#fluff james

you didn't even bother picking it up.

all day the sun had baked against your skin relentlessly, turning the lifeguard chair into what felt like a frying pan. your shoulders stung faintly, your legs ached, and chlorine practically lived in your bloodstream by now.

you shuffled toward the couch in slow motion. then collapsed face first into the cushions.

from somewhere deep in the apartment, music stopped abruptly. a second later, footsteps approached.

"...you alive?"

james appeared around the corner wearing gray sweatpants with a white tank top, blond hair messy from running his hands through it every second. he'd clearly been working on something before you got home, laptop tucked beneath his right arm.

the second he saw you sprawled dramatically across the couch, his expression softened almost immediately.

"whoa." he set the laptop aside. "rough shift?"

you made a noise somewhere between a whine and a sigh.

"i got splashed by at least twenty children today."

"that specific?"

"one of them had threw a pool noodle at my head."

james snorted out a laugh before bending down on the floor in front of you sitting cross legged.

"you're sunburnt."

"i know."

his finger lightly brushed your shoulders where your shirt sleeve had slipped down.

then he paused. his eyebrows lifted.

"you're really warm."

you turned your head slightly so you could open at least one eye open. "that tends to happen when the sun declares war on me personally."

"no, but seriously." his hand stayed there carefully for a few seconds. "your skin feels like... sun warmed blankets."

"that's oddly poetic coming from you."

"i contain multitudes."

you weakly laughed. the sound seemed to pull something soft from him instantly because his entire posture relaxed afterward.

james had always been touchy in very quiet ways. not over the top, just constant tiny things.

knees bumping under tables. fingers hooking into your hoodie sleeve. resting his chin on your shoulder or your head while you scrolled on social media. like affection had naturally leaked out of him without permission.

today seemed worse, or better. depends who you asked.

"you look very tired," he murmured.

"mhm."

"you eat yet, babe?"

"nope."

"water atleast?"

"...maybe?"

"that's concerning."

before you could respond, he disappeared briefly into the kitchen. you heard cabinet doors slam. the fridge hum. ice falling into a glass cup with water following afterwards.

then he returned, gently pressing cold water into your hands before sitting on the very end of the couch where your legs hang.

"you're getting lifeguard treatment right now."

"fair."

you took a few sleepy sips while james watched over you carefully, like he didn't trust you not to evaporate.

then he leaned closer again. this time his fingers slid down your forearm slowly. the contrast between his cool hands and your overheated skin had sent a shiver through you.

james noticed instantly. his gaze flickered upward.

"...sensitive?"

"no, just warm."

"mm."

his thumb softly brushed along the side of your wrist again. then again. like he'd got distracted by it.

you watched him through half lidded eyes. "you're fascinated."

"you feel nice."

"i'm literally sunburnt, james."

"you feel cozy," he corrected.

then, without a warning, he stretched out beside you across the couch until one arm had wrapped around your waist.

"you're trying to steal my body heat now?" you asked.

"no. i'm stealing your body heat."

"you're like a lizard."

"exactly."

his cheek pressed against your shoulder. a tiny satisfied sigh escaped him instantly. you stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, exhaustion settling much more heavier into your bones now that you were finally home.

and honestly? the clinginess helped more than you wanted to admit. all day people touched you on accident. kids tugging your arm. passing sunscreen bottles. chaotic splashing. high fives.

but this was so different. intentional. gentle.

his fingertips drifted across you arm slowly again, tracing invisible patterns against your skin absentmindedly while he cuddled closer.

"you smell like sunscreen and vanilla," he mumbled.

"and chlorine."

"and summer."

something about the way he said it made your chest feel warm in a very different way. you eyes gently closed shut. james went quiet after that. not exactly silent.

you could hear the soft rustle of fabric every time he slightly moved closer. feel his fingers tracing down your collarbone now with very careful movements, avoiding the worst part of the sunburn.

his touch was featherlight. like he knew you were tired enough to just break apart.

"you know what's weird?" he eventually said.

"what?"

"you're normally always cold."

"that's because you keep the apartment at a level of penguin survival temperatures."

"it's optimal."

"it's arctic."

james completely ignored you.

"but right now," he continued softly, fingertips brushing over your neck gently, "you're warm everywhere."

your stomach stupidly flipped. maybe because his voice had dropped lower? maybe because he sounded so relaxed? or maybe because touch starvation was a real and dangerous and currently destroying your ability to function correctly.

you melted further into his touch.

"there you go," james murmued knowingly.

"what?"

"melting."

"i'm just tired."

"you're very clingy when you're tired."

"that's different."

"how?"

"i'm committed to this lifestyle."

you let out a quiet laugh. immediately his arm tightened around you like he didn't want you to leave or vanish.

"there's the laugh."

"you say that every time i laugh."

"because you stop doing it when you're exhausted."

the honesty caught you completely off guard. you opened your eyes enough to see him properly. james was already looking at you. not intently, just softly.

his fingers brushed beneath your jaw absentmindedly before they trail back down your neck again.

"you work too hard," he said quietly.

"bills are scary."

"what?"

"the fact that you were standing willingly in the sunlight all day."

"it's my job."

"couldn't be me."

"you wouldn't even last ten minutes before dramatically collapsing."

"twenty."

"much more accurate."

james grinned before tucking himself somehow closer against you. at this point he was basically attached. one hand rested on your waist while the other continued its slow wandering path along your collarbone and arm. not teasing, just comforting.

the kind of touch that made exhaustion feel so manageable. you sighed contentedly before you could even stop yourself. james instantly looked pleased.

"there it is."

"what?"

"your comfy sigh."

"you're so annoying."

"and yet you're not moving away~"

unfortunately he was right. outside, the sky beyond the small apartment windows started to turn a soft shade of orange with a sunset. golden lights spilled across the floors in lazy streaks, warning everything further.

james tilted his head against your shoulder lightly.

“…you feel like a couch after sunlight hits it from the window.”

“that’s an oddly specific comparison.”

“you know exactly what i mean though.”

you did. warm fabric. sleepiness curling through the air. late afternoon light. comfort.

your fingers absentmindedly curled into his tank top. the second you did, james went suspiciously still for a long second. then somehow softer, his thumb rubbed slow circles against your waist now.

“you know,” he said quietly, “i think this might be my most favorite version of you.”

you blinked sleepily. “half dead from work?”

“no.” his lips twitched into a smile. “this.”

he tapped your arm lightly.

“warm?”

“warm,” he comfirmed

you fondly rolled your eyes, but your chest still fluttered.

“should probably shower,” you mumbled eventually.

“nope.”

“no?”

“you live here now.”

“on the couch??”

“mhm”

he buried his face further into your neck. a comfortable silence settled again afterwards.

james continued tracing lazy shapes and patterns against your skin while you drifted somewhere between asleep and awake. every now and then his fingertips would brush your neck or collarbone softly, almost absentmindedly, like he couldn’t stop touching you.

just affectionate, not possessive. like your warmth grounded him as well.

eventually you felt him press one tiny kiss against your shoulder near the edge of your sunburn.

“careful,” you sleepily warned him.

“i know.”

his hand smoothed carefully down your arm afterward in apology.

then quieter. “you’re really pretty like this.”

“sunburnt and sticky?”

“sleepy.”

the softness in his voice is nearly knocked from your lungs. you hid your face against his chest immediately. james laughed quietly under his breath before wrapping both of his arms around you fully.

“there she is,” he whispered.

“shut up why do you keep saying that.”

“never.”