#porslenwritessometimes

Additional note: This is interrupted smut - but please know there were apologies afterwards between all parties!!

Lorelei has always been talented with her tongue, a fact no one could ever deny. Nate certainly wouldn't disagree; especially not now, when he has her on her knees before him as she lavishes his cock with the most sinful kind of affection. The paperwork he had plans to finish has gone forgotten, his attention fully captured by his lover under his desk. Her ever angelic face is in direct contradiction with the devilish glint in her eye, the kitten licks she has been so generously providing as her elegant hand expertly twists and strokes ceasing in favour of the blissful, wet heat that comes with her wrapping her lips fully around him. His thoughts are quickly becoming little more than a whirlwind of her names on repeat as she takes him deeper and deeper, the happy hum when her nose reaches his skin sending the most pleasant of vibrations in a shockwave up his spine. He can feel her satisfaction grow with every moan he's forced to let slip, though he's certain she's aware it's only the lingering concern over their location holding him back from fully vocalising exactly how feverish her ministrations are making him. Part of him is convinced she enjoys trying to make him fall apart.

"Agent Sewell?"

The sudden opening of the door has them both startled, the unexpected arrival causing him to jerk forward and hit the back of her throat. Thrown though he is, he apologetically strokes her hair as she tries not to audibly gag.

"Agent Lin!" ignoring Rebecca's raised brow and the crack in his own voice, he coughs and continues. "Is everything alright?"

"-loyalty clearly means nothing. Just lounging on his lap like butter wouldn't melt-" she scoffs, disgust heavy on the exclamation "-and of course he's just letting him sit on his lap. Goddamn Theo-stealing vampire."

Any potential amusement he has at the stolen but rapidly dawning realisation is cut short by her sudden growl of frustration; the accompanying slam of the spoon on the counter makes him flinch. Unphased, bright green eyes look up to his own at the motion; the small fluffball in his lap seeming perfectly content now he's received eye contact. The soft purrs (that he now suspects, with no small measure of relief, to be the true cause behind her ire) flare up once more at the continued scritches behind his ears.

Aria reenters the room, a hot cup in her hand and a fresh glare in her eyes solely directed at him.

This time he doesn't guiltily look away; he just chuckles.

"I'm sure it's merely the novelty of a new person, Aria."

His suggestion is genuine, meant to be a comfort even though the words are tinged with amusement. She scoffs, brushing aside his obvious eavesdropping as she comes over to sit next to them both; he considers her willingness to be close a small victory even though she continues to sulk.

The use of her nickname goes unnoticed by them both.

"He hated Mason."

"Mason's intimidating." 

His rationalisation sounds weak even to himself. Something she's quick to call out.

"Oh, and you're not?"

"That is... a fair point. But surely-"

"He wasn't keen on Felix or Nate either," she pouts.

"... Ah," he awkwardly continues to pet the fluffball.

"So why does he love you so much?!" The sudden lamentation catches him off-guard, his visible shock prompting her to backtrack slightly. "Not that I'm saying you're not- I just...-" she sighs sadly "-He's just supposed to love me more."

The sadness in her voice feels like a physical blow.

"I'm sure he doesn't love you any less," he tries.

She gives a non committal hum, his eyes never leaving her as she places the cup on the coffee table to free her hands. He moves his own away, giving Theodore space to lean fully into her petting with a cheerful meow, either not understanding or simply not caring about the torment he's causing the pouting woman. Though he never leaves Adam's lap, Aria's pout slowly fades when he nuzzles further into her hand, the sweetest smile taking its place on her lips, the betrayal of choosing Adam for a resting place seemingly forgotten in the face of receiving a soft mewl.

Seeing her so at peace should be a good thing, especially after her previous upset... So why does it still bother him so?

A sudden image of her spinning around her office with joy flashes in his mind, the sight having been burned into his memory.

His own realisation of her happiness not being his theirs returning to remind him of its presence like the most unwanted of visitors.

Oh. Right.

"Adam?"

He startles as her voice breaks through his brooding, earning him an offended meow from the jostled cat.

"Yes?" he asks distantly, mindlessly returning to appeasing the fluffball with pets.

"Are you... okay? You were miles away for a moment there."

The small quirk of her lips is clearly an attempt to downplay the concern in her question.

It's the pale attempt to conceal her feelings that has him blurting out a question of his own.

"Are you happy?"

She either doesn't or can't hide her confusion; so he explains.

"You... You are far happier with Theodore than you are with us." He continues before she can interject. "Is it that you simply don't want to show that level of happiness around us-" a painful enough thought on its own and he doesn't want to continue to ask... but he does "- or do you just not feel it? Are you not happy with us, Detective?"

The title is a pitiful attempt to regain some distance, he knows, though the question startles her far more than Adam believes it should. It's a fair question, in his mind, one he knows the others have been wondering themselves.

"It's not like I've never been happy around you." While the words are reassuring to hear, the apprehension in her voice has him on edge and he's suddenly grateful for the small creature on his lap; the feel of his fur beneath his fingers keeping him grounded. "It's just -" she stumbles over her own explanation "- a different kind of happiness? We rarely get to spend any time together without some kind of urgent threat looming over us, so it's not the same as getting to relax and 'hang out'. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy spending time with you all! Hell, I count Mason and Felix among my closest friends at this point."

It doesn't escape his notice that she neglects to mention himself and Nate.

It also doesn't escape his notice that that bothers him far more than it should.

"You're not unhappy but you associate us with stress."

She winces at the bluntness of his not-entirely-incorrect observation, idly poking at the toebeans Theodore has exposed to her with the tip of her finger.

"It's... not as simple as that."

She pauses, taking a moment to try and collect her thoughts.

"Things are... stressful, yes. And dangerous. And actually rather traumatizing at times, if I'm being honest."

If she sees the grimace that darkens his features, she doesn't show it.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not-" 

"You feel unsafe around us."

A statement, not a question, and one that has her shaking her head.

His attention instantly snaps to the hand she places atop his before he manages to draw his eyes back to hers. The genuine openness is unfamiliar on her, so used he has grown to the deflections; the deep brown of her eyes sparkling with affection, an unreserved fondness that he does not deserve, yet that he has greatly missed the past few months. 

"Adam, there's nowhere I feel safer than by your side." 

He’s unsure what causes the sudden loss of breath; her words or the fact that he’s all too suddenly hyper aware of her warmth pressed against his side, of the touch of her hand upon his, of her very presence next to him igniting the deepest of longings in a heart long since thought frozen over. Time seems to slow to a standstill, his eyes which had fallen back to her hand travelling once more up her arm to meet her own in a moment which sparks everything back to life. 

Before he even realises it he’s leaned closer, their foreheads near touching as they share the same same air, their eyes locked on each other’s as if in a trance.

Her familiar heartbeat rings like the sweetest of melodies in his ear and those eyes, god help him, her eyes, an endless depth which blankets him in the most comforting of embraces.

Unbidden his gaze drops to her lips, slightly parted under such close attention; they’re close enough now that it would be oh so easy to just-

All of a sudden she seems to realise what’s happening.

He blinks with surprise, watching a flush take over her cheeks as she hurriedly pulls away with a strained laugh; she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear - her eyes now darting everywhere apart from him.

"With the team, of course! I mean, really, what girl wouldn't feel protected with a quartet of powerful vampires watching her back, right?" 

He can't help but chuckle, her flippantly joking dismissal far more what he'd come to ad expect from her. It's with a silent agreement they both return to lavishing the fluffball with the attention he desires, sweeping what just occurred into a box labelled ‘do not touch’.

He tries not to think too hard about the domesticity of the moment that remains.

Just this once he can pretend this is okay.

Just this once he can be allowed the delusion that things can be like this - the two of them, together and at peace in each other's company to a soundtrack of purrs.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Thank you very much if you've made it this far! I hope it wasn't too much of a chore! Thank you, truly, for your time 💕

She's only just handed off the files to Verda when he points out the new arrival at the front desk. Aria's brow furrows at the sight of the diminutive old lady, a worried 'Mrs McCarthy?' slipping out under her breath, before she quickly excuses herself. Tina gives each of the vampires a look as the door closes, pointedly making sure they're aware that she's aware they have the capability to eavesdrop. They make a valiant show of not listening until Verda's sudden laugh draws their focus.

"I think I have a pretty good idea what she wanted," he chuckles.

The five of them look at him, following his line of sight out the office window to Aria who's begun to rock back and forth on her feet as she cheerily waves off Mrs McCarthy with a smile. Tina laughs much like Verda had at the sight, leaving the team relieved, if not remarkably confused, that there doesn't seem to be any problem to be solved. Aria's smile seems to only grow as she returns to the office, blooming into a winsome beam that brightens her face in a way they've never seen.

"She's going on holiday!" She shrieks as soon as the door closes behind her, practically vibrating as she bounces on the spot. "For a whole week!" 

Aria's sudden excited spin leaves the team befuddled. Tina and Verda just share an amused look at her liveliness before he excuses himself with a soft 'good luck'. Aria barely notices his exit, continuing to twirl around her office in glee. Tina shakes her head with a smile of her own, turning to give the men an explanation.

"Whenever Mrs M. goes away, Aria housesits for her."

Felix addresses Aria directly, clearly as confused as the rest of them as to how that explained her utter elation.

"It's that nice of a house, huh?" he asks.

Aria startles at the question, stopping dead in her tracks as she looks at them with wide-eyes - as if she only just remembered their existence. She awkwardly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear; Adam forces himself to ignore the pang in his chest at her sheepishness, to brush aside the ache that the sight of her pushing down her excitement because of them and their presence elicits.

"Oh, well, yeah," she confirms. "It's an amazing house; fabulous kitchen, comfy bed-" her voice trails off, leaving the list she started unfinished to stifle a squeal of excitement as she begins to bounce again, the energy so desperate to escape "- and Theodore~!"

Aria sings the name with a reverent joy the team has never heard. Adam tenses at the level of adoration she's displaying for this unknown man; Tina, however, only laughs, apparently well used to this sort of thing - much to Unit Bravo's confusion.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you don't just adopt yourself."

The word adopt greatly increases the confusion in the room, but Aria rolls her eyes at the suggestion, the light that's returned to them not dimming a bit.

"Tina, I barely have enough time for Sam as it is. Never mind adding another into the mix. I simply have to be content with the time I can steal away with Theodore~." The name is once more sung, ending with a gleeful giggle and a wistful sigh. "Oh, if only I could spend eternity with him in my arms."

The team shares a baffled look as Aria happily hums and spins around, completely bemused by this strange woman who has taken their detective's place.

"You know," Tina pipes up, affection coating her amusement. "Sometimes I really don't know which you're worse with... horses or cats."

The immediate realisation of just exactly who, or what, Theodore is hits Nate first, with the others following not far behind.

Aria dramatically holds up her left hand before responding. "Regal, majestic darlings-" she brings her right hand up in a mirror of her left, miming the weighing of the two adorable options "-or precious, fluffy babies." An abrupt squeal of delight fills the air. "Oh, I love them both. Especially my Theodore~ with his small, cute, pink nose, white toes and-" She cuts herself off with yet another squeal, though this time Nate affectionately chuckles along with Tina.

"He sounds adorable, Aria." 

She makes a happy hum of agreement before gasping, a most important thought clearly occurring to her.

"I have pictures!"

They all watch as she rushes to the desk, throwing herself over it to root through the drawer where she keeps her phone. Tina barely attempts to stifle a giggle, but the team are left astonished.

"Okay, seriously, who the fuck is she?"

Felix snickers at Mason's bewildered exclamation; Nate and Adam throw them both a disapproving look. Tina just scoffs at them, jokingly rolling her eyes while placing her hands on her hips to tease -

"Geez, have you guys just never seen her happy before?"

The temperature immediately drops, the room suddenly cold; all traces of playfulness flee from Tina as the solemn realisation that 'No. They never have seen her this happy before...' sinks in for them all.

The sudden thought that they're no longer sure they've ever actually seen her happy at all is a heavy weight none of them can fully ignore.

Before Tina can actually say anything, Aria lets out a trill of triumph across the room - finally having located her phone. No one mentions that she could have found it much easier if she had actually walked around to the other side of the desk. Aria scrolls through her phone, humming happily as she makes a beeline to Mason. He leans back slightly, arms crossed and brow furrowed, as she eagerly shoves the phone up in front of him to show off one of her photos.

"Adorable, right?!" 

The overwhelming enthusiasm in her voice gives him pause, biting back any possible snarky response he could have given. The team watch from the sidelines as he actually takes in the photo of her cradling a fluffy grey and white cat with a bright smile.

"Yeah" He confirms gruffly, watching the same brightness in the photo glow in her delighted expression at his agreement. "Adorable."

His brow furrows further at her pleased hum, his teeth clenching around his cigarette as watches her with a sullen contemplation when she instantly turns to show Felix the photo too. Felix happily mirrors her energy with a smile of his own, paying no heed to the sympathetic look Tina throws at them all, the underlying pity in her gaze something none of them want to acknowledge.

The hand Nate places on Adam's shoulder as they watch Aria excitedly show off her 'Theodore Gallery' to the others is warm and yet not comforting in the slightest. Adam clenches his fist, forcibly swallowing the envy and desire her smile ignites within him. Seeing her so energized, so carefree, so happy... It only further strengthens the thoughts he knows to be true. That happiness she's never shown them before doesn't belong to himthem. She doesn't belong to them.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Thank you very much if you've made it this far! I hope it wasn't too much of a chore! Thank you, truly, for your time 💕

The request has the opposite effect.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You do not get to decide how calm I am."

Morgan growls; she can feel the tension coiling between them. They're both wound tight ready to snap, though her little miss sunshine is clearly already snapping.

"Oh for- I am not trying to decide anything for you." Even in her anger, the accusation that she'd take away her free will is more than annoying... it stings.

"Good, because it's not your place."

Morgan bites back the 'I know', swallowing the growl that wants to escape as she lets her continue.

"If I want to be angry, I will be! We're just 'seeing each other naked', right? That's all it is. So you do not have any right to-" and the growl escapes. Fully pissed, Morgan steps up into her space.

"Are you still fucking on about that? You said you weren't bothered, sweetheart. Or did you conveniently forget that?" The thought that she'd lied burns the back of her mind something fierce... Why does it burn?

"Just because I said it doesn't mean I meant it!" She's not cowed in the slightest, returning Morgan's steel glare with a raging tempest of her own. "I thought you were supposed to be amazing at telling when people are lying."

So she did lie to her.

"I. am."

The accusation that she's not good at her job- no. The accusation that she can't read her specifically, doesn't know her... it hurts.

She knows what she should do, knows what Nate would do. She should admit it bothered her too and defuse the situation. They should sit down and just talk out whatever the fuck is going on here.

But Morgan is not Nate... and that's not what she does.

"So, maybe that genuine mask you wear only exists because you're an amazing liar."

She doesn't talk... she lashes out.

"Maybe, you're actually just a manipulative shrew who wears it so fucking often that you're a damn pro at spouting lies along with all your cheery bullshit?"

Both of them catch the moment she breaks, the moment the anger flees, though neither want to acknowledge it. The instant urge to take it all back is near overwhelming as Lori draws her arms around herself, but she speaks before Morgan can even try, a deflated weariness coating her soft tone.

"They warned me about this."

"About what?" she questions, confusion the only thing colouring the response.

"About you."

The unexpected, and unveiled, disgust in her tone jolts Morgan back to when they first met... and she hates it.

"And yet-" she growls "-you fucked me anyway." She couldn't stop the words as they left her lips. They were words meant to hurt, intended to hurt, but all they seem to do is make the storm in her eyes renew.

"Because I foolishly thought that there was more."

Morgan swallows the question of what she means, though she needn't have bothered. There was no need to question a statement that Lori had no intention of not clarifying.

"I, in my naive wisdome, thought that maybe you weren't just a callous bitch with nothing but sex on your mind."

Morgan scoffs with derision, a sneer firmly set on her lips, though a more painful heat slowly builds deep in her core.

"Oh and what, sweetheart-" the nickname is dripping with mockery in a way it hasn't been for a long time. "You thought your love would change me?"

Lori hugs herself tighter, a facsimile of comfort that doesn't appear to help. Morgan can only watch as she starts to close herself off and it takes everything she has to ignore the sudden desire to reach out.

"Not in the slightest."

The response almost makes her flinch. Lori's eyes have gone cold, hardened and frigid, yet there remains an openess to her features. Morgan subconsciously braces herself, acutely aware that, unlike that moment, whatever she plans to say, she means.

"I thought there was more to you than that surface level persona. But more than that... I thought we were at least friends."

The word has morgan furrowing her brow, a horrid feeling beginning to claw at her throat.

"I guess I really was just projecting, huh? So, fine. I'll admit it, sunshine-" There's no teasing in the nickname, not even any trace of returned mocking... only hurt. Morgan hates that it only makes the clawing worse. "-I was wrong. Wrong about the situation, wrong about you... about you and me... just... completely wrong about everything."

All traces of heat have been snuffed out, leaving nothing but ice in its wake. Morgan takes a step closer, a sudden, unintentional pleading in her eyes; Lori takes a step back.

"Lorelei-" Lori holds up her hand, stopping whatever she was trying to say.

"I'm going home."

For once the fight has left her completely; the unfamiliar fatigue in her drained voice sending a bleak shudder through Morgan as the small blonde, somehow far smaller than she should be, turns to leave.

"Leina-"

The chill only seeps deeper when Lori continues as if she hadn't spoke.

"I'll tell the others; so you can just... do whatever you want."

Morgan's eyes remain fixed on her back as she leaves, her fist clenching tighter as the constricting feeling in her chest only grows. The final whisper that reaches Morgan before she closes the door feels like a physical blow.

"You always do."

It takes the sounds of the slamming door and retreating footsteps for her to identify what it is - regret... and fear. She growls, the shaking of her hands making grabbing a cigarette far harder than she needs it to be. She only hopes Nate'll have the advice she needs. Whatever it means or doesn't mean doesn't matter; all she knows is she doesn't want to lose her, not like this... She can't.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Lori has two words that really hit her hard; selfish and manipulative. They trigger strong, and painful, emotions she doesn't care for and would prefer didn't exist... 😔

Thank you very much if you’ve made it this far! I hope it wasn’t too much of a chore! Thank you, truly, for your time 💕

Tina meets her unimpressed gaze with a dismissive overconfidence.

"Hey, if it works... then it works. And I think it would really send a message to Mr. I'm-from-the-1800s-and-never-progressed-my-ability-to-romance-a-woman-past-that."

Aria's laugh sounds far more like music to her ears than the dim tinny playing over the speakers.

"Actually," she responds, taking another swig of her drink, "he's from the 1100s, I think."

"Oh, so he's even more outdated with love than I thought! Good choice there, Ari."

Though she rolls her eyes, Tina can see the amused smile playing at the edges of her lips.

"His age has nothing to do with it," she protests.

Tina levels her with a hard stare over the rim of her glass, taking a sip with her brows raised as she gives a non-committal hum of disagreement.

"He's gone through a lot, Tina." Any hint of the amusement she had previously has vanished, to be replaced by the empty gloom Tina has quickly become far too used to seeing. She sadly swirls the whisky in her hand around, the ice clinking against the glass as she does. "It's actually pretty understandable that he'd be cautious with anything of this sort."

"Oh sweetie," she pushes a loose strand of hair behind Aria's ear, gaining a small smile she returns sympathetically. "There's cautious and then there's whatever the hell is going on between you two."

"That's the thing, Tina. There isn't anything going on between us." The hurt in her voice is palpable, the ever fracturing shards of her own hopes cutting deeper and deeper into her heart. "Nothing at all."

Tina sighs dramatically, attempting to inject a little lightness into their conversation despite her concern only growing stronger.

"Honestly, only you, Ari." She allows Aria the moment to raise her eyebrow in question before continuing teasingly. "Only you could have a veritafiable buffet of hunky vampires and choose the one who makes repression a personality trait."

Aria isn't as amused as Tina hoped she'd be.

"I'm just saying," she defends, putting down her glass just to hold her hands up in surrender. "You deserve a man who'll treat you right, not... drag you down like this."

Aria just huffs, blowing yet another displaced strand of hair out of her face before downing the remnants of whisky in her glass.

"The heart wants what the heart wants, and all that jazz, right? Just gotta keep 'em crossed"- she sarcastically holds up her crossed fingers -"that he'll man up and break mine properly sooner rather than later."

The fakeness of her finishing laugh almost hurts more than seeing her upset. Upon noticing her 'joke' didn't land, she deflates with a sigh.

"I'm going to get a refill."

She's a little wobbly on her feet, but quickly rights herself before heading over to see Chen. Tina sighs, cupping her hands over her mouth to yell.

"Get me another too! And at least consider the whole setting his stuff on fire thing while you're there."

The relief Aria's genuine laughter brings to Tina is short lived, her sad smile fading as she rearranges the empty glasses to clear a little space. As she subtly watches Aria placing their order she's left wondering how long it'll be before her friend finally breaks. Tina sighs as she taps the table in thought, questioning silently how she can actually help the situation... Or if she even can at all.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Posting this on Aria's birthday (21.01.) almost feels a little mean and yet... 🤷‍♀️

Thank you very much if you’ve made it this far! I hope it wasn’t too much of a chore! Thank you, truly, for your time 💕

How can I continue to confine this, the maelstrom of emotion, of yearning, to the limits of ink upon hidden pages? Spilling them out like a flood in black stains on paper, to prevent you from having to bear the burden of their heavy load.

I am more than out of my depth when faced with your open affections, and yet I long for nothing more than to drown in them till my last gasping breath.

Time passes slower without you, my love, coming to stand still as my world ceases to spin. Seconds remain frozen and the long, cold hours stretch to eternity when the radiance of your warm presence is missing from my side.

The agony of your absence is one I have endured since the first time your eyes graced mine, yet never has the pain been felt so keenly as now, when I am privileged enough to call you mine.

"You know it's rude to read someone's work without permission."

Felix startles at the sudden sound of Adrien's voice, having been far too enthralled by the letter held in his hands. He swallows the rising guilt at being caught, turning to face his detective slowly, a sudden streak of fear running through him at the realisation of his potential invasion of privacy. The sight of Adrien leant in the doorway, arms casually crossed and a smirk on his lips, calms any fear at having crossed a line - he wouldn't be so relaxed if he truly minded, let alone be radiating amusement.

"It literally had my name on it, babe." He shrugs lightheartedly. "What was I supposed to do? Not read the love letter you wrote to me?"

Adrien chuckles, finally pushing off the doorframe to make his way closer, the sound washing away any trace of worry that remained. Felix lets out a happy sigh as Adrien wraps his arms around his waist, leaning back against his strong chest in a movement so natural it's as if being in the embrace was how they belonged.

"Just because it's about you doesn't mean it's intended to actually be to you, my love."

His light teasing becomes muffled as he nuzzles into his neck, drawing a small giggle from the smaller man. Distantly, Felix silently thanks his earlier decision not to wear a scarf when he feels the soft kiss placed upon the side of his neck.

"You write about me often then, hmm?"

Even though Adrien's face remains buried in the crook of his neck, Felix waggles his eyebrows suggestively; Adrien chuckles, not needing to see to predict the action from his tone.

"Well, it's certainly not the first I've written..."

Another kiss, higher upon his neck.

"And it likely won't be the last either."

He doesn't even realise he's holding his breath; the gold of his eyes sparkling with awe at the realisation that this man, the one who makes everything feel so more, so new, so bright, feels strongly enough to pen, not just one, but possibly multiple love letters for him. He's written about him, for him, and plans to write more. Adrien calmly cups his cheek, gently turning his head so their eyes meet.

"In fact, it seems I can write about nothing else lately."

His thumb traces the apple of his cheek and Felix's heart skips a beat, unable to contain the lovestruck grin that melts onto his lips at the intensity of the pure adoration directed solely at him.

"Only you."

Adrien doesn't resist the sudden kiss he's pulled into; any thoughts of the paperwork on his desk and the implications of having uncovered glass windows in his office fleeing at the warmth of their lips meeting.

Perhaps leaving his writing out more in the future wouldn't be as compromising as he'd thought.

~~~*~~~*~~~

Thank you very much if you've made it this far! I hope it wasn't too much of a chore! Thank you, truly, for your time 💕