kiss me and i might drop dead

A drive that normally would’ve taken fifteen minutes, took Steve seven to get to you.  

He ended up in Forest Hills. The trailer park didn’t have a sign at the entrance anymore, it was probably kicked down by a bunch of kids or just withered and broke down with age and neglect— how ironic. 

The park was quiet, everywhere was quiet now after Vecna split the town in four and the military got their hands inside. There were curfews in place at night and patrols on streets that were busy during the day. Everything was locked in tight, but the party found a way. 

Steve found a way.

Despite the quietness, Steve’s hackles are still raised (and always will be) as he keeps a pocket knife in his pocket and the bat in his trunk. 

Walking up the steps of the trailer,  the home is an eerie sight to see. The windows are shut and the curtains drawn, yet there is a dirt yellow hue of light shining through the cracks of the linen. He can see your shadow, can see you pacing back and forth from the window. Your body covers the light every few seconds as you walk across the room. 

He knocks on the door three times like he promised. 

Don’t answer the door unless you hear those three knocks,” He tells you over the phone. “I mean it, honey—if you hear three knocks, then you know it’s me.”

“Thr-three knocks.” You repeat breathily.

You open the door— pupils dilated and watery, your hands gripping the old wood like it was the only thing keeping you upright—just enough for Steve to slip in. Closing the door with the back of his foot, he gives you a once-over, but before he can even turn around to twist the lock or ask what happened, you’re hugging him tightly. 

There’s blood in your hair. He can taste it as he presses a kiss at the top of your head. Steve shushes your cries. Rubbing his hand on your back up and down, reassuring you that everything will be okay. 

That you’re safe. 

That he’s here. 

You’re grasping his jacket like it’s your lifeline, rubbing your face into him as if you can crawl into his skin and hide there. Steve lets you stay in this moment for as long as you need to. Sitting his chin against your head as your arms squeeze his body tight. 

The trailer is dark and cluttered. The couch is a bruised leather that’s seen better days and the coffee table is covered in pizza boxes, old beer and liquor bottles. There’s clothes scattered over the living room floor, and Steve can already put two and two together with the little clothes you have on. 

The kitchen light is turned on, that same burnt yellow hue Steve saw from the window. It flickers like an eye twitch as it lights up the common area. 

He cups your cheeks in his hands and gently moves your face from his chest. Tilting your head up to let your eyes meet his, he asks, “Where is he?” 

You lick your dry lips before swallowing. Your eyes are not staying on his for long  as you grip his wrists tightly. Your hands are sticky against his pulse, he knows that the minute you let go,  you’ll leave a sticky bloody handprint in your wake. 

 Eyes closing with a shuddered breath, you duck your head down and whisper, “He’s in the kitchen.”

Steve nods his head. Placing a soft kiss on your forehead, he tastes the bitter metallic again. He  lingers there for a few seconds longer, as he hears you release a shudder of a breath. Stay here, he whispers,  as he slowly walks over to the kitchen. 

He couldn’t see it at first. Not with where he was standing, or with the couch and kitchen bar in the way of his vision. But as soon as  Steve walks toward the corner of the small U shaped kitchen, he can see the mess of  blood that has slithered its way from its resting place. 

There’s a dead  man laying on the kitchen laminate with blank eyes and a knife in his neck. 

Again, there’s not much that phases Steve Harrington anymore—not even when his ex-something calls him about a dead body in the dead of night. 

He feels you before he sees you. Your hands wrapping around his right arm with your cheek smushed against it. You both look down at the body. Steve can feel you shaking, can feel your pulse pumping from how tight your wrist is pressed into his skin. 

You tried your best to clean up the mess from what Steve can tell. There’s dishrags and kitchen towels on the floor, stained crimson. The tile that was once a beige now covered  with streaks of deep red. You really did try to clean it up yourself—but the artery at the neck is a bloody thing, and a couple of towels aren’t  gonna cut it. 

He can tell you realized the same thing, as there’s still an undisturbed puddle of blood that creeps closer and closer to Steve’s shoes. 

“What are we gonna do?” The question comes out hoarse from your lips. Steve looks down at you, you're still staring at the body that is still against the brown wooden cabinets. Steve says nothing at first, instead, he takes off his corduroy jacket and slips it over your shoulders for your comfort and modesty. 

If you didn’t kill him, Steve would’ve done the job no question if you asked him to. 

“I’m gonna clean this up, and you’re gonna take a shower.”

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as your eyes flicker from Steve’s face to the man you just killed minutes before. Steve walks in front of him to cover your line of sight. For you to focus on his face and not the death behind him. 

“You’re gonna go shower. When you’re done, you’re gonna pour the bleach I have in the van everywhere—on the walls, on the temperature knobs and down the drain. I’m gonna take care of him, honey, I’m gonna make it go away.” 

He knows the words that are leaving his lips aren’t registering in your mind, but Steve tries his best to bring you back with gentle rubs of his thumb on your covered shoulder. You blink up at him once he finally gets your attention. He smiles softly and repeats the words he told you before. You fiercely shake your head once he finishes.  

“N-no…I wanna help.” 

“Honey, you don’t need to do that—”

“I know,” you start. The words come out louder than you maybe intended to, but you don’t apologize or falter your eyes from his gaze. There’s something behind them that Steve can’t decipher whether it’s fear or determination—perhaps both. 

“After what he did I–” Your eyes water as they go distant again, Steve rubs his thumb on your shoulder to bring you back, “I want to do this.”

With a final nod, Steve lets you help him. Because who is he to deny you of something you want?

Steve asks where your clothes are and you tell him it's on the floor next to the couch. He walks over to get them, asking if you want to put them on or throw them away. You shake your head, hands tightening over his corduroy jacket like armor.

He zips you up inside the brown jacket instead. 

He tells you to lock the door behind him and to wait for his three knocks again, promising he isn’t leaving you. Steve heads for the SQUAWK van and opens the back doors to gather the container filled with cleaning supplies, black trash bags, rope and gloves. He grips the shovel and axe under his arm as his hands are full.

Looking around to make sure everyone is still in their homes, quiet and locked away, he heads back with his hands full and knocks three times with the foot of his shoe. You open the door, less afraid than the first time but still uneasy.

Steve tells you everything that he’s gonna do each step of the way. 

“I’m going to take the rest of his clothes off him before we get started.” 

He hands you the extra pairs of gloves he brought, and places the other on himself. He tells you to open one of the trash bags—used for gathering dead leaves for fall— as he strips the remainder of  Jack’s (the name of the dead fuck)  clothes from his body. There’s military tattoos across his chest, and a branding on his right shoulder. Steve puts his clothes in the bag as well as yours. 

The knife goes into another bag, a smaller one that Steve’s packed and tossed to the side. 

“Okay ,honey, we have to put him in one of the bags  just in case someone’s watching.” Steve knows no one isn't, and that even if they were, the residents of Forest Hills are a quiet bunch that keep their mouths shut after what happened during Spring Break. 

After how the town they call home treated someone from their community. 

Wayne Munson left Hawkins after Dustin confirmed his son’s death—letting the man know of    Eddie’s  bravery despite the rumors of evil and deceit. Wayne left Forest Hills when half the population did, and moved closer to his job at the plant that was a town away. No one from Forest Hills  ever complained about the Munson boy, in fact, he was well loved. Aside from that one time when he stole a RV.

 So after all of that, they realized that what happens in Forest Hills stays in Forest Hills.

It was the main reason why Jack was stationed in this trailer park—to keep an eye on the distant community. 

Steve tells you that he’s gonna drag the body out back to the woods, where he will have to drain the remaining blood from his body, so he can cut him up into smaller pieces. 

“Does this place have a back door?” He is glad of your nod once it comes, “Good. That’ll make it easier for us.”

Steve’s dad took him hunting once, when he was ten  years old and still a boy full of hope and naivete. Going hunting was something his dad did every year—he and a bunch of his business friends would fly out to a buddies property  and they’d all get together, smoke cigars,  snort coke and justify killing something innocent. This was the first year his father decided to bring Steve along for the ride. 

 “It was a way for you to bond with him.” his mother had said, and at Steve’s young age he believed her. He knew once he got older that it was just his dad’s way of forcing him into a man.

His dad made him stab the deer in the neck after the first shot sent it to the ground—wounded and unable to escape.  His dad made sure Steve didn’t look away as the light left its eyes, making him help cut the poor thing open and field dress it. Hands bloody and fingers trembling with silent tears falling down his face, Steve tossed the guts and organs into the wet grass for the earth and its animals to consume.

Hours later, when the meat was served, Steve threw up on the table. Right over the cooked venison, mashed potatoes and green beans, and right on the cashmere tablecloth. His dad was angry and embarrassed.

Steve was sick for three days after that—would puke at the smell of food or even looking at it. Every time, he would just think about the wounded stare of the deer as he killed it. 

His mother forbade his father from ever taking him out hunting again—as if his father would ever do it again, with how much Steve embarrassed him, reeking of vomit. 

But that never meant Steve ever forgot how to do it—how to skin and dress a dead animal.  His dad would quiz him randomly throughout his adolescence. When the whiskey sat in his stomach too long, when he was angry—trying to prove something to Steve and let him know that he was still the man.

Even when Steve was fifteen, when his parents surprised him with the decision of staying for Thanksgiving, he knew it was too good to be true. That they wouldn’t just be a happy family and be normal. No, his dad took him to the shed out back and told Steve that he was in charge of the turkey—the live turkey that gobbled and strutted on the concrete floor of the shed, picking at anything that it thought was food.  

Steve had to kill it. Had to ring its neck and cut its feathers. He had to skin it, drain it and dress it all. 

That’s why it's so easy for him to do it now. 

That’s why it’s so easy to tie Jack’s feet together with rope, to throw the length of the end of the rope over a sturdy tree trunk branch and pull, until his body hangs in the air. 

That’s why it was so easy to slit his throat the rest of the way that you had started and watch as his blood fell into the hole of the rotten earth you dug up like he told you to. 

It doesn’t take long for him to drain out, with a good amount of the blood already spilt on the kitchen floor. 

Cutting his limbs doesn’t take too long either. Thanks to  Steve’s own paranoia of keeping his weapons sharp and the ptsd-nightmare induced insomnia keeping him up, aided him in this time of need.

 You throw up once Jack’s right arm is cut—his shoulder to hand separated from his body like a snap of a twig.  Steve doesn’t ask if you're sure that you want to keep doing this. He doesn’t ask if you want to take him up on that shower he suggested and sit in the van where a thermos full of your favorite tea and a granola bar is waiting for you. He knows that you want to see it through. So, he simply rubs your back and praises you with how good you’re doing, how you're almost done. And you nod at each comment. 

There’s seven bags filled with stones and knotted tight, each one with a single body part—leg, leg, arm, arm, head and torso.

 He lets you do the honors of chopping the fucker’s dick off and smiles proudly as you slam the axe down repeatedly on the genitals. 

The military had already laid their tape, searched and took their samples for research from Lover’s Lake, and no one swims in these waters since a teen died in it. So Steve knows this is a better place than any to leave the body. 

There’s a big part of him that’s hoping that the crack of the Upside Down is still there.  So when the body parts all meet the bottom of the lake, it’ll open up and hungrily take it for the demogorgons and fucked bats to devour. 

It takes an hour and a half to clean the blood and everything else in the trailer—to make it seem like Jack's death never happened and that you were never there. 

The smell of  bleach and ammonia burned Steve’s nose, made you cough and your eyes water, but it got the job done of erasing what once happened.

You’ve been quiet the entire time, probably due to shock. Only nodding your head when Steve spoke to you, praised you or gave you instructions. His jacket is still on your frame, now coated in blood and dirt, but you don’t take it off. 

With a final once over of the place, he flicks the light switch, and the kitchen light stutters before it finally goes out. 

He walks you to the van, chucking the bag of clothesin the back before opening the passenger seat for you. Both the driver and passenger side are already covered in tarp, and he makes sure you're buckled before handing you the thermos of tea. 

Your hand finds his as he gets into the driver seat. He kisses the top of it before turning the ignition and driving away.

—

Steve burns the bag of clothes and shoes  in the rusted burn barrel in his backyard. The black knotted bag is hidden under the leaves and twigs he added for kindling. The two of you watch the fire engulf the clothes into ash. 

Your right hand never leaves his as the left hands him the cigarette he had previously lit. Once the cigarette is finished and Steve flicks the butt end into the burning barrel, is when you finally speak. 

“I’m tired.” 

Steve takes you back inside, and upstairs into his bedroom. He  doesn’t falter in his step when your clasped hand pulls him toward the bathroom.

 He watches as you shakily reach for the zipper of his corduroy. Steve covers your hand with his as he slowly reaches for the silver link. 

“Is this okay?” He whispers softly. 

You nod your head and try your best to give him a smile for good measure. 

Steve gives you a reassuring nod as he pulls the zipper down, slipping the jacket off your shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. He lifts you slowly onto his bathroom counter, before kneeling in front of you. He takes off your socks, covered in dirt and blood from your feet and kisses your knees, telling you how brave you are. 

When clothes are shed and the faucet is turned as hot as you want it. When your head meets the shower’s hard pressure of water, is when you finally tell Steve what happened—as the blood, dirt and grime slide down the drain. 

You tell Steve that you knew him, that  Jack would patrol around the same time you volunteered at the school. That you guys talked and flirted and laughed with one another,  and that when he asked you on a date— you said yes. 

You tell Steve that it went fine. That when you guys spoke and flirted on the phone a couple days after, he asked if he could come over. 

“I told him no. Despite going on a date with him, and despite seeing him often when I volunteered—I didn’t want him to know where I lived, ya know?” The words leave your lips quietly, as Steve shampoos your hair. He hums in understanding, afraid if he speaks you’ll go quiet again. 

Your eyes are closed and your back is turned to him—it’s easier that way for you to confess what happens.

You tell him that the night started out fine. That the both of you drank booze and laughed and listened to music on his record player. That you got close on the couch and kissed and kissed some more. But then, he got too touchy too fast. 

And this is when you finally turn to him, as he lets the water wash away the soapy residue in your hair. Your eyes pleadingly look at him,  “At first I was fine with it, and then after a while I just…wasn’t.” You tell him that you didn’t know why you felt uncomfortable, that you came to his place to fuck him, so you didn’t mean to feel uncomfortable but you just were, and you didn’t want to do it anymore. 

Steve nods and listens. Rubs your back and holds you tight as you shake. 

You tell him that you got up from the couch to create space, acting like everything was fine and that you were just thirsty. He told you where the cups were when you asked, and as you poured tap water into your glass, that’s when you saw the kitchen knife in between the dirty dishes in the sink. 

“He got annoyed by how long I was taking. Came into the kitchen and tried to kiss my neck and keep going, but got angry when I said I didn’t want to.” The words come out shaky as you sob. Steve kisses your shoulder and lets you grip him as tight as you need to. 

You tell him that Jack got angry. That Jack got aggressive. That Jack hurt you. And that is when you stabbed him. 

“I didn’t know who else to call.” You finish with a loud sniffle.

Steve pulls you back from him, just enough so he can look you in the eyes when he speaks. 

“I’m glad you called me, honey.”

“You did the right thing.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

And Steve repeats those words,  again and again and again as he glides himself at your entrance and slides inside you.

 You asked him if he could, whispered it against his lips with the prettiest please he’s ever heard—and who is Steve to deny you of something you want?

He tells you that you’re his brave girl as he fucks you against the shower wall. Lets you grip him tightly across his shoulders, against his neck and in his hair. Groaning at the sharp crescent cuts you leave in his skin and the stinging bite mark on his neck. 

 He tells you how smart you are and that you didn’t do anything wrong. 

Steve tells you he loves when you're close, and you mutter it back to him when he comes inside you. 

The both of you lay in his bed, still naked and intertwined. Your hand on his heart and his hand cupping the back of your head. Steve tells you there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you and he watches as your eyes slowly close and drift off to sleep to the sound of the fire cackling in the burn barrels. 

Steve will have to get rid of the clothes that lay on the bathroom floor in the morning, will have to scrub and clean the shower just in case. And he knows a guy in Forest Hills who will get rid of Jack’s motorcycle for fifty bucks and a gram of weed.  

But for now, Steve will lay at your side and watch you sleep. 

There’s nothing that can phase Steve anymore. And when it comes to you, he will make sure that nothing will happen to you again. 

by the time you reached his apartment, the excitement of the day settled into something softer, more domestic. his place was dim except for the warm glow of a lamp in the corner.

“I’d say today was a success,” leon sighed, stretching an arm along the back of the couch behind you. “I avoided ruining your birthday.”

“barely,” you giggled.

“oh? barely?”

“you only worried about every little thing all day.”

his cheeks flushed a soft pink. “can you blame me, though?”

you leaned against his shoulder. leon glanced down at you with that shy smile he always wore when he thought you weren’t looking. “thanks for spending today with me.”

“as if there was anywhere else I’d rather be.”

his expression softened as he reached up to brush a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his fingertips lingering against your cheek for a second longer than they needed to.

then, his lips met yours with the same gentle certainty he’d carried through the entire day. it was soft, careful, and unhurried, like he wanted to memorize every second. one kiss became another, each one lingering just a little longer than the last.

but then, leon pulled away. his breath hitched and his palms grew slightly damp when he saw the intense desire reflecting in your eyes. 

“I-I think I’m ready,” he whispered, a warm flush creeping up his cheeks. “I want to do it, I want my first to be with you.”

your eyes widened at his words. your relationship with leon had moved at a much slower, more deliberate pace than your past ones, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“are you sure? we don’t have to do anything if you’re not completely ready,” you said softly, brushing his hair out of his face. “I don’t want you to feel pressured just because it’s my birthday…”

“n-no, I’m sure,” he said firmly, his hand gripping your thigh firmly. “I love you…and I can’t see myself doing this with anyone else.”

your heart melted at his confession. you couldn’t help but kiss him again. “I love you so much,” you murmured against his lips. “and I’m not just saying that because you want to give me your virginity.”

leon chuckled, his hands resting on your hips as you moved to straddle his lap. his breath hitched when your fingers danced beneath his shirt, slowly stripping it from him. “just tell me if I make you uncomfortable, okay? want you to feel good, too,” you said softly.

he nodded quickly, like an eager puppy waiting for a treat. his eyes went wide and followed your every move as you slowly slipped your shirt off as well. 

“woah…” he breathed out.

you couldn’t help but giggle, your hands coming up to cover your chest. “what?”

“you’re gorgeous.”

he practically lunged for you, his lips making contact with your neck. his hands came up to gentle pry your hands away so he could see you properly. you sighed softly, melting into his touch. 

“you’re too sweet,” you whisper, fingers tangling in his hair as he sucked love bites into your skin.

leon’s fingers tried to unclasp your bra but failed miserably. he looked up at you with sad, dejected eyes. “I’ve never done this before,” he mumbled, his cheeks turning pink.

you reached back, easily undoing the hook and tossing it to the side. “I know, baby, I know,” you cooed. your hands reached for his, guiding them to your breasts. his hands were clammy, shaky, but eager nonetheless. you moaned softly as he fondled you gently.

“holy shit,” he whispered, letting out a chuckle. “I’m so hard right now.”

you pressed against the raging boner beneath you, letting him feel your throbbing heat. “yeah?”

leon sucked in a breath, his head tipping back against the couch. he let out a strangled sound, somewhere between a whine and a moan. “baby, please,” he begged.

obliging, your hands reached for his belt. in a flash, his pants were discarded and yours were left somewhere across the room.

“do you wanna use a condom?” you asked, your fingers slowly stroking his length. he was already leaking and throbbing, looking as though he might explode any second. 

“what do you want to do?” he breathed out, his eyelids drooping heavily. “wanna make…ngh~ you feel good…whatever you think is best…”

you cocked a brow, a soft smile touching your lips as you slowly slid him between your folds. “you sure?” you whispered.

leon’s fingers dug into your hips, his eyes squeezing shut at the feeling of your wetness drenching him. “y-yeah, I’m sure, baby.”

he let out a moan the moment you bottomed out. your body collapsed forward over his, completely overwhelmed by the intense sensation of him hitting all your most sensitive spots. your nails dug into his shoulders, desperately trying to stabilize yourself against the rush of pleasure.

suddenly, a sharp gasp caught in your throat as you felt his lips on your nipples. looking down, you saw leon eagerly sucking on them, his features contorted in pure bliss as his tongue lapped over the sensitive peaks. your core clenched tightly around him at the sight, drawing a sharp, breathless wince from deep within his chest.

“baby…’m not gonna last long,” he whimpered, his voice cracking as his eyes grew watery, staring up at you with utter devotion.

“it’s okay, just let it feel good,” you murmured, leaning down to press a soft, reassuring kiss to his forehead.

leon whined, a desperate, broken sound as his teeth scraped against your nipple. his hips jutted up beneath you, completely starved for the sensation, greedy for more of the agonizing friction. “I-I can’t-” he stuttered, his entire body suddenly going rigid beneath yours.

his fingers locked onto your waist with a bruising grip as he thrusted up one more time. you could feel the intense, rhythmic pulse of his release slowly filling you up, a deep warmth that overflowed until it was slowly leaking down your thighs. he buried his face in the crook of your neck, chest heaving heavily.

“w-wait, you didn’t…” leon breathed out, his voice incredibly small and raspy. his lower lip gave a tiny, subconscious twitch as he realized he finished without you.

“just breathe, baby. don’t worry about me,” you chuckled softly. you leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of his nose, your fingers smoothing the fringe clinging to his forehead.

leon whined, a sweet, embarrassed sound as he hid his face in the crook of your neck, his arms wrapping around your waist to pull you down flush against his chest.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he mumbled against your skin. “I promise. just,...give me a second…”

you couldn't help but smile, combing your fingers through his soft hair as he held you close, content to just melt into his warmth. 

masterlist

© lilacgrayskies on tumblr

Being with an older man was like nothing you had experienced before when you would date men your own age. You weren’t some proxy mother that had to teach him how to load the dishwasher or separate the whites from the colors so as not to stain all your t-shirts. You didn’t have to pretend to finish every time he padded at your inner thigh, thinking it was turning you on. No fake orgasms, no hoping he actually scrubbed his feet in the shower (and not just let the shampoo from his head trickle down to miraculously clean them), no second-guessing his affection. 

And you didn’t have to wait, there was no chasing after him, sitting by the phone in hopes that he would text or call. The two of you dated for less than a year before moving in together and committing with matching rings and a signed certificate, and though you swore you’d never be one of those girls who jumped into marriage without knowing the guy for at least two laps around the sun, there was something so special about Leon that you felt it almost immediately. He was the one and only man for you. And you, the only one for him. 

He was plagued, however, with the typical anxieties that come with being with someone so much younger than he. He was afraid he would hold you back from experiencing whatever it is twenty-something kids like you get up to these days. And he knew what other people would think, and some chivalrous (call it traditional) part of him didn’t want to tarnish your reputation. But you wouldn’t let him slip away. You doubled-down, adamant that he was who you wanted to be with, no matter the difference in age, the judgmental gazes of onlookers. 

Nothing could shake you, especially not the comments. 

Except for today. 

At work, before you rounded the corner to the break room, you overheard two of your coworkers conversing in hushed tones, one dropping your name, the other giggling. You listen for a few moments as they talk about your relationship with Leon, the man you have depicted in several photographs on your desk, the man you brought to the holiday party last week and introduced to your coworkers for the first time. Everyone seemed to flock to him as soon as he walked in, a magnet to men and women alike. 

“He’s so much older than she is.” It’s Shelby. She’s always had a mean-girl edge to her, one you sniffed out as soon as you began working for the company. “Like thirty years, give or take.”

“What do they even have in common,” the second voice says, the flinty tone easily recognizable as belonging to the receptionist, Trisha. 

“I don’t know. It just always gives me the creeps when an old man goes after a younger girl like that. It’s like they’re trying to live out some father-daughter fantasy or something.” 

“Gross.”

“Exactly.”

You carried around a pit in your stomach for the rest of the day. It gurgled throughout dinner, running your appetite into the ground, and shook with the rock of the car as Leon drove the two of you home from the restaurant. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or do I have to read your mind?” He asks, coming up behind you, meeting the reflection of your eyes in the mirror, his hands taking over your trembling fingers as they attempted to unlatch your necklace. After a long day at work, your muscles are tired, your brain fried and in need of eight uninterrupted hours of shut-eye.

“It’s nothing.” 

Setting the chain down, he thins his eyes, bottom lip held hostage by his top teeth. “I don’t think so.” His hands wrap around your waist as he steps forward to rest his chin on your shoulder, inhaling the sweet scent of your hair. “Talk to me.” He plans a light kiss on your earlobe, one at your temple.

“Really, Leon,” you say, shirking away from his grasp. He stays standing by the dresser, lost and confused, as you make your way to the bed, eager to hide beneath the covers and forget that today even happened. “It’s nothing.”

“I don’t believe that.” 

He lowers himself onto the mattress beside your legs, taking your chin in his hand. His eyes, glassy with concern, stare you down, compelling you to speak. 

“Something’s going on with you, and I’d like to know what it is.” 

“So you can fix it?” 

Leon cocks his head to the side, eyes cutting back and forth, testing the idea. “I’d like to. But I can’t do anything until you tell me what’s going on.” 

You swallow hard, still debating whether or not it’s worth repeating. It does bother you, and though you’d love to choke it down and not let something so silly get under your skin, you know it always feels better to let it out, especially with Leon. He has a magic way of healing your every worry and woe. 

“Just some coworkers talking shit, that’s all.” 

Even the memory makes you cringe. 

“Ah,” he says, sitting up straight, stretching his spine. “About?” 

“You. And me.” 

“Right.” He stands up, knees popping, to finish undressing. You watch as he unbuttons his crisp white shirt, revealing his statuesque torso, the lines and ridges of his abdomen, the sheer strength of his shoulders. If only they could see him now, they wouldn’t be calling him “old” or “gross”. You smile smugly at the thought. 

“What were they saying?” 

Taking in a deep, cleansing inhale, you let your wind wander back to the conversation, not wanting to repeat a single word. 

“That our age gap is weird.” 

He rolls his eyes, making work of his belt buckle, the fly of his slacks. “Heard that one before.” 

“That you’re just with me to fulfill some twisted fantasy.” Your voice cracks as you whisper the disgusting details. 

His hands stall at his unzipped fly and he scoffs. “Well, that’s new.” 

“Yeah.” You smooth the comforter across your lap, reclining against the headboard. “I don’t know why it bothers me so much. I guess I just hate that they think that about us.”  

After pulling on a pair of his favorite pajama pants, he joins you under the covers, pulling your body tight to him, your back flush to his bare chest. 

“You don’t have to worry about what other people think, you know that.” 

It’s not a question. You’re ferociously strong, independent, marching to the beat of your own drum. 

“I know.” 

You flip over to face him, cupping his cheek, drinking in the lines between his brows, the faint creases at the corners of his eyes, the strands of snow at his temples. 

“It just hurts to hear people say things like that about you.” 

Because he’s not some predator. He’s your Leon, the most honorable, upstanding man you’ve ever met. He’s the definition of a gentleman, respectful and attentive. Never did he cross a boundary. Never did he try to coerce you into doing anything you didn’t want. Not like the other man you had been with before–always testing your limits, never respecting your word.

Perhaps if you had introduced your past beaus to Shelby and Trisha, they’d see how lucky you are to have a man like Leon in your life. 

The corner of his mouth lifts into a half-smile. “That’s sweet, baby, but you don’t have to get yourself worked up over me. I can handle myself.” 

You know he can. But you wish he didn’t have to. “Will you come to the office tomorrow and beat them up for me?”

“Hey,” he warns lowly, clicking his tongue. “That’s not how we get what we want.”

“Sorry.” 

Though you’re pretty sure that’s exactly what men in his line of work do to meet their goals.

Leon takes in a breath and smirks. “There’s always another way.” 

And right he was. The next morning, three ginormous bouquets of your favorite flower arrived at work. Special instructions dictated that they be delivered by hand to the front desk. Trish had to enlist the help of another coworker to bring them into your office, walking the spectacle of petals right past Shelby’s cubicle. 

“Hey,” Steve says softly, pulling out and taking your hands in his. He laces his fingers through yours, squeezing gently once. “We don’t have to.”

“I know,” you whisper. “I want to. I just… I’m anxious.”

“Why?”

You move your face to the side, squeezing his fingers and laughing a little. “You’re just — you’re just so pretty, Steve. Makes me sweat.”

He’s taken aback by this for only a moment, then squeezes your hands a little harder. “So are you. You think I’m not freaking out right now? Hottest person I know under me, so eager for it. I’m blushing. See?”

With the tip of his nose, he tilts your head to look at him. His cheeks are pink, pupils blown, eyes heavily hooded.

You bite back a smile. “You’re so pretty when you blush.”

“Yeah?” he muses. He blissfully forgets that you’re only his friend right now. “You’re prettier. And I’ve got you, yeah? Nice and slow. You say stop and we stop. How’s that sound?”

His thumb brushes against yours, back and forth, your hands pressed gently into the bed.

You nod, eyes full of stars.

“You trust me?”

“More than anyone,” you respond, without hesitation.

rooming with a rookie cop in raccoon city had seemed like a pretty sweet deal. he had crazy hours, came and went as he pleased, so you were alone a lot of the time. leon wasn't trouble—he paid his rent on time, kept the place clean, pitched in for groceries. and besides doing a great job as a roommate, he had basically become your best friend!

so when you came home and caught him rubbing out over a photo of your pretty face (a photo of you that you'd posted: pink sun dress, glossy lips puckered, glittery eyeshadow), you didn't know whether to think your deal with your hot cop roommate had gotten sweeter, or if things with your guy best friend had gotten a hell of a lot more complicated!

you'd always been attracted to leon. and now, knowing he had a thing for you (or enough of a thing to jerk off to you...), you knew what you wanted to do next.

you dropped your purse in the floor, heels abandoned by the door. it was late, you'd just gotten back from partying, still in your glittery pink cocktail dress.

"what are you doing?" you asked innocently, glancing at the tv absently. like leon wasn't trying to conceal how his sweatpants and boxers were pulled down and his cock was out underneath the blanket over his lap.

he cleared his throat, a light sheen of sweat glistening on his shirtless body. his blonde was messy, like he hadn't been able to stop running his hands through it. "um. watchin' the game."

you looked at tv again. "that's the retail channel, lee."

"i... accidentally changed it."

"uh-huh." you smiled sweetly then. "and you were watching what game on mute?"

"b-basketball," he said quickly.

"how many touchdowns?"

"four."

"in basketball? touchdowns?"

"yeah."

you approached the couch slowly, running a hand over his bare shoulder. he startled a little, staring at you like he was guilty of a damn war crime.

"leon?" you purred his name.

face warm, he tried to avoid your darling gaze. "yeah..."

"m' not mad."

his lips parted like he was unsure of what to say. when you reached for the blanket, he stilled.

"can i help?"

like he was in a dream come true, leon nodded so fast you thought he might swivel his head off. giggling, you slowly moved the blanket off his lap, pushing it away until it landed in a heap on the floor.

the light off the tv changed colors while flashing off his unveiled hard-on, and you marveled at it momentarily before wrapping your manicured set of pink nails around his shaft.

"fuck, you're big... almost can't get my hand around you, babe."

"y-you're so pretty," leon murmured, mesmerized by you stroking him and how pretty you looked, leaned against his side, head against his chest. he wrapped an arm around your waist, squeezed your tit. "don't know how many times i wanted this. shit, wanted this so bad..."

"you could've told me," you said below leaning down to lick his leaking tip. he hissed, squeezed you tighter.

"fuck, baby," he moaned. "i think i'm in love with you."

you paused at that, looked up at him. he took the opportunity to swoop in and kiss you, deep and genuine, licking his lips when some of your gloss transferred onto his mouth.

fluttering your lashes, you were unsure of what to say. luckily, leon found it in himself to breathlessly ask, "bedroom?"

you nodded excitedly.

dividers by @yukiyu4

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