hers. “That’s…”

He trailed off as he suddenly became hyper aware of her breathing, and of her hair just touching his skin, and of his hands on her skin. There she was, all trusting, and pure, and good. She was so close to him and yet, too far away. 

“Rory?”

He didn’t give her time to answer before he pulled her down on top of him and kissed her like it was the only way to feel real again. And, really? It probably was. 

AURORA

She had noticed when something in his eyes had changed; something had darkened and risen to the surface that made her toes curl a little. It wasn't a look she was used to from her master, and it may have taken her breath a little. Her cheeks flushed under his hands, but she still didn't shy away. She met this side of him too, straight on and without a trace of fear.

For a moment they just stared at each other, tension seeming to curl in the air between them, and then he was calling her name and pulling her down and-

And-

Aurora melted into his chest as he kissed her, not hesitating to kiss him back as her eyes fluttered closed. It was embarrassing how many times she had imagined this, imagined his lips on hers and what it might feel like, but this was more than she had ever expected. He was broad and warm and she could feel his heart racing under her hand and it just made her kiss him harder, heat flushing down her spine and making her whole body tremble.

It took a shamefully long time for her to remember exactly where they were and why they were here, but it was enough to make her break the kiss. It wasn't enough to get her to move away from him, however, and she could feel their chests pressed together and their lips brushing as she struggled to catch her breath. "Reza?" she asked softly, voice wrecked with longing.

REZA

If he hadn’t downed the last few shots worth of his father’s boukha in the shower, he probably would have pushed Aurora away from him and frantically apologized for crossing that line. Except, even if his inhibitions weren’t lowered, Reza wouldn’t have wanted to apologize. It was just the right thing to do. He only ever wanted to do right by her. 

If Reza were smart, he would get out of this situation before it went too far to walk back. 

“Shh,” he whispered against her mouth, stretching up to kiss her again with even more fervor. 

God, she was beautiful, and he hated how he noticed that about her, and had for months. It made his guilt over not wanting her back ten times worse. Except he did. He did want her, but not exactly in the same way. And that was what made him keep her at arm’s length when he wanted the opposite. 

He wanted her sexually, wanted her to talk his ear off about knitting and cross-stitch even though it was all so lost on him, wanted to share his country and his culture with her, learned to like Scottish accents because of her, and wanted to know that she was doing well every day. But she loved him. It was unfair of him to welcome Aurora’s affections when his affection for her didn’t quite evenly match up. He didn’t want to give her what he could only for her to be hurt at what he wasn’t sure he could give. 

If Reza was smart, he’d stop this right now. 

His hands drifted to her pajama top, and slipped under it, her skin warm under his hands. “Please?” Reza asked against her mouth as they teased upwards towards her breasts. 

Reza never claimed to be smart. 

AURORA

She was going to burst into flames.

Aurora could only sigh as he kissed her again, trembling against him as he stole her breath. Oh, this was such a bad idea. Why couldn't she have just stayed cuddled against him nice and platonically!? Why did she have to move and set off… whatever in Reza that made him arch up to her!?

Why, when she knew how fragile they both were, wasn't she stopping this?

She kissed him back easily, matching his passion with her own as her fingers dove into his curls and held him close. She should leave the bed- hell, she should leave the room! But that would mean being on her own again, and tonight… she just couldn't do it tonight.

Not when she had spent hours sitting in the living room, watching the sky grow dark as she waited. Not when she had sat alone, occasionally joined by Abdelmajid, and tried not to think about how likely it was that Reza wasn't coming home.

She could have lost him tonight.

His hands met the skin of her waist and she gasped, pressing closer with a mewl as heat diffused against her skin at his touch. Her side was starting to cramp from how she was awkwardly positioned - her legs tucked under her and to one side while her torso was draped on top of him - and she didn't hesitate to swing one leg over so she was straddling his stomach, pressed completely against him.

She could taste the cigarette and a hint of alcohol on his lips, but God help her, it just made her press closer.

"Yes," she breathed, moving to kiss the corner of his mouth before dotting slow, wet kisses along his jaw; his pulse beating against her lips. "Please," Aurora whimpered, clutching him tighter. "Reza, please."

REZA

If Reza was smart, he would take his hands off of her and hold them above his head, and apologize profusely. As established, however, Reza wasn’t smart. He let instinct and need take over when Aurora gave him the okay to go further.

He was pulling her shirt up to grope her breasts before she’d even finished the second ‘please.’ “My god, Rory.” Reza gasped as he kneaded them and slid the pads of his thumbs over her nipples. “Amazing. Fitting of the rest of you.”

By that he really, truly did mean she was beautiful. The words just didn’t come yet. Got a bit distracted, see. He was always a tits man.

Reza tugged her tank top off once he’d felt her up enough and only mouthed ‘wow’ as he looked up at her straddling him in her full topless glory. He slipped a hand inside her pajama shorts, letting out a pleasantly surprised hum when he was greeted with her wetness instead of underwear. He flicked a finger in there a few times to find her clit, then withdrew his hand to taste her.

“I’m going to need more, habibi. Can I please make you come first? Please, I want - I want to taste you.” 

AURORA

Aurora gasped when Reza lifted her tank top and bralette up enough to grab hold of her breasts in his large hands, her back immediately arching into his hold as her eyes slammed shut. Oh, fuck, it had been forever since anyone had touched her. Longer still since it was someone she cared about. She was writhing on him within seconds, biting her lip to keep in her gasps as her fingers curled and tugged helplessly on his hair.

Forget the emotional trauma that was sure to follow, she should stop this just because he was going to make her dumb and needy with those hands of his.

He tugged on her top again and Aurora shakily sat up, helping him get her tops off and throwing them carelessly to the floor. Her eyes didn't leave him even as she tossed her hair back and out of the way, hands splayed across his chest as she panted. She hummed as his hands moved across her skin, fingers and toes curling as his fingertips danced below the waistband of her shorts. They soon dipped lower, and Aurora could feel her whole face and chest flushing darker when she realized how wet just a few kisses and some heavy petting had made her. She gasped, rocking her hips against his hand, and barely bit back a whine when he removed his fingers.

Of course, his question made all complaints flee her head, and Aurora leaned back down so she could run her fingers back through his hair. Her lower lip got caught between her teeth as she nodded, pressing herself closer to him. "Yeah, I- I don't think I'd mind that," she attempted to joke, but she was too breathless and needy to make it a good attempt. Instead she kissed his chin, bringing her hands down his neck and across his shoulders slowly. Needing to feel every part of him. Needing to feel his heartbeat under her palm.

REZA

Reza damn near clapped his hands in excitement when she said yes. One of his favorite parts about sex was seeing how many orgasms he could give a woman before he was even inside her. With how malleable Rory was under his touch, it must have been a while since she’d been with somebody whose first priority was pleasuring her into an absolute incoherent puddle.

He flipped her over onto her back and leaned over her, kissing her and biting at her lip as he made to kiss down to her waistline. He bit at her skin just above the waistband of her silky shorts as he began to tug them down. 

“Fuck,” he gasped after pressing a kiss to where he’d just bit at her. “I can’t get you undressed fast enough.”

The green black lace trimmed shorts were only barely discarded before he dove right in between her legs and gave a satisfied little laugh as he pressed the first teasing kiss to her inner thigh. “Rory,” he practically simpered, massaging her thigh as he kissed and nipped at her skin. “You’re so beautiful, Rory. And I feel - I feel real again.” He punctuated that with a kiss.

“I feel human.” He repeated, dragging a finger slowly up her thigh. “Right here-” his finger moved to her clit. “-being allowed-” he flicked her clit as he continued talking. “-to worship you like this. Like you goddamn deserve.”

“So gorgeous.” Reza whispered, before turning his head to get a better angle, and before he could properly inhale once more, his tongue was on her. He moved in circles, up and down, changing what he did every so often so she couldn’t get too used to one pattern. The whole time, humming with satisfaction against her as he tasted her and felt her writhe with pleasure.

He reached up to grope one of her breasts while he stuck his tongue inside of her for the first time. God, Rory’s body was his new favorite place to worship. Reza continued like this for a while, alternating between licking inside her, sucking on her clit, and lapping up every drop of her wetness that he could. 

“Okay,” he gasped against her folds. “This isn’t enough. Rory, I want you to sit on my face. I want you to come on my face. Twice. You’re going to come twice. That’s not optional.”

AURORA

Aurora clung to his shoulders as he flipped them over, letting out a huff of surprise as she settled into the mattress and tugged him down to her. The mood in the room had completely shifted from the gloom from before, and even though a voice at the back of her head kept whispering ‘You shouldn’t do this, you almost lost him, he killed a man’, she decided to hold onto the feeling of euphoria that came from having her master’s full attention on her.

Thank god she had shaved earlier.

It was almost embarrassing how quickly he had gotten her naked, and Aurora would have a long, introspective conversation with herself about self-control later. Right now she was clinging onto the pillow under her head with both hands, watching Reza with wide eyes as her blush got deeper and deeper. He looked so fucking gorgeous with her legs over his shoulders, and Aurora whimpered as she writhed under him; toes stretching and curling as she tried to keep from trembling like a leaf.

Somehow, she had never imagined he would be so conversational, and it caught her off guard in the best way. Even if he wasn’t currently kissing across her thigh, hearing him call her beautiful in that pretty voice of his would have been enough to get her off on its own. As it stood, she could only pant and whine, arching up towards him desperately. Her own words had long fled her, leaving her mute and vulnerable.

Until his tongue stroking up her slit shocked a “Fuck” out of her, her hips rocking towards his face as her nails threatened to rip into his pillowcase. Her head fell back, eyes squeezed tightly shut as the feelings of his mouth on her overwhelmed her senses entirely. She actually hiccuped the first time his tongue speared into her, clutching her hand over his on her breast desperately as she pressed her heels into his shoulders.

She finally looked back down at him when he began to speak, lilac eyes blown wide, and she could only nod frantically. She held her hand out to him, letting him pull her up and collapse against his chest. Her hands went to his waist as she kissed her way from his collarbones to his neck, scraping blunt teeth against his dark skin as she pulled and pushed him until he was laying back down with his head resting on the pillows. If she didn’t have something to hold onto, she was just going to die.

“Lie down,” she murmured, pressing another kiss to his jaw before she rose up over him onto her shaking knees. For a moment, she looked confused as she tried to figure out exactly how to get into position - it wasn’t like any of her previous partners had asked her to sit on them before - but eventually she just put a knee by his ear and swung the other leg over him. She sat on his chest shyly - careful not to put weight on his bad shoulder -, running her fingers through his hair. “I don’t-” she started, rocking incrementally closer. “Show me?”

REZA

“Relax and let me guide you where I need you, sokar.” Reza said, gently pulling one of Aurora’s knees next to his head on the bed. “Put your weight on your knees on either side of the bed, and you’ll want to hold onto the wall. Don’t be afraid to pull my hair and drive me further into you if I’m not doing good enough.”

Once he was confident she was in position, he didn’t give her one spare second before he gripped her ass to guide her to his mouth and went for it. He reached up to grope one of her breasts and roll the nipple between his thumb and index finger as he closed his eyes and dove all the way in between her legs.

As his tongue darted inside of her again, he took his hand from her breast and rubbed circles over her ass before pulling his hand back and bringing it down sharply. God, she had a great ass. Maybe sometime he’d spank her properly, really get to know it well.

From under her, he finally opened his eyes to meet hers and watch her tits sway as she writhed at his ministrations, now focusing on her clit again.

AURORA

Aurora followed his directions, bracing herself against the wall with a heavy blush. Everything about the situation seemed surreal, from his head between her legs to her own nudity, and Aurora wondered if she was simply having a very vivid dream while she waited for Reza to come home.

And then his mouth was on her again, and all thoughts about dreaming the moment up fled her mind.

Her back arched above him and away from the wall as she gasped. Her hands pressed against the wall and she tried to get her breathing under control. His hand came up to her breast and that attempt was quickly abandoned in favor of gripping his hand tighter to her. "Reza," she moaned softly, hips shifting ever so slightly forward against his mouth.

She whined when his hand was removed, only to yelp in surprise when it came down hard on her ass. Her hips tried to lift up from the shock, but his broad hands held her in place and Aurora could only press her forehead to her arms and try not to get lost in the sensation.

It seemed purely by accident that their eyes met past her breasts and messy curls of hair, and Aurora flushed shyly as she gave him a weak smile. Only for her mouth to drop open when his tongue moved against her in a way that seemed to send pleasure through her whole body. She moaned wordlessly, eyes scrunched closed again as one hand went down to grab onto his hair and press him closer; silently begging for that same feeling again.

After that, it didn't take much longer before Aurora's head was thrown back with a soundless cry as her first orgasm cracked through her. It hadn't taken long at all, embarrassingly, but in her defense, it had been four years since someone else had given her an orgasm at all (probably longer, actually). She slumped against the wall, gently tugging Reza's mouth away from her body once the aftershocks had passed. "S-sorry," she stammered. "Just… let me breathe, for a second."

REZA

Reza pouted, literally goddamn pouted when Aurora pulled his mouth away, but was happy to lick the taste of her from around his mouth while she slumped against the wall. He coaxed her into leaning back to rest on his chest and reached up to twirl a lock of her hair around his finger.

“Take all the time you need.” He said, gathering his own breath as he just watched her. “We can do something else too. Just tell me what you need, Rory.”

He ached to be inside of her, but he could also spend hours between her legs like this and just watching her fall apart. It was beautiful - she was beautiful, and he was stupid to take two years to see that much.

AURORA

There was sweat dripping down along Aurora’s spine as she panted, her hands still pressed against the wall. She opened her eyes when she felt Reza begin to play with her hair, and she let out a breathless laugh at his pout. “Sorry, it’s just… been a while. It’s a lot,” she said, smiling softly as she reached down to pet through his hair. “In a good way,” she reassured.

Her hands slid down to cup his jaw in her hands, her thumb brushing against his lower lip. “What about you?” she asked. “What do you need?” 

REZA

“Oh? That’s a shame.” Reza said, running his hands over her body. “It’s damn near criminal.”

Who let her go so long without somebody making her come that she acted like she’d never been touched before under his hands? 

And then she went and made this softer than it had any right to be. Asked him what he needed. It’d only disappoint her if he said something that a straight white boy would say — ‘to fuck you.’ So he didn’t say anything and just pulled her down into a kiss to keep her from saying anything else so soft. 

This wasn’t a love story. 

“I need you. Tonight, that’s all. I just need to —” to be inside of her and feel her claw at his back to know he’s alive, and to hear her cry out from his touch so he can remember his hands don’t have to mean death. “— see you forget how to speak.”

AURORA

It took a bit of awkward shuffling in order to kiss Reza when he pulled her closer, but soon she was situated lower on his stomach and reveling in the feeling of their skin pressed together. His heart beating fast against her own, occasionally falling into time with each other. She clung to his shoulders and hoped it would be enough to keep him in that moment with her.

Aurora let out a brief snort at his reply, folding her arms over his chest so she could look down at him with a grin. "Oh, I see. This is just an elaborate plan to get me to shut up for once," she joked, kissing his lips briefly before running her hands down his chest until they bumped into her own legs. Her thumbs brushed briefly against his nipples and then her fingers danced across his collarbones and below, trailing the scars and fresher wounds on his dark skin.

As her own hands explored him, she began to kiss down his throat again. Her lips followed his pulse until her teeth could scrape carefully against his shoulder. Despite his beliefs, there was no metallic tang of blood or dirt or whatever, just skin. Just him and her, pressed together like it was all that was keeping them grounded.

She began to move slowly down his body, leaving kisses and faint scratch marks wherever she went, until her hips were pressed against his. Namely against the hard length under his sweatpants. Aurora hummed softly, lilac eyes looking up at him through her messy hair as she kissed the spot right against his solar plexus, rolling her hips slowly down against his as her fingertips dug against his stomach.

REZA

“Well it’s working, isn’t it?” Reza shot back as she shifted to kiss her way down his body. He tangled his fingers in her hair when it was within his reach, tugging slightly as she kissed over his multiple scars.

Don’t do that, a part of him silently scolded her. You don’t need to be reminded of what kind of person I really am, or of what kinds of things I’ve done and what messes I’ve gotten myself into.

She was touching the body of a war ravaged man who let living in conflict turn him into a murderer on more than one occasion. He would’ve been wise to push her away rather than keep giving in to her touch, but all he wanted was to be inside of her and not be able to tell where he ended and she began.

Part of him - the same part that took a small bit of pleasure in killing Mekki Masmoudi - wanted to see what she’d look like if he took her and just messed her up. He wondered how pretty her face would look with his handprint on it as she rode his cock; and imagined what sounds she might make with his fist inside of her while her wrists were bound to the bedframe so she couldn’t even claw at him. 

That was him after all, wasn’t it? 

“F-fuck,” he gasped out, half at her movements and half at his own graphic fantasies about his student he hadn’t had before now.

AURORA

Aurora grinned at his curse, grinding down against him harder. "Mmm, not quite speechless yet," she teased, tossing her hair back over her shoulder in a cascade of pink and gold curls. Now that she was straddling his hips, a position she was much more familiar - and comfortable - with, she felt some of her confidence returning as well. Seeing how Reza looked at her and hearing him curse because of her only helped.

(She knew, in the most honest part of her heart, that he was using her. That his desire for her was at least in part just desire to be distracted from what had happened. What he had done. But as long as she remembered that, as long as she repeated to herself 'He can't love you', Aurora found she didn't mind. She wanted to forget too. Forget the terror of not knowing whether she'd ever see him again. For the night, they could just use each other.)

Aurora smiled at Reza as her fingers traced over one of his many tattoos, slowly working her way down. "Though, to your credit," she started, her voice low and curling around each word, "it's not a bad plan." Peering at him through her lashes, Aurora tugged on the hem of his sweatpants. "I can certainly think of a few things I'd rather be doing with my mouth rather than talking."

It was half tease, half question; the young woman waiting patiently for confirmation that she could move them along. Or, at least, that she could get them to equal levels of undress.

REZA

Hardly fair, was it? That he’d gotten right to seeing what kinds of things he could do to her with his mouth and she was teasing him like this. Except that was part of the fun. It was pretty hot, her watching him intently through her lashes for his permission.

Hot. Not exactly useful.

“Go on then. Show me what those things are.”

AURORA

As much as she wanted to play at sultry temptress, when Reza gave her the go ahead, she had to bite down on her giddy smile before rising onto her knees so she could lean further up and kiss him quickly on the mouth again. Their height difference had never been so pronounced, and it was really doing something to her. Of course, she had always loved how he towered over her, but now that she was the one on top of him, it just made her feel hot all over.

“Impatient,” she accused playfully, eyes sparkling. Aurora kept one hand over his heart as she made her way down his chest, kissing and tonguing at his skin with just the lightest bit of pressure. It wasn’t long until she was at his hipbones, and she finally brought her hand down so she could trace her fingers across them. God, he was handsome. Aurora couldn’t resist the urge to scrape her teeth lightly across his skin as her hands smoothed down to his thighs. She could feel the muscle there, even under his pajamas.

That wasn’t the only thing she could feel.

The tent in his sweatpants was pressed against her collarbone as she mouthed at his skin, and that alone made her knees shake with anticipation. She had gained a bit of a sense of him when she had grinded on him earlier, still twitching and sensitive from the first orgasm, but now? She was getting a much better sense of what exactly she was getting into. Her ass swayed a bit in the air as her hands moved back up along the inside of his thighs, her tongue tracing up the line of his abdomen until she could press a kiss to his stomach right as her hand brushed over his length and gave it a brief, soft squeeze.

REZA

Reza’s eyes followed Aurora all the way down his body, occasionally whispering a ‘fuck’ or a comparable swear in Arabic. 

“That’s it, good girl.” He purred, tugging at her hair just a little. 

He watched the dawning realization of what she was about to be contending with hit her, and he couldn’t stifle the low chuckle in his throat. 

“Come on,” he practically whined. “Damn tease.”

AURORA

Aurora flicked his hip when he whined. “I’m setting the mood,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him briefly before shifting her position. Instead of kneeling over his legs, she was between them now, and she wasted no time in beginning to carefully tug his sweatpants down. She got them most of the way down his hips before she couldn’t tug them down any further, but by then, she had other things to worry about.

It had been a really long time since Aurora’d had sex. Even longer since having sex with a man. But apparently a giving a blowjob was like riding a bicycle; you couldn’t easily forget how to do it. She wrapped her hand around Reza’s cock, stroking it gently as she pulled all her hair to one side. He was larger than her ex had been - or really, any of her previous partners had been - and for a moment their difference in height wasn’t attractive so much as a little worrying. But Aurora didn’t back down, didn’t shy away. She’d faced him head on for this entire trip; she wasn’t going to start now.

Her eyes caught his and silently dared him to look away as she leaned down and ran her tongue up from base to tip. 

REZA

Reza had honestly never thought he was particularly impressive or daunting, not at first. But as he’d gotten to his mid-twenties and starting having sex with people who’d had more than just one or two (or no) sexual partners before him, he eventually learned ‘oh no, you’re packing.’

Which. Was sometimes less than a good thing. But if Aurora was committed, she probably wouldn’t have a problem. 

He watched intently as she stroked his cock and got a feel for him before involuntarily throwing his head back and gasping as she licked him base to tip. Fuck, oh god, he’d almost forgotten how good it felt to be in bed with someone. How long had it been? Since before the election?

Not as criminally long as her, but still offensively so. 

AURORA

His head was thrown back as she licked his cock, and Aurora nearly pouted against his skin. She wanted him to look at her, wanted to see his eyes as she pleasured him. 

Pumping him slowly in her hand, Aurora reached up and grabbed his chin gently, tugging at him until their eyes met again. "Don't look away from me," she said, her voice soft and low. Moving back down his body, Aurora made sure she held his eyes this time as she wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, sucking on it carefully as her tongue ran up the small slit. She then went deeper, moving her mouth in time with her hand as she began to suck him off in earnest.

Still never breaking eye contact.

REZA

Reza’s tongue darted out to lick his lower lip as he watched Aurora take him in her mouth bit by bit, letting out a low groan as she began to properly blow him with her eyes not breaking from his. 

God, this was hot— she was hot. 

AURORA

God, his voice did things to her. Even just his groans made liquid heat drip down her spine, and her mouth went just a little further down his cock until she could feel him at the back of her throat. She pulled back to the head quickly, worried that her gag reflex might kick in at the worst possible moment (it had been almost four years), but just as quickly she went back down again.

Whatever didn’t fit in her mouth was being stroked by her hand, and her other hand began to move steadily up along his thigh. Her nails dug into his skin as he made another sound of pleasure, and Aurora could feel her thighs growing slicker as her pulse beat through her whole body. It was a good thing she was already on her knees because otherwise they would have dropped her to the floor.

She pulled her head back just enough so she could open her now-swollen lips and show Reza how well his cock fit cradled on her tongue. And as she descended again on him, her other hand gently cupped his balls and began to gently roll them in her hand.

REZA

Aurora got bolder and took him further into her mouth and he gasped out a swear in Arabic. God, she was good. It took all of his self control to not just thrust his cock into the back of her throat. 

“F-fuck, Rory. You look so gorgeous right now. I never knew you’d look so pretty with a cock in your mouth.” Reza purred, pulling at her hair a little. “Your mouth was made for sucking cock, wasn’t it?”

He gave her cheek a light snack with three of his fingers to make his point. “I’ll have to use this pretty mouth more often. What do you think?”

He was about to say something else, but she opened her mouth wider to show how nicely his cock fit in her mouth, and cupped his balls and he let out a groan again. Fuck, this was hot. 

AURORA

You know, it wasn’t until this moment that Aurora realized how quiet all her past partners had been. Her ex had barely spoken at all, just grunts and occasional directions. And her brief trysts were quiet as well. All of this to say that the universe had picked a poor moment to allow her the realization that she might have a bit of a praise kink. 

She hummed low in her throat as he pulled her hair, eyelashes fluttering at the combination of the pressure and his voice roughened by sex and telling her how pretty she looked with her mouth on him. Her hand squeezed his shaft just a little tighter in reply.

And then he threw off her rhythm just a bit when he implied that this could happen again.

Aurora managed to make it seem intentional, but in her mind her thoughts were spinning. Wait, he… was he just saying that? This was just a one night thing, wasn’t it? Just a way for the two of them to celebrate surviving another night together when they hadn’t been sure if they would come back or not (because if Mekki had killed Reza, Aurora would have found a way to return the favor). But if this happened again, would it-

No.

Shut that down.

This was physical, nothing more. He can’t love you, remember, Rory? They were just two attractive consenting adults having a bit of a fling. 

But that traitorous part of her heart that wasn’t entirely able to let go whispered that she should try and make him want to come back again, if nothing else. That if she couldn’t have him the way she hoped for, they could have this. And with that thought Aurora took him even deeper in her mouth until his head kissed the back of her throat, careful not to go too fast, and began to work him in even longer strokes.  

REZA

At the praise, Aurora seemed emboldened, like she wasn’t satisfied anymore, just showing him she could suck him off, but was determined to prove she could take all of him. He threw his head back as his cock hit the back of Aurora’s throat, absolutely surprised she could take him almost to the base. 

He inhaled sharply as Rory held his cock at the back of her throat for a moment to meet his eyes before going back to working him, spit and precum dripping down her chin. 

AURORA

Aurora managed that deeper motion for a while before she had to pull up for breath, gasping softly as she began to work him with her hand instead. Her tongue swept out along her bottom lip and she flushed darker when she realized how messy she had gotten. Instead of putting his cock back in her mouth, she began to kiss up the side; sucking gently and soothing each place her lips touched with her tongue.

“Look at me,” she said, voice soft with desire. The hand that wasn’t currently wrapped around the base of him ran up his thigh before her nails dragged gently back down. “Please?” Aurora asked as she kissed right under the head of his cock, flicking her tongue out to run around it.  

REZA

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Reza managed breathlessly, instinctively leaning his head back before he remembered the only thing she’d asked of him. To watch her.

God, and she did look so pretty with his cock in her mouth, didn’t she?

“Yes, princess, whatever you want.” He said gently, brushing her hair out of her face.

AURORA

Aurora knew that she was probably glowing with pride at being able to break Reza down like this, to make him all breathless and desperate. She also knew that she was definitely blushing as he brushed her hair back and spoke to her softly and called her ‘princess’.

Yeeeeah, she definitely had a praise kink. You learn something new every day.

She ran her tongue all the way up the length of him, following the thick vein that ran from base to tip and tried not to think too hard about how much she wanted him inside of her. How much she wanted to feel him moving in her, beautiful and alive and everything she wanted and trusted.

She didn’t say all of that, for obvious reasons, but she did hum low in her throat as she stroked him in her hand as she met his eyes. “Whatever I want?” she asked, her voice soft and wrecked and sweet as she arched her back further, ass in the air like an offering and breasts pressed against his thighs. 

REZA

God, what was he to do when he was between wanting to treat her like a princess and wanting to fuck her so she’d remember it? Between wanting to be gentle and good to her and wanting to leave bruises she’ll see for days?

Let her decide how she wants him to fuck her, of course. 

“Whatever you want,” he repeated softly, holding her chin in his hand, brushing his thumb along the underside. “So tell me what you want, before I just do whatever I want with you.”

AURORA

She didn't hesitate to lean her face into his hand, kissing the pad of his thumb before gently scraping her teeth against the rough skin. She looked up at him with nothing but trust in her wide eyes, and she reached up to move his hand down to her throat.

"You," she said quietly, moving his hand lower and arching into it as his skin sent sparks across her whole body. "I don't care how. Please, just-" she moaned softly, her other hand running up his thigh to his hip. She pushed herself up so she was kneeling, legs spread in offering and his hand pressed between her breasts.

"Fuck me," Aurora begged softly. Her hands reached out to him. "Kiss me. Use me. Please. I want this. I want you."

Even if just for one night. Even if this was the only way she could have him. As long as she could carry the proof that he was alive on her skin, that would be enough.

REZA

Reza moved his hand to grope one of her breasts, kneading it and rubbing circles over the nipple with the pad of his thumb. He ached to do as she asked, to fuck her, use her until he was satisfied, but he wasn’t done dragging this out yet. 

He wanted her to fucking beg for it, like it was as necessary as water. 

“You’re such a pretty girl, you know that, right?” Reza purred, taking his hand from her breast. “Right?” He punctuated this by smacking the breast he’d been kneading. 

“You want me to mess up a pretty thing, ‘Rora? Want me to really make good use of you?” He tangled his hand in her hair and roughly forced her to look up at him. “Will you offer me your entire body, until you scream your throat sore? Are you mine to play with, princess?”

Reza’s other hand reached between her legs to find her clit, and circled it with his thumb. “Well?” He pulled at her hair. “Are you? Will you be a good little plaything for me? Or were you just being a lying tease when you said that?”

He pulled her forward by her hair to kiss him and let go of her hair when they kissed. Rough, and needy. 

“Tell me you want me inside you, Aurora. Earn it.”

AURORA

She was going to die in this bed, simple as that. Her heart was going to burst open from beating too fast for too long and she was going to die.

Not how she thought she'd go out, but a hell of a thing to put on her headstone.

Aurora melted into his touch, shivering from overload as she gripped his thighs to keep herself steady. She gasped in surprise when he smacked her, blushing deeply at the way the dull sting throbbed in time with the pulse between her legs. His hand in her hair pulled a moan from her throat and she could do nothing but look up at him desperately, lilac eyes wide.

In all of her wildest, most shameful dreams, she had never thought he would be like this. She had always known Reza was passionate, it was why she had harassed him to join the Board, but she had never had that passion turned on her. Not like this. She wanted to soak it under her skin, wanted to feel it in her bones.

Aurora may not have had the best history with sex, but she knew that Reza was going to blow every previous experience out of the water.

Arching into his hand as his thumb circled her clit, Aurora nodded as much as she could with his hand in her hair, whimpering at the onslaught of her senses. When he kissed her, she clung to him in response; fingers tight in his hair as she pressed herself against him, meeting his passion with her own.

"Fuck me," she said again, breathless and wrecked as her lips brushed his cheek with each word. "God, Reza, I want you inside me so bad, more than anyone ever before." She arched into his hand again, gasping. "Please, please," she begged, her cunt clenching over nothing. She pressed harder against him, her thigh caught between his legs. "I'm so ready to have you in me," she said, flushing at her own words. God, she was bad at dirty talk. Instead she kissed him again, arching into him with a moan.

REZA

The gravely chuckle in Reza’s throat was something between charmed and straight up sadistic. It was hot how bad at dirty talk she was, really. Made him feel like a bit of a cradle robber right now if he was being honest. 

She was much too pure, too good to be in bed with him, especially after what he’d done not three hours ago.

It was too late for him to listen to the better half of his brain cells though. His cock ached to be inside of her, and she was begging for it, after all. It would be more cruel of him to not guide his cock inside her than it would be to fuck her like she asked him to.

“Okay, angel.” He said quietly, cupping her face too gently for what he said next. “Just remember when you can’t walk straight, you asked for it.” 

Reza guided himself inside of her and waited patiently for her to sink down onto him, groaning as he savored the feeling of being inside the only beautiful thing in the world to him. He rocked his hips and groped her ass to encourage her to start riding him.

“Fuck, Rory.” He purred, ducking down to lick and bite at her breast. “Is this what you wanted?”

AURORA

Aurora smacked his shoulder lightly when he laughed at her, flush with embarrassment and desire. Well he didn't have to be an ass about it! No one had talked to her during sex before!

Her ire was quickly forgotten when his hands rose to cradle her face. She leaned into his touch, smiling shyly and scrunching her nose at him. She would almost certainly regret this in the morning, but not for the reasons he thought. Whatever he did to her body would be nothing compared to what she was currently doing to her heart.

At his direction, Aurora straddled his hips and clung tightly to his shoulders as he positioned his cock against her entrance. She took a deep breath before rocking her hips forward that first inch, and that same breath got caught on the exhale. She could already feel him stretching her to her limits and it made her tremble in the best way. She was more than wet enough to slide over him easily, so she took her time working herself over his cock with steady rocks of her hips.

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders and pulled at his hair as she took him into her body, inch by inch. She was trembling, sweat dripping down her spine from the effort of holding herself on her knees. The occasional sound slipped from her lips, a low moan or squeak caught in the back of her throat.

It took a minute or so, and in the end she couldn't take him to the base. Instead she felt the head of his cock nudge against something inside her that made her back arch and her breath catch. It was as good as she was going to manage - and it was very good, don't misunderstand - and Aurora turned her attention to moving in his lap without his cock slipping out. She tugged hard on his hair, panting in his ear as she began a slow grind of her hips into his. She could only nod in reply to his question, easily overwhelmed.

REZA

At her inability to speak, Reza was given pause. He worried just for a moment, that maybe they should stop and never speak of this again, that this was too much for her. A good man would have thought about the ugly, garish heartbreak ever-present on her chest for most of the year. A smart man would have remembered that they were only just starting to actually talk again.

Reza was neither a good man nor a smart man. He was not a particularly bad or stupid man either, he was just average. An average man with the same need and hunger as any man with eyes would have right about now.

So he didn’t stop.

He murmured encouragement against Rory’s ear as she moved in his lap, like he was challenging her almost. “Yes, that’s it. Theeere you go, sokar. You’re so fucking gorgeous right now, you know that?”

“But-” he purred, putting on sounding disappointed. “-you’re being so quiet.”

AURORA

It has been mentioned that it has been a Long Fucking Time since Aurora had sex.

She hadn’t realized exactly what that meant for Future Aurora. But now the future was here and she was struggling. Every nerve in her body was screaming at her, slamming on the ‘pleasure’ button until all of her brain waves were filled with the cacophony. What brain cells she did have left were focused on trying to move her hips to the too-quick metronome of her heart; trying to find a rhythm as she went from achingly empty to Full.

It didn’t leave a lot of energy left for talking.

Aurora’s nails dug into Reza’s back as his breath pressed against her ear, whimpering softly at the heat on her skin and in his voice. At his admonishment, Aurora leaned back a bit and hiccuped as his cock rubbed her deeper.

“I-I’m,” she stammered, gasping as she slid a little further down onto his cock. “It’s a lot,” she finally managed. “It’s so good- you feel- Ah~.” Aurora rolled her hips and whined softly when he filled her to the brim once again. “I can’t. Words.”

She leaned in to kiss his jaw, clinging to his shoulders as her hips rocked shallowly in his hips and his body moved inside her. “I- please!” she gasped. “I can’t-” Aurora tugged on his hair, pulling him closer as she leaned further back in his lap. She wanted him loom over her, to rock the very foundations of her being. She wanted to focus on how good her felt inside her, not on how bad and inexperienced she must look trying to ride him. Pulling him flush with her chest, Aurora blinked up at him with hazy, lilac eyes. 

“Fuck me,” she moaned softly.

REZA

Truthfully, Reza wasn’t the biggest fan of missionary. Bo-ring. But was he going to bitch about that now? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

At her directive, he pushed her off of him and onto her back and climbed on top of her. He paused the whole having sex thing long enough to adjust the pillow he’d pushed her onto so it wouldn’t put her neck at a painful angle as he fucked her in a second. Confident he’d secured her comfort, he got right back to it and guided his cock back inside of her, watching her carefully to make sure this was still okay.

When he was met with only moans and gasps, he nodded once to give himself the go ahead to begin moving his hips. “Like this, Rory?” He asked, as if he didn’t know the answer.

AURORA

Aurora let herself be manhandled, whimpering softly when Reza’s cock slid out of her and she suddenly felt empty. If possible, she flushed even darker at the sound; embarrassed by how needy she felt. 

She sunk into the bed, wiggling around to get comfortable before wrapping her arms tight around Reza’s waist. Feeling him sliding into her again made Aurora’s back arch clean off the bed as she gasped. Her nails dug into his skin as she tried to anchor herself to anything. It was so much. Sex had never felt like this before, had never overwhelmed her to the point where she was barely aware of anything not immediately under her hands. Her breathing shuddered and jerked with each thrust, and she nodded frantically at his question. “H-harder,” she asked, reaching down to grab his hips and tug him closer. “A-ah, Reza,” she moaned, head thrown back.

REZA

Reza chuckled low in his throat as she clawed at his back, taking it as a sign he was doing something right. And, you know, he was pretty cocky in the bedroom, confident he knew how to please a partner, but confirmation was always nice. Especially when they were so vocal, even if it was largely incoherent.

“Harder?” He challenged, slowing his pace. “You’re sure?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before he picked up his pace, and fucked her harder than before. 

“You sound so pretty, Rory.” He purred in her ear, before ducking his head kiss and lightly bite at her neck.

AURORA

Aurora’s toes curled so hard she could hardly feel them anymore as Reza began to fuck her in earnest. She clung tighter to his hips, gasping each time he bottomed out inside of her and barely having a chance to let that breath out before she was gasping again. Her eyes were closed, head thrown back, and her shoulders and torso writhed against the sheets as she felt something long neglected inside of her coil tighter and tighter and tighter.

His voice in her ear made Aurora sigh and his breath on her neck made her whimper. She twisted her head away so he had more access to her neck, letting go of his hip so she could curl one hand into the pillow next to her face. One particular thrust rubbed against something inside of her that made Aurora cry out, belatedly trying to smother the sound as she arched up and pressed herself closer to him. 

“Please. Pleasepleasepleaseplease,” she gasped, catching her bottom lip in her teeth.

REZA

He really did wonder if this was too much for her. God, she acted like she’d never been with a man before, even though he knew from previous banter that wasn’t true. He liked to think he was just That Good, but there was a fine line between confidence and ego.

Though, the way Aurora was crying out and devolving into just pleading with him to keep fucking her was making it very hard to not feel pretty damn good about himself. He just hoped she felt as good as it sounded like she did.

“I want you to come, Rory, can you come for me just from fucking like this?” He purred. “Though that’s not very fair, is it?”

Reza reached down with one hand, using his other to support himself, and found her clit to circle it with the pad of his thumb. “That better for you?”

AURORA

The moment he touched her clit she knew she was a goner. Which was more than a little embarrassing; did it really take so little to make her orgasm? Jeeze, she knew she had been out of the game for a while, but this was a little ridiculous.

Her whole torso writhed and rocked against him as she felt that coil wind to the point of breaking, and she hurriedly grabbed his neck and pulled him to her face. Aurora kissed him hard, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as everything in her tightened to an unbearable point before shattering to pieces. Her mouth opened against his in a silent gasp as her fingers hung onto his curls for dear life. She could feel her orgasm down to her toes, and every further thrust made her whole body shake.

She could feel him start to pull away and reached down with one hand to grab his ass and slam him back into her, keeping him within her rippling body.

REZA

Reza had started to pull out - look it was just bad manners to come in a woman without express permission - but when he did, Rory silently but firmly told him that was simply not allowed. Before he could even ask ‘are you sure?’ to that, he reached his own orgasm with a muttered Arabic swear.

“God, I-” he gripped the headboard to keep from letting his sweaty body just fall on top of hers, and used it to push off of her and onto his back.

He caught Rory’s face in both of his hands and pulled her into a kiss, before breaking it quickly to meet her eye. “Fuck, Rory. You’re amazing. Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything after that?” 

Water, a knife to stab him for forgetting a condom?

AURORA

Aurora was breathing like she had just finished a marathon, her body still trembling with the aftershocks and a pleased, tired smile on her lips. She giggled as Reza rolled over, shuddering as she suddenly felt terribly alone without his body joined so closely with her own. That feeling didn’t last long, and Aurora hummed softly as he kissed her. She giggled again, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m great,” she said breathlessly, running her fingers through his hair. “Um, water would be nice. And the will to get up and get cleaned. How about you?” she asked. Her hands came down so she could cup his jaw gently between them, keeping his eyes on her. “Feeling okay?”

REZA

“I’m good, I’m really, really good.” He said, grinning at her. God, she was pretty.

Water? He could get her some water. “Stay, get comfortable,” he insisted, rolling out of bed and throwing on his boxers. “I’ll be back with some water. If you need something to sleep in, just grab something out of the closet.”

AURORA

Aurora’s hand trailed after him, a part of her panicked at the thought of being alone after what they had just done. But no, he was coming back. He had basically implied she was going to sleep there. He was coming back.

So instead she smiled at him and nodded, watching him leave before rolling out of bed herself and immediately having to catch herself when her shaking legs gave out. Thank god he wasn’t around to see that, his ego didn’t need the boost.

Once she had cleaned up in the bathroom and stole one of his tshirts from the closet, Aurora kicked off the dirty sheet and blanket and climbed into bed with a new one she had found while looking for the shirt. 

REZA

The weight of the stupid decision to have sex with Aurora finally hit him as he was walking back to his bedroom, glass of water for her in hand. He abruptly stopped halfway down the hall to damn near shove his entire fist in his mouth and bite down on it. Stupid, stupid!

Like, don’t get him wrong. It was great. It was great sex, and Aurora was beautiful, and wonderful, and...in love with him. And that last bit was the problem. 

He wasn’t sure if he was capable of having those feelings for anybody; he’d never had them before. Never wanted to before. He wasn’t sure he’d recognize them if he developed them either. It wasn’t fair to Rory to do what they’d just done.

Or was it? In a way, didn’t that confirm was willing to...try? Maybe?

They’d talk about it later. Not now.

“Hydration is important, water is life.” Reza said, offering her the water the second he entered the room.

AURORA

Aurora was curled up on the bed attempting to twist her hair up into a bun when Reza walked back in, and she let her curls drop back around her shoulders as she smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said with a small laugh, taking the glass and a drink before scooting over so there was room for him as well.

Once he was on the bed, Aurora fidgeted for a moment before laying down with her head on his shoulder. She wanted to curl up closer, but she didn’t know if he’d be comfortable with that or not. Not everyone was a cuddler after sex, but Aurora certainly was.

REZA

Reza did not need to cuddle.

He wasn’t against it either. But he didn’t have a need for it, or any further intimacy. Again, he was okay with it, and in fact welcomed it, but he never needed it. He was used to leaving the apartment after a one-night stand, or a hookup with a friend, and going about his night. Sex was never an emotional experience for him, it was just sex.

That’s not to say he didn’t care for the emotional needs of a partner, should they have them. He did. He just didn’t have them himself.

“You can lay all over me.” He said simply, inviting her to with a smile. “We’ve had sex, you don’t have to be shy about touching me now.”

AURORA

Cheeks flushed red, Aurora pouted up at Reza although a smile was breaking through. "Excuse me for not knowing the protocol," she sniffed even as she set the water on the side table and cuddled in closer. She hooked her ankle over his, her head tucked close to his chin and her eyes closing contently.

"God, I'm tired," she murmured. "Don't get mad if I pass out without warning, okay?" Her hand pressed against his side, fingers drifting over an old scar there.

She should not be allowing herself this. She should be trying to find where they had abandoned their boundaries and plant herself firmly within them. But she'd missed him. All these months where everything was strained. Tonight, when she hadn't known if he was still alive or dead.

She'd give herself one night to forget boundaries and they'd figure out what this meant together tomorrow..

REZA

“Well I might take that back if you keep using such unsexy words as protocol.” Reza teased, but playing with her hair as he did. 

He hummed in response to her warning about passing out, while shaking his head. They’d known each other long enough, he expected as much. It was part of why he didn’t suggest they sleep in separate rooms (along with the fact that he didn’t want to.) Sometimes, narcolepsy made her forget what was real and what wasn’t when she first woke up. It would be easier for her if they just slept in the same bed tonight.

“Go ahead, I’m surprised you’re still awake ‘til now.” 

AURORA

Aurora just hummed coyly, still feeling sated and flirty. "It's only unsexy if the context is wrong," she murmured. "Get creative, Reza."

She pressed closer to him, letting out a long breath through her nose. Sleep was already tugging at her, her eyelids heavy with it, but there was one more thing she needed before she let dreams claim her. Reaching up, Aurora gently tilted his chin down until their eyes met.

"Be here when I wake up, okay?" she asked softly, hoping he caught the layers in the request. Not just here in bed, but mentally. 'Don't get lost in your own head when I can't pull you back' she begged with her eyes. Mekki didn't get to take one more piece of him, not while she was around.

REZA

“Mm.” He hummed in response, afraid to open his mouth and give an affirmative too loudly. Worried his conscience would suddenly return to him and he’d apologize for what he just did, that he’d make this weirder than it already was by default.

She didn’t deserve that. 

And his hand scoured her back, reminding Andrina of her own skin. The touch spread bliss through her. It spread heat. She was so-- so hot, all at once, the heat in her stomach and in the core of her. She felt his heat too, trapped between her legs as she rubbed her groin against his own. 

It was too hot, wasn’t it? 

(Doing bad things was always hot.)

The Snowshoe Moon pinks bright in the sky, hanging like a jewel at the peak of Snæfellsjökull. The Hollow flurries with movement: Kitchen-talents cooking away, steam puff-puffing from the chimneys; service-talents bustling as they set up tables through the Hollow’s Circle; Evergreen-talents beading together nut-and-holly-berry chains for the decorations. Full Moon weeks are always busy as a blizzard, especially for a Helper-talent. Olaf finds himself pinballing back and forth between groups. He is the extra set of hands. He is the eye that helps straighten the banner. He is the enthusiastic cheer that punctuates the end of the rehearsal of the performer-talents, as he tells them of course they’re ready, it’s going to be so great! 

Olaf loves Full Moon weeks for all these reasons. He  always looks forward to them, especially this strange, particularly warm spring season. The Full Moon Dance is exactly what the Hollow needs to relax a little, forget about the tough thaw this year, and celebrate all the hard work they’re doing despite it.

But this Snowshoe Moon, Olaf finds himself dreading... just a little. 

Because it’s his first Full Moon Dance with Sindri as more. 

As boyfriends.

His stomach flips when he thinks about it. Olaf shouldn’t be nervous; it’s just Sindri after all. They’ve technically been courting for a little over a week now, even though they’ve not gone on any real dates. Not because they don’t want to, but because being an apprentice means many hours of working and lessons,  and both Sindri and him are tired at the end of their days, so they just get hot cocoa and cake together at Star-Bucks like they always do. Only now, Sindri slides onto Olaf’s side of the bench, close enough that their thighs and shoulders touch. Olaf doesn’t mind this at all. He likes it. He likes Sindri close, he likes when Sindri rests his head on Olaf’s shoulder or plays with the cord tied around Olaf’s Helper-tunic. It’s maybe just a little weird, but only because Olaf knows Sindri is doing it because they are Boyfriends now. He does it like he always wanted to do it--like every time he sat across from Olaf before, he was thinking about sitting next to him instead, and for some reason he’d stopped himself.

Olaf is making a list of other different things that Boyfriends do:  

Share cake. Sindri cuts his in half and puts some on Olaf’s plate. (Only Olaf is pretty sure they shared cakes like this before so maybe not.)

Get hot cocoa for you. Sindri gives Olaf his chocolate wafer, too.  (Only Olaf has offered to do this before; they get each other food all the time.) 

Hold hands. Sindri takes his hand, intertwines their fingers, and walks Olaf all the way home. (But they held hands before too. Olaf loves holding hands. He loves Sindri’s hands. What if they were always boyfriends? Olaf is flummoxed.)

Kiss. Okay, this, this Olaf knows, this is something Boyfriends do. Sindri still gets shy before. His cheeks pink like the aurora and he presses his lips together like he’s getting them ready. Then Sindri surges forward in a single second of bravery and kisses him. Kissing Sindri is nice, something brand new, something that makes Olaf’s mouth feel like a different shape after. But the best part about kissing Sindri is when the kiss ends and Sindri smiles at Olaf, wider than he’s ever smiled, and hugs Olaf, tighter than they ever hugged before, that smile pressed against Olaf’s ear. 

So, that’s what courting Sindri is like--  more the same than different. But maybe that’s why the Full Moon Dance feels big, like Olaf is gearing up for a performance all his own. He hasn’t rehearsed enough. He hasn’t quite figured out all the rules of Boyfriends yet, and people are going to be looking at them, Olaf just knows it. Anna-mum’s already bad enough, always asking how Sindri is with this strange new lilt in her voice. 

“Ahhh, getting sparkly for Siiiiindri?” Anna-mum appears at the door of Olaf’s room, singing Sindri’s name with that lilt now. Olaf just got back from helping string all the berry chains around the Circle and has toed off his shoes. He hoped to wiggle into bed for the quickest fox-nap. He blushes at Anna-mum’s smile, the way she taps against the frame with her fingers and looks at him like-- like-- well, like he’s all grown-up. Which he is! 

(But why is he more grown-up now then he was a week ago?)

 “I think we were going to get shiny together,” utters Olaf. They always got ready for Full Moon Dances together. Why would it be different? 

Anna-mum raises her eyebrows. “Oh, really? Still? Don’t you want to surprise him?” She slinks forward, then puts an arm around Olaf’s shoulder and squeezes him.  “You should let me do your hair. I have tinsel. You think Sindri would like that?” 

“That sounds shiny.” Olaf nods. But he honestly doesn’t know what Sindri would like. He didn’t... think about how he should have...thought about that. 

(Things that Boyfriends do: dress up for each other. Olaf makes a note.)

“Oh, and I can paint your nails that beautiful blue Sindri likes,” adds Anna-mum. “How about that? This is so exciting! Your first real dance with Sindri, finally!” She kisses his cheek. “I’m so happy for you, snowflake.”

Olaf’s nerves crackle and jump like dangerous sparks and it smacks into him: he doesn’t want to go to the dance.

That doesn’t make any sense. Olaf loves dances.

So he just grins, like he’s supposed to. He grins and he nods and then grins even wider and tells Anna-mum, yes, let’s do his nails and his hair for Sindri, because Anna-mum is so excited like she’s been waiting for this day for so long. Has Sindri also been waiting for this day for so long? His nerves burn hotter-- it’s just all these expectations. It’s these expectations and Olaf doesn’t want to let people down.

(It’s okay. It’s okay, he like-likes Sindri, and Sindri picked him for a boyfriend for a reason. So it doesn’t matter if Olaf doesn’t know what that means yet. If he does what everyone says it means, then he’ll learn.)

When Sindri arrives, he sees Anna-mum finishing the last of the tinsel in his hair. Olaf immediately giggles loud enough to drown his crackling nerves. “Hi!” he blurts.“Sorry, we ah, started early! Anna-mum wanted to do my hair! It’s weird, huh!” 

A small smile moves over Sindri’s lips. “It looks very nice. You’re doing a good job, Anna.”

Anna beams, clasps Olaf’s shoulders and then leans down to kiss his cheek. “Isn’t he so handsome! My sweet boy. If you want I can add some tinsel to your hair too, Sindri.”

Sindri keeps blushing. He’s still looking at Olaf, and Olaf is pretending not to notice because it makes him squirmy. 

“Oh, I dunno--” Sindri starts. 

“You should!” Olaf blurts again. “Yeah! It’ll be fun, we’ll be shiny together. I can even help Anna-mum.”

“Okay.” Sindri chuckles for a second, then gently puts down the flower crown he was hiding behind his back onto Olaf’s desk.

Olaf is relieved to finally get up from the chair. It feels so much better to do something. He watches Anna-mum and learns how to thread the tinsel into Sindri’s locks, so it blends with the rest of his pretty, almost snow white hair. Soon Olaf is an expert. He’s humming a little while combing his fingers through the strands. He doesn’t even realize that Sindri has closed his eyes until Anna-mum leaves to start getting sparkly herself. 

“Are you falling asleep?” Olaf teases. Sindri’s mouth twitches in a smile.

Olaf thinks about kissing him. He likes Sindri like this: so relaxed and sleepy, not a single snowball-thought in his head. This is definitely a Boyfriend thought, and Olaf is proud of himself for having it. 

“It feels really nice,” Sindri just murmurs. His eyes open. “Are you almost done?”

Olaf inspects his work. “I think so.” 

“You really are beautiful,” breathes out Sindri suddenly.  

Olaf freezes. Heat gathers behind his ears. He doesn’t know why, but he laughs and touches the back of his own neck. He wants to make a joke or something, change the subject, excuse himself, he doesn’t know why. “Anna-mum was right about the tinsel then.” 

Sindri giggles too, face flushed. “Do you want your crown? He-here…” Sindri stands and goes to the desk, then brings the flower crown to Olaf. His eyes skirt around the floor, his head bowing slightly as he offers it out with two hands. 

Olaf notices the gleym-mer-ey flowers at once, among the holtasoleys and bilberries. They’re a pretty lilac-blue flower, with an eye of yellow in the middle. Here in the Hollow, gleym-mer-ey flowers are only ever used between lovers. Olaf saw the flowers in the Mums’ crowns. He saw them in Sven and Kristoff’s crowns for each other. He had once gone with Petur to pick the petals for Blenky. But he’s never used the flowers himself. Now, nestled between the other flowers, carefully arranged by Sindri’s expert, artist hands, Olaf reads the meaning quite plain. 

Sindri’s crown says that love has made him rich. 

It’s a beautiful crown. It’s an important crown. 

It’s-- too heavy, Olaf thinks. His nerves crackle again. Why does it feel that way? Nerves, just nerves. He’s scared. He’s thinking about his own crown for Sindri. He didn’t use this flower. He used all of Sindri’s favourite berries, bursts of purple and blue and red. It’s a crown of plenty, but also just a Sindri-crown, something only Sindri will really get, past the different meaning of the flowers. 

(Things that Boyfriends do: use gleym-mer-ey petals. So why didn’t he?) 

Olaf’s mouth feels dry. Sindri smiles that shy Sindri smile. Olaf chuckles again for no reason, or-- maybe, maybe the reason is that Sindri feels the air crackling too.  

“Is this weird?” Olaf finally says, like he can’t hold it in anymore.

Sindri’s smile instantly disappears. “What?”

Oh-- oh no. No, Olaf was mistaken, he was not supposed to say that. “I--I mean. I’m kind of nervous. Is that weird?” he clarifies. “Like I dunno, I think, it’s our first... date, for real, and I’m just nervous.” 

Sindri’s smile returns. “Oh, yeah, I’m really nervous.” 

“You are? Oh good!” Olaf blows out a breath. He laughs more, and then Sindri joins him and they just stand there chuckling at each other until Olaf reaches forward to fix a few of the tinsel strands in Sindri’s hair. “Thank you for this crown, Sindri, it’s so beautiful,” Olaf says. He puts it on. “There!”

Sindri reaches forward to fix the crown. He steps closer. His smile fades and his eyes remind Olaf of how the sky looks right before it snows. That peaceful, relaxed look again. He finishes adjusting the crown, but he doesn’t step away. 

“I’m so happy,” he whispers to Olaf. His eyes search Olaf’s own. “I’m…I’m so...so happy, Olaf. I think you’re just the best person in this whole Hollow. I think… you’re perfect.” Their foreheads touch and Sindri closes his eyes. His nose nudges Olaf’s. 

Olaf’s whole body is hot, his throat, thick. He doesn’t move. He can’t move and he can’t speak. He doesn’t know what to say to that. 

Then, their lips touch and Olaf doesn’t have to say anything. 

When Sindri kisses him this time, it’s not like the other kisses so far. He coaxes their lips together slowly. It makes Olaf’s entire body tingle in a good way. He closes his eyes. Just listen to your body, thinks Olaf. Sindri’s words fade into the quiet sound of their lips touching again and again. Sindri holds Olaf’s face. Olaf grasps one of his wrists. Kissing Sindri keeps the dance far away, lifts the weight from the crown so he isn’t thinking about it. He just thinks about how good this feels, to kiss. Sindri kisses very well. He pays attention to every part of Olaf’s mouth and doesn’t go too fast. 

Olaf doesn’t really know how it happens next. One moment they’re standing up and kissing and the next, they’re lying on their sides in Olaf’s bed, their bodies pressed together and their wings folded down. Their hands roam around each other’s bodies, not really undressing each other all the way, just moving the fabric around until Sindri’s hand sneaks down Olaf’s trousers. That’s when the kiss breaks and Sindri’s  hand freezes like it remembers itself. Sindri draws it back up to Olaf’s stomach, where his palm rests gently over Olaf’s exposed navel.

 Their eyes open and they look at each other, breathless and wide-eyed.

“Hoarfrost. Is this okay?” whispers Sindri. “Sorry, I should have asked…”

Olaf feels very hot all over. It’s that good warmth, a little hard to think through, and he’s a little hard in his trousers too. The idea of Sindri touching him isn’t bad though. He wants to be touched and he wants Sindri to feel good too, and they’ve always done everything together. And this feels easier to think about than the dance for some reason. He doesn’t want to think about the dance. 

But being with Sindri, touching Sindri-- Olaf has always known how to touch Sindri. There has never been a time when he overthought where he put his hands, or where he stood, or the hugs he gave like giving flowers. He wiggles a little closer and lets his hand run up Sindri’s back, between his wings. He watches as that makes Sindri blush bright red. Olaf grins at him. 

“What, what, what?” Sindri utters nervously.

“I’m just thinking you’re so cute.” Olaf chuckles. Sindri  pinches him. Olaf laughs even louder. “Hey!”

“You’re making me--”

“Snowball,” Olaf says. “Sorry. I was just...this is making me less nervous, I think.”

Sindri licks at his lips and says, still kind of breathless, “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” It’s like we’re hanging out, with kissing. He doesn’t say this, just in case it isn’t the right thing to say. 

“I wanted to do this after,” confesses Sindri. 

“You did?” 

“Yeah. I mean. Not that I was... I didn’t expect, but I was hoping maybe after. I was. When I was picturing it, I mean, I wanted it to be special... Agh, snowballing,” Sindri mumbles and Olaf quickly leans in and presses a kiss onto Sindri’s lips. It works, Sindri breathing out some of the nerves. “Should we wait?” he says. “I don’t want you to think--” 

Olaf quickly shakes his head. “No, I think this. This is perfect, Sindri.” He smiles gentler. “For me, I think this is perfect.” 

“Is it special enough?”

Olaf shakes his head at once. “It doesn’t need to be special.” 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Olaf hesitates for a moment. “Are you sure? Do you want to do it some other way? We can wait, if you want.” 

Sindri shakes his head too. It’s his turn to wiggle close. He ropes his arm back around Olaf and their noses bump again. This close, Olaf goes a little cross-eyed, trying to see his friend. (No. His boyfriend.) 

“I don’t want to wait,” mumbles Sindri and he breathes out shakily. “I love you, Olaf. I love you. Is that okay? Can I say that? I know we just started courting. But I love you.” 

Olaf strokes his friend’s cheek with his thumb. (No. His boyfriend.) He strokes Sindri’s cheek and imagines he’s smoothing all their strange, brand new nerves down that should never be there in the first place, not between the two of them. Instead, he imagines that they are like the two poles of the aurora and their lights are glowing the same colours. Green, and blue, and lupine purple. “I love you too,” he says, and he means it. He has always loved Sindri. It’s something that covers the whole sky. It’s there, every day. 

They kiss again. They kiss harder. Sindri fumbles the cord of the tunic. When its untied, Olaf lets the fabric fall down his shoulders, exposing his back to the air first, his wings fluttering softly. He sits up with Sindri and they keep kissing while Olaf draws Sindri’s tunic down off his shoulders too. Olaf holds Sindri’s round snowball cheeks and makes Sindri sigh and whine and touch Olaf’s arms, then his chest, then his hips, and then they aren’t wearing any clothes anymore and Olaf’s flower crown has fallen off, though the tinsel in their hair sparkles every time the clear white orbs of light catch in their strands. 

They are still nervous. Sindri asks Olaf if it’s okay with almost every breath. Olaf hums and teases and then makes up for his teases by sucking on Sindri’s sensitive earlobes. Sindri shudders and moans. That feels good? It’s Olaf’s turn to ask. What about this? He brushes his finger over Sindri’s nipple. What about this, he says and slides their bodies together. 

This, and this, and this--Olaf’s questions turn into gasps, and then back into questions-- will you touch me there? Can you touch me harder-- until finally there aren’t any more questions, only kissing, touching, giggling, panting. When Sindri comes, he whispers it to Olaf so Olaf can gather Sindri close and hold  him tightly to his chest. 

In the space after, Olaf floats a little and wonders why he was ever so nervous about anything. He blinks heavily. His eyes close, then open, the way that wings fold close, then open, when getting ready to fly. Sindri’s head lolls on his shoulder. He feels Sindri’s lips move against his skin, like they’re whispering something. But he’s pretty sure Sindri is just kissing him.

He gazes out the window and sees the tail of the pink sky. The music is starting. “The music is starting,” Olaf says this out loud. He twists his head to look at sleepy-eyed Sindri. “The dance. The music is starting, do you hear?” 

“D’you wanna go?” Sindri says as he lifts his chin onto Olaf’s shoulder. “I know you love the dances.”

Yes, he loves the dances. This is something Boyfriends know. (No. This is something Sindri knows.)

Olaf’s nerves have gotten much quieter, but when he starts to think about it, he isn’t sure, still. He hesitates. “Maybe we could just skip this one,” he says. “I think we should just. Hang out. Don’t you?” 

And when Sindri smiles, it’s much brighter than the lights and much prettier than the music. “Yeah, okay.” He kisses Olaf’s shoulder. “Okay.” He’s giggling for no reason, in between kisses. “Okay, okay.” 

RITA:

It felt good to have his hands on her again, not possessive like they typically were but loving, affectionate. And finally, finally she felt like all of her pieces had slotted back together. Roscoe was in their home again.... with her... and there wasn’t tension anymore. It dissolved with the last of the walls they had separating them. She wanted to cling to it, cling to him. For as long as he’d let her. Because this was new. It was unchartered territory. For the first time in their marriage they were both on the same page, the same paragraph, the same sentence, even the same word. It was the wee hours of the morning but Rita felt energized. Felt like she could take on anything so long as Roscoe was beside her. She kissed him again, still soft but deeper, wanting this moment to last as long as possible. Her arms wound around his neck, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.

ROSCOE:

Roscoe felt his lips tilt up more at the feeling of her fingers at the base of his neck - twisting softly in the curls of his hair, and honestly he could have purred. He'd always been a sucker for that touch, but it seemed all the sweeter now. The soft touch bringing a shiver down his spine as he pressed closer to the woman, hand that wasn't resting on her own neck raising to press against her temple, holding her close as if he were afraid she'd slip away less he hold on. The desire in the pit of his stomach was strong - almost burning as he nibbled at the woman's lip, pressing forward playfully, as he tilted his head to immerse himself into the affection as much as he could. His wife had always had that kind of affect on him; the ability to wrap him tightly around her finger with nothing more than a kiss that left him wanting more with each waking second. It didn't matter that he'd been gone for over a week, that they'd just been fighting, or that they were in a pile on the floor at near three in the morning. He wanted her. He wanted her in a way he'd never had her before - actually in love. A lot of their passionate moments had always been fueled by hate, by anger or by mischief. It was so very rare they had these moments where they were consumed simply by attraction, and the need to be close just because. It was change he welcomed though, his hand dropping from the top of her head to rest upon her shoulder as he gently pushed her back, trailing after her in the still lingering kiss.

RITA:

Again time seemed to slow down. Except this time it had nothing to do with the fact Roscoe was gone or she was alone. It had everything to do with the fact that he was here with her and she had never loved him more in that moment. She could feel it blossoming in her chest, filling her entire body with a warmth that she’d only ever felt for Ollie and the gang. It was new and it was a rush and she knew that no matter what it was going to stay. Maybe not always as all consuming as it was in this moment, but still there tucked safely away from anything that would try to snuff it out. She moved easily as Roscoe urged her back. Eyelids parting only so she could see him follow her down, lips ghosting over each other as they settled. Without thought her body arched towards his in an attempt to get rid of any space between them. He was here and she didn’t want to let go of him. Didn’t want him to slip through her fingers. A soft sigh left her lips as her fingers left his hair and started a slow path down his back. She could feel every muscle there, hard against her soft hands.

ROSCOE:

For a moment, Roscoe had wondered if she'd allow it; they were a mess, after all. It was late, they were both tired - though he was sure Rita felt the same energy he did right now - she still had makeup smeared upon her cheeks, and he could still taste the whiskey from the morning binge he'd been on.... Yet she followed his guidance easily, leaving him to hover over carefully upon the floor, his hand tracing down her side, and below her waistline to gently massage the exposed skin along her hip. Her hands almost seemed to follow - trailing down his back as a soft hum pressed against her lips. He couldn't help but wonder for a moment if the kid was here - if he'd heard him come home, the change of carried tones through the house, and the sudden silence that followed. He had to figure he'd seen enough of their mood swings to know to keep out of it at least. It wasn't like that would stop him now anyways. Finally letting their kiss break, Roscoe moved his lips across her skin, nipping gently at her jawline as his shifted to rest on his elbow, fingers carefully combing through beautiful auburn hair, as the opposite dipped teasingly against her thigh. Gaze shifted up, meeting Rita's own as his lips twisted in a small smirk - amused rather than malicious. "....how did I get so lucky?..." He murmured against her jaw, pressing closer with another kiss.

RITA:

Roscoe’s fingers against her skin felt like fire. It spread across the area deliciously and she wanted more. It was funny considering she’d been tired and drained not twenty minutes ago but with the resolution of the majority of their argument and the realization that they wanted the exact same thing... Well Rita had found that some of her energy had returned. And would more than likely continue to come back as Ros coaxed more of those little sighs out of her. He was gentle with her, his touch feather light where she was used to possessive and rough. They’d bite and scratch and tease terribly for domination, fighting as hard with sex as they did in their every day life. But this was different. So very different. While his fingers trailed along her waist, hers dipped beneath his shirt. There was no denying that she knew what her husband looked like without his clothes. His skin tanned just so; sunkissed one could say. There blemishes from fights and brawls, tattoos that covered some of them. She was going to get to— He pulled away from her, those teasing fingers dancing along her thigh, and her eyes opened to look up at him. She wasn’t aware if she’d ever seen the look on his features before. Or if she had she had certainly taken it for granted. His eyes were full of warmth and love, adoration. It was easy to return that smile, her own hands coming around to rest on his chest for a moment before he leaned back down to her. “Musta played your cards right,” she murmured playfully, tilting her head just a bit to be able to press her lips to his. “Either that or you’ve been spilling some sorta secret potion in all the food.” She teased him as she nipped at his lip before pressing another biting kiss to his jaw.

ROSCOE:

He couldn't help the huff of a laugh that slipped through his lips at his wife's words, the amusement clear as he shifted on his elbow to gently cup the woman's chin, tilting it up towards him as his eyes shifted back and forth over her features. It was like he was seeing her in a whole new light, honestly - taking in every little detail and committing them to a special place in his heart. The very same beauty that had caught his attention all those years ago - the same that still made his chest tight today whenever he looked at her. "...Ain't you ever wondered what made my food taste so good?" He teased right back, tone light and husky as he finally let his fingers slip from her chin with a small squeeze. He felt himself tilting his own head a moment later, offering more access towards his jaw as he felt the gentle sting of her kisses dancing along his skin. In the moment she was occupied he didn't hesitate to shift his knee up, supporting himself just enough so that his weight didn't bear down on her - but allowed their bodies to remain close, pressed together in a tight knit bond. His hands moved carefully, both acting opposite of one another as they scratched lightly at the sides of her stomach, thumbs dipping to slip beneath the fabric of her underwear - snapping the waistband lightly against her skin a single time before his hands moved further down, pulling fabric with them. "...figure it ain't the only thing keeping yous here though." The man joked, brown hues meeting her own as he twisted his fingers gently into the fabric of her pants, pulling them as far down as he could reach in the moment before he let one hand rest just along the inside of her upper thigh - gently teasing the skin there.

RITA:

For a long moment they watched each other, gaze never faltering like it might have only a week or two ago. Of course, a week or two ago there wouldn’t have been this. This understanding and softness between them. Only hard lines and rough edges clashing together. But she liked it. Liked how his eyes would crinkle just the slightest bit as he huffed out his laugh. How his shoulders raised just a bit with the action. It made him look so different. More like the Roscoe from when they had first been married and she’d played into that honey moon phase. Before it had all quite literally gone to shit. “Mmm, I was wonderin’ why it tasted so good. Always smelled like yous we’re burning the kitchen down.” Her voice was soft, an almost sigh because his hands were back on her and his body had shifted. She knew what he was doing. Or had a sort of idea about it. They had been married for three years after all. And it wasn’t completely sexless. Still she continued to lave his neck with kisses, biting and sucking periodically as his fingers crept down her waist. A slight hiss came from her as he snapped the band of her underwear, her teeth biting down just a bit harder in retaliation. He was teasing her and that certainly wasn’t the fairest. He was speaking again, Rita only half paid attention to his words, and her left hand began to trail down his torso slowly. She only stopped when she reached the band of his pants, only slightly annoyed he still had them on. Still, her hand traveled lower, cupping his member gently before giving a soft squeeze. “I’m not ‘fraid t’say this has been part of the reason, too.” She pulled away from him to smirk up at him, playful and tinged with a hint of mischief, before kissing him.

ROSCOE:

It was easy to forget that they were sprawled out upon their bedroom floor, the carpet tickling the underside of his arms as he moved them across Rita's body. Though there were both far worse and far better places they'd done this in the past, Roscoe couldn't help but think there was nothing more perfect than where they were now. Even if the door was more than halfway open, the yellow tinted light from above illuminated them brightly, and Rita's prom dress was in a messy bundle just feet away from them...it was still perfect. "Wow I....am so offended.." He breathed out in a laugh, narrowing his eyes slightly at the woman beneath him with a small shake of his head. He knew she was teasing - if anything, they both knew she was the disaster in the kitchen. A good disaster, but still one that always was notorious for making huge messes. It wasn't something he dwelled on long though, instead focusing on the sharp nips along his neck, counting his blessings that perhaps there'd be souvenirs to remember the night by tomorrow when he awoke - the rough nip at his tease would probably do the trick, he thought. It was enough to bring a small wince to his features, a soft hum that rumbled deep in his chest - amused and easily turned on by the small display of dominance. It only got worse when he felt her fingers trailing down his chest, not stopping once they reached the rim of his jeans. He swallowed slowly, anticipating the needed touch, and giving a surprised gasp at the squeeze - one that was quick to taper into deep chuckling, though even that was swiftly mumbled behind the woman's lips as she moved to kiss him once more, something he returned easily with a building hunger.

"...'ppreciate the stroke to the ol'ego, babe." He mumbled with a smirk, shifting lightly to press his knee between her legs, edging them apart as his hand finally slipped between her thighs. His fingers traced purposely up and down across her heat in nothing more than an effort just to  drive her crazy - slowly edging up, and intentionally bypassing her clit before dropping back down as he deepened their kiss, rutting his hips lightly against her hand.

RITA:

It was easy to open up under Roscoe. The gentle urging not even needed as the want built within her. It was a slow burn that Roscoe stoked with every teasing stroke of his fingers against her core. It was only slightly annoying how well he knew what she liked and wanted. It didn’t even matter that this was new to the both them. The loving nature that was coming from the both of them was not something they had ever really had and Rita was definitely reveling in it as he rutted against her hand. Their kiss deepened and a low moan came from her that was stifled by Ros’ mouth. He was still teasing. Still playing with her when all she wanted was for him to touch her and give her that friction she wanted even as she shifted her hips against his hand. Another huff passed her lips as she pulled away from him just enough to be able to wiggle her other hand down to his waist. He was still wearing too many clothes and what she wanted was covered. And in Rita’s lust driven mind that was the rudest thing in the world. She fumbled as she undid the zipper and then slipped her hand inside, fingers moving back to his member to stroke him as best she could at that angle.

ROSCOE:

It had always been a fun game to play - to work Rita up until she was coming apart beneath him, either building that frustration, or hearing the soft sounds that escaped her lips. It had always been a double edged sword too, knowing that the more and more he teased, the more she'd aim to get him back. To try and unstring him in the very same way he did her. Ros had practically been counting down in his head until she'd make a move - not at all surprised when her hand found its way back to his jeans and slipped under the fabric to help his still building arousal. When the pair finally parted their kiss, Roscoe's bottom lip was quickly pulled into his mouth as he bit down on a moan, a sharp breath following the touch. Her fingers felt freezing against the heat that was building beneath his skin, the contrast raising goosebumps along his arms as he finally pushed out his tensed breath with a sigh. It was an intoxicating feeling....something so similar, yet so very distant than her normal touch - something he desired for so long. His hand slowed against her core for a moment, brown hues meeting Rita's gaze as he gently pressed his first two fingers inside, the action just as slow and teasing as everything else had been. He wanted to draw it out, wanted her to feel every little detail, and let it envelope her completely - knock everything else out of mind, and leave her feeling hazy in the moment. Allowing his thumb to rest naturally along the woman's clit, Roscoe tilted his head - almost as if observing her reaction carefully - as he started moving his digits, bending them ever so slightly and building that friction between them as he free hand moved to help Rita hike down his own pants.

RITA:

Even with this— mutual understanding and flood of feeling shared between the two, there was not much that changed in this. The actions were still the same, even if everything driving them was different. Rita knew that Roscoe would tease her. Bring her to her limits before he gave her what she wanted. Even with her hand wrapped around his cock, his attention would remain on her until he got what he wanted from her. Some subconscious movement or sound that she gave up when he hit just the right spot. Her hand stayed on him as he looked down at her, his eyes searching, always searching for something written in her features. She hoped whatever it was he was looking for he found now. Her expression open and wanting and full of unbridled affection for the man currently teasing her. Her lips parted as her tongue flicked out to wet them, encouraging words dangling on the top of her tongue, when he finally gave in. The stretch was unexpected but more than welcome as a soft sigh fell from her lips. His fingers curled as his thumb rubbed against her sensitive clit and another low moan slipped past her, hips arching up towards his palm. The pleasure coursed through her and for a moment she forgot that she still had her hand in his pants. But then Roscoe was helping her push them down and the awkward angle she’d been in before was now better and easier. She stroked him firmly, trying her best to keep time with the thrust of his fingers inside of her. He’d never be able to say that his wife didn’t give as good as she got. Most of her focus went to him, wanting to drive him as wild as he was driving her.

ROSCOE:

It'd never been this way before Rita. All his hook ups were made simply because of hormones, pride, and possessive behaviors. The women he hooked up with were always odd people - from his father's escorts, to unruly teacher aids and tutors. Anyone he felt was off limits and would be a thrill to sleep with, he did. Those kind of lays never made for the spark he had with Rita though, never left him with the desire to make sure his partner felt just as good as he did. They were all selfish, fuck to make him feel good ventures. With Rita though? All he wanted as he looked down at her was to hear those pleased sighs, and content moans. To see the flicker of pleasure over her features as his fingers moved in a familiar beat, hitting those sensitive spots, and pulling them closer together as his own huffed breaths from from his lips. This was always where that sword came in - the one that he knew would come down, and he was all for it. Her hands moved against him, and a husky breath of a laugh came from him as he felt the pressure of lust growing both upstairs and down. God she made him felt stupid in the moment - not for sleeping with her, but for even attempting to screw this up, to leave her for a week over something so stupid that he'd fucked up with to, when he could have just been there to work through it with her. Could have just been fixing this with her the very same way they were now. Keeping pace, Roscoe shifted to press his lips to the woman's collarbone, teeth grazing the skin roughly, before soothing kisses were placed atop. "I've missed this..." He mumbled against the nape of her neck, a hitch in his breath as her fingers moved in response to his raise in tempo. "...I've missed you." Even when he'd been being stupid - he'd never stopped missing being away from her.

RITA:

In all her time of having sex and being with men, Rita had never felt like she was something to be treasured. She was treated like a piece of meat most times. The men she escorted needing something, someone to make them feel powerful. To make it seem like their lives were meaningful or whatever. It was always rough and desperate and, sometimes, painful. No one had ever taken their time with her, made her feel good. Even with Roscoe at first it hadn’t felt anything like she imagined. She was weighted down with the guilt of not loving him. To the point sleeping with him felt as if it were a charade, a part she was supposed to play. But as she felt his gaze on her, his fingers quickening their pace and then slowing down, Rita couldn’t help the surge of fondness and arousal. She wanted Roscoe. In every single way she could have him. Her breath hitched as his teeth scraped against her collar. There’d be a mark there in the morning. A gentle reminder of their night to go along with the soreness that always followed their romps. And she’d wear it proudly, no desire to cover it up because it was meaningful to her. A reminder that things were getting better. That their home was one with love within. “I’ve missed you, too,” she breathed in response, her hand steady as she adjusted to match his speed. “Don’t... don’t leave again,” she continued around a soft moan, her closed eyes fluttering open to meet her husbands. It was a tender moment as she pressed her lips to the top of his head she could reach.

ROSCOE:

His eye slipped closed momentarily at the light pressure of her lips against his hair, his hand stilling for the moment as he sighed through his nose. Moving his free arm, Roscoe let his hand return to Rita's cheek, cupping her skin softly - his head giving a small nod in response. "I won't." He breathed in a promise, letting his fingers curl back up - even if at the moment it wasn't the thought in the forefront of his mind. The one that was guided his right to curl further behind his wife's neck, tickling the skin along the soft nape of her skin, pressing up to help steal another needed kiss. "I won't leave you... I'll never leave you." The words were sealed with the nip of his teeth against her lip, tongue darting out to deepen the kiss - wanting nothing more than to be as close with his wife as possible and to never let go. He'd never make that kind of mistake again. Fingers finally pulled free from the woman's core, dancing across the inside of her thigh in a parting tickle as he moved to massage the tender skin beneath his palm. He didn't want to tease anymore - for once - he didn't want to draw out that part of this. It was agonizing to him in different ways than one might think, his desire to move on not just so he could feed the ache that throbbed in the pit of his stomach, but rather more for the proximity, to share that most intimate thing with her, and to be as close as physically possible. He couldn't stand putting it off.

Hand still slick with her arousal shifted to his own cock, curling over his wife's fingers, and following her movements for a few seconds, letting her have her fun for a moment longer before he interlocked their fingers. Dragging her hand away, he pulled their twisted limbs up, pressing a quick kiss to the back of her hand before he untwined their fingers, laying her hand back across her chest for her to do as she pleased. Pressing her thighs apart just a touch more, Roscoe shifted to align his hips between her own, fingers still gently scratching at the base of the woman's hairline as the opposite worked to press his member back up against the folds of her core. He didn't bother to reach for a condom, knowing well enough by now how much Rita preached about 'being on the pill anyways',  and at this rate, it didn't much matter if she wasn't either. Ros worked some friction between them for a only few more seconds before entering with a careful thrust, pressing deeper until their hips met as one - a breathless moan slipping from his lips.

RITA:

In that moment Rita could have cried. Every detail about this was so different from how it normally was. Each gesture was soft, filled with emotion, and just.... perfect. All she wanted was to stay in this little bubble of happiness, curled against Roscoe on a day that wasn’t their Sunday. But this was different from Sunday, too. Sunday was a sacred day to her but it came from her need to have him close because of her own fears. It was for their own separate yet still selfish reasons. This here was mutual. Both wanting that closeness because they craved it, needed it. It was a softness that hadn’t existed before. Not even on their Sundays. She kissed him back easily, free hand tangling in the fabric of his shirt, realizing in that moment only that it was still there. It didn’t matter, though, as the kiss deepened and Roscoe’s hand left her core. There was an emptiness there that made her whine softly against his lips. The sound tapered off quickly as their hands moved along his shaft slowly, though that too ended quickly. Her hand moved through her hair slowly as she opened herself further for him. For once not wanting to hide a single thing from him. She was his, just as much as he was hers. Eyes fluttered shut as he adjusted himself, teasing her just a bit as he pressed his hardened member against her folds spreading her juices before slowly pressing into her. The stretch was better than she could have imagined it. Definitely better than his two digits and the brunette couldn’t help the soft gasp that left her as their hips finally met. The fire that grew in the pit of her stomach flared hot as her one hand wrapped around his shoulders, bringing his torso closer as her nails dug into the skin there. After a moment her hips shift, another moan leaving her, as she leaned up to connect their lips once more.

ROSCOE:

There was a simplicity about their movements that were foreign. It had been a very long time since Roscoe had been with someone like this - vulnerable, slow, and in such a simple yet delicate position. Most of the sexual relationship between Rita and himself was quick, rough and in any position other than missionary. It had always felt too intimate to him, passed off as boring but.. He knew it was just too gentle for his tastes. This however? It was almost perfect. His eyes pressed closed for a moment as Rita pulled him close, their lips meeting again in a kiss he was all too eager to return. Pressing his hips closer, Roscoe let his hand smooth across her hair, brushing it free from beautifully familiar features. When he'd originally married Rita this was more what he'd been picturing. Sure, he didn't hate what they had. It was fun, and exciting and kept him on his toes. But it was exhausting. Never knowing what he was coming home to, never knowing if Rita hated him today or was pretending to love him. Feeling like nothing he'd ever do would be right for her. This was far more rewarding. The week away had given him plenty of time to think... And all he'd figured out was that he didn't want to lose her. Fingers kneaded into the soft skin of his wife's thigh, nails scratching just lightly as he lifted her knee, pulling her leg up to get a better angle  in time with his quickening thrusts. Muffled breaths were suppressed against their lips - a pleased smile curling at his own as brown hues opened again - the playfully mischievous glint once again shining bright.

RITA:

Her eyes opened as her hair was brushed from her features and she couldn't help but smile up at Roscoe. This entire thing was a ball of emotion that Rita was not really familiar with. At least not when it came to Roscoe. She'd always felt love for Dodger and Ollie and Tito. The whole gang really. Not that she'd ever really been with any of them in this sort of way (that would be more than weird). But the point was, Rita was no stranger to the feeling of love. What she was  a stranger to was the feeling being so strong when it came to her husband. But this now was exactly how she had pictured things being. Once upon a time when she was younger and fantasized about being married to the love of her life. Everything would be tender and caring. There would be no fights for dominance or anger. That was what they were, typically. Anger and dominance, scathing remarks and cruel comebacks. They were oil and water, clashing over and over again. Never really able to come together and definitely there'd never been a desire for her to really know Roscoe or even care. But with everything they had been through while living in Swynlake, after seeing him walk away repeatedly along with everyone else in her life, all she wanted was for him to stay. For her to stay. Her own fingers dug into his back as he shifted her knee, another gasp falling from her lips as he pushed into her faster, harder. It matched the all too familiar glint that was in his eyes, one that more than likely matched her own. "Wh-What're youse... thinkin'..." she breathed out, nipping at his lip before letting out another soft sound.

ROSCOE:

When he heard the broken question that fell from Rita's lips between soft pleasured noises, Roscoe only shook his head. It was hard to pin down what exactly he was thinking, after all. It seemed like so many thoughts and emotions were clouding his mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides Rita in general. Not that he was having a difficult time doing that either considering... His hues flickered to the side for a moment - briefly wondering if it would be worth it to move. To quickly hoist upon the bed in an effort to keep them off the floor, and perhaps to lessen the aches Rita would probably feel from being jostled against the scratchy carpet so much. He found it difficult to want to stop though - even if it'd just be for the moment to get them resettled. Another thought quickly replaced that one; something that was just about as much of a rarity as the very moment they were currently sharing. Roscoe was dominant - always. Though many of their endeavors involved them fighting to keep that dominance in the bedroom, it was never a position the man gave up. Never wanted Rita on top, never wanted her to have power or say over him. It was that toxic masculinity that ran through his blood, poisoning everything from his thoughts to his actions. He didn't want it there though - not now. Roscoe let their bodies move as they were for a few more moments, appreciating the way they felt as one - how easily and perfectly their bodies seemed to glide together. Almost as if they were part of the same puzzle. Using his free arm as leverage, the man shifted, pulling Rita up from the ground easily so that they met sitting up in the middle; not the final destination, but one where he once again allowed himself to get distracted in a kiss, hand cupping the back of her neck fondly.

"....Show me..." He started, pulling back ever so slightly as he met her gaze, searching her expression with his own amusement as he leaned back; relinquishing the reigns for the first time he could ever think of. "...Show me how much y'love me." Ros finished with a tease - his smirk not malicious, but playful. His elbows brushed against the carpet of their floor as he supported the two of them, an amused huff following his words as he looked over every perfect curve of his wife's figure - something he was seeing from a whole new angle.

RITA:

For a long moment Rita didn't think she was going to get an answer. Which she was content with because this was too pleasurable. It clouded her mind, filled her with longing and desire. In fact it was a miracle that she had even breathed out her own question. Especially when everything within her seemed to cry out for her husband. His touch, his kisses, his movements. It was pure bliss and not anything she wanted to give up any time soon. A low gasp came from her as he shifted. The move was unexpected but the relief from the carpet was nice.  In the heat of the moment she hadn't cared about the slight burn from it. But once it was removed she recognized it for what it was. An irritation that no doubt was going to give her grief in the morning. Instinctively her arms wrapped around Roscoe's shoulders, keeping herself close to him as their lips connected again and again. The position was only slightly uncomfortable, though it was very different. But that was more than likely the reason that it was uncomfortable. For as long as they'd been married, as many times they had come together like this, they had never been in a position like this. There'd never been a time where Rita had been able to control them. She could initiate things, straddle him as she peppered kisses along his neck and collar but when it came to the actual act, Roscoe was always the one to take charge, to win their fights for dominance. It was something that bothered Rita only in those moments because she did not want to be seen as the weaker one, the one who was never quite enough. Now, though, now it seemed he was giving her control, letting her have the dominance.

Her hands moved to rest against his chest as he spoke, watching him with curious eyes as he spoke. It was a bait, his words teasing as he watched her. One that she was going to take because she didn't know if it would happen again. She wanted it to, wanted there to be a balance between them. A give and take that was reciprocated on both ends because that was just as important in a relationship, in a marriage, as love. She kissed him again as she slowly and carefully pushed him back, watching him to see if there would be resistance. It was almost expected from him. But there was none and she easily returned the teasing smirk as she began to slowly move her hips. Auburn hair cascaded around them in soft waves as she leaned over him further, pressing a single kiss to his lips before trailing her lips down his jaw and to his neck.

ROSCOE:

Change was a hard thing to cope with - especially for someone as stubborn as the pair of them were. Roscoe had always grown up with a one track mind; a lot of his choices fueled by 'my way or the highway' like stigmas that ended in nothing but selfish desires and objectives. It had always been a part of the reason why their marriage faltered. There was always a push but never any give. Not in the way Rita really needed it at least. This was a change the man was willing to accept though, something he wanted to accept. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said they were a team. Though much of their time together had been treated as more of a toxic partnership of Roscoe telling the woman what she could and couldn't do, he wanted it to be different. He wanted her to have say - to have the ability to put him in his place when he did something stupid. Letting her do this might've seemed like an incredibly small step - but for them it felt monumental, a release of dominance that never would have been given before. It was good though - healthy, and he couldn't even deny he enjoyed the view. Fingertips lingered lightly along the woman's hips as she shifted against him, his own hips grinding up lightly to meet her own - careful not to do too much that he'd seem like he was still fighting for control. Ball was in her court, after all. Instead, the man allowed his wife's lips to trail over his neck, his own parting with an amused huff as he tilted his head to give her more access, hand falling between her thighs to help bring her extra pleasure - opposite supporting her waist. Eventually, he decided, he'd try to rid himself of his shirt - it just seemed like every time he got the opportunity, he was suddenly distracted with something else. It didn't quite matter though - the pair of them were both in various stages of disrobing, and likely still would be by the time they were finished here.

RITA:

This was too much and not enough all at once. What was once a small campfire, building slowly in the pit of her stomach, had become an inferno threatening to consume her entirely. It was comical, outside of the bedroom, really. For all intent and purpose, Rita was a well put together woman. In control of herslef and the things around her. Or at least that was what she wanted the world to see. It was what was important considering she knew that more often than not she wasn't in control. It was all a charade to appease herself. But now... Now Roscoe was letting go of that control and handing it to Rita. It was a rush. A rush of power that had her gasping as Rosoce's fingers moved between them, finding purchase on that sensitive bundle of nerves. That fire burned hotter as she moaned while her hips pushed faster, harder. She could feel her walls clenching around him, pulling every bit of pleasure from this that she could. Pushing herself up, her hands went back to pressing against his chest, using it for leverage as she sought her own pleasure with the control he had given her. It was his gift to her, after all, wasn't it? Control, the ability to chase her own orgasm, to use him how she wanted? She was so close, too. That fire burning bright and how and growing by the second.

ROSCOE:

As soon as Rita shifted to push her weight back against his chest, his head fell back to rest upon the carpet - a gentle smirk curling at his lips between heavy breaths. There was honestly nothing more beautiful than how he saw Rita now - her hair curling just perfectly around her face, swaying with every increasingly faster shift of her hips. A goddamn Angel of a woman, honestly. Free hand dug a bit tighter into the woman's thigh, holding steady for a moment before it was released once more - a kneading massage of sorts as he could feel the bottom of his stomach tightening more and more with every tiny movement of their bodies together. It was almost like he could feel ever small detail - every shift and change feeling so much more powerful against every inch of sensitive nerves. As much as Roscoe never wanted to let go of this moment; of the feeling he knew the pair of them held - he knew it wouldn't last. The time ticking closer and closer to an end with ever breath that left his lips in a near ragged pant. "Ri..." He breathed out in a warning - knowing he was close and hoping she wasn't far behind herself. Though the way he could feel her tightening around her almost confirmed she was all in its own - matched only by the noises that fell from her own lips - nothing but music to his ears.

RITA:

There were few moments that Rita felt she needed to hold on to. But the ones she did hold dear were special moments. Gaining freedom from the orphanage, booking passage to America, meeting Dodger, building their little misfit family. Each one was dear to her in a different way, important for various reasons. And now she added this to them. The overwhelming feeling of love, the way Roscoe’s hand no longer felt heavy with his possession, the way her own body felt perfectly attuned to his. This was magic. “Don’t... don’t stop,” she managed to breathe out. Brown hues that had been previously closed, opened to watch him. It was intoxicating to see just how she was affecting him. That pleasure painted so clearly on his features, melded into his breaths that were just as breathless as hers. Knowing that she had the same dizzying affect on him was heady and mesmerizing. With each movement she could feel her body losing that control it had. She was so close, riding a wave that was bound to crest at any moment. All it would take was a certain touch, certain movement, and she’d be toppled over the edge; left with nothing but intense pleasure. The whisper of her name was just enough. That warning low and desperate in her husband’s voice. She felt herself clench around him as her body near convulsed above him, fingers digging into his chest as her orgasm rushed through her. A strangled sort of moan pushed past her lips as she all but fell forward onto his chest, their bodies aligning perfectly as her tremors subsided.

ROSCOE:

Her nails dug into his chest, but he barely felt them - too overwhelmed with his own pleasurable high to notice. Even if he was sure there would be a scratch or two to remember this by when they awoke the next morning. His hand moved from her thigh - the opposite still carefully helping her ride out her orgasm - to tangle in her hair, pulling her down and stealing her lips for a kiss - his own moans muffled between them. Ros kept his hips grinding - fulling dragging out that feeling of her all but collapsing against him as he pressed their foreheads together, lips parting in an effort to catch his breath. Three years and nothing had ever felt like that - no night had ever been built upon the same feelings of love and lust. Of want and need. There was hope for once in his heart though - that perhaps nights like this wouldn't just be a thing of their imagination, that instead it'd become more of a ritual. His hand dropped from between her thighs once he felt like they'd finally come down, moving instead to gently rub the small of her back as he stole another gentle peck - brown hues meeting her own as a sincere smile curled at his lips. "...I love you." He spoke in a sigh, knowing for once in his life that she felt the very same way; that there was nothing more honest between them than that they did love each other... and that he never wanted to be away from her again.

RITA:

I love you. The word hung in the air around them, filling every crevice and corner, every shadow. The only difference from before was that those words were no longer heavy. Rita’s heart didn’t clench hearing them because she didn’t know if she could ever return the sentiment truthfully. Instead, it clenched because she knew they were honest words and they were words she could reciprocate. It had only taken three years and more life or death situations than she had ever imagined being put through. Three years later and the woman knew she loved her husband. Knew that it wasn’t security or money that kept her by his side. She kissed him easily, letting it linger for a few moments before she shifted to lay by his side, her head rested on his chest as her hair splashed around them. “I love you, too,” she murmured, looking up to him. This was how marriage was supposed to be. How their nights were supposed to end. It didn’t matter if there had been fighting or arguing. It didn’t matter if only hours ago she wanted nothing to do with him or him with her. What mattered was that at the end of the night they came back together. That they were strong enough to push through all the bullshit and remember that, at the end of the day, they loved each other.

ROSCOE:

For that moment where silence hung between them he didn't feel anxious - he didn't worry that the words that would eventually fall would be  insincere. It didn't matter how long it would take for Rita to respond, at least he knew the words for once would be truthful - not just some mechanical reaction spoken for the sake of needing to be said. It made that moment when the words finally did follow all the more sweeter though, his smile growing almost instantly as he let his arm rest under her head, supporting her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. His smile didn't fade, even as his hues turned to glance over the pattern of their ceiling, following the lines of the tiles absently as he thought over the events of the past years in his head. He was beyond lucky, and god he knew that. When he'd first seen Rita, he'd never imagined it would finally come to this. He hadn't realized just how empty it was to live a life surrounded by one-sided love. How emotionally draining it was to give his heart and not see her own given back to him. Part of him had to realize that wasn't Rita's fault either though - he wasn't perfect. She had plenty of reason not to love him back. That was going to change though, he would change. For her, it was worth the moments of out of character actions and expressions. He'd so much rather be sappy with her to get her to smile than fight with her to keep up appearances. "...I promise I'll never leave you again." He spoke after a few more moments of being caught up in his thoughts, knowing he really truly fucked up there. He knew she worried about that - had suffered by watching everyone walk away. That him leaving was a fear - and he'd done it anyways. Never again though.. never would he recreate the fear in her mind that she'd ever be left alone. "...and if something ever happens where I do? Just...know I didn't choose to, okay?"

RITA:

Rita was not expecting his promise. Her mind hadn’t been there. It was too caught up in the moment. In the feelings and the tenderness and the fact that he had come back. That things were going to get better. She hadn’t thought that there’d be another reason for him to walk away from her. Not in anger, of course. There’d never been a time his profession had made him leave her. She’d gone with him the last time. Packed up everything and fled the country. But having that worry erased? It was freeing in a sense. Of course the fear would still be there. It always would. But she didn’t fear that he wouldn’t assure he’d stay. Even before their fight he had been there. A rock when she woke up gasping for breath and on the verge of tears. There every Sunday as if assuring her that week would be no different. They’d wake up together each day. “I won’t either,” she replied after a moment. “I-I’m done leaving. We can work things out on our own.” If they truly wanted to turn over a new leaf, start new, they would have to work on this. Especially Rita. She was used to running when things got a little too tough. When she was out of her depth. She was out of her depth now as she laid there with Roscoe. She’d never had this, never expected to have it. And maybe that was her punishment, she had thought long ago. Roscoe wasn’t going to divorce her and he knew that she wouldn’t divorce him. Not when she had everything she had thought she wanted. Money, a home, Oliver taken care of. And Roscoe had her. Love hadn’t been in the cards for her. Not before.

ROSCOE: