#ch blurb

When he feels like it he does it. Sometimes he caught you off guard like that time he poured like two hundred sunflowers in your house just because, or when he bought you the coolest denim jacket when he was on tour and he said extra things like the jacket was made just for you. Or when he printed the pictures Andy took in a party you threw because he wanted to have them as memories not just in his phone. Also, you find cute when he is so excited to send you his playlists he does every month with his favorite songs -he also made a private playlist for you know, when you need privacy-.

Once finished dinner, you moved to the couch to start your nerd marathon of the shows you watch. He went to find a big blanket since it's cool outside due to the rain that's been going on for two days. He settled next to you and kissed your temple when you put your head on his chest and your hands on his ribcage. 

"Come here, baby" Calum said wanting you closer.

"What's our mood today? Glee or Brooklyn 99?" you asked while you were concentrated on the TV screen searching for said shows.

“Both" you said at the same time. You explained how you can't wait to know what happens in the show. You agreed to watch Brooklyn 99 first and then Glee when you were cuddle in bed. 

After finishing the Halloween heist chapter you were still laughing at Gina's funny surprises.

"Babe you would be the perfect Gina Linetti" Calum said when he stopped laughing. 

"I'm going to take that as a really good compliment, what about you?" you asked him looking up to find his eyes. 

"Hmm I don't know" Calum said confused. "We should take an online test to find out" he broke the cuddle position you both had in the couch to go find his computer. 

"That's so Amy Santiago" you teased him while he was in another room. Then he came back showing you the electronic device.

He sat straight next to you again and searching for Buzzfeed quizzes related to the show. 

"This one sounds pretty cool" he said focused on the screen and pointing the one he chose. While the link load slowly due to his weak WiFi signal you decided you will take the quiz first. 

"K'" you said with the computer in your lap reading the questions and choosing the answers fast. "So this says I'm Gina Linetti externally and Amy Santiago internally". You read the caption under the results and it makes sense to you. 

"I was right babe, now my turn" he said taking from you the computer. It was funny how he took this so seriously to the point he had his tongue out, a thing he does when he is working. Both of you kinda expected and not his results. "I'm Rosa Diaz externally and Jake Peralta internally". 

"That's kinda sexy tho" you said biting your lip to refuse a giggle till you couldn't resist and start making fun of how bad ass but a puddle he is.

He stood up from the couch to lay against the wall with crossed arms looking at you how cute you looked all teasing him and also surprised with the results. "I can be the Jake Peralta to your Amy Santiago" he was now teasing you.

"Challenge accepted" you said before a moment of silence and Calum broke the ice.

"Oh gosh I love you so much" he said with all the emotion and then froze when he realized he said that out loud and not just inside his head. He waited for you to say something and as your surprised wide open eyes, he knew you weren't going to answer what he wanted. 

"What?" you asked surprised, not to make him repeated the words but to confirm if it was reality.

"Don't worry, I'm going to take a shower before bed" he said quickly disappearing into the bathroom and took his shirt off. He felt so stupid, he tortured himself for a couple of minutes with thoughts like you don't feel the same way about him and how maybe that scared you and now you were going to run away. 'Stupid Cal' he said to himself before he decided to leave that for later. 

In that short amount of minutes, in the other side of the room you were thinking about how he just threw the bomb at you with no warning. You felt bad that you didn't answer immediately, because you love him too but it was confusing how hours ago you were thinking about how he is not like that type of person to celebrate another month of your relationship or cheesy things but clearly he does. You thought how to fix this and your next move. 

When you were about to knock the bathroom's door Calum surprised you opening it before your action. He was surprised too to find you inches apart from him. 

"Jesus, y/n. Sorry, I thought you were still in the couch" he said when he stopped his rushing thoughts. "Are you okay?" asking if something happened or if you need something.

Calum was already with his shirt off and just with his jeans. You laid your fingers on his beautiful jaw to get him closer and kiss him. 

"I love you too, Cal" you said looking up directly to his eyes, fingers still on his jaw and your lips barely touching his. You moved forward a little bit to get you both inside the bathroom so you can close the door. Your moves were slow and that made the intensity filled the room. You know, sexual tension. 

You saw his sculpted tan back when he turned around to start the water. You bite your lip at the view. "Is Roy at home already?" you asked innocently him to be sure of something. 

He laughed at you being cautious when multiple times before Roy definitely heard you both having sex. "I don't know, but that's cute from you to worry about my roommate's nightmares because of us" he was teasing you. 

"Fuck you" you said realizing that the house is huge and that Roy's room is way far from where you were. So you can have an idea about how loud you have to be so he can hears you. Right now you don't care and at the same time hoping that Cal's roommate could be asleep. 

You stepped closer to him and he couldn't resist it. It's not like he can't kiss you, he knows that he is allowed to that but he would kill for your kisses. He moved his head to reach your tinted cherry lips and started heating up rapidly the situation. He just cut the makeout session when you took off your shirt, then he removed the rest of his clothes to jump in into the shower. You bit your lip at the view and decided to join him so you took off your jeans too and stepped inside in underwear. 

"Baby no! That combo is my fave" Calum said when your clothes got wet immediately because of the hot water. You laughed at his words like if he doesn't has a washing machine or a dryer. You laced your arms around his neck and kissed him under the water. "I've been holding this for a while and a lot of emotions and actions to show you how I feel but not anymore" he said and started to feel like he finally poured out what was stuck on his mind. "I wanted to tell you in a more romantic way than how I did it minutes ago watching Brooklyn 99, just pretend that we are outside under the rain so it could be more romantic like a Hollywood movie from the 50s" Calum said. 

He rapidly interlaced both arms in the end of your back to keep your body close to his. You rested your arms around his neck and he went up a little bit with his hands to fight with your soaked bra and then took it off and throw it to the floor crossing the glass door. A cloud of steam was already formed because of the heat in the room.

Now just your panties were left but you were so focused tracing Calum's tattoos with your fingers while he admired you doing it. It gave him chills when you found his chest tattoo.

"I love your tattoo too, honey" he said with his hand moving down to the side of your left thigh where your tattoo is. Perfect time to lift you up and take off the last piece of clothes. Your legs around his waist and he got you holding you with his strong hands placed above your butt.

Calum laughed when you tried to hide your body. It was the first time you took a shower with him. But the only way to hide your body was pressing it harder against his.

From outside the shower your bodies seemed blurry because of the big amount of steam. That marks were erased when Calum lifted you up to hold your body against the wall, your legs were around his waist to give him better access. 

Lust immediately filled your mind with the passionate kisses and how good felt when Cal pressed your body against the wall, still lifting you with his strong hands. God that hands and arms drive you crazy with his tattoos and notorious veins. Next he asked you for permission to fill your entrance, always making sure you were alright. You just nodded at him and he did it, your right arm so tight around the back of his neck and left hand holding against the glass leaving your handprint freshly. 

You both failed at being quiet but the sound of water and the soundproofing walls gave you advantage. Words couldn't be found, just moans and kisses wherever you had access. Calum still holding you changed to another wall, now one hand holding you and the other pressed against the wall that gave him the balance and to keep pushing inside you.

"Calum, I'm close" you said whispering on his ear. He wanted to make you feel even better so he speed up his pace. The water was hitting Cal's back and was burning him with the marks you were leaving with your nails. 

You tilted your head back when you reached your orgasm wanting to have your feet back on the floor and seconds later of friction he reached his edge too. 

He pulled off and helped you to for real take a shower and clean the sweaty mess. Now the calm and tiredness hit you both once you left the bathroom ready to -do quite opposite like minutes ago- put comfy clothes and cuddle. 

Calum dried your hair and you his. Once you put his baggy hoodie you jumped into the bed. You waited for him who was setting the heat for the house during the night.

While you watched Glee, with his head resting on your chest and stroking his curls, you thought about what he said earlier. Calum always sings the songs that he knows from the show and taps your skin gently at the beat of the music, and it's more than lovely to hear his beautiful voice. 

“Babe, what did you mean when you said that you had been holding that for a while?” you asked him when the cast of the show ended the song they were performing. He looked up at you.

“Like a month ago we were watching Brooklyn 99 that chapter when Jake was in danger and Amy felt guilty because she never told him how she felt and that hit me” he spoke with all the honesty. You found that so cute and cheesy from him and it made sense to you because for a while he seemed that he wanted to say something important to you but you never asked or pushed him to do it.

You kissed his forehead and smiled at him. Before you both returned your attention to the show you said, “I love you”.

"I love you too" he said. "I think you would be a perfect Mercedes" he started again teasing you about the characters of the shows you watch together, you are going to get used to this. 

You tried to break the closeness of his head in your chest because he knows that you don't have a beautiful talent and voice like Mercedes. "Ha ha very funny. So in that case you would be Sam?" you raised your brows at him because even when you love Sam, he's a player. 

Unsure why he felt the need to be so silent, he turned on the hallway light and started the way to his bedroom. Maybe, it’s a night to turn in early. Duke’s nails on the hardwood floor are the only noise he hears and he heads back down the hall and to his bedroom.

Paranoia only grows as he tries to shower. He’s hyper aware of every creek in the house and can’t help but try to plan what to do if someone tried to wander in now. He’d have nothing to protect himself with. What’s he going to do? Toss a shampoo bottle at a ghost?

Instinctively, he dials Vanessas number as he gets ready for bed.

“Are you busy?”

“A little bit. Just trying to sort out some things before work Monday.”

A creek from down the hall pushes him to cut the crap. There’s no way he’s sleeping alone tonight, “Listen, I know it’s late, but I’ve been watching Buzzfeed Unsolved and… can you come over?”

Her laugh starts to unknot the anxiety in his chest. “Cal, you’ve got to stop doing this to yourself. Remember the one time with Ashton?”

“It was not my finest moment,” he admits.

“That’s a funny thing to call the full blown paranormal investigation. All the apps on your phone. What was it? iGhost?” She lays into him. He knew she wouldn’t let it go the last time he had to ask her over for the same thing but he swears there’s something to the house.

“Well I was thinking, maybe we could have a nice breakfast in the morning,” he pivots. Not exactly happy to talk about the last time he did this to himself. That time he had to have his mom pray a protective karakia over the phone just to go back to spending time at home alone.

“You drive a hard bargain, Hood. Just sit tight with Caspar and I’ll head right over.”

Hes not that upset at her teasing but he can’t hide the bit of whine in his voice as he shouts back, “it’s not funny!”

“I’m sorry. I’ll stop. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Ok. Drive safe.”

He burrows further into bed to wait for her. The covers might be nothing’s more than fabric and feathers but they make him feel safer and the room grows darker and darker around him.

A large crashing comes from the back of the house and he knows he should stay in bed and ignore the noise. Something stronger pulls at him and he starts to walk down the hall and back into his music room, the only place something that large could’ve fallen.

He holds his breath, trying not to break the silence, as he pushes the door open, his eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness. At first, he can only make out a few of the frames hanging on the wall and old awards that hang out on the bookshelves. Nothing looks out of order, yet.

Moving as quick as possible, he reaches into the room and turns on the light. The room itself is empty and not a single item is out of place. Double checking every possible hiding spot only causes his stomach to sink. There’s nothing to be found and that makes it all feel so much worse.

His voice is not loud, and he forces it to stay steady as he calls out, “Nessa? Vanessa?”

There’s no chance that he’d have missed her coming in. He would’ve had to unlock the front door but he still hopes for a mundane explanation.

No such answer is found. Instead hes left standing in the perfectly boring room, becoming acutely aware of the air, cold and thick around him and the odd babbling coming from the front of the house. It was not loud enough to make out words but steady enough to be undeniable. The house was alive in a way he had never known.

A laugh abruptly breaks through the murmurs but it was wrong, distorted as it rose filling the whole house with its inhuman sound. Then it fell. Leaving nothing but silence. Absolute silence.

It’s nothing, just tricks, the night and your brain playing tricks on you, Calum tells himself as he returns to bed. Maybe if he repeats it enough he’ll believe it.

——

The murmurms come and go a few more times, making it feel like the house is coming alive in waves. The time ticks slowly as he finds comfort in his room only. Duke held tightly to his side as he listened, too afraid to anger the house if he tried to drown it out with music.

Three heavy knocks on the door cut through all the noise. Finally. He hops out of bed and opens the front door

“Calum?” Vanessa’s voice sounds small, distant, as she steps into the house. “Are you ok?

“Yeah. Let’s just—let’s just go to bed yeah?”

He grasps her hand, wasting no time in getting down the hall and back under his covers, the only place that felt safe in the insanity. Last time he watches anything of the sort. No matter how funny it had been to think of haunted houses and demons on bridges, it would never be worth this feeling. He swears off everything as he finally feels a bit of security with her back home. The other side of the bed shifts. He pulls her in, his grasp loose and then tightening as the house settles and sleep slowly takes over.

“How was the drive over?” He asks as she settles against him. Her skin is unusually cold against his. It’s only then that he realizes she wasn’t wearing a sweater when she came in.

“Cold.”

“I can feel that,” he takes her hands into his. Clasping them between his own to warm them. He gently rubs them together. Even in the dark that something is missing.

“Where’s your ring?” He asks, the heirloom hardly ever left her finger.

“I don't know.” Her response is so nonchalant he takes it for exhaustion on her part. He accepts the night as done with; maybe the morning would be better. For now, her presence is comforting enough to lull him to sleep.

He wakes up in a room thats all too loud, the murmuring is back and sounds closer than ever. It almost feels like the noise is coming from within his head. The cold has him immediately reaching to pull Vanessa close but there’s no one there.

It takes a moment for him to register another set of knocks on the front door. He checks his phone for the time. “Missed Call Nessa” his phone reads back, a shiver runs up his spine as he turns to the empty bed.

Another call from her comes through, he’s quick to answer, “Vanessa?”

“Hey can you open the door? I’ve been waiting.”

“Waiting?”

The now empty bed turns his stomach as his mind runs away. He strides out of his bedroom, stopping by the hallway closet to grab his bat. It’s so stupid. It’s all so stupid, he shakes his head as he unlocks the door and calls, “Open!”

He watches, bat in hand, as someone — or something— takes grasp of the knob and it turns ever so slowly. Was it moments or hours that he stood perfectly still waiting for it to open. It’s Vanessa. It’s got to be Vanessa. Is it better for it to be Vanessa though?

“Holy shit, Calum!,” The alarm is clear in her voice as she stepped back out onto his tiny porch. “What are you doing with that thing?”

“Nothing. I just--”

Vanessa flips the switch, illuminating the living room. The shadows that had played with his mind receding.

He looks back down the hall, it’s normal. Plain and simple, it’s the same hallway he sees every morning, the light to his music room still on. Everything swirls in his head. The other Vanessa, the murmurs, the crashing. Was it all in his head? Will she believe him if he told her everything?

Being such a reasonable and intelligent person, she didn’t complain when Calum said he would walk her to her car, then follow with Alfred and meet her again at the DA’s office. She just nodded, bundling her work into her bag and letting him lead her out without any shenanigans. They probably didn’t have time to get wound up before the meeting, and as much as she wanted him to push her up against a wall again she was willing to be patient. Since it wasn’t yet 5, the elevator was empty all the way down to the parking garage, and in the cube she leaned into Calum and rested her head on his shoulder. 

She had never met with a DA or anything - hell, she’d never stepped foot into a courtroom. Calum had told her when Carl Finch had first gotten in contact that he was probably going to ask her to testify in person at Liam’s trial, and possibly Falcone’s, too. Calum hadn’t explained that it could put a target on her back. He hadn’t needed to. Aspen was pretty sure it wouldn’t matter, anyways. She was a loose end for the mob, but she also had the protection of the Bat on her side. If she didn’t speak up, who would?

Calum forgot himself as they left the elevator, and kept his hand on the small of her back as he walked her towards her car. It took him almost twenty seconds to remember himself. That didn’t sound like much, but Aspen would take whatever she could from him. By the time her car was in sight, he had dropped his hand, but the backs of their knuckles brushed as they paused and he reached out to open the door for her. She was always counting touches.

“Wait for me at the front door, and I’ll be by a few minutes after you, alright?” Calum said as she settled into the driver’s seat.

“Sounds good. See you soon.” She nodded as professionally as possible. He closed the door, but he didn’t walk away until she had pulled out and rounded the corner, cutting him out of view.

She took a deep breath as she wound her way through the looming Gotham streets. Every so often she forgot that she had been attacked by Liam and put through - through that whole thing. But every so often she’d catch someone staring at her scar or she’d work late and get nervous dropping down into the parking garage and it would all come back. She couldn’t unbecome who she was now, she knew that, but forgetting was a gift every so often.

She put on some nice 80s pop to lift her spirits, which Calum didn’t like. The memory of the first time she’d jammed out to it in front of him made her smile, and that helped her get to the DA’s office without sinking into her head too much. She only wondered about the possibility of some hired gun waiting for her to flutter into his crosshairs as she entered the courthouse briefly, just while she was waiting for Calum to show, and she considered that a win. And she didn’t get shot, so it didn’t really matter in the end.

She had half-expected Calum to nod and smile to every cop and receptionist they passed by, but he was in entitled-millionaire mode as the front desk directed them to Finch’s office. It made sense when she thought about it; neither Calum Hood nor Batman would have been rubbing elbows with the paralegals down at the DA’s office. She remembered being on the receiving end of that behavior. It had made Calum so hateable back then. Now, she felt a little special that his softness was reserved for her. 

Once they reached Finch’s personal office, they had barely mentioned their names to the secretary before the DA was on his way out, straightening his tie and grinning warmly at Calum. Cal immediately eased up too; when they shook hands, he even patted Finch’s shoulder. “How’ve you been, Finch? Surprised I didn’t see you at the children’s fundraiser.”

Carl Finch shook his head almost sheepishly. He didn’t look ruthless, but Aspen tried not to think about him going toe to toe with Falcone. Maybe he could be formidible when he needed to be? She hoped so. She knew what that was like. As it was, though, he looked like he should be at the stands of some little league game, not wrapped up in... this. “Someone had to keep Gotham running while the commissioner was mingling. I didn’t expect you to come by.” He shrugged, waiting for Calum to laugh politely at his excuse before turning to Aspen. “Ms. McMichael, right? Pleasure to meet you face to face.”

It was Aspen’s turn to shake hands and make pleasantries. At least his handshake was firm. “Likewise. Don’t worry, I was at the gala, you didn’t miss much.” She said, smiling.

“Oh, were you? Well, I suppose - given what brings us here today, I should have figured.” Finch’s polite smile suddenly didn’t reach his eyes.

Oh no. She could feel how that had sucked the air out of the room all of a sudden. They all knew what had happened after. Should she try to acknowledge the elephant? Change the subject? She didn’t know how to recover from this. “Right, I guess you would know all the details, huh? I should have made that connection. But, uh, in case you were wondering the party really wasn’t that impressive anyways.” She tried to joke. It didn’t quite work.

“Glad to hear it. Well, shall we head into my office?” Finch said, looking at Calum.

“Oh, I’ve got some work to finish up at mine, I just thought I’d swing by and check in.” Calum said, and gave Aspen the tiniest of glances. Then, almost without a pause: “If you think there’s anything I should know, of course, I’d be happy to sit down with you two.”

That bastard! It took everything Aspen had in her to keep from glaring at Calum or stomping on his foot. He was going to try and get himself invited into her meeting so she couldn’t get mad at him for it. Well, if he thought he was being smart, he wasn’t. She wasn’t spineless, she could take care of this herself. She’d get him out of there if she had to fake a breakdown for it.

“That’s probably a good idea, Mr. Hood.” Finch was already walking towards his office, leading them both in. Calum was such a fucking dickhead. She didn’t look at him as they entered; she wouldn’t acknowledge his temporary win. “You’re both at least somewhat involved in this, so I think we should all, you know, be on the same page in this.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s only natural that I should want to be here.” Aspen could hear an almost playful edge in Calum’s voice, which she knew was meant for her, but she kept her eyes focused on Finch. She knew this was his delayed rebuttal to her argument earlier that morning - Liam and I are just unfortunate employees of yours. I think it might be a little suspicious - and she was only a little bit amused at his tactics.

If he wanted war, he’d get war.

Her mind was buzzing as she sat down at Finch’s desk. How could she get Calum out of this? Could she claim conflict of interest? Let herself cry and ask him if he could leave, she didn’t want her boss to see her this way? She was so busy trying to think up a way to subtly kick Calum out she almost forgot to be nervous.

“First things first, let me put you in contact with the case agent for the case against Liam Payne. His name is Raymond Flat, he grew up in Gotham but joined the national attorney's office rather than join his family firm, and he’s a great liason. He’ll be contacting you directly when you’re subpoenaed - well. Let me explain.”

Now the lawyer came out. Finch’s voice lost the boyish edge as he leaned in, elbows on his desk. “As it stands, Mr. Payne has been indicted by a grand jury trial for kidnapping, second degree assault, breaking and entering, and trespassing. However, his lawyers are seeking a plea bargain, and given the case the city is building against Falcone it… it would be in everyone’s best interest if he accepted it.”

“Given the danger he placed my employee in, that’s ridiculous.” Calum butted in. “How is Ms. McMichael supposed to believe that he won’t do it again?”

Finch didn’t look phased. “We believe that without the influence of Falcone, Mr. Payne never would have attacked your personal assistant. He’s not unstable, he doesn’t belong in Arkham, and after serving his time I personally believe he’ll be able to reintegrate into society quite well.”

“He was integrated into society when he attacked Aspen. He was holding down a good job at my company and doing regular things, and then he sedated my assistant, threw her in the trunk of his car, chained her to a chair, dangled her out a window, slapped her around, and stood by while she was tortured.” Calum was getting mad. The switch to her first name made Aspen nervous; Finch would probably notice that. She couldn’t even put a hand on him to calm him down without making the situation look worse, even though she could feel the anger radiating off him. She had been right to try to ban Calum from coming, but the confirmation didn’t feel satisfying right now.

...wait, he what? Aspen hadn’t known about the trunk of his car. She had never really thought too hard about how she got to the construction site, only - fuck. Her stomach twisted.

Finch was rolling with it well enough - he barely looked startled by the outburst. “In another world, you would have made a damn good prosecutor, Hood.” He said, shaking his head. “You make some excellent points, and I hope that you can pass them along to Raymond. Ultimately, since he’s being tried on felony charges, Liam Payne is being prosecuted on a national level and as a district attorney, I can only try to influence that. I can’t control it. I’m just trying to prepare you both for what’s to come in the next few weeks so you’re not surprised.”

She dared a glance over at Calum. His jaw was working, but his breathing was even. After a minute, he nodded. “Appreciate that.” He said, after another pause. “It’s just that it happened under my nose, at my company headquarters, targeting me. I want my employees to feel safe at work, sure, but beyond that I should have seen it coming. I should have fired Payne outright when he first started acting suspiciously. This shouldn’t have happened and I blame myself.”

“I don’t.” Aspen said. Both men turned to look at her. Fuck them both. Shaken or not, they had forgotten about her opinion in all this, and that pissed her off. “I don’t blame anyone but Liam and Falcone. Um, with that being said, I’d also be comfortable with Liam getting a plea bargain.”

“After what he did to you-”

“After what he did to me I’m in the best possible position to judge this situation, Mr. Hood.” Aspen repeated, not without force. “I…”

For a split second, she thought about the trunk. About Liam lifting her ragdoll body into it, tucking her gently into a fetal position before closing the door on her. His coworker, his friend, like a piece of luggage in the back of his car. Even the floor of the backseat would have been better. She looked up and realized she had paused just a second too long. “I - sorry - I think that if I had talked he wouldn’t have hurt me and he would have done everything in his power to keep me from getting killed. I think that Falcone is more dangerous and also, given how corrupt this city is, no offence, more likely to get off with a slap on the wrist. We’re lucky he hasn’t been released on bail. Maybe Liam won’t even take the plea because he doesn’t want to snitch, but I definitely support an offer.” She said, finishing strong. Thank god.

Calum didn’t look happy, but he settled back into his chair, relaxing slightly. Maybe he’d write off her little freeze up as a manipulative move. “...if you say so.”

Aspen almost physically bit her tongue to keep herself from firing back a response. She didn’t want to fight with Calum in front of Finch. She didn’t want to fight with him at all, really, but he had to get used to the fact that she had as strong a will as he did and she wasn’t going to let him dictate her life, no matter what he thought was best. She was gonna make the hard choices for herself. That was no one’s job but hers. And the quality of mercy was not strained, ok? Liam had tried to spare her, she was almost sure, and the least she could do was try to return the favour. Even if it was hard.

“Well, I’m glad we’ve had the chance to go over that.” Finch said, standing up. “Now, Hood, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go over testimony with Ms. McMichael for a minute. If you don’t mind stepping out - obviously, confidentiality and all -”

“Of course.” Calum said. His eyes tracked over to Aspen for just a second before he stood up. “I understand completely. Thanks for the chance to go over some of these details. I’ll let you know how it goes with Raymond.”

“Absolutely. I’ll walk you out of my office.” Finch said, giving Aspen a quick “wait here” look. “I meant to mention, I never see you at the club. How’s your short game coming along?” Calum laughed stiffly, and then he was gone and Aspen was left alone.

She had to settle herself. Talking about that night didn’t bother her so much anymore. She had told it so many times - to the cops, to her roommates, to her family - that it felt almost like something she could joke about. You think your deskmate stealing your pens is bad? She didn't know why that one detail was suddenly throwing her.

Her burner phone buzzed in her bag. Will u come to mine once ur done? x

Was she in trouble? Whatever. At least this way she could have dinner at the Manor and not have to go home before the night's watch started.

Finch was back. He noticed her leg bouncing anxiously at her side, she saw his gaze pause on it. "Thanks for waiting. I'm sure while you were working with Hood you got used to people vying for his attention."

"Yours was fairly dignified vying, Mr. Finch." Aspen smiled thinly.

He chuckled. “Thank you. You can just call me Carl, by the way.”

“Anytime, Carl. So, um, I just wanted to say that I’d be comfortable testifying in both cases. Falcone’s especially.”

Finch looked surprised. “Of - of course, and we’ll make all the necessary arrangements for your safety during that process. I hope you don’t feel pressured to do so, because - and if I can be honest, Aspen - it’s very possible that he will make attempts to keep you from testifying, one way or another. It’s not selfish to consider your own safety.” Parts of this speech seemed prepared; evidently, he had expected to need to convince her in this meeting. She had never given him permission to call her Aspen.

She bit her tongue. “Yeah, well, I’m already a loose end. The way I see it, he attacked me when I was of no consequence to him, so I don’t see why me not testifying would change much.” Not to mention that with Calum looking after her, she had the best bodyguard in the city. He saved her life once, he could do it again no sweat. She was tougher, now, too. If Falcone wanted her dead, he was really gonna have to work for it this time.

“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re willing to help us out.” Carl said, and then paused in a way that made Aspen very nervous. “There was another thing I was meaning to ask you about, if that’s alright?”

The “can I ask you a question” question. Aspen hated when people did that. What was she supposed to do, say no? Knowing that she couldn’t deny a request to request, but also knowing the question’s content was gonna suck? She girded her loins. “Ask away.” 

“We’d like you to encourage Liam to take the plea deal.”

Aspen almost had to catch her breath. “What, like you want /me/ to try to convince him personally?” She said slowly, dread mounting.

“His testimony would help us build a really strong case against Falcone. He hasn’t said two words together to anyone so far, he’s refusing to cooperate with his council, and we think that given your personal history -”

“That’s not fair.” She interrupted, shaking her head. “You want me to - what, send him a letter begging him to do less time for what he did to me? I mean, I support the offer and all, I just - I can’t be the one to ask him that.” She rubbed her eye. There was too much nervous energy in her to keep still. Fuck, she was not getting enough sleep for this.

Finch waited for her to finish before he spoke back up. “Actually, we were hoping you’d talk to him in person.”

“...You can’t be serious.”

“Aspen -”

“Don’t call me that.” Aspen snapped, and she didn’t feel bad when Carl flinched. “I don’t care if this is special circumstances or whatever. The fact remains that - that he did what he did to me and I don’t want to go near him. Or hear his voice.” She realized her chest was heaving. Wow, this made her mad. In the stunned silence she could feel them both realize exactly how far she would go to avoid this.

Finch licked his lips, taking a moment for them both to collect themselves. “...Understood. I appreciate your candor in this. You know I had to ask.”

You didn’t. “I know.”

“As long as there’s no hard feelings -”

Aspen shrugged. She wanted this over with. “You’re just trying to do your job. You’re the DA, not my therapist. It is what it is.”

“I know this whole process has been hard for you, and I just want you to know that I appreciate your cooperation in all of these areas.”

Despite herself, she smiled. “You can give it a rest. I’m not gonna tattle on you to Hood, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I -” Finch stopped, and looked at her, and then he smiled a little too, like he felt like it was safe. “I won’t deny that’s a factor.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Aspen shook her head. She was just tired. “He’s been, uh, fun to have in my corner. I did not know he was going to be coming today, so that was fun.”

All she got in response was a confused look. “I know I didn’t invite him to the office.”

Shit. Was that suspicious? “Oh, yeah,yeah, I know, I mentioned it to him in passing when he was checking in on me at work. The man invites himself.” She said casually, waving her hand like it could hide her pounding heart. “Anyway. Is there anything else you wanted to go over, or…”

“No, that’s about all I had. Reach out to Raymond Flat - I’m sure he has your info but I think it’d be best for you to have a closer relationship with him. Liam’s case is obviously going to go to trial before Falcone’s, so when we meet next that’s what we’ll focus on.” Finch stood to show her out, reaching out to shake her hand across the desk. Aspen subtly wiped her hand on her thigh first. She didn’t want him to get an idea of how nervous this had made her.

“Sounds good. I’m glad I met with you today.” She said, and to her surprise she wasn’t really lying. It was good that this had happened. Even if it had dragged all that stuff up, they’d also moved forwards.

“Likewise, Ms. McMichael.”

Ha. He almost made it sound natural.

Aspen bit her tongue as he walked her out. Figuratively, of course. She made small talk, wished him a good evening, all that shit. Inside, though, she was bursting with things unsaid. She really didn’t mind him calling her by her first name, but she did mind him using it only when he was trying to manipulate her, and of course she wanted to tell him that so he didn’t think she was some kind of asshole, but that would involve acknowledging his ruse, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t polite? They both knew what he was trying to do, and she was pretty sure he knew that she knew, and - fuck. This was like Calum all over again. She had to stop playing these mind games with herself.

On the drive to the manor, she tapped her thumb on the steering wheel at every red light. If she wasn’t driving, she would be bouncing her foot, too, trying to get the anxious energy out. She didn’t know why being unknowingly shoved into a car trunk - fuck - made her get this way. She couldn’t even remember it, so why - why did she feel like she had to pull the car over to retch?

She wanted to speed, but she kept herself in check. Driving like a maniac wasn’t gonna be a good coping mechanism, at least not in this traffic. Maybe Calum had a private race track under the manor she could borrow one day. There was room for one, anyways. Who knew. 

so you’d all head out on a family trip to the park, your baby girl bundled up in a carrier against your chest, watching on as calum and your son jogged ahead to the field.

“okay bud, you ready?” cal would ask, standing in the goal as he kicked the ball towards his son. “take your time, okay? just focus on the ball.” and you’d chuckle at how seriously cal was taking this, swaying on the spot to keep your daughter settled against your chest. your son would nod, looking up at calum stood in the goal before positioning himself behind the ball.

and your son would run up and kick the ball, scoring a goal. “wow buddy! look at that!” calum would cheer, ruffling his hair as he ran up to him. “that was amazing!” and squish would be so happy that cal was proud of him 🥺 and he’d squeal “did you see that mumma?!” and you’d nod happily, saying “of course baby! i’m so proud of you!”

and this would go on for hours, your son never wanting to come home because he just wanted to keep practising. but your baby girl would be getting restless and it would be getting near dinner time. “we can keep playing in the garden buddy, okay? we need to get your sister home.” so your son would reluctantly agree, and it’s all he could talk about for the rest of the night 🥺 and calum would be so proud that his bubba enjoyed football and wanted to play it🥺

“You have about 30 and think that I shouldn’t even get a tiny heart?” I asked as we sat on the sidewalk.

“Not telling you not to do it, I mean it’s your body but I don’t think you should get it.” Calum had some strange reason for thinking I shouldn’t get a tattoo. He didn’t approve.

“I’m getting my nose pierced while I’m there too.” I said smirking. He liked tattoos, but hated piercings.

“You’re crazy.” He laughed and shook his head, his long hair bouncing.

“You’re gonna miss me, Hood."

"It’s a month, I won’t miss your crazy ass at all.” He laughed and hugged me one last time before I got up and walked towards the car waiting for me.

*1 month later*

Calum’s POV

“Y/N said her plane would land later than expected, so maybe she can come.” I said to Luke.

“Where’d she go anyway? She’s been out of the country too long.” He grunted into the phone and I heard Michael telling him to hurry up with the drinks.

“London for some kind of modeling thing with the agency she works for here."

‘Luke, hurry the fuck up!’

I laughed as I imagined Luke struggling with three cups full and his phone.

"Uh, we’ll see you later Cal. They want to start beer pong now!” He shouted bye and I heard one last scream from Ash before he told them to shut up and hung up.

I made my way to the terminal where’d she be in, and just stood there. A group of girls made their way over and asked for a couple of pictures. I agreed and they smiled as I took one with each of them. After they left, my eyes drifted to the girl walking towards me. She wore shorts with a black vest top and a plaid shirt wrapped around her waist.

The first thing I noticed was the shiny piece of jewelry that hung from her septum. It looked weird on someone like her, but there was also something so intriguing about it.  As she came closer, I noticed the black ink that adorned her skin. It trailed from the top of her shoulder to her elbow. It looked like a bouquet of roses and daisies with no color.

I could tell that she was going to do more with it, as the closer she came, I noticed that the outline of the flowers where crimson red and purple

Her wide smile made me smile even wider, as she made her way to where I stood.

“Thanks for picking me up, Hood. I didn’t think that Sam would forget about me.” She said of her best friend, with a sad smile.

“No problem, Y/N.” I smiled at her and helped with her bags to the car.

The car ride was silent, and I could tell that she was waiting for me to say something on her tattoo and piercing, but all I could do was smile at her. I never actually noticed how attractive and beautiful she was.

“Luke and Ash have a party tonight, do you wanna come?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Sure, just take me home to shower.”

“You look fine, Y/N."

"I need a shower though.” She smiled at me and wrinkled her nose. “I probably stink."

"You’re right, you smell like shit.” I said to her and she playfully smacked my arm, causing me to laugh at her.

When we got to her house, I helped her put all her bags in her room while she rambled on about how everything had been. She told me about the other models she worked with, and how her stylist had thrown a fit when she showed up the second day to a shoot and her arm was wrapped and they couldn’t cover it up with make up, so they just left it and made it work with the clothes she was given.

“I’m going in the shower.” She said as she made her way to her in-suite bathroom, leaving the door cracked open. I couldn’t keep my eyes from exploring her body as she removed her clothes. She took all her clothes off, turning around before removing her bra. I bit my lip in frustration as all the things I could do to her ran through my mind. I heard the water running, and tried to occupy myself with other thoughts besides fucking her against the shower wall.

“Cal?!” I heard her call. I shook my head and walked to the door.

“Yeah?"

"I forgot a towel, could you get me one? They’re on the top shelf in that closet.” She snuck her head from behind the curtain, covering up the rest of her body while pointing to the small closet in her room.

“Sure.” I walked towards it and pulled a black towel.

“Where do I put it?” I asked and she pulled the curtain to the side again.

“On the rack is fine.” She smiled and I smirked as she let the curtain drop a little, giving me a perfect view of her chest. She noticed what my eyes drifted towards and blushed.

“Calum!” She scolded me, narrowing her eyes. and covering up herself again.

“What? You’re perfect.” I whispered as I walked towards, removing my shoes in the process.

She watched my every move and bit her lip as I removed the shirt and jeans I wore, leaving me in only my boxers. I made my way towards her and removed the last piece of clothing before climbing in the shower.

I stood behind her and ran my hands along her sides and smirked as I felt her shudder and goosebumps raised on her hot skin.

“You’re really fucking sexy, you know that?” I whispered in her ear, biting her earlobe lightly. She shuddered again and turned around to face me.

“So are you.” She whispered back, her voice getting lost in the sound of the water hitting our bodies and the shower wall.

I looked at her face again, realizing that the piercing made her look exotic and interesting. Her eyes were glazed with lust as she bit her lip again, receiving a low growl from me.

“Don’t do that.” I pulled her lip out of her teeth, but she caught my thumb and began suck on it. I pulled it away crashed my lips on hers. I pulled away for air, biting her bottom lip.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waiting to do that.” She whispered against my lips, a smirk forming on my own.

“So you’ve fantasized about me before then?” I teased and smiled as her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“N-no.” She looked down, and then back up as soon as her eyes landed on my dick.

I lifted her chin and kissed her again, this time pushing her up against the wall. She moaned as my hands roamed down to chest and I moved my lips from her own to sponge kisses on her neck and chest.

“Mmm.” She hummed as I brought my lips to her nipple, nibbling lightly. She tangled her hands in my hair tugging at the roots, earning a low moan from me.

It all happened so fast and we were now a mess of tangled limbs as her legs were wrapped around my waist and I was holding her by her thighs. I pressed her harder against the wall and moved my hand down to her wet core.

“Who made you this wet baby?” I growled in her ear as my fingers rubbed circles on her swollen clit.

“Y-you di-.” She was interrupted by a loud gasp as I pushed in two fingers, pumping slowly.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” I whispered in the crook of her neck, nibbling her on her skin. I sped up my pace as she sucked in a breath and my name escaped her lips in a loud moan.

“Calum..” She moaned against my lips as I removed my fingers and began to rub her clit in circles. “Fuck me.”

I didn’t think twice at her words, and removed my fingers from her and dropping her back down on her feet, causing a light whimper to fall from her lips. She began to pepper light kisses across my shoulders as I moved my body around to turn off the water.

“Mmm…” I moaned as she bit a particular spot on my neck. I moved around the shower and stepped out, taking her hand in mine and bringing her with me. As we reached the foot of her bed, she looked up and into my eyes, searching for any signs of regret at what we were about to do.

“Are you sure you want this?” She asked, pulling the bits of wet hair back.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” I kissed her lightly and walked towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the mattress.

We continued kissing as I pulled myself up and in between her legs, the tip of my dick touching her slit.

“Stop teasing, you ass.” She whispered, her breaths were coming in puffs as I slid inside her, a loud moan leaving both of our mouths.

“Fuck, Y/N, you feel so good.” I whispered in the crook of her neck as my thrusts became a little faster.

“Faster, please."

I began to move a little faster, but my stomach started to tighten and I knew that I wasn’t going to last very long.

"Baby, I can’t hold it anymore. I’m close.” I breathed out.

She nodded and then arched her back when I grabbed her leg and wrapped it around my waist, hitting her gspot everytime.

“Calum, I-I’m close..” She moaned and I started to suck on the damp skin of her neck. The water had dried off and now we were covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“That’s it baby, come for me.” I started to say as I felt clench around me and that was all it took for her to cry out my name as she shook from her orgasm. I came after her, the sight of her in her most vulnerable state being the thing that brought me to my high.

I collapsed on top of her, resting my head in her chest as she ran her hands through my hair.

“That was-”

“Amazing.” I finished for her, a huge smile taking place in her beautiful face.

“Now how about we forget that party and have a party of our own here?” I asked mischievously, sliding my fingers up her thigh and between her legs.

“Mmmm.” She moaned and then snapped her legs close, making me chuckle.