Sukuna didn’t have the time nor patience to put up with your dramatics right now, yet his pace increased down the dimly lit hallway as he headed towards the illuminated set of doors. Sounds of wincing and sniffles suddenly became coherent, he moved even faster.

Sukuna barged through the doors of your shared quarters, he looked around the room, frowning at its emptiness.

“WIFE!”

He was irritated now. Before he could holler your name again he heard a quiet frustrated groan come from the bathroom, followed by a sniffle. Without thinking twice Sukuna barged in, only to be met with the back of your head while you sat at your vanity he had built into the extravagant bathroom.

He locked eyes with you in your vanity mirror, your eyes were red and puffy, but not like how they were after you two had watched a stupid romance movie, you looked frustrated.

“What?” You replied quietly, acting as if you were void of emotion, Sukuna wasn’t an idiot. There was clearly something going on with you.

He walked up to where you sat, as menacing as ever and looked down to where you were aggressively brushing a section of your hair.

Stupid fucking hair. You were irritated enough while being on your period, and you had been ignoring your hair for two days. It didn't seem like a big deal until you sat down and actually considered chopping it all off instead of brushing the tangled mess of curls on your head.

Sukunas rough hand grabbed your wrist, stopping you mid brush, the other lifting your chin forcing you to look at him. He had his usual scowl on his face as he scanned yours, but his eyes held no true anger, if anything he looked almost... concerned?

"Don't 'what' me. I see through your insolent act woman, you look pitiful. Why?" Sukuna questioned, his gravelly voice sent chills down your spine.

You opened your mouth, Sukuna prepared himself for some idiotic explanation to your pathetic crying or even your usual insolent retort, but it never came.

Instead you huffed out a breath and shook your head, ripping your hand from his grasp and continued brushing your hair— or rather ripping it out with every stroke of the brush.

Sukuna ran a hand down his face. He didn't have time to deal with your childish antics, he felt like shit. He didn't expect to return home and be welcomed with an attitude mirroring his.

"What are you doing?" You stared up at him after he practically ripped the hairbrush from your hands.

"Shut it brat."

He took the section of your hair that you'd been abusing and sprayed it down with your spray bottle, brushing your hair from the bottom to the top, the amount of force he used wasn't even half of yours.

It was like he'd done it a thousand times.

You observed him in the mirror of your vanity, before he spoke up again, "Was only gone for three days n' your a hot mess. If y'missed me so much you could've just said so, no need to be a big crybaby."

You wiped your face while rolling your eyes,

"Shut up Ryo."

Sukuna snickered and met your gaze in the mirror,

"Missed ya too."

You’re fumbling with the machine when Enjin walks in. He stops, looks you up and down, and a slow, shit-eating grin spreads across his face.

Without a word, he walks right up to you, reaches out, and just... plunges his whole hand into the side of your hair, ruffling it aggressively.

"Whoa. What is this?" he laughs, his fingers getting lost in the curls.

You immediately swat his arm away, your face heating up. "Get your damn grease-stained hands out of my hair!"

He pulls his hand back, still grinning. "Feels like a cleaning brush. A really angry one."

"You're an ass," you snap, turning back to the coffee. "Don't touch me."

He just leans against the counter, watching you. "Relax. It's kind of funny. You look like a pissed-off hedgehog."

That's the last straw. In a flash, you lunge for him, your hands aiming straight for his perfectly messy blonde spikes. "Oh yeah? How do you like it?!"

He yelps, dodging backward with a surprised laugh. "Hey! Watch the goods!"

What follows is a chaotic chase around the kitchen island. You're both laughing and breathless as you finally corner him, your fingers successfully diving into his hair and thoroughly demolishing his style. He lets you, his hands on your waist to steady you both, a wide, unreserved grin on his face as he looks down at you, your cheeks flushed, your wild hair even wilder now.

"Okay, okay! Truce!" he finally gasps, still chuckling. When you pull your hands back, he doesn't let go of your waist. His gaze softens, just a bit.

"Y'know," he says, his voice a little lower. "It's actually kinda cute. All... big and crazy like that. Suits you."

Before you can process it, he lets go, snatches the first mug of coffee, and takes a sip.

You saunter over to Tony’s carefully curated liquor cabinet- correction: full fucking bar, looking for something to soothe this ache, both emotional and physical. The team just got back from a mission that morning, and it was overall a success, but Natasha got hurt and there was nothing you could do about it. She’d okay, it’s nothing life threatening really, but it scared you nonetheless. Sure, you’re used to the typical bumps and bruises just like the rest of the team. Hell, getting grazed by a bullet? Walk it off. But Nat was downed out there, and she is a hard one to take down. 

The two of you are close, naturally. You had escaped from the Red Room in the chaos Natasha had created, and luckily found your way back to her and, eventually, this team. It was brilliant, and lovely, you had somebody who understood you and who you understood. 

Now, you’re standing in the Avenger’s compound common area staring at shelves upon shelves of alcohol, even though you’re not much of a drinker, all because Natasha is stuck to a recovery bed right now. After a few minutes, you give up and grab a Dr. Pepper out of the fridge before walking over to the window and staring out at the darkness. 

You’re so wrapped up in your head that you don’t even open the can, much less notice the door open. It isn’t until Steve is standing feet behind you that he softly says your name and you notice him. You didn’t expect to see anybody else, much less Steve, so you are very much not presentable. Your brown curls are still quite wet, cascading in loose ringlets down your back, and you’re wearing pajama shorts and an old band t-shirt that either you thrifted or accidentally stole from Tony. You aren’t sure.

“Steve,” you whisper, voice barely working as your skin flushes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you.”

He offers you a small smile, his eyes kind and gentle. “That’s alright. Are you..? Alright, that is. Are you alright?” 

You try to lie and say, yeah, totally, but the words catch in your throat, so you just nod. Steve knows even that was a lie, and you know the bullshitting is obvious.

He nods to your unopened and forgotten can, eyes crinkling with humor. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to drink that,” he says as he steps closer. You’re face to face now, and you have to tip your head back slightly to look into his eyes. 

“Oh, uh. I forgot about it…” you mutter, looking at his lips before looking away. You aren’t certain why you feel so awkward and tense, it isn’t like Steve is some stranger you need to impress. Slowly, Steve reaches for the Dr. Pepper and grabs it from you, setting it on the counter nearby. He turns back to you, looking into your eyes for a moment that feels impossibly long. “You know she’s okay. Bruce said she’ll be back on her feet in a week’s time.” You nod, breath shaky as the emotions you were already dealing with internally are just yanked out. 

“Come sit with me. I couldn’t sleep either, so we can distract each other.” For some reason, Steve suggesting a distraction sends a jolt to your core. That’s new. Regardless, you take the hand that you hadn’t even consciously realized he offered and follow him to the obnoxiously comfortable couch that Tony had picked out. Steve grabs a blanket off the back of it and wraps it around you, earning himself a small but genuine smile. You didn’t know he noticed that you always grabbed that blanket. Maybe he didn’t and you’re just reading too much into it.

Steve sits down next to you, like really close next to you, and you can feel the heat radiating off of him. Lucky bitch is always hot. “Look, I know this mission was rough for you, doll. It was rough for all of us, but I know you and Nat are particularly close.” 

You aren’t sure how to respond so you just nod silently. You probably should cry, but you don’t really do that anymore. Thanks, Red Room. 

“Anyway, I’m just trying to say.. I’m here for you. We all are, of course. We’re here for both of you, but if you need anything, I’m here.” You can’t help but notice him emphasizing the him part of that statement, a notion that makes you blush something fierce, and he seems to have noticed. He looks a little sheepish, and if you aren’t mistaken, he seems to be blushing a little himself. He runs a hand down his face and curses under his breath. “Okay. I’m sorry, doll. I know I shouldn’t talk like this right now, but I’ve never been great at talking to the ladies anyway…” He trails off, looking at the floor, and you raise your eyebrow at the suddenly shy captain. “Steve?” His head snaps back up to look at you, and you put your hand on his thigh. “What is it? You don’t have to be shy around me.” 

Steve’s cheeks turns redder as he tries to figure out how to put his words together, and you can almost see the wheels turning in his head until he mutters a “fuck it” before cupping your cheek in the same moment he kisses you.

Steve is kissing you. Steve. Fucking. Rogers is KISSING YOU. Captain. America. Your brain short circuits for a moment and you can’t react. He pulls away and stands up, pacing. “Fuck, doll. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. That was improper. I’m sorry.” You stand up, dropping the blanket at your feet, and walk gingerly toward him. “Steve,” you say ever so softly. He turns and you close the small amount of distance left between the two of you, putting your hand on his chest. It takes a slight amount of standing on your tiptoes, but you lean in and kiss him. Soft, gentle, and unsure. When you open your eyes, he is looking at you with the widest pupils and pinkest cheeks you’ve ever seen on such a man. Then, his face breaks into a smile for a split second before he slams his mouth back onto yours, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in. Your heart slams against your ribcage as your head begins to spin. If it weren’t for the arms wrapped around you, you may have fallen to the ground right there. 

“Fuck, doll,” Steve murmers as he presses his forehead to yours. “I should have done that a long time ago.” You don’t open your eyes, not believing this moment is real. You can feel moisture pooling in your underwear, and the thought crosses somewhere in the back of your mind that you’re wearing very thin underwear and shorts, and that might be a bit of a messy problem soon. 

Steve’s hand comes back up to caress your cheek as he softly asks you to open your eyes and look at him. When you finally do, his blue eyes are staring back at yours with sheer joy glowing in them. “I’m sorry I kissed you out of the blue like that, but… fuck, I’m so happy that I can’t even properly regret that.” You smile shyly back at the captain, giving him a peck on the lips. “How about we go sit back on the couch,” you suggest, more for the sake of getting off of your jelly legs than anything. Steve nods and you grab his hand, starting to walk back to the couch. However, your legs are a little more jelly than you thought, and Steve noticed. The gentleman he is, he scoops you up and carries you, your legs wrapped around his abdomen. You’re not sure whether the sound that escapes your lips is more of a squeal or a giggle. You press your face into his neck and take a deep breath in, relaxing into this moment. 

It isn’t until Steve sits on the couch that you realize what this position you both find yourselves in reveals. Steve’s face suggests he didn’t notice it either as he turns tomato red when your ass rubs against his dick pressing through his sweatpants. You definitely noticed, too, your eyes widening for a moment before you look away. This isn’t a position you generally find yourself in- you’re not as outgoing as Nat and definitely have a mistrust of most men. 

Steve curses again- you never realized he had such a sailor’s mouth. “We don’t have to do anything. I promise, doll.” You look back to him, searching his eyes. You know that he’s sincere, of course. You also know that he can absolutely feel and probably smell the wetness soaking through your shorts by now, as well.

“What if… what if I want to?” you whisper, so quiet he may not have heard it if not for his heightened senses. Steve doesn’t respond, he just slams his mouth back to yours, kissing you ferociously. All you can feel is him, grabbing your hip possessively with one hand, holding your cheek in the other, and kissing you so well and thoroughly, everything else fades away. It’s just you and him, and the rest of the world disappears with all of its troubles. 

Steve pulls away, pressing his forehead to yours. “Are you sure?” 

You don’t trust your voice, so all you can do is nod. Steve beams at you, his hand stroking your face lovingly, before he kisses you hard one more time. “We should probably go somewhere a little more private, then,” he whispered. You nod rapidly, your breathing rapid. 

Before you know it, Steve is carrying you again, this time out of the common area and to the door of his quarters. “I hope you don’t mind… I just figured mine is closer.” You shake your head with a smile. “It’s fine. I don’t mind at all,” you reply, giving him a peck on the cheek. You won’t admit it out loud, but you’re also rather curious what his quarters like, honestly. 

Steve pushes the door open and carries you inside, pressing you against the door as he closes it and kisses you ferociously. You can’t even orient yourself in the space, you’re too focused on each other. He doesn’t break this kiss as he carries you through to his bed, laying you down in the center of it and trailing kisses down your neck. 

The feelings of his lips on your body have you squirming, electricity racing down your spine, and moisture spilling from your pussy. The effect this man has on you ought to be studied. Steve’s hands wander, exploring you. One hand strokes your face while the other creeps up under your shirt to find one of your breasts, unburdened by a bra. He kneads it softly, playing with your nipple as he watches how you react. You squirm and writhe, wanting to be closer and to escape this heat he is creating in you all at the same time. You reach for him and he complies, moving back up to be level with your face. Your hands find the hem of his shirt and he yanks it off for you. 

You swear your heart stops as you look at this man- this GOD. You can now confirm that Steven Grant Rogers is a work of art, absolute perfection. If this is the last thing you see before you die, the universe has smiled upon you. Steve pulls at your shirt and you readily cooperate, helping him pull it off, and both shirts land somewhere on the floor. 

“Fuck, Baby. You’re goddamn gorgeous,” he says, breaking the silence before he kisses you again, pulling you closer until you’re pressed against the other, nearly melding into one. You can hardly breathe and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Steve’s mouth moves down your body, kissing from your mouth to your neck, your collarbone, chest, down to your stomach until it reaches the waistband of your shorts. He doesn’t verbally ask, just looks up at you. You nod and your shorts and underwear are both gone, taken off in one swift, undeniably sexy motion. 

Suddenly, you’re naked, on full display. Your nipples are hard and peaked, chest heaving with rapid breathing. Steve’s face suggests he has never seen anything more perfect. 

After an eternity spent staring at you, seemingly memorizing what he sees, Steve tenderly approaches your pussy with his mouth, kissing your thighs. He moves tantalizingly slowly, making you squirm and whimper, though you’d never admit such noises came out of your mouth.

“Fuck, Steve, please,” you whine. It seems that’s all he needed, as he dives in the moment you say please. He licks a stripe up your pussy, circling around your clit before he dives back in, lapping you up like a man starved. You throw your head back, grabbing his hair in one fist and the comforter in the other. The sounds from your mouth mixed with the wet noises from your pussy- it’s damn near unholy. You writhe beneath him, hips bucking when his tongue moves just right. Eventually, one of his arms wraps around your thigh while the other slings across your waist, preventing your movements. 

“Oh, my… fuck. CAPTAIN,” you cry out when the sensations become almost unbearable. He pulls away, resulting in a whine from you before he kisses you and starts circling your clit with his thumb. 

“God, Baby. You don’t know what you do to me.” Steve’s voice is low and hoarse. “Call me that again and I might lose control.” 

You look into his eyes through your blurred vision and groan out “Captain” quietly.

Steve shoves a finger into your pussy and your back arches a little. You can’t control the noises coming from your lips, and when he adds another finger, curling them within you with expert precision, you come with a force you’ve never been able to achieve on your own. He guides you through it, letting you ride it out on his fingers, his thumb gently circling your clit the entire time. 

“That’s it, Baby,” he whispers. He places gentle kisses on your hairline, stroking your hair as he pulls his hand away. You watch as he brings his fingers up and licks your mess off. “You taste so fucking good. So sweet.”

After a moment to recover, you determine that you haven’t had enough, and he certainly hasn’t, if that bulge in his sweats is any indication. You slowly sit up and grab at the waistband of his pants, this time. 

“Are you sure, Baby?” Steve looks at you tenderly. “After the serum, I ended up with quite the, er… stamina.” “I can take it, Steve.” Your voice is hoarse and borderline croaky, so you swallow hard before continuing. “Please, Captain.”

Steve stood from the bed and walked away silently, leaving you confused, before he returned almost immediately with a bottle of water. 

“Drink first, love,” he says as he hands it to you. You drink it, refreshing and crisp, as you watch him remove those sweats. His cock springs free and you almost choke on the water, eyes going wide. “You said you can handle it, right Baby?”

You nod. It’s small and barely noticeable, but you do. Steve climbs back into the bed and leans against the headboard, waiting. You set the water on his nightstand climb onto his lap, legs shaking. 

“We’ll go as slow as you need. I don’t wanna hurt you.” Steve’s voice is gentle and quiet, a stark difference to the way he just finger-fucked you mere moments ago. His hand gently grabs your hip as the other grabs his dick, pumping it a little before lining it up with your entrance. “Are you totally certain you’re ready? We can stop.” You shake your head immediately. “No, I don’t want to stop. Please, Steve.” 

He nods and gently guides you down, letting you set the pace. His dick is fucking huge, and the stretch burns. You’re not a virgin, but it’s been a while. Even so, you’re fairly certain he’s both wider and longer than average. You probably wouldn’t be able to handle it if he hadn’t prepared you before. You’re able to sink down a couple inches before pausing, and you bounce a little on that for a moment, using that movement to make the next couple easier. Eventually, Steve is almost entirely inside you, resisting the urge to just flip you over and fuck you into next week. Your hips already burn, though, and you lean into him, arms wrapped around his shoulders and your face buried in his neck. 

“You’re doing great, Baby, Fuck, you feel amazing.” Steve rubs your back, trying to help you relax. Finally, you’re seated fully on top of him, and you feel so full. You rock gently, easing into the movement, and Steve groans. The sound is guttural and almost animalistic. That alone makes it easier for you to move, to milk that pleasure for the both of you. 

“Fuck, Steve,” you whimper. Leaning away from him again, you throw your head back. You’re groaning, whining, and moaning, and doing so good for your- “Captainnn.”

Steve can hardly control himself anymore. You’re beautiful on top of him, and he grunts and groans, watching your tits bounce and sway, the way your curls have gone wild around your face. You’re like an angel on top of him- or maybe a devil. “Fuck, Baby. Let me worship you, please. Let me fuck you.” All you can do is nod, whining, moaning his name and Captain. He flips you over and pins you beneath him. “‘M gonna make you feel so good, Baby, promise.” He drives into you, over and over. Hard and fast, and the sensation is all over your body. He grabs your hand and guides it down to your lower belly. “Feel that, Baby. How big I am inside you. All that space my dick fills in you.” 

He’s right, you can feel the movement of his dick, undeniable in your pelvis. Sooner than you can say “captain” again, that unmistakable sensation floods your body again. An orgasm floods through you and you gush around Steve’s cock as you just keeps fucking you. 

“God, Baby. So good. So good for me,” he groans, kissing you all over, sloppy and messy and raw. He takes a nipple into his mouth and sucks, pulling lightly, and it isn’t long before your third orgasm of the night rushes through you, lasting an eternity. You feel like you might combust right there, there’s so much pleasure and heat. Nothing coming from your mouth is coherent anymore, and you are writhing under Steve, back arching off the bed.

Steve suddenly pulls out of you and flips you over, ramming back in. He rakes his hand through your hair and grabs a fistful, pulling you up and wrapping his other arm around your abdomen. “I’m so close Baby. Fuck, you’re doing so fucking good for me. So close.” 

Your head lolls back against his shoulder and he finally comes, bursting inside you like a goddamned volcano. The sensation of his dick twitching inside you as he weakly grinds into you spurs your final orgasm of the night. 

Once Steve is finished and you’re both completely spent, you collapse onto the bed. He maneuvers the 2 of you so you’re mostly on top of him, snuggling and exhausted. You stay like that for a few moments before he extricates himself, much to your dismay. He kisses the top of your head before walking to the bathroom, and comes back with a wet, warm rag. He wipes you down lovingly and sweet, then covers you with his softest blanket. You watch him clean up, feeling like a ragdoll in his bed, until he gets back in with you and you both fall asleep.

The next morning, you both want to act like nothing happened in front of the rest of the team- settle into this new dynamic before letting them in on it. However, Tony is a fucking prick (affectionately). 

“Hey, you two! Fun fact: did you know the common area has cameras? JARVIS saw everything in there last night.” 

Tony about got punched, but apparently the team knew this would happen eventually. They all placed bets on when it would happen. At least Natasha won.

You give him a tiny grin in return, pulling the robe tighter over your body self-consciously. “Thanks, Siri.” 

“Is…” his eyebrows come together. “Is that what your hair always looks like when it’s wet?”

You look down at your ends, half expecting them to be purple from the expression on your boyfriend’s face. “Um, yeah?”

He crosses his arms, tongue pressing into his cheek thoughtfully. “And what do you usually do to it after you shower?”

“I dunno.” You pick your discarded towel up again. “Brush it? That’s it, really.” 

You start to run the towel over your hair, scrubbing out the moisture, and Sirius lunges for you as if you’re holding a weapon to your head instead. “No, stop!”

“What?”

“You can’t rub it like that.” He snatches the towel from you, something like offense in his tone. “That’s nearly the worst thing you can do for curly hair.” 

You raise your eyebrows at him. “Well then lucky for me that I don’t have curly hair.” 

“I think you do,” Sirius says, hanging the towel on a hook. “Or wavy, at least. Look at it right now, it looks almost like mine.” 

The mirror is too foggy to see in, but you don’t need to. “It’s not like yours, though,” you say, a touch of envy creeping into your voice. “Yours is so pretty and shiny. You’ve seen mine, it gets all frizzy when it’s dry.” 

“Okay, compliment heard and accepted.” Sirius grins at you. “But I think your hair just gets like that because you brush it, darling. Let me play with it, please?”

You hesitate. You’ve always shied away from messing with your hair because, as much as it frustrates you, you know how to deal with it the way it is. Oil, buns, plaits. You’d rather have the devil you know than whatever might result from angering it. 

But Sirius does seem to know an impressive amount about hair care. His counter is littered with products that testify to that. And you don’t think he’s right, but if he is, and your hair could look anything like his…

“Fine,” you sigh, and Sirius beams at you, taking you by the shoulders and bringing you in front of the mirror. 

“Alright, I’m gonna talk you through it, dollface,” he promises. “I mean, I’ll do it for you every time you shower if you want me to, but I’ll give you the details just in case you wanna know later.”

He begins by rewetting your hair under the faucet, instructing you to only brush it while it’s sopping wet. He introduces you to leave-in conditioner, curl cream, mousse, telling you what each of them do and weaving them into your locks with skilled fingers. You can’t help but admire the concentrated set of his brows as he works, the way his dark hair gleams under the fluorescent light. However this turns out, you like having his hands in your hair like this. You might ask him to do it again just for that. 

“There we go,” he says, affixing one of his t-shirts to hold your hair close to your head. “We’ll leave that on for a bit, and when it comes off we should have a decent idea of how it’s gonna look when it’s dry.” 

You smile at him, and Sirius fixes you with a look that’s unbelievably fond. “Normally, this is when I do my skin routine, while I’ve got my hair out of the way,” he says, speaking softly though there’s no one else around to hear. “Want me to do yours for you, lovely girl?”

You feel your face warm, but you don’t care if he sees, the affection between you too great to be a well-kept secret. “That’d be nice, thanks.” 

Sirius’ touch is gentle as he goes over your face with a warm washcloth, smoothing your various products into your skin while you do your best not to preen.

“So pretty,” he murmurs once he’s done, planting a kiss on your freshly moisturized cheek. You wouldn’t be surprised if you were glowing from the inside out.

You chase him, capturing his lips with yours, and the both of you giggle at the absurdity of it, kissing whilst sitting on his bathroom counter, you all wet in a robe and him fully clothed. 

“Alright,” Sirius says, stroking your jaw as a consolation when he breaks the kiss. “I think your hair should be ready to come down.” 

You find yourself almost excited as he unwraps the t-shirt from your hair, tracking the progress of his grin while he squeezes the last bits of moisture from your ends before taking you by the shoulders.

“Okay,” he says soberly, looking at you with mock gravitas. “Are you ready to see?” 

You roll your eyes whilst you nod, and he turns you. The fog has faded from the mirror, so you’re able to see yourself clearly as your mouth actually drops open. Your hair is still damp, but even so, the bottom half falls in loose waves, the ends curling just slightly. It’s smooth, and shiny, and nothing like you thought it had the potential to be. 

“Not bad, right?” Sirius sounds smug, but you can feel his excitement as he watches your reaction. “I might use less heavy products in the future, and more mousse, but—”

You spin around, wrapping him in a hug. He laughs, arms coming around your back with just as much enthusiasm. 

“It looks so pretty, Siri,” you gush. “Thank you so much!”

you stay sat in front of the mirror, a comb, leave in conditioner, a spray bottle with water, and other assortment of tools are sprawled on the counter top. jj intensely examines every item, he claims he’s just getting a feel of what he’s working with, but you believe he’s trying to memorize what supplies you use so he can beat you to it when it comes to buying them in the future. you blush at the thought.

“so, what i like to start with is spray my hair down with water, comb it out, and then lather my hair in leave in conditioner.” you explain your technique. he nods listening, “have you tried that yet?” he asks. you shake your head, “no, i’m worried if i get my hair wet it’ll just look greasy.” he nods. “is that the worst thing that could happen?” you think for a second, “yeah, i think so. i mean my hair could fall out any minute but, overall i think that my biggest concern is the grease.” he nods. “you look pretty, regardless of if your hair is greasy or not.” you can’t help but look away. “you’re very sweet jj.” your compliment gives him butterflies. he reaches for the spray bottle. he separates your hair, giving each section a sprits. you were worried he’d “jokingly” spray you with water, but he refrained from doing so.

after your hair was slightly damp, he starts to comb it out. you can’t help but ask, “are you enjoying this,” he smiles, “i am. it’s fun.” he waits a second before continuing, “i never thought i’d be doing this which is a plus.” you laugh, “what can you say? it’s always something new for us pogues.” silence settles between you two again, but it isn’t awkward, it’s comfortable.

“can i tell you something?” you don’t know how to break the ice really, but you’ve been dying to tell jj how you really feel. “of course, i’m all ears.” you think for a second, “do you like anyone at the moment?” he smiled and looked down at you, “whose asking?” you roll your eyes playfully, “me, i’m just curious.” he nods, “well, i’m not sure. i don’t think i’m really ready for a relationship. you know, my dad and all that?” he begins putting on the leave in conditioner. “your hair is looking nice! i think it’s my magical touch.” you smirk, “oh yea totally… it’s not the 20 dollar conditioner you’re adding or anything.” he gasps, “twenty dollars!? why?” you shrug, “i’m not really sure. a lot of people with curly hair pay a bunch of money to maintain it.” he nods, “well there goes my plan for buying you more when you run out.” you point at him, “i knew you were looking a little too close at the products!” he sighs dramatically, “you caught me!”

“see and that’s why i like you, you were fully prepared to buy it for me.” jj stopped abruptly. “is everything okay? did you put too much?” he looks down at you, “that’s why you what?” he questions. “that’s why i like you?” you repeat, he looks concentrated. “i can’t tell if you mean, more than a friend?” you stare at him like a deer in headlights. it’s the perfect set up. without thinking of the consequences, you let it out. “i do like you more than a friend. that’s kinda why i asked about your crush.” he smiled at you and lightly used his hand to squeeze your cheeks. “why didn’t you tell me sooner!?” you roll your eyes, “rejection? maybe?” he nodded understandingly. “i forgot that’s a thing.”

“of course jj maybank forgot about rejection.” he immediately backtracks, “oh no i get rejected i just don’t mind.” you nod, “i wish i was that way.” he stares at you, and it’s unreadable. “so?” you question. “so what?” you can’t believe him, “what do you say?” he’s adding the final dab of leave in conditioner, “i say your hair is perfect.” you’ve been too focused on your confession you haven’t even checked on your hair. you look up in the mirror and see that the frizz died down, and the curls were in tact. you jumped up excitedly. “thank you so much!” he goes in for a hug and you happily accept. he continues, “i think you could have done it yourself, you were just frustrated which made it difficult.”

you wait to see if he mentions your confession, and after a few minutes of you two sitting on the couch, semi cuddling in silence, he speaks up. “so, about your confession.” your heart speeds up and you listen intently. “i really like you. but your my best friends brother, and he’d kill me if we dated.” you frown, “why?” he looks around, and gets quiet, “he wouldn’t like the idea of us making out and hooking up.” you sigh, but you understand. they are really close and you didn’t want to get between what they have. he places his hand on your thigh however, and the two of you make eye contact. “that doesn’t mean he has to know.” your shocked at his comment.

“he’d find out eventually which would make it worse.” while john b sometimes isn’t the brightest in the bunch, he notices change. he would easily be able to tell if something was happening between us. “let’s see. if we pretend for a bit, we can think of ways to break the news to him? i mean, he can’t be that mad, he never said when he introduced us that we couldn’t date.” you hear john b and pope talking outside, while the distance you were sitting at wasn’t necessary abnormal, you didn’t want to risk anything. you smoothly pulled your phone out and relaxed on the opposite end of the couch.

the door opened and they walked inside, john b announced his arrival and then laughed when he noticed he screamed for no reason since you both were on the couch together. pope immediately left the room to go to the bathroom. “since when do you guys hang out alone?” john b questioned. you look at him confused. “you told me when i met your friends that you wanted me to get close to them, and now you’re confused as to why we are close?” you laugh at his logic and he shrugs, “jj is different.” jj groans, “thanks man, appreciate it.” you look at your brother, “how?” john b blinks a few times before pointing a finger at jj. “he’s a heartbreaker, and i don’t want you to fall for his charm.” oh the urge you had to just exclaim right then and there that you already had fallen for it. “don’t worry john b, he’s not even my type.” he puts his hand on his hip and questions you. “oh really?” you nod, “yes really.” he laughs, “what’s your type then? who are you crushing on?” you blush, and avoid eye contact with jj, despite the fact you feel his eyes drilling on your skull.

“john b! stop!” you try to deflect but he wasn’t having it. “if you can tell me who you actually like that’s your “type”, then i’ll let it go and i’ll believe there’s nothing going on between you too.” you act confused, but decide to just give in. “well, you promise not to tell him?” you ask. john b smirks, “yes sis, i promise i won’t tell this guy you like him.” to make it more believable you glance over at jj too, “you too jj. promise you won’t tell him.” he’s staring at you, you can tell he’s holding back. “i promise. i won’t tell this mystery guy that he has your heart.”

“okay. well i kinda have a crush on rafe…” to make it more believable you add on, “i was at the beach yesterday.” you were there, so it’s accurate. “rafe was there. he looked so hot, his shirt was off and he was playing catch with topper. the ball accidentally flew my way, and he rushed over and immediately apologized. he then asked if i’d like to join, and i was too nervous to agree, but i told him i’d rather watch.” you glance over at jj, his face stern, his fist hidden from john bs view, was balled into a fist. john b cackles, “rafe! really?” you groan acting embarrassed. “hey! i never said i was proud of it.”

“what do you think of this jj? you’ve been awfully quiet.” john b interrogates jj, not fully sure your crush on rafe was real. “i think he’s a worser heartbreaker than me. and you..” he looks at john b, “should be more worried about him then me.” john b nods, the realization that his sister has a crush on a kook settling in. “oh no! no, not rafe. no way.” you frown and immediately get frustrated. “so you don’t want me to date jj, and now rafe?? who can i date?” he thinks for a second, “i’ll come back to you. let me think.” you lean back onto the couch, “okay, sure.” you cross your arms. “on that note i’m going to take a shower.” you nod and return back to your phone. pope still absent, and john b leaving the room left you alone with jj again. you stay quiet, engulfed in your phone.

he sighs. loudly. you glance up. “yes?” he shakes his head, frustrated. “we need to talk.” he stands up and reaches for your hand. you give it to him and follow him right out the front door, past a five minute walk to make sure everyone’s out of earshot. you stay silent.

“rafe cameron… out of every guy in this shitty town, he’s the one you choose? really?” you smirk, “why, are you jealous?” he stares at you. “yeah i’m fucking jealous. the girl i find out i have a mutual crush with decides five minutes later to go in detail about another jerk off guy.” you frown and walk closer to him. “what happened about lying to john b?” he breathes deeply. “i know. i know. it just? i don’t know why hearing that shit about rafe affected me so much.” your heart is racing. you want to make a move, and the last time you randomly initiated something it went well. “i can make you feel better.” he, still frustrated and jealous, didn’t know what you meant. you put your hand on his jawline, and softly pull him into a kiss. it lasts longer than a first kiss should, but it was soft, slow, and passionate. he groans when you pull away. “fuck. promise me that shit with rafe was fake?” you nod. “it’s fake. when i went to the beach he intentionally hit me with the ball, and all the interaction was him coming to get the ball and then asked me to move because i was in the way. total dick.”

this soothes his mind. “i don’t know why i’m already so possessive over you. you’re not even mine.” you bite your lip and look away from him. “i want to be yours. so bad jj.” his heart drops at your comment and he shyly smiles. “can we kiss again?” he questions you, and you’re so glad he asked. “yes please.” he pulls you in for another kiss. this one more passionate and rougher than the last. you pull away and ask him, “how long have you had a crush on me?” he pretends to do the mental math. “i always thought you were gorgeous when we first met, but for the last 8 months i’ve been so infatuated with you and i’ve been longing to be yours.” you bite your lip. “i’ve liked you since the first day i met you. your blue eyes entranced me and i knew there was no one else i could meet that would ever effect me and give me butterflies like you do.” your words shock him and all he can do is pull you into a tight hug. his muscular arms squeeze you and you inhale his scent. your new favorite place was his arms.