#deakyjoe writes

It was a particularly bad night, all of them having bad dreams which only filled your body with sadness and anxiety. You stuck headphones over your ears, music turned up loud to blast through your head in an attempt to block out some of the feelings. It only helped a little. You stared at the wall opposite your bed, trying to think of better things and trying to latch onto any sort of feeling. You were getting nothing. Either everybody was having a bad night or no positive emotions were strong enough to reach you in the moment. It sucked.

A few hours went by, your eyes blurring with exhaustion as you continued to stare. The emotions weren't dying down, only going through fluctuations where everybody's sleep cycles would circle around. There was a tugging at the side of your head, like something else was trying to get in but you couldn't quite manage to get a latch on it. You sighed and squeezed your eyes shut, only opening them when the tugging got stronger.

You squinted at your door, trying to figure out whether it was your tired brain making you see things or whether there actually was a shadow moving underneath your door. Taking a deep breath in a bid to relax, you used your gift to reach out. Then you felt it. A different type of anxiety, it was more like a quiet concern rather than fear and nerves. 

You ripped the headphones from your head and sat up straighter, surprised when there was a tentative knock on your door. "Hello?"

"Hi." The voice was timid. "It's- it's Bob."

You let out a soft sigh of relief. It was only Bob. You clambered out of bed and padded towards your door, opening it with a tired smile. "Hey, Bob. What can I help you with?"

He blinked back at you, his hair mussed up and clothes crinkled from sleep. "Your light was on."

You frowned. "Uh, yes."

"It's the middle of the night." He added on, hands twisting together into the hem of his shirt.

You realised he was worried about you and wondering why you were awake in the middle of the night. "Yeah, uh, the team dream rather restlessly. And- and I can feel it."

"Oh." He nodded, suddenly remembering what your gift entailed. "That's horrible."

You shrugged. "I'm used to it. But thank you for checking on me. That's sweet of you."

The apples of his cheeks bloomed pink, blood rushing to his face. "No- no problem. Just wanted to see if you were okay."

It was then that you realised you suddenly felt better. Bob's concern was a nicer feeling than the nightmares everyone else was going through. And when he'd blushed you felt another emotion, a warmer emotion. 

"I appreciate that, Bob. Thank you." You smiled at him, pleased when he offered a small smile back. That also improved your mood. "You're making me feel a lot better actually."

"I am?" He seemed surprised, hands dropping to his sides.

"Yes, you're a lot calmer than everyone else right now and it feels good." You paused, looking him up and down. "Can you- could you maybe stay with me for a little while?"

"Oh! Yes. Yes, of course." He shifted from foot to foot, glancing over your shoulder at your room. "Um, why?"

"Because I'm tired of feeling anxious from everyone else. We can just sit for a few minutes and then you can go back to your room. If that's okay?"

He nodded and took a step towards you. "Sure, for as long as you want."

Bob really was sweet, his awkward demeanour only the surface of how lovely he really was. It was difficult to believe that he was technically the same guy who had killed half of New York only a couple of months ago. He really wasn't that person, and never had been. Since then, he'd quickly become one of your favourite people and you didn't see that changing any time soon. He was just the kind of person you wanted to keep around, so worthy of love and protection. 

You tilted your head backwards and opened your door slightly wider. "Come on in then. We can sit on my bed."

His blue eyes widened for a moment before shuffling towards you, bare feet sliding against the floor. You shut the door behind him, gesturing towards your bed to offer him a seat when he hesitated in the middle of your room.

"It won't bite." You snorted, stopping next to him. "You can just sit on the edge if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, it's not that. I just don't want to intrude into your space." He glanced at you from from the corner of his eye.

"I wouldn't have invited you in if you could do that." You replied, walking around the side of your bed to sit back down in the spot you had been before. You pointed at the space next to you. "I don't bite either."

A small smile graced his face as he went to the other side of the bed to sit next to you. Bob rested against the headboard, staring at the same wall you had been before he'd arrived.

"So... do we chat? Or something?" He asked, head flopping to look at you.

You resisted the urge to push his hair out of his face so you could see his sweet face in all of its glory. He really did make you feel better with his mere presence. You'd never experienced that with someone before.

"We can, if you want. Or we can just sit quietly."

He pushed his own hair out of his eyes, revealing the baby blues to you again. "What were you doing before I knocked?"

"I was listening to music. To try- to try and block it out."

"Was it working?"

"No." You shook your head. "But you're working."

He looked away from you and you panicked, scared that that had been too much. It often freaked people out when you reminded them you could feel all of their emotions. But then you felt it. Bob was happy.

You inched slightly closer to him. "Feels nice when you're happy. It's warm."

He looked back at you. "Warm?"

"And soft. Most people feel harsher when they're happy, in an excitable way. But not you. It's difficult to explain." You closed your eyes, a pleased smile on your lips. "I like the way it feels."

Bob's breathing grew heavier, his voice cracking as he spoke. "I'm glad."

You hummed lowly, your heart rate slowing the more you relaxed. You hadn't realised it had been thundering against your rib cage for the majority of the night. As you calmed down, you grew more and more fatigued. Bob's effect on you was quick and he could only watch as you started to fall asleep. He didn't want to disturb you, it was clear how exhausted you were. He'd seen the way you would move sluggishly on the days when you hadn't slept very well. It hadn't quite clicked in his head why you'd been like that but it was all adding up now. You had always been so kind to him that he hated to see you struggle. You didn't deserve that. So if all he could do to help was sit by your side so you could sleep peacefully, then he was all too happy to do that. 

When you awoke the next morning, you were startled by what greeted you when you opened your eyes. Bob was laying down beside you, mouth slightly agape and quiet snores leaving him. He really was rather lovely to look at. He had a delicate face, his features rather soft. And that was only increased by the peace that radiated off of him during his slumber.

The feeling that was trickling through you was new, and difficult to comprehend. You'd always been surrounded by people with big characters, their lives usually motivated by some sort of misery. You couldn't complain, you were the same. But it meant that the emotions that you received in response would be equally as agonising. They had their high moments, of course. Evenings the team spent together in the tower when you ate dinner, played games and watched movies were usually far more pleasant. But those were only fleeting moments. 

Bob was a breath of fresh air. He certainly wasn't the happiest person you'd ever known, especially when you first met. But because he was rather easy to please, the simplest of compliments making him practically glow, it meant that you often found yourself also feeling good around him. You tried not to take advantage of that but because he was also just kind of wonderful you found yourself enchanted by him. 

You watched him sleep, trying not to move so as not to disturb him. But he probably sensed your gaze in his slumber as it didn't take long before he stirred. He murmured something lowly as he opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight streaming in through your windows, and stretched. When his eyes landed on you he offered a timid smile.

"Good morning." You whispered, propping your chin on your hand as you looked down at him.

"G'morning." His voice was gruff, even lower than it usually was.

"Did you stay all night?" You asked, suddenly realising that he was underneath the blankets. 

"Yeah, I hope that's okay." He turned on his side. "You fell asleep and I didn't want to disturb you if I left. Especially since everyone's emotions were getting to you."

You grinned at him. "You really are rather sweet, Bob."

He rolled away from you, groaning into the pillow beneath him. "Thank you."

You laughed and sat up as he did. "No, thank you. I appreciate this. It was nice of you."

"You don't need to thank me." He stood up and turned to look at you. "Do you want to go have breakfast? I hide the good cereal behind the pots and pans."

Affection spiralled through you, he was a great friend and you were so thankful to have him.

"Is that why I can never find it? You keep it hidden?" You started following him out of your room, grabbing your robe as you walked. 

"Yeah..." He let out a short giggle. "Alexei keeps finding it though so I have to keep changing the hiding spot."

You smiled at the back of his head as you followed him to the kitchen, ready to start your day feeling more well rested than you had in years. 

After a busy day spent with Bob doing chores around the tower and just hanging out, you were ready to go to bed. You were tired from the day's activities and needed some rest. But Bob could tell something was off. As each member of the team headed off to bed one by one, he watched as you slowly curled in on yourself where you were sat on the couch. It didn't take him long to realise what was wrong.

"Is it bad again?" He asked you, voice hushed to keep it between the two of you. He wasn't entirely sure how the super soldier serum worked on the three members of the team who had it, but if it was anything like what he'd experienced then he didn't want to risk their enhanced senses hearing him. 

"Mhmm." You nodded weakly, your head collapsing against the back of the couch.

Bob moved to sit next to you, debating whether his next offer would be too forward. But the pain on your face was unbearable for him to witness. You'd been so happy all day, the change around was horrible to see. "Would you like me to come to your room again?"

You looked up at him through your lashes, using the little energy you had to cling on to his emotions. "Yes, please."

"Okay." Bob nodded and stood up, angling his head in the direction of your room. "Let's go then."

It didn't take long for that to become the routine between you and Bob. Free days spent in the tower you'd stay by each other's sides and nights would consist of the two of you sharing your bed in order to sleep peacefully. Practically every second you spent in the tower would be with Bob. As well as being a soothing presence, he was also very funny and considerate. It took you about two days of hanging out one on one for you to decide that he was perfect in basically every way. You only hoped he enjoyed your company as much as you enjoyed his. If the emotions that radiated off of him were any indication, then he did like you. A lot. 

A new feeling had started pouring out of him, you'd noticed. One that made the back of your neck tingle and your brain feel fuzzy behind the eyes. You just couldn't quite figure out exactly what it was yet.

The rest of the team didn't fail to notice how you and Bob seemed closer. Stolen glances became a regular thing, the two of you acting as if you shared a secret. They could only watch on in somewhat confused amusement as Bob would look at you first whenever someone told a joke, to see if you were laughing, and how you had started singling out Bob by name whenever you offered to make anyone else a snack or a drink, like he was suddenly your priority. The two of you would also sit next to each other during every evening the team spent together.

They all assumed something had happened between the two of you. Just what, they didn't know. You weren't exactly acting like a couple, neither of you being flirty or touching the other anymore than usual. But the dynamic had certainly changed and was clearly developing more everyday. Whatever it was, it was clearly having a positive effect on you both. Bob seemed happier, smiling more often when you were around, and his emotions directly influenced yours, you were now a lot calmer and seemed less tense. So they just continued to observe in silence, curious to see where it would lead.

When Yelena had attempted to question Bob on it he had stuttered out that it was nothing, a clear give away that it was something. And when she'd asked you, all you had done was give her a coy smile accompanied by a shrug. She just decided to be happy for the two of you.

The thing between you and Bob was going steady for a few weeks, he'd started to open up to you more and more and you clung on to every word he decided to tell you. It was nice. But things quickly changed one night.

You'd been sleeping peacefully next to each other when you'd suddenly woken up. No clear negative emotion was travelling through you and Bob was still asleep so you assumed something else had woken you up. You listened out and heard nothing so sighed and closed your eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep. But you couldn't.

There was a tug at your lower stomach, a sudden ache further down. You shifted yourself, wondering if your position had you pressing on your organs strangely. But it didn't let up, and started getting more intense instead. And then you realised what it was. It was arousal. You were turned on. Puzzled, you flattened yourself on your back with a huff. What could possibly have you feeling like this? It was a normal night, sharing a bed with Bob with no disturbances other than the soft soundtrack of his breathing. Ever since you had started sharing a bed with him at night, you hadn't found yourself disrupted by the anxious feelings of the rest of your team. Bob's presence had been enough to soothe away the nerves and the fear and replaced it all with comfort and relaxation.

You glanced at Bob through the darkness, nothing seemed different with him. And then he made a noise. It was halfway between a content hum and a needy whimper. Your eyes widened in the dark as the pull in your tummy increased. It hit you all at once. Bob was having a sex dream and it was having an effect on you. 

You scrunched your eyes shut, willing it to go away. Not entirely sure why you were even bothering, it had never been possible to just push the feelings away, you took a shaky breath as Bob let out another sound. This one was louder, more of a whine than anything else. Your brain felt misty, you weren't convinced whether what you were feeling was all of Bob or if it was also a combination of your own arousal at the noises he was making. 

Bob was cute, you'd always thought it, but due to the circumstances through which you'd met you hadn't thought it appropriate to ever try to pursue anything. So the idea had died down and you hadn't even considered it in months. As the two of you had steadily gotten closer, you started to treasure him as a friend and nothing else. Bob was sweet, that was undeniable, and you had grown rather fond of him. And now here he was in your bed having a sex dream that was making you wet between your thighs. 

The final straw was the desperate moan that rumbled from Bob's chest and out of his mouth. You shot up in bed, switching the bedside lamp on and tapped him on the shoulder.

He didn't stir. You envied how deeply he slept.

You poked his arm, surprised when you hit solid bicep. "Bob."

He grumbled and turned his face into the pillow.

"Bob." You sighed, shaking him gently.

"Mm?" The sound was questioning but had an undertone to it that reminded you of the sounds he'd previously been making. 

"Bob, wake up." You said, louder than before. You were hoping that the feeling of being turned on would fade away as he came to but you were wrong.

As Bob's eyes slowly blinked open and landed on your face, the feeling in your core pulsed for a moment as his face turned a rosy shade of pink. 

He shuffled around until he managed to sit up next to you, looking around the room to see if there was some sort of problem. "Is something wrong?"

The sincerity in his eyes was infuriating. But only because it made your breathing go ragged as you took in his messy hair and sleepy eyes. His flushed complexion wasn't helping and you didn't fail to notice how he cautiously tugged the blanket over his lap.

You decided to be blunt with it, not being able to concentrate on anything else other than the ocean between your legs. You hadn't even known it was possible to experience the physical things the people around you were going through. You had only ever felt the emotions of others. The closest you had ever gotten to this was being able to tell when people were injured or sick - people had very distinct emotions when they were in pain. But this was a whole new thing.

"You were having a sex dream."

Bob looked away from you. "H-how... how do you know that? Did I- did I say something?"

He looked nervous, more nervous than you'd seen him in weeks, and you could feel it burning underneath the state of arousal he was still in. 

"No." You rasped, hands gripping the sheets beneath you. "I can feel it."

His head snapped in your direction, eyes going wide. "You what?"

Your chest was heaving. "I can feel it."

"What do you mean?"

You laughed lowly, unsure of how you could explain it. "I'm turned on right now because you are."

"Oh." The flush spread to his ears, his voice barely a squeak. "Sorry?"

There was a momentary ache in your chest at his apology, it was phrased like a question but his body language gave away how genuine it was. He was timid, that was for certain, and always feared he was going to do the wrong thing. Bob was scared of rejection and being abandoned. It was why he so often would tell people when he'd completed a chore or done something helpful like the laundry or the dishes. He felt the need to prove why you should all keep him around. He seemed unaware that you kept him around because you all loved him, and it wasn't conditional based on how useful he was.

You shifted towards him, hands reaching out for a second before awkwardly hovering in front of him. Maybe it wasn't the best time to be touching him. "No, no. You don't need to be sorry. At all. I just..."

Bob stared at you, waiting for you to finish your sentence.

"It's just an unusual situation. I've never felt this before."

He swallowed thickly. "You haven't? But I thought you felt everything other people felt."

You nodded. "I do. But emotions. Not physical things."

His eyes flickered up and down your body quickly. "So you're- you're more than feeling it?"

"I assume I'm experiencing the equivalent of whatever you are." You glanced at the tent in the blanket covering his lap. "Which is a physical reaction in the body."

"What you're saying is..." He didn't seem to know how to word it, fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying." You clenched your thighs together, being careful with your words since you didn't want to freak him out. "I woke you up so it wouldn't be awkward."

He seemed to deflate slightly, nodding in acceptance. "Awkward."

You smiled softly at him, dipping your head down to meet his eyes. "Not because of you. But because me being awake and horny next to you when you're asleep is... odd."

"No more odd than me having a sex dream in your bed." He mumbled, a small smile turning the corners of his mouth up.

A gentle giggle escaped you, glad he was easing up enough to joke. "It's not like you can choose when you have a sex dream. It's okay."

"I know. But I'm still sorry." He leaned towards you. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable."

"Bob, you could never." You mirrored him, leaning in. "I'm just wondering how we're going to solve this."

He blinked and sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

You took a deep breath. "Well, considering I seem to be feeling whatever you are then there's a possibility that if you decide to go and... sort yourself out-" You sent a meaningful look towards his lap. "-then I will also feel it."

His eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." You repeated. "But I also don't want to leave either of us sexually frustrated. That's never fun. So..."

"So..." He seemed to think for a moment. "Are you suggesting that...?"

You shrugged. "Some variation."

"Variation?" Bob was full of questions, finding himself doing nothing but being confused. 

"If you don't want to actually do anything then mutual masturbation is always good."

Bob spluttered, taken aback by that answer.

"Or not." You added in, trying to determine what his real reaction was. His outward appearance seemed reluctant but your body throbbed at the prospect, which you knew reflected his feelings. That meant nothing though. If he said no then that was all that mattered. 

"No, it's-" He cut himself off, a quiet whine leaving his mouth.

You shifted, thighs clenching. "Bob, I beg of you not to make that noise."

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"If you're unsure then we can start with something slower." You suggested, easing into it.

"Like what?"

You shrugged. "Kissing."

He turned bright pink again. Affection blossomed through your chest, he was so sweet. As shy as he was, you could see the sudden sparkle in his eyes at the idea of kissing you. It made you curious about something, something you'd been suspecting since he had first woken up.

"Bob? Who were you dreaming about?" You asked and watched him grapple for an answer that seemed to evade him. "Was it about me?"

He paused his search for reasoning, turning to look at you slowly before nodding. "Yeah."

You smiled. "I'm flattered."

He rolled his eyes, almost self deprecatingly. "Yeah, okay."

You frowned. "If I wasn't flattered then I'd kick you out of this room for being a creep. But I'm not doing that, am I? No. I'm waiting for you to make a decision. Either you stay and we make out. Or you leave and I hump a pillow."

His jaw dropped open, drawing your eyes to his lips.

"Up to you, Bob." You scooted closer to him, dropping your voice down low. "I'm waiting."

Before he could respond, you flinched. Your body recoiled from the door and towards the headboard.

"What's wrong?" Bob sounded panicked.

"Someone's having a nightmare. A bad one." You groaned. "It's a weird sensation feeling their anxiety whilst also being turned on."

Bob only looked at you for a second. "Will I make it better?"

You smiled at him, thankful he'd finally seemed to have caught on to the fact that he was the only thing that managed to soothe you. "You always make me better."

He softened, whole body relaxing as his face turned red with a different emotion. That's when he seemed to make up his mind, shuffling down so he was laying down again next to you and patting the spot directly in front of him. "Turn the light off."

"You sure?" You asked, already reaching for the lamp.

He nodded, sucking in a sharp breath as you settled down in front of him. You were suddenly face to face, but only for a moment as the next second the light was off and you were plunged into darkness again.

"Bob?"

"Yeah?"

"You're cute when you blush." You eased out a hand, gently cupping his cheek.

His own hand inched towards you under the blankets, fingertips grazing the fabric of your shirt. "I think you're the only person who thinks that."

"I find that unlikely. But if so then I'm happy to keep telling you."

"You're only saying that because you're turned on." He chuckled breathlessly. "Trying to get into my pants."

"Do I have to try?"

"No." His nose nudged against yours, steadily get closer and closer but not quite closing the gap.

You realised you were going to have to take that step. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

Bob was breathless before your lips met his, so when the collision finally happened it felt as if all oxygen had left him. But that didn't matter. He didn't need oxygen. All he needed was you.

You were gentle at first, testing the waters. But it only took about two seconds before Bob whined, the sound pulsing through you, so your mouth opened up like you'd lost control and your tongue swiped across his lips, teasing him. Bob's hands knotted into the front of your shirt, pulling you closer to him. His tongue curled against yours, a whimper leaving him.

You smiled into the kiss, thumb swiping over his cheek to keep it soft. You were overcome with lust but wanted the same mood that had floated between you and Bob up until this point. It didn't need to turn aggressive in any way now that you were taking it a step further. 

The hem of your shirt cut into your back as Bob's grip on it tightened, his feet pressing into yours so the two of you started playing footsie as you kissed. Bob tasted sweet, you noted, probably about as sweet as he was in general. You suckled his bottom lip into your mouth, revelling in the moan he let out. You pushed yourself closer to him, nose cramming against his cheek as his hair tickled your forehead. 

You pulled away from him to catch your breath, planting a quick kiss on his lips as he chased you. "Hm, slow down. We have time."

"Wanted this for so long." He admitted in the haze of passion that was swimming around the two of you.

The confession surprised you. "Oh, yeah?"

He backed up a little to look at you in the darkness as he gave an affirmative hum. That's when you felt it. The tingle on the back of your neck and the fuzziness behind your eyes. 

"What is that?" You asked, moving your face closer to him to get a better feel for it.

"What's what?" He sounded genuinely confused, voice kind as he asked.

"This new thing you keep feeling? Like a tingle on the back of the neck and a fuzz behind the eyes. What is it? I've never felt it before." 

The intensity you were looking at him with was amusing to Bob, how you seemed so unaware when usually it would be the other way around with the two of you. He knew exactly what you were referring to.

So he only smiled as he told you. "It's the feeling I get when I'm close to you."

Your breath got caught in your throat, eyes searching his in the dark to see how genuine he was being. When you detected nothing but honesty in his face, you dove forward and kissed him again. Despite your initial desire to keep it as relaxed as possible, you couldn't help the sudden craving you had for him. It was raw and primal, a yearning feeling.

Bob's pelvis rutted into yours, a reminder of the thing that got you into this position to begin with. He was still painfully hard and, based on the way you were feeling, that wasn't going to change any time soon. Your teeth and tongues clashed over and over, Bob making happy little noises at every press of your lips. He was insatiable, chasing you every time you decided the two of you needed to breathe. But he didn't seem to have the confidence to touch you anymore, not going any further than the vise like grip he still had on your shirt.

So you decided to make the move again. "Can I touch you?"

He nodded rapidly, his voice desperate. "Please."

The mewl of his voice was intoxicating, giving you permission to let your hand drift down the front of his torso. His abdomen was solid underneath his shirt but, as tempting as it was, you had another destination in mind. When you hit the waistband of his pants you paused, fingers toying with the strings that kept them fastened.

"Are you sure?" You asked, double checking that he was positive he wanted to take it this far.

He barely pulled away from your lips to answer. "Yes, I'm sure."

That was all you needed. You pulled on the string, undoing it, and let your hand slide into the front of his pants. You didn't have the patience to start with any over the clothes touching. Bob's size was somewhat surprising, he was big, which meant that your hand met the velvety skin of his cock pretty much as soon as you'd breached the waistline of his pants. He whimpered into your mouth at the feeling of the silky skin of your palm. 

He was keen, his body reacting immediately with a buck of his hips into your fist. You started with a slow pace, moving your hand up and down carefully to get a rhythm going. His precum worked well as a natural lubricant, making both your skin and his slick. It was only a reminder of the wetness between your own legs. But that thought escaped you pretty quickly when Bob continued to make pretty little sounds into your mouth. He throbbed in your hand, pace of his thrusts increasing when you tightened your grip. 

You kept kissing him, shivering as the feeling of his arousal travelled through you as well. An overwhelming curiosity was plaguing you as you wondered whether you'd feel it when he eventually came. That became less important when Bob's hands finally untangled from your shirt and one of them crept up the plains of your torso to start groping your chest through your shirt. You moaned into his mouth, hand momentarily stilling in place. That didn't last long when he whined into your mouth, a mumble begging for more leaving him.

Your fist pumped his cock harder and faster, drawing him closer and closer to orgasm.

"Come on, pretty boy. I know you're close."

He whimpered at the name you'd given him, the fact that he liked praise was something you quickly noted in your head. Bob kissed you harder, the desperation for closeness evident.

It didn't take much longer before he started twitching in your hand, hot ropes of cum spurting out of him and landing on the sheets between you. You pumped him a few more times, milking him for everything he was worth. A train of whimpers and moans tumbled out of mouth, filling the space between you, as his eyes scrunched shut with pleasure. You kissed him through it, wanting to keep him close as you were feeling his orgasm yourself. The feeling rocketed through you, a sense of ecstasy as it poured out of Bob and into you. Your prediction was right, you did indeed feel it when he did. This was a new development to your gift that had you curious. 

Once he'd calmed down from the high, Bob's eyes blinked open again as he looked at you. "I'm- I'm sorry."

You frowned. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because I- and you didn't-" He cut himself off, distressed. "I thought we were going to-"

You eyed the mess on the sheets between you. "Believe me, what just happened is not an issue."

"Are you still... feeling it?"

"Kind of. Less so now that you've come. But I'm still horny. Especially after that." You sighed. "Can we keep kissing?"

Bob wasn't sure why you'd even asked. It wasn't like there was any scenario where he'd say no to that. So he nodded at you, assuming that your eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to see him. He was right. You manoeuvred yourself over the mess on the sheets and hovered yourself over him.

He looked up at you, the sparkle from before twinkling in his eyes. He finally allowed himself to touch you, not realising that he'd groped you in the heat of the moment before, and placed his hands on your hips before letting them skate up your waist, then your rib cage, before going over your shoulders and letting them land on either side of your face. Then he pulled you down to kiss him. 

You weren't sure how long that went on for exactly, only really aware of anything other than Bob existing when he'd asked whether you wanted to change your bed sheets. You'd only told him it could wait until the morning and that the two of you would just have to stick to his side of the bed. At some point his hands had drifted below your waistline, drawing your own orgasm from you. It surprised you how adept he was at it, but you figured he had a past long before you'd even met him. 

What surprised you both was Bob had moaned as you did, blinking in shock as you came.

"I felt that." He stated, mouth hanging open.

"What do you mean?" You asked, still breathless from the orgasm. 

"I felt that." He repeated.

A frown wrinkled your brows. "You mean... like how I feel things?"

"I think so."

That was another thing that had never happened until Bob.

"I didn't know that was possible." You thought about it for a second before shrugging. "Another thing for tomorrow."

And then you kept kissing him. That went on for a while until the two of you grew sleepy, eventually drifting off in each other's arms.

When you woke up the next morning you found yourself intertwined with Bob, limbs tangled together. You hummed happily and snuggled closer to him. 

"G'morning." He grumbled into your ear.

You smiled at the sound of his voice and turned your head to look at him. "Good morning. You're awake before me."

"Shocking, I know." He huffed, hand stroking up and down the length of your arm.

"What's the time?"

"A little after nine."

Your eyes widened and you shot out of bed, scrambling to find your robe. "Shit, it's late."

Bob followed you out of bed, feeling bad that he'd let you sleep in. But you had just looked so peaceful. "Sorry, I should've woken you."

"No, don't apologise." You beamed at him. "Shouldn't apologise for the way I slept."

He watched you slide a pair of socks on. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good." You grinned. "The best. You?"

"Good too."

You huffed. "You always sleep good."

There was a moment of silence before Bob seemed to decide what he was going to say.

"Do you want to know why I sleep so easily?"

You nodded, always just figuring the amnesia that came with what happened to him meant that he just didn't have bad dreams. 

"Because I dream about you." He confessed quietly. "Even when I'm not having sex dreams."

Your shoulders hunched as your skin prickled with the burn of self-consciousness. There was no way he was telling the truth. "Really?"

"I spend my days thinking about you and my nights dreaming about you." He chuckled shakily. "Even though we spend every second of every day together, I can think of nothing but you. It consumes me. You consume me."

Tears welled in your eyes. "For how long?"

"For as long as I've known you pretty much." He shrugged. "It's been very difficult sleeping next to you for these past few weeks and not telling you."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you needed me to sleep. And I was scared that you didn't feel the same way so you'd- you'd push me away and go back to restless nights." His hands started wringing together, a telltale sign of his nerves.

You choked out a teary laugh. "How could you ever think I didn't feel the same? Why do you think I spend so much time with you? Why I can't sleep unless I'm next to you?"

"My emotions calm you."

You shook your head. "You make me calm. There's something about you. There always has been. You make me feel things that nobody else ever has. I've experienced new emotions with you. As well as more feelings."

He smiled at the reference to what the two of you had done the night before. "So, what now?"

"What now?" You chortled as you repeated his words back to him. "Now you kiss me and we never stop."

Bob didn't need to be told twice.

The team noticed the moment the switch in yours and Bob's relationship flipped. All it took was one simple gesture. The group of you had been in the kitchen together, chatting about nothing in particular and Bob had been looking at you with a gooey look in his eyes as usual. But then you'd reached up, brushing a lock of hair away from his eyes. 

They all knew then that you'd finally taken the step towards being officially more than friends. None of them pointed it out, exchanging nothing but pleased looks with each other and enjoying the fact that neither you nor Bob seemed to be aware that the rest of them now all knew about the two of you. They weren't entirely sure that either of you cared if they knew.

But as you shifted, something tugged at the back of your mind. Something wasn't right. You squinted as you looked around the room, suddenly realising that nothing was right. This wasn't your room.

Oh.

Oh, yeah.

You were at Steve's.

Your eyes snapped to the space in the bed next to you, landing on the blurry outline of your boyfriend fast asleep. He seemed peaceful, from what you could just about see of him. And you hated the thought of disturbing him. You also dreaded to think what his reaction would be to you ruining his sheets.

Tears stung at your eyes as another cramp rippled through you, making you squirm.

How were you supposed to get up, clean yourself and change the seats without waking Steve? It was impossible.

"Shit, fuck." You hissed as you took another look at the stain your blood had caused.

Steve stirred next to you. "Hm, honey?"

"Shh, go back to sleep." You whispered, not being able to hide the wobble in your voice.

Steve was so attuned to you that he managed to pick up on it despite his half-unconscious state. He immediately shot up next to you in bed. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing. It's nothing." Your fists clenched tightly in the sheets, tears spilling over your cheeks.

"You're crying." He said, reaching for the lamp on his nightstand. The yellow glow filled the room and illuminated your red eyes and tear-stained face. "Honey, what's wrong?"

You spared a panicked glance to the blankets covering you but said nothing. Steve followed your gaze and attempted to pry the blankets out of your hands. But you snatched them away from him. He raised his hands in surrender and took a deep breath, waiting for you to admit what had happened.

It took you a few more seconds, staring at him and making him more worried by the second.

"I period-ed-" You winced through the tears at your own phrase, wondering whether what you said was even a real word. "-all over your sheets."

"Oh." He visibly relaxed. "Is that it?"

"I'm so sorry, Steve." You gasped, shoulders hunching and head drooping. "I thought I had a couple more days and usually I'm prepared but-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey." He grabbed your face in his hands and wiped the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. "You don't need to be sorry, it's okay."

"I've ruined your sheets." You mumbled, lips puckered by how tightly he was holding your cheeks.

"They're just sheets." He smiled and let go of you. "Are you in pain?"

You nodded slowly. "Cramps. My boobs hurt too."

"Headache? Nausea?"

"No, not yet." You shook your head. "How do you...?"

He grinned. "I'm a sex-ed teacher, remember?"

You let out a tired laugh and abruptly remembered that you were still bleeding all over his sheets. "I, um, I need to go clean up. And then I'll change the sheets."

"I'll get the Tylenol. And I've got tampons and pads in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Behind the hairspray." Steve started to get out of the bed, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Why do you have tampons and pads?"

Steve's nose scrunched. "Because I have a girlfriend who spends nights, sometimes days, here and has periods."

You stayed quiet. It's not that you didn't think that Steve was a considerate person, he was probably the most considerate person you knew, but past experience when it came to guys you dated and the topic of periods hadn't been pretty. So who could blame you for being surprised at how calm and prepared Steve was.

As Steve left the bedroom, you eased yourself out of bed and rushed yourself to the adjoining bathroom. You stripped your t-shirt as you went, thankful you'd decided to wear only that and nothing else to bed that night, and hopped in the shower. It didn't take too long for you to wash away the blood that had flooded onto your inner thighs. But you decided to stand in the shower for a couple of minutes longer, allowing the warm water to soothe the cramps that were tormenting you.

After you had sufficiently wasted enough water, you hopped out of the shower and dried yourself off before putting the same t-shirt back on again and sitting yourself on the toilet. You were still embarrassed that you had stained Steve's sheets and needed to take a moment to yourself. But that was swiftly interrupted by Steve knocking on the bathroom door.

"Honey, everything okay?" His voice was slightly muffled. "I've got water and Tylenol."

"Uh, yeah. Just a minute." You wiped your face with the palm of your hand, trying to rid yourself of the stress.

"Can I come in?"

Your eyes flashed to the door. "I'm on the toilet."

There was a dampened chuckle. "So?"

If he didn't care then why should you? "Okay, uh, yeah. I guess."

The door slowly swung open to reveal Steve on the other side leaning against the frame, a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of Tylenol in the other.

His eyes tracked down to you sitting on the toilet. "Oh, you weren't kidding."

You groaned and looked away from him. "Go away. I feel gross."

"You're not gross." He smiled and chuckled again before stepping into the bathroom and offering out the water and painkillers to you. "Here, take this."

You did as you were told, popping a Tylenol and draining almost all of the water. "I'll change the sheets in a minute. I just need a moment."

"I already changed them." Steve said, squatting down in front of you and taking the glass to put it next to the sink.

You choked, eyes widening. "What?"

He shrugged, hands landing on your knees. "I already changed them."

"I said I'd do it."

"Honey, you're in pain and I was happy to do it."

"Thank you." Your voice was meek as you spoke. "I might go watch TV for a while. I won't be able to sleep and I don't want to keep you up."

"Does it hurt that much?" Steve's face warped into a pained expression, like the thought of you hurting also hurt him.

"Yeah. Always does. I'm used to it." You rested your hands on his. "I'll be fine."

"Want me to give you an orgasm?" He asked, innocent smile on his face.

"What?" You gasped.

"An orgasm. Helps with cramps I've heard because of the endorphins." He grinned and pointed at himself. "Sex-ed teacher."

You scrunched your nose and squeezed your eyes shut, shaking your head. "No. I don't feel very sexy when I'm on my period."

"You are the sexiest woman alive." His voice was firm as he spoke. "Always."

"It'll make a mess." You tried, despite the smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

"We can put a towel down." He paused. "I'll have a solution to every problem you bring up. So if you want me to make you come then just say so."

You looked down at your boyfriend crouched down in front of you. You thought about how he didn't seem bothered by the fact that you'd ruined his sheets with your period blood nor the fact that he was in front of you while you sat on the toilet. You considered how good he was at sex, never failing to make you orgasm at least once. Usually a minimum of twice. You pondered the thought of your cramps easing up so you wouldn't have to wait for the painkillers you'd taken to kick in.

A slow nod overtook your head as you agreed. "Yes. Okay."

Steve's face lit up, his favourite thing in the world was making you climax. "Great. Wait there. I'll go put a towel down."

He zoomed out of the bathroom for a minute while you waited, before returning with a lazy smile on his face. "Your bed awaits you, my lady."

"Dork." You grimaced as you stood up, flushing the toilet behind you, and speeding past him to the bed. Steve had laid out the towel on his side of the bed adhering to the tradition the two of you had set up. You always had sex on his side of the bed, mostly because you liked that his pillow smelled like him. You situated yourself on top of the towel and waited for Steve.

He slowly made his way out of the bathroom, knees cracking as he stood from his squat on the floor. "A dork that you love and who is about to rock your world."

You rolled your eyes but smiled anyway.

Steve stopped beside the bed where you were lying down in the bed, slightly propped up on your elbows. He tutted. "Open your legs."

"Steve..."

"How do you expect me to do anything if your thighs are locked together? Open your legs." He repeated, smirking when you did as you were told. "There we go."

He climbed slowly onto the bed and knelt between your legs, placing a hand on each of your thighs and pushing them open wider to get a better view. He sighed at the sight. 

You felt self-conscious as he just kept staring at you. "Steve."

"I've seen you naked a million times. Calm down." His eyes moved over the length of your body. "Y'know, your tits get bigger when you're on your period."

Heat rushed to the surface of your skin as you looked away from him. "They also hurt like hell."

He shook his head. "I can't imagine, I'm sorry. Nice view for me though."

"I'm so glad that you thrive on my suffering." You bit back playfully.

He laughed softly as his hands glided up and down your thighs, fingers pushing lightly into the plush flesh of them. "Nothing I hate more than your suffering."

"You hate it more than you love my boobs?"

His head tilted. "Now, I don't know about that."

You couldn't help the giggle that escaped you, squirming when a particularly bad cramp stabbed at your lower tummy. 

"Aw, poor honey." Steve's tone was slightly condescending but you knew he didn't really mean it that way. "Let's fix that."

One of his hands inched closer to the apex of your thighs, a thumb ghosting over your clit and making you inhale sharply. Your hips shifted, chasing his touch when he pulled away again.

"Steve, please don't tease me." You huffed. "Not today."

"Not teasing you." He muttered, eyes fixed on your pussy. "Just getting you a little worked up."

You watched him watch you, taking in the way his brows furrowed as he skimmed over your clit again. 

"Look at you. Clenching around nothing already." His eyes met yours briefly, a smug look on his face. 

You suddenly felt very exposed. Especially in comparison to Steve who had a t-shirt and shorts on as pyjamas. "Can you take your shirt off please?"

An eyebrow arched. "Hm, why?"

"I feel too naked next to you." You took a deep breath. "And your chest hair turns me on."

A chortle tumbled out of Steve's mouth as he tugged his t-shirt over his head and discarded it to the floor beside the bed.

You grinned, taking in the dark hair that covered his chest and meandered down into a happy trail that disappeared below his waistline. "Ugh, how did I get so lucky to have a boyfriend who will clean up my period blood and is also so hot?"

Steve gave you a deadpan look. "The bare minimum of what you deserve."

You couldn't say anything in response as his thumb finally landed on your clit again and circled it with a pleasant pressure. A shaky exhale blew past your lips and your eyes fluttered closed. 

"That feel good?"

You appreciated that he asked even though you knew he didn't need to. Steve was so finely tuned to what you liked and disliked that he'd be able to make you come blindfolded and probably with his hands tied behind his back.

"Mhm." You hummed and peeked an eye open to look at him, finding his cheeks red and eyes blown with lust.

He kept going for a minute, the movement of his thumb so slow that it was almost torture. Every now and again he glimpsed at your face to take in your reactions, smiling when he caught you already staring intently at his face. You liked the look of concentration on his features, like he was really trying to make you feel good. He pressed his thumb slightly harder against your clit, looking pleased with himself when you let out a soft moan.

"Need more, Steve." One of your hands curled in the blanket next to you and the other rested on the pillow beside your head.

"What's the magic word?"

"Please." You whined, hoping he wouldn't deny you what you wanted. 

He hummed lowly, the sound vibrating in his chest, and pulled his hand away from you and letting the cool air sting your clit at the loss of his touch.

"Steve." You groaned, letting his name drag out in complaint.

"Shh." He hushed you and slid a finger into you with no warning.

Your hips jolted in surprised, hand flying to cover your mouth as you let out a sound that was louder than you expected it to be. "Oh, fuck."

"Yeah? Feel good?" He smiled and eased his finger out of you again before letting a second finger join the first as he glided inside you again. The red substance that coated his digits didn't bother him as he curled his fingers inside you. "How's that?"

"Yes, Steve. So good." You whimpered. "Oh, my god."

The pads of his fingers hit that sensitive spot inside you easily, knowing your body inside and out, and you wriggled at the pleasure it sent through you. He continued to pump his fingers in and out of you slowly, feeling the way you clenched around him. Sweat prickled at the surface of your skin, your hips bucking in time with the movements of his fingers.

Your teeth sunk into the palm of your hand as you attempted to stifle the sounds you were making by biting it. "Fuck. Feels so fucking good."

Steve grinned at you, his free hand pushing hard on one of your thighs to keep your legs spread wide open. "Doing so good for me, honey. Need you to come for me."

You had no doubt that it was going to happen very soon, the pleasure building up inside of you and threatening to burst at any moment. You were surprised how easy it had been, thinking it was going to take longer for you to reach the pinnacle. But Steve just understood you so well.

Steve's thumb landed on your clit again, circling it quickly. And that did it for you. Your orgasm crashed over you in a warm wave and you chased the aftershocks of it as you continued to thrust your hips against Steve's hand. His movements slowed as you cooled down, one hand soothing over your inner thigh. 

When he finally extracted his fingers from you and wiped his bloodied hand against the towel beneath you, he smiled. "You come quicker when you're on your period."

You sighed and relaxed on the bed again, noting the lack of cramps in your abdomen. "I came quickly because you're good at this."

He said nothing in response to that, the twitch of his lips saying enough. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes. Doesn't hurt anymore." You sat up and looked at the borderline bloodbath between your legs. "Jesus."

"Next time I'll fuck you properly and we'll make a real mess." Steve leaned in and planted a kiss on your cheek. "Go clean up again."

You dragged yourself off to his bathroom and did exactly that, grabbing a pair of panties on your way and finding the period products he'd mentioned exactly where he said he left them. When you got back to the bedroom, you found Steve back on his side of the bed and the dirtied towel gone.

"Think you'll be able to sleep now?" He asked, pulling back the blankets for you to crawl in next to him. He'd also left his shirt off which you appreciated.

"Yeah, thank you." You settled next to him, resting your head on his chest. "Also, thank you for not making me feel embarrassed."

Steve's voice was low as he replied, reaching to switch off the lamp and plunging the room back into darkness. "Nothing to be embarrassed about."

You tilted your head and kissed his jawline. "Thank you anyway."

Steve's hair was a mess, almost unheard of. You had tears streaming down your face caused by the kind of wet anger that'll just leave you feeling sad once it was all over. You could feel cracks in your relationship forming so quickly that it scared you. It was an ugly sight, and the thought of any of the kids seeing you this way... it was plaguing your mind. You and Steve prided yourselves on being a good example of love for them all. And here you both were, being nasty to each other. What was happening?

So you cut him off. "Stop. Stop."

He listened. Closed his mouth. Straightened up his posture. Put his hands on his hips. Classic Steve Harrington stance. One of the many things you loved about him.

"What are we doing?" Your voice was wobbly, your brain confused. This wasn't you. This had never been you. Not with Steve.

"We're- we're fighting." He didn't know why he answered. It was clearly a rhetorical question. And it obviously didn't help your existing irritation with him as you shot him a look daring him to say another word.

"But we're so angry, Steve. We don't get angry with each other. Not like this." You took a deep breath and glanced around the room. "Um, uh, I think I'm gonna go home for the night. Sleep this off and we can talk tomorrow."

That sent a pang of panic straight through him. He couldn't remember the last time you hadn't stayed at his for the night. The two of you practically lived together at this point. His place was home. And now you were leaving. Maybe this argument really had fucked it all up.

But what was he supposed to say? He couldn't demand that you stayed. So he just let you have what you wanted, worried that maybe the night before had been the last time he'd ever get to hold you and he hadn't even realised it at the time. "Okay."

"Okay."

You disappeared from the kitchen for a moment to gather some of your things, as Steve stayed frozen in place. This was one of his greatest fears. You leaving him. And you hadn't broken up, not officially at least, but he couldn't help the sour taste in his mouth at the thought of you not being next to him in his bed that night.

When you reappeared in the kitchen, he couldn't help the tears that stung his eyes. He wouldn't let them fall, he didn't want to guilt you, but he couldn't control the feeling of them threatening to spill over his lash line.

"I'll walk you to your car." He said quietly. He would have offered to drive you home, the gentleman that he was, but knew there was no point. You'd reject the offer in a heartbeat.

"You don't have to do that." Any second longer with him was just going to make it all so much more painful. You already knew you were in for a sleepless night. You couldn't sleep without him next to you and now the added stress of the fight was going to make it worse.

"It's almost two in the morning." Had you really been arguing for so long? "And you parked down the block, remember?"

"Right."

He was walking you to your car for safety. Of course. Steve Harrington, always the hero.

He grabbed his keys as the two of you left his place, his front door banging shut behind you and making the both of you flinch. You were both a bit jumpy it seemed after the night's events. It was silent other than the sound of the wind blowing gently as Steve walked you to your car. It was also very tense. He kept a protective few inches between the two of you despite how much he wanted to reach out and take your hand.

The walk to your car felt longer than it should have, but was also entirely too short for the both of you to stand. This was where you now said goodbye and spent a night away from each other. When was the last time you'd had a night apart? Neither of you could remember.

In front of your car, the two of you just stared at each other. How were you supposed to end this? You were still angry and Steve was obviously very unhappy too. But you'd made a vow at the beginning of your relationship. Never part without a goodbye kiss. Hawkins was an unpredictable place to live. And with the amount of apocalypses and near-death experiences you'd had, it made sense to come up with that promise. That way, if anything ever happened to either of you, you would have had a goodbye kiss. It was morbid. But necessary.

Steve was the one to initiate it. You should've known he would be. It was gentle. Timid. You could tell he was unsure whether it was okay to kiss you. He just leaned down and planted a very light peck on your lips before pulling back again. But you could tell, as soon as you looked into his eyes, that both of you knew that that wasn't right. No matter how upset you both were, what good was a peck when Hawkins could split open in the middle of the night and swallow you both whole forever? Why would you risk your dying thought being that you wished you had kissed him properly for the last time?

For the second kiss, you both moved at the same time. You stepped forward and clasped onto the front of his sweater, noticing how it wasn't as soft as it had been when he had first bought it after going through dozens of wash cycles. He cupped your face in his hands, feeling the remnants of furious tears on your cheeks. And you kissed properly, letting it linger for a few seconds.

But even after the kiss broke, neither of you moved too far away. Letting each other hover for a moment, tips of your noses grazing, eyes still closed. Then you kissed him again, some of your former rage rinsing away. Steve couldn't help but let you in, moving his mouth to open up the kiss a little. It was easy to tell that the two of you were still holding back, unsure of where you stood. But it was even more obvious that your love for each other trumped everything else. And despite how frustrated you still were, you let love win.

Your hands curled into the fabric of his sweater, dragging him closer to you so there wasn't an inch between your bodies. Steve stepped into you, crowding you against the driver side of your car. As your back hit the car door, you let your hands slide up to his shoulders and your arms snake around the back of his neck. Steve's mouth didn't break away from yours, one of his hands breaking away from your face and falling to land on your waist. You sighed against him and Steve used it as an opportunity to sneak his tongue into your mouth, humming when you let him do it.

Suddenly, the two of you felt a lot younger. It felt like the beginning of your relationship, when you were just two horny and in love teens who would sneak around and sloppily make out against the side of either yours or his, usually his, car. Back when the world was constantly on the brink of ending, but nothing was more important than each other.

You pulled him closer to you, close enough that if you tried to do it anymore the two of you would just mesh into one being. But that's how you liked it. Being as close as possible. Steve moaned into your mouth, he was always very vocal, and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. It was hitting a frenzy now, both of you going feral for the other. It hadn't been like this in a while. After being together for a significant period of time, your relationship had hit a calm wave. It was still passionate, and the two of you certainly couldn't keep your hands off each other, but it hadn't been as animal as this in a long time.

Your teeth clashed but neither of you cared. You could feel yourself sweating with the heat that you were creating. But you kept going. Your lips collided, tongues licking into each other's mouths, hands groping at the other. You were thankful it was so late, knowing that you'd be putting on a show for the whole neighbourhood if anybody was still awake. But luckily not a single house had a light on, meaning that you and Steve had the night to yourselves. A part of you was considering attempting to rip his clothes off right then and there. But that thought was interrupted as he spoke.

"Please don't leave." He whined in between kisses. "I promise we can talk about this tomorrow. But stay tonight. Please."

You loved whiny Steve. He was almost impossible to say no to. He got especially whiny when he was horny or when he was tired or... okay, he was whiny a lot. And when he finally pulled back to look at you, those big puppy dog eyes on display, how were you ever supposed to deny him?

"Okay, I'll stay."

He didn't even kiss you again, just grabbed your hand and started dragging you back towards his place. Towards home. Because who were you kidding, going back to yours was never going to feel right again. You knew you and Steve would work through the issues of the evening tomorrow morning. For now, you were happy to stay with him and rediscover some of that untamed passion that you had accidentally left behind a long time ago.