#fluffy ending

When you and Leon returned to the office from your mission, it was like two giant storm clouds had rolled in and infiltrated the building. The mission itself was a complete and total shit show, made even worse by the clashing dynamic you and Leon shared. To say that you both butt heads on the regular would be putting it lightly. You despised one another, both too stubborn to ever even think of changing your ways in order to work together properly. The job always got done regardless, but that didn’t mean either of you enjoyed it. Yet they would still pair you together anyway, always sending you out on the field with him as if it was some kind of sick joke. They couldn’t care less about your petty squabbles amongst each other, on the reports all the DSO saw was a job done and a job done well at that. That’s all that mattered to them so why would they attempt to fix something they didn’t know was even broken to begin with?

“Thank fuck, was starting to think we’d never make it back” you said with much agitation in your tone as you both walked into the building, hearing him scoff beside you while you both impatiently waited for the elevator to descend to your floor. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with brows furrowed together in inquiry, only further emphasizing the wrinkles adorning his forehead as he looked at you. He watched you roll your eyes, paired with a heavy sigh in annoyance as the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival. “Means your driving sucks” you answered rather sharply as you rudely pushed past him to get inside first, making him roll his eyes and shake his head as he had no choice but to follow behind. “Whatever. If you hate it so much, you drive next time then” he responded as he all but smashed the button to close the doors and take you where you both needed to go, making you scoff a laugh. He swore it grated against his ears, rubbing every nerve in his body the wrong way. “I’ll do one better, I’ll get a fucking cab. Then I won’t have to be around you anymore than I already have to” you said as you crossed your arms over your chest, leaning against the railing and side wall farthest from him as possible. “Brat…” he sneered under his breath, making you glare at him. “Heard that, asshole” you snapped back. “Good” he replied, leaving you to stew even further in your frustrations.

Maybe you should’ve taken the next elevator, some peace and quiet would’ve been nice.

After an excruciatingly long elevator ride with the grumpiest motherfucker you swear you’d ever met, you pushed your way out through the doors the second they’d opened wide enough. “A simple fucking “excuse me” wouldn’t kill you every once in a while, you know” Leon griped, making you huff an annoyed laugh. “For you? Oh, it definitely would. Maybe just stay out of the way and it wouldn’t be a problem” you spat as you marched towards the break room on a very important mission to fix yourself a much needed cup of coffee. “Hey! You’re back!” Claire said with excitement and relief upon seeing you both enter the room, safe and in one piece. Much to the opposing party’s dismay. “Yep! No thanks to that one though. Still can’t figure out why they seem to think it’s a good idea to put an alcoholic behind the wheel” you chided, your comment making the room fall silent whilst you stormed over to the coffee pot and poured yourself a cup of coffee before gesturing towards Leon from over your shoulder. “I’m right here” he grumbled, snatching the pot from your hand as you were beginning to set it back, hoping to allot you a taste of your own medicine before he poured himself a cup of coffee, earning a harsh grimace from you as he did so. Damn did it feel good too, he could almost grin with pride. *“Good”* You said pointedly, mimicking his line from earlier in the elevator as you moved to the side to add your sugar and creamer to get it just how you like. “You two ever going to get along?” Jill asked as she sat at the table, halfway amused by your borderline schoolyard display of cattiness. “Maybe when hell freezes over…” Leon answered gruffly, making you scoff in reply as you stood brooding in the farthest corner from the older man. “You two sure know how to bicker like an old married couple” Sherry added with a half chuckle as she sat across from Jill, making you both look to each other as those words were spoken before exchanging a mutual look of repulsion at the mere thought.

“Eww, as if” you replied before taking a sip of your coffee, trying to wash the bad taste from your mouth at the thought of such a thing. “Feel sorry for the poor bastard that does put a ring on that finger, he’s in for a real treat” Leon quipped sarcastically, finding a wall opposite of you so he too could brood while maintaining as much distance between you as possible. “Oh, fuck you!” You hissed as you looked him up and down in disgust, making him grin smugly. “You wish, sweetheart” he replied as he took a sip of his own coffee, enjoying the disgruntled groan that left you from his reply. “Well I certainly feel sorry for whatever woman is stupid enough to say yes to you. She’s in for a world of disappointment” you snapped back, an evil grin twitching to your lips as the next words came to mind, leaving your lips before you could even think to stop them. Not that you really wanted to anyway. “Bet you can’t even get it up anymore, old man. Probably why you’re so fuckin’ grumpy all the time, haven’t gotten your dick wet in decades ‘cause it doesn’t work” you chided, making him roll his eyes at your petty reply as everyone in the room seemed to be entertained by your back and forth exchange of insults. “Wow, how original. But I guess it’s bold of me to assume you’d come up with something actually witty” he quipped back, making Jill laugh. Dammit, she was supposed to be on your side. “God, you two are a treat. I give it a week tops before you finally jump each other’s bones” she said, making Sherry grin. “No way! I give it three days. Easy” she bet, looking to Claire next. “I don’t think they’ll make it another twenty-four hours” Claire added with a smirk of her own, joining Sherry and Jill at the table. “Let’s just hope they at least make it out of the building first…” Jill said, making all three of them laugh amongst each other as you and Leon stood there speechless.

Betrayed, by your own friends. How dare they?

“Okay, fuck all of you” you said, gesturing to the whole room with your pointer finger but they knew there was no true malice behind your words. “Oh, please. You both act so high and mighty but if you’d actually step back and look at yourselves, you two would be really cute together” Sherry said boldly, earning nods of agreement from both Jill and Claire. You felt your face heat up for a moment while you curled in on yourself, practically hiding behind your cup of coffee now that most of the room appeared to be against you. “Cute, someone actually thinking about it over there? Don’t get too lost in the day dream, princess” Leon piped up, teasing you with a grin and a slight tilt of his head that made you grit your teeth. “Oh I bet you’d like that wouldn’t you? But no, I was busy day dreaming of smashing your stupid fucking face in” you bit venomously in reply, making him chuckle at how worked up you were now. Face flushed, eyes avoiding his even more than usual. If he didn’t know any better, he’d almost say you were bluffing. “Whatever you say, sweetheart” he added nonchalantly with a shrug as he took a sip of his coffee. You hated when he called you nicknames like that. Hated it because it was coming from him, meaning that they were most definitely not intended to be endearing, yet for some reason they still managed to make you feel something.

You hated that part the most.

Hated that fuzzy feeling it would give you in the pit of your stomach, hated the way it would bring a blush to your cheeks that you’d have to fight so hard to hide so he wouldn’t take notice. Loathed how it would still linger with you for hours, sometimes days even after it was said, just festering in the back of your mind on repeat. It shouldn’t do the things to you that it does. Something so simple, and typically condescending, from someone who got on your every last nerve.

So why were you even thinking about it?

“You’re so full of yourself. You think just because you have pretty blue eyes and muscles and stupidly nice hair that every girl is supposed to drop to their knees to fawn over you? Well I’ll gladly be the first to burst your bubble” You snapped, making him grin just a little wider. He could tell he was getting under your skin, finally having a chance to turn the treatment you usually gave him back onto you for once and he was definitely enjoying it. “Oh, careful there; think that’s the closest thing to a compliment you’ve ever given me” he quipped in return, making you roll your eyes with a groan as you threw away your now empty coffee cup before storming out of the room. Not before yelling “fuck off and DIE!” dramatically as you left, a flush burning in your cheeks as you headed towards your desk to bury yourself with work and forget all about this conversation.

Or so you’d hoped.

Just as you were storming out Chris was entering the break room, looking in your direction as you’d left. Shock and confusion were written all over his face at the scene he’d just managed to catch the tail end of. “What was that all about?” He asked the girls, gesturing towards the doorway with a quirked brow in confusion. “Probably the closest thing I’d ever seen to flirting come from those two” Jill answered, making Chris laugh. “About time, they really should just hook up already if they haven’t yet. They’ve got so much tension going on that it even stresses me out” Chris chimed in as he looked in the fridge for the food he brought with him that morning. “*Still* right here” Leon grumbled once again, making Chris stand up and turn to see him standing in the corner, still nursing his cup of coffee. “Oh shit, hey” was all that Chris could come up with in response, offering an awkward wave and making the girls all laugh as Leon sighed.

He’d never admit it but he hated that they were all right, that he’d thought about pursuing you for far too long now. All in private of course. He couldn’t have you catching on, thinking that you’d won him over and let your ego inflate any bigger than it already was. You were rude, got on his nerves in every which way and did so every chance you possibly could. Yet he couldn’t deny the fact that he’d lie awake at night, fisting his cock to the thought of fucking all that attitude out of you and did so far more often than he’d care to admit to. How he’d have you on your knees putting your loud, sassy mouth to better use choking on his dick, or how he’d fuck you so hard you’d be too cock drunk to come up with anything snarky or witty in response. Too busy screaming his name in pure ecstasy to say or think of anything else but him. How he’d so happily prove your earlier assumption wrong about his libido, even if it was for nothing else than to see the look of blatant shock on your face.

He was convinced all you needed was to be put in your place and he’d happily do so.

Meanwhile, you were sitting at your desk trying your absolute hardest to focus on finishing your report and struggling to do so. Your hands carded through your hair, pinching the bridge of your nose as a slight headache began to ebb behind your eyes. You were tense, you could feel it. Whether it was the residual adrenaline from the mission you’d just returned from, the whole interaction you’d had in the break room, or the both combined, you weren’t sure. But one thing you were sure of, was that you were distracted. Watching the cursor on your computer screen blink as you tried your hardest to come up with the proper words to type, all while fighting off thoughts that shouldn’t have even been on your mind in the first place. It was beginning to make you feel as if your own mind was mocking you and truthfully? It had you at your wits end. You leaned back in your chair with an exasperated groan, covering your face as you fought against all the tension in your body, wanting to get this done and out of the way as soon as possible while everything was fresh still so you could go home. Yet the only thing on the forefront of your mind at the moment was the very man you’d just been bickering with in the break room. How maybe it wouldn’t be as terrible as you make it out to be to be with him. That maybe he’d treat you better than the men your age who never seem to have their lives together. How, despite all your insults, he was pretty handsome. He certainly was the nicest looking out of every other guy here.

Why weren’t you sick to your stomach at the thought?

“Ugh, what is wrong with me?” You couldn’t help but yourself. Maybe it was the fact that you were stressed, maybe it was because you hadn’t had a good fuck in a while so you were just really pent up. In reality? It’s because deep down, despite all your nasty words, despite all the attitude you’d throw his way, you wanted him. You always have. You just couldn’t bring yourself to admit it. Not to yourself and certainly not to him.

Was it wrong? Probably, he’s a year shy of being twice your age and is your coworker, your partner even. Hell, how were you supposed to even know if he’d felt the same way? What if he actually did hate your guts? You were certain every girl in the office probably had eyes for him, for all you know you may not even be his type. Bold of you to assume you’d be anything special just because you get paired together for missions. So to guard yourself from any potential disappointment, you just treated him coldly. No room for getting your hopes up to be let down, no showing him any vulnerability. But you were getting tired of acting this way, of putting up the front that you didn’t like him because it was getting harder and harder with each mission to deny it. You groaned to yourself once again as you found yourself falling down this rabbit hole of mental turmoil. Why did they have to go and say anything to get you thinking about this? And why did it have to be the one man in the office who was the hardest to read?

By the time the day was over you’d managed to finish putting your field report together, meaning you could finally go home, relax and not have to think about it anymore. After getting all of your things together, you slung your bag over your shoulder and made your way to the elevator to head down to the parking garage. It seemed your luck never ran out however, because just as the doors to the elevator were closing, a hand stopped them. Followed by an arm, a shoulder and then finally the muscular frame of the man responsible for keeping you a few moments longer from reaching your car to get home.

That man was none other than your partner, and the last person you wanted to physically face in this moment, Leon Kennedy.

“Jesus, are you fucking following me everywhere now?” You asked in a sour tone, tapping your foot impatiently against the tiles beneath you as he made his way inside, watching you press the door close button over and over to keep anyone else from entering. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s almost like the parking garage has other people who park there too” he snapped back at you as you both assumed your usual positions, backs resting against adjacent walls like you would anytime you were stuck in a room together. The thick tension that resided between you fell over you both once more, leaving the elevator to feel even tighter and more cramped than usual. You folded your arms over your chest once again, a grimace pulling to your lips as the elevator once again seemed to take forever to get you where you were trying to go. “Whatever, asshole” you hissed in response. Little did you know that little comment would be the last straw on his resolve.

You watched as he stood up and leaned over you, pushing himself into your personal bubble to harshly press the emergency stop button on the elevator, getting it to abruptly stop in place. The lights and mechanical whirring that once hummed softly within now laid completely silent in their powered off state. There was nothing filling the tight, quiet space of the elevator now but you and Leon. “Hey! Are you nuts? What the fuck are you doing?? I’m trying to get home!” You complained, looking at him with a mix of agitation, confusion and concern as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest again. He was so close to you now that you could see the way his biceps bulged beneath the sleeves of his quarter zip, far too aware now of how it clung to his torso like it was a second layer of skin. “Stopping this thing so you’ll actually talk to me like a fucking adult” he answered, taking you back for a second at the intense look in his piercing blue eyes. Shit, he was serious. “So you think cornering me in an elevator I can’t get out of is gonna make me want to talk to you anymore than I already don’t want to? Sound logic there, Kennedy. You really know how to make a woman feel safe” you snapped defensively, watching him clench his jaw in agitation at your attitude. You’d been in worse situations, far more dangerous ones than this to be certain, especially with him. Yet the longer you were stuck there with him, the more the air in the cramped elevator had started to turn stiflingly warm. Not because there was no air coming in but because the tension between you was beginning to reach its peak. You caught a faint whiff of the cologne all the women in the office would swoon over, understanding a little more why they would. It was woodsy and leathery, mixed together with the scent of gunpowder and metal in a way that was so uniquely his. You had no doubt it was likely as expensive as the rest of his tastes were but you hated that you liked it so much, that you wanted to smell more of it. Wanted to have it clinging to your clothes, your bed sheets and skin to make them all jealous. Jealous, that he chose you over any of them. Jealous, that you not only get to work with him but fuck him too. You hated it because the more you thought about it, the more you started to sound like you were just desperate for his attention. Desperate for an ounce of his affections pointed your way. Maybe it was time to wake up and face the facts.

That was exactly what you wanted.

“Okay, for fuck’s sake what is your problem with me?” he asked, voice gravely and deep as it reverberated off the metallic walls of the elevator. He’d bickered with you a plethora of times before but never scolded you or yelled at you. You were always the one biting his ankles with some complaint laced in catty attitude but now? He barked back, only much louder. He exuded authority and you had absolutely no idea how to react. Well, no idea how to react normally to it anyway because the heat you were feeling beginning to pool in the pit of your stomach right now, would certainly constitute as anything but a normal reaction. How were you even supposed to answer his question in this state? What were you supposed to say?

”My problem is that you’re hot and I don’t know how to tell you I have a thing for you”?

Or maybe; “My problem is I want to fuck you just like every other woman in this office does”?

Or better yet; “My problem is I like you but I’m scared you don’t feel the same way”

Yeah, right.

Of course you couldn’t say those things, you’d be risking more than just your pride at that point but your job too while you were at it. But you had to come up with something and come up with it fast. You couldn’t let him stand there and think he had the upper hand. “My problem? You’re the one always going on about how I’m getting on your nerves!” You replied defensively, voice raised a tad in show of your frustration. From not only him but with fighting your inner thoughts too. “You do because of shit like this! You give me this bratty attitude all the time and for what?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know why you treated him the way you did. You weren’t this way with anyone else in the office from what he could tell, it was always just him. What made him so intolerable? So unbearable that you’d rather be as far away from him in any room you were in together or take separate means of transportation when you were going to the same place.

Shit, now what were you supposed to say to that?

“I don’t know, because I just want you to like me?” or “Because I have daddy issues, can’t you tell?” Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t cut it. For once you were beyond words and what he’d ask you next certainly didn’t help you come up with any either. “Are you that desperate for my attention? That desperate for a reaction out of me, is that it?” He asked as he loomed closer to you now, practically towering over you with his hulking frame. It should have been infuriating, should have been intimidating, maybe scary even, yet it wasn’t. It only served to make that feeling of excitement brewing in the pit of your stomach grow even stronger. “I…” you tried to get out but still couldn’t find the words. You had a million words running through your mind in that moment, yet you were unsure if any of them were the right ones to say. It was hard to think when he was bombarding your personal space the way he was, with the way his eyes looked as if they were eating you alive. Your mind was short circuiting. “Where’d all that attitude go, princess? Can’t deny it so you won’t fight it, is that it? Did I finally crack your whole charade?” He asked as he leaned in closer to you, as if he was challenging you to defy him.

That’s when something in you snapped. If words wouldn’t come out to your defense, maybe actions could.

You just prayed this would work out in your favor.

Your hands reached up to cup his stubbled face, pulling him down into a rough, heated kiss. You could hear him take a sharp, deep breath in as your lips connected with his, like he’d been waiting for years for you to do this. For one of you to reach your breaking point so that this moment would finally happen. His hands were on you in an instant, fingers digging into the material of your shirt while he grasped at your sides like he was afraid you’d disappear if he ever let go. He pulled you up against him as he groaned deeply into your kiss, leaving you to melt into his every touch. The kiss you shared was messy in every sense of the word, a carnal clash of teeth and tongue as you desperately pawed at one another like feral animals in heat. Soft moans, pants and the wet smack of your lips together filled the otherwise silent elevator. “You wanna know what my problem is? My problem is that you’re stupidly fucking hot and I’ve wanted you for way too damn long now. Happy?” you admitted breathlessly between feverish kisses, making him grin against your lips like he’d just won the lottery as the words left your mouth. “Think I need to hear you say that again actually, didn’t have my phone recording that time to catch it all” he teased making you laugh, actually laugh at his response. “Fuck you” you replied into it while swatting at his chest, albeit with no actual zeal behind it but still a faint hint of your usual cattiness rested in your tone, a soft grin stretching to your lips as you kissed him again. “Thought you’d never ask” he replied brazenly into it, making you laugh at how cheesy of a line it was before his hands roughly explored along your body, leaving you to gasp as they traveled beneath your shirt to finally skim along your sensitive skin.

“Maybe not in the elevator though, think the cameras still work even if it’s shut off” you said, making him pull ever so slightly away for a moment to look up at the camera with you as you still clung to him. “Someone not a risk taker?” he teased with a grin, his fingers trailing along your skin pleasantly, lighting your nerves on fire. “You know damn well I’m a risk taker! I just also happen to like being able to pay my bills” you responded, making him chuckle as he got the elevator up and working again to take you both down to the parking garage. “But you can still kiss me…or whatever” you said in a flustered, almost pouty tone as he parted from you, making him grin at you smugly. Oh he was eating this shit up. “So needy, and here I thought you hated me” he replied, his hands coming back to rest along your sides, rubbing soothing shapes into your skin as he stood so close to you, yet way too far. “I do hate you. Hate you and your handsome face, and all your stupid muscles and your pretty eyes…” you said, making him chuckle as you looped your arms around his neck. “Oh yeah? Hate the way I kiss you too?” He asked as he kissed you again, only this time kissing you with a softer, more intimate intensity than before, making you hum into it as your fingers threaded through his dirty blonde locks. “Mmh…hate that the most. Hate it so fucking much” you spoke against his intoxicating lips with a sly grin, your words a direct contrast to how you really felt but he knew. He knew you all too well. And that was something you certainly didn’t hate.

When you’d both made it down to the parking garage he gestured you to leave through the doors first, taking notice of the way that for once, you weren’t pushing past him to do so before he followed closely behind you. “Think you can tolerate my driving long enough for me to take you back to mine?” He asked with a soft, teasing grin stretched to his lips as his hard body caged you in against the driver’s side of his Porsche. “And here I thought you were a risk taker, Leon. What’s wrong with starting in the back seat?” You asked with a mischievous smirk, your hands traversing along his chest, fingers toying with the zipper of his shirt as a challenging look rested in your gaze. Now that was more of what he was expecting from you. He gave a chuckle as he leaned forward. “Back seat. Now.” he ordered with a squeeze to your hip, making you bite your lip as a shudder ran through you at the feel of his breath against your neck. You watched him open the door for you, your excited giggle morphing into a surprised yelp as he smacked your ass while you hurriedly climbed into the back seat. He wasted no time getting in after you, closing the door behind him as his hulking frame hovered over yours. “So impatient, you’d rather be spread out on my back seat and treated like a desperate whore than let me take you home and fuck you” he said as his lips littered your neck with searing kisses, your hands once again finding their way into his hair as you sighed blissfully. You couldn’t help the moan that left you as his teeth found a rather sensitive spot, nipping and leaving a small but dark bruise in place to ensure you wouldn’t forget what transpired here. “If I’d have known all this time that you had a thing for me, I’d have fixed that bratty attitude of yours a long time ago” he continued, sliding his hands beneath your shirt to help you lift it up over your head, chucking it haphazardly into the front seat with your bra trailing right after. “Look at these gorgeous tits…” he complimented vulgarly and almost breathlessly as he brought his lips to one of your pebbles nipples, earning a soft but sweet moan from you in response. “Fuck, Leon…” you moaned, arching your back from the door to press against him as the lewd sound of him sucking filling the quiet. He groaned into you at the sound of you moaning his name. “Sound so pretty saying my name like that, say it again” he replied.

He let off of you with a wet *pop!* before switching to your other breast, allotting it the same treatment. “Leon, please…” you begged this time, making him chuckle as he looked up at you, drinking in the way your skin had flushed and your eyes were blown wide with lust. How your breathing was already staggering, your lips all glossy and swollen from him kissing you and you biting them. “Please what, baby? Am I not giving you what you want? Need even more of my attention?” He asked in a condescending tone that made you squeeze your thighs together, a whine escaping you as he stopped. “Be a good girl and use your words. Maybe then you’ll get what you want” he continued as he trailed his hand up along your thigh, sending electricity coursing through your veins. “Touch me, please…” you begged but it wasn’t enough, he wanted- no he needed to hear you tell him exactly what you wanted him to do to you. “Need me to touch you? Where, baby?” He asked, but it seemed he wasn’t getting that from you in words like he wanted, not when you’d grabbed his hand and placed it right between your legs instead. A small show of defiance that was all too familiar coming from you. “There” you challenged, making him grin. It’s a start. He worked at the button of your pants before slipping his hand past the waistband and down over your soaked underwear. “Fuck baby, you’re so wet for me already. Want me that bad?” He asked with a smug grin, making you roll your eyes at him. “Oh shut up” you responded flustered by how worked up you were, making him grab at the band of your underwear and pull it back, allowing it to snap against your skin making you yelp. “Play nice and you’ll get what you want, or did you forget already?” He replied in a more domineering tone, making you squirm beneath his authoritative gaze. “Say you’re sorry” he ordered as his lips hovered just out of reach, fingers so close to where you needed them that it made you ache. “Fuck, ‘m sorry daddy..” you whined, not meaning to let the last word slip. Now you were even more flustered, covering your face after the words had slipped from your lips, scared to see his expression twist in some form of disgust.

Oh but it was quite the opposite.

His grin only widened at your plea, his cock throbbing even harder in his jeans as he moved your hands away from your face. “Good girl, begging for me all pretty. Say it again” he said before rubbing your aching clit in tight circles, leaving you to lean your head back against the window and moan. “Daddy, please…make me feel good” you moaned breathlessly, earning a pleased groan from him as he worked you with his fingers, switching between perfect patterns along your clit and scissoring you open with his middle and ring fingers. It had been so long since anything made you feel this good, already leaving you feeling like you were on cloud nine from just his fingers alone. “See? Not so hard to play nice now is it?” He said, making you whine as the obscene squelch of his fingers fucking you began to fill the car. He watched as your eyes fluttered shut, moans raising in pitch just a tad as the pads of his fingers brushed past that spongy bundle of nerves inside of you. “Fuck, right there…don’t stop, please” you begged, mouth agape and brows furrowed in pleasure as you started rolling your hips ever so slightly against his hand to get more of that delicious friction you’d craved. Feeling him rub that spot and your clit brush against the heel of his palm. “Look at you fucking yourself on my hand like a desperate slut. Dripping all over my fingers like a bitch in heat” he chastised, making you moan at his nasty words and the way he was working you open so perfectly. “‘m so close…!” You panted in warning, looking up to see a mischievous grin rise to his lips that made your stomach twist in knots. It was the kind of look that bode really good for you, or really bad.

You whined pathetically as he pulled them from you, leaving you teetering on the edge just to fall back down. “What the fuck? I was right there…” you bit in frustration, looking like a total wreck beneath him from just his fingers alone. After all this time, all the headaches you’d caused him, he couldn’t just let you off the hook that easy. “Not yet. Want you to cum on my cock” he said, making you bite your lip as you nodded your head, watching him work at getting his belt and pants off. His ego soared through the roof watching your jaw drop slightly at the sight of him even through his boxers. “Oh fuck…” you whispered beneath your breath. “What was that about not being able to get it up anymore, princess?” He asked, bringing your hand to stroke along the outline of him through his boxers, leaving you to hum and grin. “I knew that’d get to you” you replied smugly, squeezing him through the fabric and earning a deep grunt from him. “Fuck, should shove it down your pretty throat and make you choke on it. Make you eat those words” he said, making you giggle as he brought them down and off as well, indulging you with the sight of it bobbing up and smacking against the skin just below his naval. “And why don’t you?” You challenged in a seductive tone, making him grin as he lifted one of your legs up, teasing his length through your soaked folds. “Because you’d like it far too much if I did that. Only good girls get what they want and you’re being awfully bratty still” he answered, making you sigh each time his tip would bump your clit, allotting you a little friction but never enough to provide relief. “That’s okay, think I know just the fix” he said before lining himself up and pushing inside.

If you thought his fingers alone had felt good before, you were in heaven now. Head back against the window, one leg propped up as he fucked you into the back seat. You didn’t care if anyone could hear your moans or cries of his name, hell you’d be shocked if the car wasn’t moving from the punishing pace he’d set, giving away what you two were up to even from a distance. “Fuck!! Leon!” You cried out, one hand gripping the seat beneath you and the other on his back, nails biting into his skin as you clung to him. “Was this all you needed? Huh? All this time…fuck- just needed me to fuck that bratty attitude out of you?” He asked, making you whine as you shook your head yes. That wasn’t enough for him however, he needed to hear you say it. “Use your words” he demanded, landing another smack to your ass as he said it, leaving you to moan pathetically at the pleasurable sting. “Yes!! Wanted it so bad, oh!” You replied, feeling his tip bullying your cervix at this angle with each harsh thrust. He left no room for you to think of anything else, just him. Not that you wanted to anyway, even if you could, not with the way he was fucking you at such a dizzying pace. “Shit baby, gripping me so tight ‘s like this cunt was made for me” he said between groans, looking down at where your bodies were joined together, watching himself disappear inside of you only to come back out covered in your slick. “Listen to her, all that for me sweetheart?” He asked, momentarily slowing his pace so that he wouldn’t finish too quickly and so you could hear just how wet you were. “Mmh…all for you, always for you” you admitted, making him groan once more as he leaned down to kiss you once again, picking up his pace a little more.

“Pretty girl…wanted to do this for so long, you know that?” He asked, dragging his kisses down your jaw to your neck, making you whine at the feel of his stubble scratching pleasantly against your skin. “Me too” you admitted breathlessly, your hands coming to his back to cling to him even further. “Never knew how to tell you…” you added, making him chuckle. “‘s okay baby, I’ve got you” he assured, pulling back ever so slightly to watch your gorgeous tits bounce in time with his thrusts. “Daddy…” you whimpered, hiding your face in the crook of his neck in embarrassment as he reduced you to such a submissive state. Yet it felt so good you couldn’t bring yourself to really care, blow to your ego be damned. He groaned once again at the name, feeling your walls begin to tighten around him signaling that you were close. “Wanna cum so bad, please…” you begged, words slightly muffled against his skin. “Cum for me sweetheart, I’ve got you” he assured, listening to your moans raise higher in pitch and grow closer together as he brought you over the edge. “Leon..!” You let out as your back keened from the leather seat, sticky from your sweat and your nails dig into his back, leaving puffy red streaks down the expanse of his skin as your orgasm surged through you. “Fuck, good girl” he complimented, his hips stuttering at the feel of you gripping him so tight and pulsing around him.

“Fuck, so tight…sucking me in like that. You’re making it hard to think about pulling out” he said, making you giggle as you looked up at him with that ever familiar sparkle of mischief in your eyes. “Then don’t. Know you wanna stay” you said with a sly grin, looking up at him through half lidded eyes, making him groan. “Dangerous words, baby” he added, making you bite your lip with another giggle as you trapped him in with your legs. You knew he had enough strength to break your hold on him if he really wanted to, but his resolve was far too weak for you. After all, how could he think of pulling out when you were so warm, so tight, so perfect wrapped around him like this. “Told you I’m a risk taker” you teased with an even wider grin as he kissed you, thrusting into you a few more times before spilling inside of you with a damn near feral growl. A moan left you as he panted into your mouth, groaning into your messy kiss with each throb of his cock filling you so full that you were already leaking onto the leather seat beneath you.

You pulled back for a moment, allowing your head to fall against the seat as you fought to catch your breath. “Really wish I would’ve pissed you off sooner” you said, making him chuckle as he also sat there catching his breath. “Oh really?” He asked in reply, quirking his brow in interest at your admission. “Why else do you think I made that comment about you not being able to get it up? I knew it’d get under skin” you replied with a smug grin, making him shake his head at you. “Unbelievable” he replied, making you giggle. “But hey, I’d say it turned out pretty well. You certainly showed me” you said, sitting up to bring your lips to his in a softer, much sweeter kiss compared to the ones before. He couldn’t deny that despite falling into your trap, it did end up playing out rather well for you both. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you when we get back to your place” you promised, making him chuckle. “Okay but you’re driving, my knees and back are shot. Car sex isn’t exactly as comfortable as they make it out to be…” he grumbled as you both pulled your clothes back on, at least attempting to look decent. You laughed at his response as he handed you his keys before exiting the back seat and moving to the front. “Okay old man, want me to rest my hand on your thigh while I drive too? Give you the full passenger princess treatment?” You teased playfully, making him roll his eyes despite the small grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “On second thought, maybe I’ll just drive…” he replied, making you laugh as you pushed the ignition to start. “Nope, too late. No take backsies, now buckle up princess” you said as you started to back out and make your way out of the parking garage, jokingly squeezing his thigh as you did so. “You’re enjoying this way too much” he said in almost a defeated tone, making you laugh. “Don’t act like you don’t love it. Getting on your nerves is my specialty” you quipped and as much as he wanted to deny it, you weren’t wrong.

“Jill sent us a group text” Leon said as you were making your way to his place. “What’d she say?” You asked curiously, peaking at his phone for a moment while you were stopped at a red light. “Says “You two couldn’t even make it home, huh?” then she sent a picture of you up against the car and another of us climbing in the back seat together” he said, making your face flush as your eyes focused back on the road. “Fuck…we’re never gonna hear the end of it” you cursed, making him grin and chuckle to himself a bit at your embarrassment as he saved the pictures. “You weren’t exactly making it easy either with the way you were screaming my name” he quipped with a smug grin, making you huff in defeat. “Whatever, would you rather I been silent?” You bit back. “Didn’t think you were capable of such a thing” He replied making your jaw drop with a dramatic gasp, earning a hearty laugh from him. Then you heard him typing before he placed his phone down in the cup holder. “Hold on, you responded??” You asked, sounding stunned. “Yeah? You were the one that told me it was rude to leave people on read” he replied, making you look at him for a brief moment. “What did you say?” You asked, almost scared to know. “Said I blew out my back in the process now she’s driving me home and added a picture of you driving with your hand on my leg” he replied, making you laugh. “Okay, I can’t be mad. That’s actually pretty good” you replied through your fit of giggles before another ding sounded from his phone. “You two are disgusting already, love it but get a room next time” he said, reading her reply and making you laugh again. “Working on that now…thumbs up” he said out loud as he was typing it, making you gasp as he sent it. “Leon! You did not…” you said, making him shrug his shoulders.

It was nearing 2 a.m. when you gave up pretending to sleep.

The rain was still falling — slow and steady, like a lullaby from a world you weren’t invited into tonight. It should’ve been calming, but your flat felt empty in the kind of way that echoed. Quiet wasn’t peaceful. It was loud. Deafening. Crawling up the walls, under your skin. You hadn’t been able to settle since the sun went down.

Your phone screen glowed too bright as you stared down at the one contact you’d been hovering over all night: Nat.

No emojis. No last name. Just those three letters. You’d learned not to label things when it came to her.

You knew she’d just gotten back from a mission. You knew she was probably dead on her feet, bruised and sore and fading into sleep for the first time in god knows how long. You knew calling her — asking to come over — would be selfish.

But you also knew she’d answer.

And so, at 2:07 a.m., with your stomach in knots and your jumper still damp from the rain that clung to the air like ghosts, you hit call.

It rang twice.

“…Hey.”

Her voice was rough, like gravel and warmth all at once.

You swallowed, suddenly unsure. “Did I wake you?”

A pause.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Nat—”

“You okay?” she asked, sharp now. Alert. Still half in mission-mode.

You let out a shaky breath. “I… I couldn’t sleep. I know you’re exhausted, I just… I didn’t want to be alone tonight.”

There was a beat of silence.

Then: “Where are you?”

“Home. Just—” You paused, gripping the hem of your sleeve. “Could I come over? Just for a bit?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Door’ll be open.”

You could’ve cried.

✧❁❁❁✧✿✿✿✧❁❁❁✧

By the time you got there, the building was quiet. Stark had bought it for the team — tucked away, low-key, far enough from the Compound to feel private but close enough for emergency calls. You’d only been here a handful of times, and never like this.

The door creaked open at your touch. She’d left it unlocked just like she said. Your heart gave a stupid little lurch at that — trust like that from a woman like her meant something.

Her place was dark, save for the low amber glow from the lamp in the corner of the living room. The TV was paused on some black-and-white classic you’d seen her watch before, probably something to help her pretend she wasn’t waiting for sleep.

She was sitting curled on the sofa in an old tee and grey joggers, hair damp from a post-mission shower, a bruised patch blooming faintly beneath her collarbone. You clocked the ice pack on her knee and the blanket tossed beside her.

And then she looked up at you — tired, sure, but her expression softened in that quiet way it always did just for you. The smallest of smiles pulled at her mouth.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey,” you whispered back.

You stood awkwardly in the doorway for a second before she wordlessly held the blanket out. You crossed the room faster than you meant to, shedding your coat and dropping your bag to the floor as you climbed beside her.

The warmth of her body next to yours was grounding. She pulled the blanket over you both, tugging you into her side like it was second nature. You settled against her chest, feeling the soft thrum of her heartbeat under your cheek.

Neither of you spoke for a while.

You traced idle patterns over the hem of her shirt, your hand brushing the faint line of a healing cut on her ribs. She didn’t flinch. Just let you touch, let you feel that she was whole.

It was only when your breathing slowed that she broke the silence.

“Bad day?” she asked softly, voice like silk laced with concern.

You nodded against her shoulder. “Felt off. Like the walls were closing in or something. Just… everything was too loud and too quiet at the same time.”

She hummed low in her throat, the sound vibrating through your skin. “I get that.”

“Didn’t wanna burden you, though. I know you’ve been through hell this week.”

Her fingers found yours beneath the blanket, lacing together easily.

“You’re never a burden,” she said. No fluff, no drama. Just the truth.

You looked up at her then, searching her face.

“We don’t… really do this, do we?” you said. “The showing up in the middle of the night part.”

Natasha’s lips twitched. “No. We do the secret glances and short texts and pretending like you don’t know what’s in my bedside drawer.”

You gave a weak laugh. “I think the drawer is mutual at this point.”

Her hand came up, fingers brushing your hair back gently. “You could’ve called any of them. Wanda. Sam. Even Barton.”

“None of them would’ve picked up at 2 a.m.”

“I always will.”

You blinked hard at the sudden sting in your eyes. Natasha didn’t say things unless she meant them. She didn’t need to.

“Is this what it’s like?” you asked, voice hoarse.

“What?”

“Being with someone. Really being with them.”

Natasha was quiet for a moment. Her thumb stroked yours under the blanket.

“Maybe,” she murmured. “Or maybe it’s just you.”

✧❁❁❁✧✿✿✿✧❁❁❁✧✯

You must’ve dozed off like that. When you woke, the rain had stopped and the light was dim, sunrise not far off. Natasha was still holding you — both arms now, one around your waist, the other cradling your head. Her breathing was slow. Steady. Peaceful.

You shifted slightly to look at her.

God, she looked young when she slept. Not in the helpless way people romanticised, but in the free way. Like someone who hadn’t carried half the world’s blood on her back. Like someone who deserved this quiet, this stillness. You knew how rare it was for her. You knew how rare it was for you, too.

Still, as much as you wanted to stay like this forever, the world was waiting.

You reached for your phone to check the time, and—

“Leaving already?” came her groggy voice.

You froze, then relaxed a little as she blinked at you through heavy lashes.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t.” She yawned, rubbing her eyes. “I just missed the part where you were gonna sneak out on me.”

“I wasn’t— okay, maybe I was.”

She gave you a Look.

“I thought you’d want your space,” you mumbled. “After the mission. After me showing up like a stray cat.”

Natasha tilted her head.

“Maybe I like stray cats,” she said dryly. “Especially the ones who know where the tea is and don’t ask me to talk about body counts.”

You smiled faintly. “I know you’re not a morning person.”

“I’m barely a night person.”

“But still,” you whispered, leaning in slightly. “Thanks for picking up. For letting me in.”

Her hand cupped your jaw then, gentle, grounding.

“You’re not something I ‘let in,’ detka,” she said. “You’re already here.”

✧❁❁❁✧✿✿✿✧❁❁❁✧

You left around sunrise, slipping out quietly with a soft kiss to her temple and one of her hoodies that she very pointedly pretended not to notice was missing.

The team would never know.

Not today. Maybe not for a long time.

But in the quiet hours of the morning, when it was just you and her and the hum of a city that hadn’t started yet — you didn’t need anyone else to know.

Because she knew.

And that was enough.

Your Stalker. Your hunter. Maybe a friend– It was hard to tell. You'd tried to be friendly with it- With him. This… Towering, prickly-haired beast. Imposing and lanky. Small eyes gleaming in the darkness alongside a slit smile.

“ … Lenny?”

A heartbreaking sound escapes you. Your voice, so timid, so scared- It wasn't his name. He didn't have a name. It was just something you'd come up with to stop calling him meaner things. But he seemed so ecstatic when you named him.

You weren't sure to stay or flee.

You wanted to run. But where?

Instead, you just shake. Curling up with the bedding of your once-home.

He wasn't here, not entirely present at least. Lurking nearby, somewhere else in the cave. Squinted pearly eyes watch you, your form fully visible in the dark dark cavern. He felt bad leaving you like this… Legs twitching, it's hard to stay upright like that. He'd like to press down, let his real legs scuttle about as he lay down and hold you. Nestle deep against your chest, your neck– Feel your skin and hair against his fur. Grasp you with his needy hands and feel you squirm… It would be Aetheric.

The expression barely visible on his face was sick. Pure sick. A lonely, violent type of lovesick. With no ill intent toward you, thankfully– Abhorring any moment he had to and long after it occurred. But it didn't mean he felt entirely guilty.

… Sometimes, you just hurt him so much …

— He never wanted to hurt you, but hearing you scream and cry– Feeling your axe press deep into his chest. A sharp squeak of betrayal had escaped him, tears pricking his eyes as he hesitantly pinned you down even harder. Axe still embedded in him, his chelicerae twitch, pedipalps nervously brushing against his face in waning contemplation.

He bit you. Hard. He felt miserable at how you cried out, sensing how equally hurt both physically and mentally it made you. A soft hiss escapes him as he tastes your blood, the desperate side of him enjoying it- Savoring it. He shuddered as he briefly lapped it up, eventually releasing you and skittering away faster than you could clear your tears.

You didn't follow him. You only lied there, sobbing and reeling in agony. It was a short lived poison, vision cloudy and dark as you felt an unbearable urge to throw up- Your body stung, burned. But it didn't even last 15 seconds… He hadn't meant to bite that hard…

He watches from a distance, trembling hands against the now open wound on his chest. As upset as he was, he still wanted to make sure you'd get home okay… You both just got a little scared. He wasn't mad. Honest…

A prominent white lined frown is on his face. His eyes sad, like a puppy.

You'd found the axe you shoved into him a few days later, still dried with his off colored blood. There wasn't a point in throwing it out- Iron was hard enough to find here… —

He's too scared to come up to you. He felt… Bad. He had you now, of course, and you'd never be leaving. He didn't want you to leave, to be around others. Farm animals, pets, villagers— No other mobs. To think anything could hurt you… Or that anything else could love you.

He could understand why something would love you. Of course he could. You were the first thing he ever felt this intense about… But you… Sweet, kind, gentle you– You'd give in to anything warm enough. You were just so lonely in this world… He could never blame you for that.

It’s all projection.

It's all his own loneliness.

You had built a life.

You had a home. A farm. Pets…

You'd visit the nearby village often, gotten to know the inhabitants, were practically part of their community—

He was the only one alone.

His feet shuffle against the stone, legs on his back clicking around as he tries to fight through any doubts. You wouldn't… Be that scared, would you? He knew this might be scary… But it was just him. You called out for him, didn't you? Not ‘help’, not screaming. Just… Lenny. Like he was the only thing in your life. And you were terrified of losing him.

A shameful few chirps escape him as he scuttles slowly from his hiding spot, just barely being heard from you as you perk up. Your eyes scan across the dark pit of the room, seeing only a few dots of illumination from glow lichen and some white eyes– Eyes?

Your stomach drops, heart skipping a beat as you whimper and sit up, scooting away and tangling slightly against the webs and fur. He slinks back briefly, now just standing still to watch. He looks… Sad. You blink away tears, taking your time to calm down a bit.

“ … Lenny? Is that you?” You whisper, voice quivering.

He doesn't answer. He never really did.

But you knew those eyes. You'd seen that white lined mouth before- And every time, seeing it frown made you nervous. You let the nesting you clung to drop, slowly crawling a bit forward on your hands. Your mouth opens to speak, falling mute for a moment.

“Lenny…?”

You can see the flicker of limbs behind him through some of the light of the lichen, his legs twitching. Was he angry? Was he just being shy?

… You really needed to know.

“Please don't do this.” You finally whimper out, hands balling up weakly against the bedding before you sit back, curling them up against you for comfort. “You're- You're really scaring me…!”

You blink and it burns, his hands tense as a helpless squeak sounds from him. Raw guilt. He can see in your face just how scared you are.

“If I close my eyes, will you come closer…?” You speak, trying to steady your voice. “Are you just nervous?”

Your mouth is dry, so you take a few moments to just breathe. As if just thinking about it would make you produce more saliva.

“I'm not mad…” You whisper, eyes eventually closing alongside a gentle flinch of worry.

It doesn't take long before his shaking form approaches, a shift in the air telling you so. He always had a way of making things around him feel… Fuzzy. And not in a good way.

Your expression only turns more fearful, and eventually you block your face off with your hands, shielding your visage from his.

When his claws meet your wrists, you nearly break. A sharp cry escapes you as you try to tear yourself away, unable to as he merely peels your arms apart with a desperate nuzzle into your chest. He presses you back, shuddering and drooling as he buries his soft face into your neck. Your heart is so loud now, he can feel it against his own body. Thump thump thumping all because of him.

“L-Lenny, stop-! Please don't- Don't kill—”

You're crying so hard, a squirming mess. Though as teeth don't find your throat… You start to calm back down– Still in slight hysterics– Yet you no longer thrash. Merely lay under him. As your muscles relax and you absentmindedly go limp, he too paces himself.

Arachnid legs stop twitching, instead softly curling just enough to hold you closer. His fingers and thumbs clasp beyond gentle against you; A stiff motion to soothe you as best he knows.

Hesitantly, you nuzzle against him. Your cheek rubs against his face, feeling his pedipalps freeze up before twitching. You lean into his shoulder, breathing deep and quick to his vile hair. After carrying around his first gift for so long, you'd gotten used to the smell.

How Aetheric it was to have you like this.

“Lenny…” It comes out breathlessly, nearly desperate. You hadn't meant for it to… He rubs his head firmly against you, that feeling of drool pooling a bit more intensely against your neck. You whimper, shaking arms eventually slipping carefully around him and between his arachnid legs. You were still so scared, yet here you were… Holding him…

“Oeh yooo…”

. . .

What sounds like words come from his throat.

They're slightly garbled, and chirpy. The seeming knowledge and ability of an infant with the tone of some ancient, malformed beast. In the moment, you can't understand what he means.

But he'd get better at it.

For you, he would…

…

Your jaw shuts with an audible click, going tense as you stare at them incredulously. Seriously? All of this, all of the panic, the urgency, because Sylus got drunk? You take a deep, slow breath, trying to ease the immediate desire to knock their heads together.

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that you called me. In the middle of the night. After I had settled down for bed. Screaming bloody murder over the phone. Because Sylus had too much to drink?”

“...yes.”

“That’s right.”

You close your eyes. Another deep breath. Slowly, the panic that had washed over you recedes, leaving a sliver of irritation and amusement. You really should expect nothing less from them.

“Okay,” you sigh and prop your hands on your hips. The two seem to relax, like they had actually expected you to smack them. Which you might have, if they hadn’t sounded truly distressed earlier. “So why is this such a bad thing? Sylus is an adult, he can handle being a little drunk, but you two are acting like the world is ending. Why?”

“Well you see-”

“Boss gets incredibly physical when he’s drunk-”

“Not in a violent way-”

“Unless he’s around people he doesn’t like.”

“Right.”

You blink slowly at them, “...so?”

“It’s scary!” Kieran crows.

“It’s like having a kodiak bear trying to give you a hug!” Luke adds, curling his fingers in a gesture you’re sure is meant to mimic said bear.

“We love the boss, but we can’t handle him like this.”

“And he kept asking for you! So we called.”

Ah.

You take a moment to really process all of it. Sylus is drunk. Sylus is a touchy drunk…

It’s too good to pass up on

“Alright, boys,” you hum, an excited grin slowly spreading across your lips. You clap both of them gently on the shoulder. “I’ll take it from here. You can go hide wherever you usually do.”

“Thank you, Miss.”

“We knew calling you was the right decision. Please take care of our boss.”

“I’ll do my best.”

The twins skitter off as soon as you let them go, leaving you alone in the foyer. You quietly slip your coat off, hanging it up properly before making your way further into the base. Not knowing exactly where Sylus could be, you check all the obvious places. The bar. His bedroom. The kitchen. All of which are empty.

Finally you come to the den. Each step makes your heart race a little quicker, the thick silence putting you on edge. A drunk person shouldn’t be so hard to find. But as you step into the room, looking over every nook and cranny (despite how large the man in question is), you once again find it empty.

Where on earth could he be?

“My, my, a kitten’s wandered into my home.” You nearly jump out of your skin when an arm curls around your waist, drawing you back against a solid chest. The familiar warmth of his touch is like a balm to your nerves. You glance over your shoulder, gaze meeting a pair of sleepy vermillion eyes, their depths hazy and dark. “You broke our agreement, sweetie.”

You bite back a smile, “Maybe I wouldn’t have had to if a certain someone hadn’t gotten tipsy and scared the boys.”

Sylus huffs, his face dipping to nuzzle into the crook of your neck in an uncharacteristically soft show of affection. His breath is dizzyingly warm against your skin, his nose tracing featherlight along the column of your throat, like he’s breathing you in. It makes you feel dizzy. You clutch onto his arm to anchor yourself, breath hitching when his lips press tenderly against your racing pulse. 

“I’ve missed you.” 

The words are a mere whisper, the sound rumbling through his chest, so deep you can feel it with how his body leans into yours. You let out a shuddering breath, eyes flickering shut.

“I missed you too, Sy.”

So much. You didn’t want to admit to yourself just how much his absence had been wearing you down. Little by little until you could feel the gaping emptiness, like a stream carving a canyon. You were homesick. And it makes your heart flutter to know he felt the same.

“How about we sit, huh?” You suggest softly, and his arms tighten. Turning your head, despite the awkward angle, you press a reassuring kiss to his silvery locks, “I’m not going anywhere, love. I can’t support your weight much longer, though.”

Seemingly appeased, Sylus lets out an understanding hum. In a puff of black smoke, you find yourself settled on the couch, your back pressed into the soft leather with Sylus laying on top of you, his arms still curled around your waist, head resting on your chest. He nuzzles into you like a cat, letting out a long, drawn out sigh.

It’s adorable really. And jarring. While Sylus has never shied away from being affectionate, it’s always been in his rough, teasing way. This feels tender. Vulnerable. While you were originally planning to tease him to no end, you find yourself overwhelmed with a gentle kind of adoration for the man, your fingers softly fussing with his hair.

“You know, I think I like this side of you.”

“Hmmm, is that so?” Sylus mumbles sleepily, his eyes barely open as he gazes up at your face.

“Yah,” you breathe, tracing the relaxed line of his brow, fingers skimming down his cheek to brush the corner of his lips, “You’re acting so cute and docile. Maybe I should start calling you kitten.”

Even sleepy Sylus won’t let that stand. The second your fingers graze his lips, he nips at them, not enough to hurt, but enough to make you snatch them back, inhaling sharply. Heat curls in your chest, matching the heat burning behind his gaze as he flashes you that lazy yet dangerous smile.

“Don’t mistake my affection for passivity, sweetie,” he rumbles, pushing himself up just enough to graze his lips against yours, the smell of expensive alcohol and his rich cologne clouding your senses. “You should be more wary of a man when his restraints are loose. There’s no telling what he might do once you fall for his trap.”

Ah. You hold back a giggle, eyes narrowing up at him with mirth. So that’s what this was all about.

“Trap, huh? Is that what this was? Did you get tipsy and scare the twins on purpose so they’d call me?”

Sylus doesn’t look ashamed for even a second, offering a nonchalant shrug. The way his ears go red, though, tells you that you’ve hit the nail on the head.

“Aw, you did all that just cause you missed me?” Reaching up, you loop your arms around Sylus’ shoulders and draw him even closer. Your lips brush his as you murmur, “You could have just called, pretty bird.”

“And what fun would that be?” Sylus tilts his head, eyes flickering down to your lips. 

He wants to kiss you breathless, the sensation of your lips ghosting against his driving his already muddled thoughts wild. The way you look under him, hair a mess, dressed in such cute pajamas, is a perfectly tempting image, but it’s the fact that he can’t quite think straight that makes him hold back. While getting drunk was certainly a good way to get you here, it was not conducive to anything else he might want.

And simply having you by his side is enough.

You sigh as Sylus presses a sweet kiss to your lips. Unlike most of your kisses, this one isn’t about passion or hunger. Intense, yes, but intense in a way that feels like devotion. It’s reverent and slow, leaving a lingering hum under your skin as he draws away.

“Will you stay?”

Fondly, you rub your nose against his ever so slightly, “Of course.”

“Good.”

Sylus lowers himself back into you, face nuzzling into the crook of your neck. Your arms loop around him, fingers going back to his hair. The silence that envelops you is comforting, the only sound being that of your mingled breath. His warmth covers you so completely, you can’t help but relax, eyelids growing heavier with each second that ticks by. Sylus’ breathing steadily grows deeper, lulling you further and further into sleep. Until you slip under, your lips pressed to his temple as you fall asleep.

And that’s how Luke and Kieran find you the next morning. Cuddled up, with their boss curled around you protectively, like two lounging cats.

You wake up to a notification on your phone.

The picture immediately becomes your new background.

(And secretly, Sylus also makes it his, too.)

---

Rhett was pacing the length of his porch back and forth.

His boots scuffed against the wood, while he held his hat firmly in his hands, his jaw tight and clenched.

He’d been pacing like this all morning. He didn’t head into town, he didn’t respond when Perry asked what his damn problem was. Just muttered some excuse about having a problem with his truck. But the problem definitely wasn’t his truck. It was you.

You had been walking down Main Street. You were wearing a sundress, the one that always made Rhett’s heart beat ten times faster. But it wasn’t the sundress that had caused this, no. It was the fact that there was a guy walking next to you, you were laughing, your shoulder’s occasionally bumping while the guy was carrying a bag like he’d just taken you shopping.

It had stopped Rhett dead in his tracks and made him feel like he was shoved underwater. He’d been halfway to the hardware store, a list in his hand when he saw you. And everything else just disappeared from his mind.

You didn’t even see him, too busy laughing at something the man next to you had said. And that had hurt him more than anything.

He’d liked you for years.

Hell, maybe he even loved you. But he never told you because you were his absolute best friend. You were the one person in town who didn’t see him as a complete mess or a rodeo star, you saw him for him, and you never made him feel like he had to prove himself around you.

With you, he felt like he could breathe. He didn’t want to screw that up, he didn’t want to lose the one good thing that made sense in his life.

You’d always show up on the ranch with two coffees and a bag of mini donuts. You’d dragged him to a county fair once just because he’d never been. You took him out of town and made him go shopping with you while he grumbled but the smile never left his face. But yet you never made a move. So neither did he.

And now? Now he was pretty damn sure he’d waited too long to tell you.

It was Thursday, the day you and Rhett have met for lunch at the same time for over a year.  

You sat at the diner table alone, the same booth the two of you always claimed in the corner of the diner. You had two coffees on the table while your stomach sat in knots that twisted tighter every time the door chimed open and Rhett wasn’t the one walking in.

You checked your phone, there were no texts, no calls, not even a voicemail. There was just nothing. Your mind raced with thoughts of what could’ve happened. Did something happen? Was he hurt? You knew he could be reckless sometimes, riding too fast, driving too far without saying anything.

But something in your gut said this wasn’t that, because no matter how reckless Rhett was, he always came back to you. This was something else, and something you didn’t understand.

You sat there for twenty more minutes. The waitress coming by and gave you a sympathetic look as you pushed your fries around your plate without really eating. You smiled through the ache that sat heavy on your chest and said “I guess he’s just busy.” But the truth? It really fucking hurt. It felt like something in you had cracked open, and now all the doubt and worry was rushing in, swarming your thoughts about what happened. What you did wrong. Because Rhett never skipped lunch, not once in an entire year.

That night you didn’t sleep. You stared at your ceiling, wide awake while your heart pounded in your chest thoughts running the worst scenarios through your head. Was it something you had said? Something you didn’t say?

Had he finally gotten tired of you and your chaotic antics? You didn’t even realize you were crying until you felt the wetness on your pillow, and felt the burn in your eyes.

The next morning you found him by the stables, tossing hay like it had personally wronged him in some way. He looked exhausted, dark circles lined under his eyes, his shirt damp with sweat and his jaw clenched like it was whenever he was upset. You walked closer, softly muttering “Hey.” Your voice quiet, but not weak.

Rhett turned slowly, wiping his hands on his jeans, his gaze not meeting your eyes before muttering back a  “Hey.”

“I brought lunch,” you said, lifting the bag, a small smile crossing your face as you looked at him. He nodded, still not looking you in the eye, before responding. “You didn’t have to.”

You stepped closer, your eyes softening as you felt that heavy weight on your chest “You skipped yesterday, Rhett.”

Rhett sighed, trying not to lose his temper as he mutters back “Was busy s'all.” before throwing another haystack.

You exhaled sharply, feeling his temper beginning to rise, something he was always careful to watch around you. You softly muttered “Rhett, come on. Don’t lie to me, we tell each other everything.”

That finally made him look up, and that’s when you saw it in his eyes, hurt, jealousy, anger. He laughed, but it held no amusement. “Figured you had other plans with your boyfriend.” he said as his eyes darkened

Your stomach dropped entirely as you stared back at him, your mind baffled softly muttering “My what?”

He shrugged his shoulders with a scoff “That guy you were with. You looked pretty cozy together.”

Your throat tightened, as you managed to get out, “You mean Caleb?” Rhett didn’t respond. Just turned back toward the haystack like the conversation was over.

You stepped forward, your voice sharp as you exclaimed “Rhett Abbott! Caleb Parker is a family friend. His uncle and my dad went to high school together. I was showing him around town while he and his uncle were visiting. He has a girlfriend!” 

Then complete silence before you continued, your voice still sharp and thick with emotion now. “You really think I’d be with someone and not tell you?” He didn’t say anything, the silence deafening to your ears.

You kept going, your voice trembling as you spoke. “I waited for you Rhett. I sat there by myself for almost an hour, waiting for a call, a text, anything. Do you have any idea how that felt? I felt like I didn’t matter to you, like I was discarded and thrown away.”

His shoulders tensed as he turned around and looked at you. The guilt shining through his blue eyes.“M’sorry. M’so Sorry. I just, I saw you with him, and God. I didn’t know what to do. I thought you’d moved on and found someone who actually deserved you, more than I ever did.”

Your eyes stung with tears, your body leaning in on itself as you stared at the man you’ve had a crush on for years. “I never moved on, because I never had anyone to move on from. I’ve only ever had eyes for one person.” you said softly. Rhett’s head snapped up comedically quick. And you stared straight at him before softly whispering. “You.”

He blinked as you stepped closed and said “It’s always been you Rhett. I just didn’t say anything because I thought maybe you didn’t want more than this, and I didn’t want to lose what we had.”

Rhett looked at you, his voice full of guilt “I was scared. Scared if I said something, you’d run away, that I’d ruin the only thing that’s ever made sense in my life.”

“You’ve always had me Rhett” You mutter softly, tears streaming down your face, while Rhett looked like he might cry too. He took a few steps forward and pulled you straight into his arms.

His hands wrapped around your shoulder blades and low back, while your arms wrapped tight around his middle and you stood there holding each other tightly as he mumbled a soft “M'so sorry, darlin'” Over and over, like he needed to make up for every second he made you doubt your worth.

“I know Rhett. But you’re here now, that’s what matters.” You whispered, pressing your face into his chest. He softly grasped your chin making you look up at him as he peered down at you, before pulling you into a soft kiss. A kiss that felt like home.

A week later you slid into your booth and smiled at Rhett who was already there with two coffees and a small bouquet of flowers.

“Hey, Darlin’ thought I’d beat you for once.” He said with a soft grin on his face.

You grinned widely looking at the man in front of you, softly muttering “You trying to impress me, Abbott?” He leaned closer, lacing your fingers together over the table. “Always, Darlin’.”

"You are aware I'm capable of driving myself to work right?" Robby chuckled, leaning against the passenger window so he could get a better look at his girlfriend.

Not a phrase he'd ever really expected to be saying. His girlfriend.

"On that death trap? You're lucky I'm nice or I'd dismantle the thing." You grumbled, glaring at him with no real heat.

"It's almost like you like me or something." 

"I do." You smiled softly, turning for a moment before focusing back on the road as you turned into the PTMC staff parking area. "Come on, let's go do hand-off."

He couldn't keep the smile from his face as he got out of the car, pulling his bag from the back seat.

"You realize you don't work here right?" He teased.

"Dana made me an honorary admin, said I do enough work keeping you and Jack in line." You stuck your tongue out at him as the two of you entered the building. The instant pull of the Pitt being the only thing keeping him from dragging you into a kiss right there in the vestibule. 

"See you tonight sweetheart!" He called out over his shoulder as the first incoming traumas swept him up.

You settled into an open seat at the nurse's hub, chatting innocently with Dana while waiting on Jack to finish up.

"Now if that ain't a sight for sore eyes." He put his hands on your shoulders as he leaned over to plant a kiss on your cheek.

"Ready to go yet Jack?" You hummed, just your smile melting away the strain of the shift.

"Couple minutes love, you know you don't have to do this every day right?" 

"The both of you." You huffed, crossing your arms and glaring. "Between Robby and his Bonneville and you and your tendency to walk home for 'some air', I'd swear it's like you want to put yourselves in early graves."

"Not anymore." He couldn't keep the smile off his face, giving you a firm squeeze before stepping away with a wink. "Ten minutes max, punish me if I'm wrong."

"Holding you to that Dr. Abbot!" You called out before turning to Dana. "Make sure Robby's ready to go at 7 tonight please? Got a surprise for the two of them."

"Got your back kid, glad they have ya. Honest."

Your smile grew, turning to survey the chaos your two partners thrived so well in.

over the couch stress reliever • eddie munson

“baby. hey—“ eddie had all but clocked out on you as he stared at the wall blankly. his knuckles against his chin, bloodshot eyes and faraway, tense expression. “eddie… we’ve been at this for sixteen hours. you’re going to do fine on your finals. you know this… i’ve given you every note and homework assignment of mine since the beginning of the year to help you…”

eddie finally looked at you— like he almost forgot you were there. he nodded, rigid, body practically vibrating with tension and stress. “please eat something…” the multiple snacks, energy drinks and gatorades you had brought over still remained untouched. “can’t we just… run through it all again? one more time… just to be sure…”

you sighed, flipping closed the notebook and stacking the scattered papers filled with notes and diagrams and equations. eddie grabbed your wrist desperately, as if closing the book would make all the information and answers spill right back out of his head. “i need…to graduate… i have to get out of that hellhole…” the way his voice shook, the way he held himself like he was barely keeping it together, broke your heart a little bit. he was so hard on himself. despite his loud presence and the way he always filled a room, he rarely actually believed in himself. he was still holding your hand, desperate, his shaking slightly. “eddie.” you spoke to him firmly, taking both of his hands so he had to acknowledge you, “you’re going to graduate. your grades have been great… you know everything that will be on the tests… i promise you you will walk that stage and get that diploma— you can flip off everyone in the building as you do— but you’re going to get out of there…”

you could tell he still didn’t believe you. his eyes were still wide, strained from staring at notes for an entire day, bloodshot from how frequently he rubbed them in frustration. he had worked himself into a sweat with anxiety and you didn’t think anything you said would convince him. “hey…” you closed the book and tossed it on the table. eddie looked like he wanted to stop you but he didn’t. you watched him softly, shifting on the couch until you sat in his lap. his hands instinctively found your hips, holding you against him like it was the only thing grounding him to his sanity. your fingers found his hair, stroking through it gently, sighing softly, “if you keep at this without rest…without food…you’re going to make yourself sick. we can run through everything again, but you need a break.” he relaxed only slightly against your fingers in his hair. he breathed— short, shaky and forced; finally shifting his eyes off the pile of books and papers and onto you. his eyes traveled your face, the tension and stress changing into something harder and more desperate.

then he was kissing you. hands on your hips, flipping you onto your back in one— really quite impressive— motion, that left you breathless. he tucked himself between your bent knees, hands moving from your hips upwards, until they pinned your wrists above your head. lord knew you weren’t going to say a word to stop him— after all, if this is what it took to get eddie to stop stressing and take a break, who were you to argue—

eddie’s kisses were heavy and punishing; as if it was you, who had worked him up into this state. you attempted to shift underneath him, fingers grabbing desperately for his shirt, but his fingers tightened just enough around your wrists to silently tell you that you weren’t going anywhere. you inhaled sharply, arching up slightly at eddie’s strategically placed knee, between your legs. you could almost feel his smirk against your lips, shifting into you, lowering himself against you enough to be intentional and desperate. he didn’t say anything. his usual praise, constant compliments and flirty, cheeky smirk was no where to be found; instead, replaced with something animalistic, desperate and almost feral.

you curved up into him as his mouth grazed along your jaw, down your throat and to your collarbone. he wasn’t teasing. he was savoring… still needy and messy and frantic, but slightly more calculated. the cool metal of one of his rings brushed against your skin, just below the neck line of your shirt and you nearly moaned. his finger traced your collarbone, dipping down once again, tugging on your shirt like it was a great inconvenience. his mouth shifted to your chest, hot and heavy and devouring, fist bunched against your shirt, definitely stretching it out— definitely still not satisfied yet with enough access.

before you could gasp out a warning about the likely ruined neckline, his mouth was back on yours. tongue and teeth, nipping and demanding your full attention. you were dizzy— stomach flipping, head spinning, eyes already glossy. eddie was always a lot— in every aspect of his life, in every way that made him him— his presence, his personality, his clinginess and neediness and striking individuality. the rushed, desperate, heated kisses were nothing new. anything eddie did was hot and heavy and all in. after all, eddie himself had always been hot and fiery and rather all consuming. there had been countless rushed, hot but giggly times in the back of his van, much too heavy make outs in the hideout’s dressing rooms yet you had never once told him he was too much. and this… you had never seen him like this. this worked up, this hot and heavy, saying this few words to you.

you breathed out shakily, slightly worried that maybe he had been possessed by some ancient entity or being that didn’t grow tired or maybe that he had worked himself so much that his brain truly had overloaded and reset back to primal caveman with only one thing on his mind— “eddie—“ concern, caution, but also something pleading… you weren’t complaining… you were just…mildly concerned.. and rather intrigued to see where this went— his eyes met you for a moment, soft eyes and blown pupils. there was something pleading behind them— an assurance that he was in control and would— hopefully after a good long while still— be just fine again…

you caught your breath only slightly, eddie’s hand over both of yours above his head, your fingers laced through his, a gentler touch but still possessive. you tilted your head back just slightly, mouth parted in silent anticipation. eddie met your lips again, softer, deepening the kiss, moving his other hand back to your hair, tangling his fingers through it, pulling your head closer to him to deepen the kiss even further. his teeth gently bit down on your bottom lip and the noise you made was something caught between a gasp and a shriek. you shifted, leaning with him, following as he tugged gently on your lip with his teeth. his hand slid back down, gentle down your neck, over your shoulder, back to the front of your shirt.

eddie was still pulling you along, breath catching as you heard seems start to rip. “eddie— my shirt—“ another few tears and then hot, heavy breath on your chest, “this is my shirt, sweetheart…” his voice was teasing, rasping slightly as he drew his mouth back to its main purpose.

“you’re ripping your shirt…”

“i’ll buy a new one.”

with one swift tug, the shirt split down the middle, leaving you suddenly cold and gasping in surprise. eddie’s eyes flicked to you just for a moment, delighted by your surprise and how quick your heart rate jumped, “oh, i know lots of little tricks, gorgeous…” he placed a soft kiss beneath your ear and your head spun— you weren’t sure you could remember your full name if asked, at the moment. the room spun as you were picked up, suddenly straddling his lap with your head falling forward against his shoulder as he left a trail of marks along your shoulder and collarbone, briefly dipping lower, until—

you groaned as he picked you up, legs wrapped around his waist, “don’t be so upset… we’re not going far… things may get messy and i would hate to ruin my respectable uncle’s couch.” well if you could remember your name before, now you weren’t even sure if you had one… eddie kicked his door closed without so much as a grunt of effort— with you still in his arms. he lay you down surprisingly gently on the mattress, but it was only because he refused to separate from you more than a few inches, for even a second. his old mattress creaked and shifted in protest, but eddie didn’t even hear it.

“i don’t know if your mattress will survive this—“

you didn’t know if you would survive this.

“i’ll buy a new one.”

eddie didn’t even tear himself away from your neck, mumbling against your skin.

afterwards, as you lay in the debris and aftermath of the temporarily-turned-feral boyfriend, you listened to the beating of his heart. still fast and erratic but slowing; no longer tense and anxious and filled with worry. your eyes were still closed, waiting for the room to stop spinning and for your left leg to not be cramped up and for your pelvis to develop feeling again. for a good few seconds, you weren’t sure if you woke up in the same plane of consciousness— or woken up at all. but there was a soft brush against your cheek and a shift beside you.

“hey… you okay?”

you nodded stupidly, humming in response as if that was a clear, communicative answer. eddie shifted again, this time faster, “hey—“ there was a gentle tap on your cheek and you realized you still hadn’t opened you eyes. you did; and for a moment everything was blurry. “heyyy…?” it was that singsongy voice that he usually used to be a smug or playful little shit, now just mixed with more anxiety and building panic. “oh, holy shit— hey–“ you squinted, now oppressed by his change of volume and firmer tone. “i’m present…” you didn’t fully sound like it yet, however. eddie’s now extremely concerned and guilty expression— now clear and in focus— melted away slowly, as he exhaled in relief.

“there’s my girl…” he tucked his arm back under your head, shifting onto his side and draping an arm over your stomach, “hi, gorgeous. you doing alright? i didn’t—? was that–?” you sucked in a deep shaky breath and almost laughed. even after all that and everything you had done before— eddie was still so afraid of hurting you or being too much. too much energy. too much noise. too much excitement and rambling and affection and all consuming love. you shifted slightly, mouth twitching into a smile, “no….” you coiled a strand of his hair around your finger and started playing with it, “good….. it was good…..” you didn’t think you could find a word for what it actually had been.

eddie visibly got all his color back, nearly cursing in relief, “you’re sure? you know i never want to—“

“eddie.”

you gave him a scolding look and he softened, posture relaxing. you didn’t like him stressing. he didn’t like stressing about you—

“i love you.” eddie fell back down against you, both arms around you and his nose buried between your neck and shoulder, “i love you so much…” he placed soft kisses against your still hot skin, so gentle and loving that they were almost barely there. you closed your eyes again and tucked your face back against his chest and he placed even softer, more deliberate, even more adoring kisses along your shoulder and down your arm, “i’m sorry, okay? i don’t want to get like that again… i just was so tense and nervous and stressed and it was pent up and…. —are you sure you’re alright?”

“i’m fine, eddie. seriously… i’ve always known you like it r—“

eddie snapped a hand over your mouth with a playful, warning smile, “don’t start with me, missy. i heard you...” you pouted slightly before giving him a playful and not so innocent grin.

eddie kissed your bare shoulder a few more times, lovingly rubbing your goosebumps-covered arm with his hand. “you’re so beautiful, you know that?”

“i think you’re delirious…” you grinned playfully and scrunched your nose up as he leaned in for a real kiss. eddie eyed you incredulously, shaking his head slightly before brushing your lips with his, “i think you’re gorgeous.”

you shifted slowly, blinking slow and stupid as you sat up. “hey— come on, let’s get you in the shower… you look cold and well— rather sweaty…” you moved to swat at him and eddie jumped backwards with a cheeky smirk. you huffed, allowing him to help you to your feet, taking both your hands and leading you towards the trailer’s small bathroom.

“can i wash your hair for you?”

“of course, you can…”

eddie just held you close, forehead resting on your shoulder as he massaged your head and took better care of your hair than his own— which was saying a lot. the books and notes had been forgotten. the stress of finals and the desperate hopefulness for graduation had been forgotten. your head fell back on his shoulder and you closed your eyes as he kissed you gently.

“you know, i really liked that shirt of yours…”

“it does look much better on you than me.”

you didn’t agree.