heavy is the crown

the brunette nodded in agreement with his comment of there being weight in business, even if each of their own couldn’t be more opposite in spectrum. “well i’m always happy to help. eyes, hands, arms, legs, you name it,” she added with a lighthearted tone before attending to business. it was simple enough work, one that she was confident that she wouldn’t fuck up given the small amount he’d tasked her with; though because of this she did find her gaze wandering his way out of the corner of her eye on more than one occasion. a thought creeped into her head during one of these glances as she was just finishing up - his brow furrowed in concentration during this time. she knew she did still have a boyfriend - that could prove her worries wrong as soon as she’s able to talk to him tomorrow; but the femme’s mind wandered to if she were with the man right across from her instead. she went to him for clarity because he was one of the most honest people that she knew, and she’d quite genuinely never gotten this quality from any of her past relationships. quickly though she tried pushing this thought out of her mind as she knew it would only ever amount to wishful thinking. the closing of his ledger was bella’s cue to bring her full attention back to the business in her lap, hoping he hadn’t caught her look that had lingered just a second prior. this time she faced him completely, a thin lipped grin curved to confirm that she’d finished. “famished.” bella closed her own binder and set it back on her friend’s desk before grabbing her purse as she stood up. “hey, maybe if you ever need a lackey i can be of consideration?” these words were only a joke though, of course, indicated by the teasing raise of her brow as she suggested so. “you wanna take my car or yours?” while she didn’t mind driving, she knew sometimes people preferred not to ride in something as small as her prius.

"good." his word is just about as final as the closing of books and ledgers and binders, duri stretching out his cramped, tight muscles as he stands from his chair. would usually go so far as to hide the fact that his exhaustion has started to settle but bella has shown him a good amount of vulnerability tonight — why not do the same? "a.... a lackey? to do my inventory for me or to go out there and strip for money?" he chuckles, wandering around his desk to grab his jacket and sliding it over his person. "either way, you will do no such thing. the farther you stay away from this place — and my work — the better." and it's not exactly a warning, it almost comes out in a demand. she is one of two people he doesn't want to see wrapped up in this, even if, at the end of the day, the decision is hers. she seems to do well enough at her nursery to stay within her line of work. for that, he's ultimately thankful for. "i can drive tonight. in the event that you want to treat yourself to a drink or two, i wouldn't want you behind the wheel." lights are shut off one by one when they finally reach the front door to exit, the cold air a refreshing change to the warm and stuffy office at the back of the club. it also doesn't smell grossly of cigarettes out here, something he feels bad subjecting bella to whenever she pops in. door locked, he excuses himself for one moment to bring the car around and eventually returns with the passenger door unlocked for her to climb in.

already half out of her mind with aching euphoria, between the utterly relentless pace he’s set and the quiet dominance in his voice that makes it feel as if the very floor beneath her rumbles from it, it’s little surprise that the kindling spark inside of este suddenly flares up, heat burning at her center that rapidly begins to spread outwards. she can’t think, can barely breathe, everything else fading until her world is nothing but jesper and his touch. that’s the exact thing that finally pushes her over the edge; the heavy pulses of warmth he begins to fill her with at long last slams her orgasm through her with such force that she gasps a ragged, desperate breath in like she’s been underwater for the last minute instead of under him. “holy — fuck.” the blaze of white hot bliss leaves her brokenly crying out his name. her head falls back against the pillow, body clenching tighter around him while the pleasure floods her veins, hot and sweet and perfect. it's a last minute move when her hands slide down until she can reach his own at her waist, greedy for whatever skin she can reach in the moment, hungry for more contact as she finishes coming apart beneath him.

it's astonishing, the before and after he experiences with his girlfriend laid in the exact same position as when they started. this time, she's crying out his name like a prayer, hair damp and matted, and her entire body shuddering and arched in the wake of her orgasm... and he drinks in the sight like she's a temple ruined. his own body continues to roll and rock into her at a slower and leisurely pace, easing her floating frame back down to new ground that eventually meets them halfway. in fact, jesper feels himself become softer in the chest this particular time, lacing fingers through her wandering hand and resting them both onto silk sheets. the other follows a similar pattern to free her hip and, with both hands in his, slides them up and over her head. if there was ever a good time to profess the adoration flooding over the edges of his heart, now would be it... but jesper continues to keep the words at bay and uses his mouth for other things instead, planting them back onto her neck to kiss around the abstract, discolored shapes that now slither up the column. "we match now." it's hardly a chuckle, more like jagged, breathless puffs of hot air that ghost over her skin. for the first time in a long time, the guy is entirely spent and he only hopes that she feels the same — a great indicator of a good night's sleep.

he supposes it wouldn't really be them if they weren't driven crazy with things like this. a bunch of what ifs and could haves and yet neither seem to budge in either direction. can't really blame her, considering what she's made of herself after all of her hard work but in a similar vein, dax feels so close to saving up just the right amount of money for his brother. just a few fights more... maybe. "you think i found someone more my speed? like, someone that i'd fight in the ring and then somehow fallen in love with her?" a snicker and he shakes his head, finding the joke that he makes himself to be a dumb one. no girl has stepped in that ring and no girl ever will; it's the girls that he brings to them that she's talking about. willow used to be one of them but he's seen the concerned looks on her face when he takes a few hits here and there, when he scans the crowd for her face only to see her looking a little too tearful for his liking. how the hell could he live with himself bringing her to that place? she doesn't belong there — not because he doesn't want her to be but because it will never treat her kindly. and willow deserves all the kindness in the world. he searches her face for concerns even know, like everywhere he brushes with the pad of his thumb is an inspection of her unhappiness. until it eventually lands on her lower lip, tracing the length of it as he drags it slowly to the corner of her mouth. "just because you don't say it don't mean you don't believe it. and i know that's all you seem to think about. i'll work on it too, i just..." doesn't feel right, feel settled, unless he knows that he's a good person for her. "you, uh, don't gotta leave right this second, right? i know you were just swingin' by to drop off the food but..."

the tight grip around her middle is the only thing still grounding her in reality. his rhythm never slows, never falters, every brutal thrust forcing the air from este’s lungs until the edges of her vision grow fuzzy and indistinct. her fingers move wildly along sweat-slick skin and muscle, desperate to somehow have his body pressed closer to hers, desperate to have him in every way that matters. “god, yes. want you to ruin me.” hitching out a sharp breath when he repeatedly drives into that spot deep inside her, the pleasure is so sharp, so consuming, that it makes her eyes fall shut of their own accord, a stray tear leaking free from one corner as she chokes out a sob. fuck, she’s so close; desperately needs this band of thick, building pressure inside her to snap, but her mind is too hazy and unfocused to know how to properly ask for it. she ends up cycling through the same few words, the sound of them frantic and nonsensical, need audibly dripping in every inch. even the sheets below them have been dampened with sweat and the wetness he's been dragging free from her. “fuck, 'm gonna cum. need, please, please—” the sounds that leave her are unfiltered and filthy, frame beginning to tremble in his grasp while she grows dizzy with sensation.

each pulsing thrust feels like lightening to a metal rod, waves of overwhelming shocks shooting towards every sensory node that litters his body. the only thing that seems to soothe the crackling is her vice grip around him, her slickness like a salve that now drips between her thighs, honey from her womb that he breeds in his dreams. heart pounds wildly in his chest and as their bodies are pressed against one another tightly, he fears she can feel the way it threatens to burst from his bosom, the thrumming of it so loud in his ears that her babbling only comes through as muffled sounds. "y-yeah? need to cum?" he manages to draw out, mouth unlatched from her shoulder that is now sheen with his saliva and painted purple and blue beneath. " — 'm gonna make you cum, baby." jesper leans back, prying their bodies apart only to sink his knees deeper into the mattress and grabbing her hips with both hands. and then he really fucks her, hips pistoning in and out of her in a final attempt to get the both of them there. all at once, that surmounting pressure bursts and washes over him in waves, white hot threads spilling inside of her with what feels like no end in sight. "f-fuck, este —"

there’s no careful rhythm this time around, no real sense or thought remaining in este’s brain. it's all she can do to whimper for him helplessly, listening to the vulgar sounds of her wet arousal coating every thrust. this is nothing but wild need, the two of them both burning and hungry, the only satiation to be found in the taste of the other’s skin. “jesper—” she gasps out, his name fracturing into broken shards and eager moans at the sharp puncture of teeth in her neck as he strikes deep and just... holds there. the roughness, the almost cruel grind is messy and perfect, and she can’t help but roll her body up into it, always trying as best she can to get more from him somehow. but now she’s aware of every single pulse, each little twitch, and she clenches desperately around him in response, a hand clawing madly at the shifting, rolling muscles in his back. it takes every piece of energy left just to try putting her needs together into a coherent sentence. “god, please… you can be rough. just need you, daddy. please.” she can feel the edge of it hanging there, the shape of it clawing its way towards her bit by bit. how jesper could possibly be capable of having so much control is fucking astounding because her reserves are well and truly depleted, the fingers in his hair giving the strands a gentle tug of encouragement. “yeah? mark me again. show everyone i’m yours.”

it's no surprise to anyone that he's unable to keep the slow roll of his hips for long, especially when she rolls deliciously up into it as if begging him to travel deeper, reaching the depths of her that he's not explored yet. it does require him to be a bit rougher with her, requires him to nearly break her and god, he wants to. to give into the ravenous hunger that gnaws at his stomach every time his throbbing, veiny length slams into her back walls. each lingering kiss pressed to the nape of her neck amps the intensity of which starts to fuck her with, strong arm sliding between her arched back and his mattress to keep a tight hold around her much smaller frame. to guide her and push her down to his hilt in opposite but equal force to the way he drives himself home, hitting his target every single time with no regard to how forceful it might be, how relentless. "need you so bad, baby. you'll be a good girl and take it right? gonna let daddy fuck you and use your tight little hole?" not that jesper is actively asking for permission. just wants to hear her struggle to get those yesses out in the midst of her crying, jesper far too eager to pound them out of her with his teeth now sunk deep into her shoulder to muffle his own broken groans. "mmm — could cum like this. deep inside you? make you mine?" each syllable hitting her skin in hot, ragged pants.

harin isn't sure many people take her advice, beyond the doctors who yes can see a fractured bone when it's obvious. when it isn't? that's where her field of expertise lay. she's around enough professionals to know a few things sometimes, though. she smiles when he agrees and starts to pad along the road, tucking her hands into her pockets. "chocolate is your weakness, huh?" her head tilts so she can eye william, a short laugh falling from her at the admittance from him. "i'm a lazy cook, to be honest. i tend to opt for convenient meals and a lot of those come with the option of a sweet treat so..." she lifts her shoulders in a shrug, "you could say i like to indulge sometimes."

"it is, it is... so maybe we should make sure that this place doesn't have any?" a curious brow jumps up, cheeky in his delivery of how he might over-indulge if he sees something that really catches his attention once they get there. "ah, so you're talking about the tv dinners and stuff that have the really terrible brownies? or are you talking about lunchables-level bad? because sometimes those come with tiny candy bars so you're not totally out of luck." william actually can't imagine that her laziness extends out to cheap tv dinners but far be it for him to judge if she did. he only has about five recipes that he's perfected for himself to put on rotation; otherwise, it's vik who does most of the cooking in their apartment. "you'll just have to show me what you like at this place."

"but if it is what i want then it's quite comparable, isn't it?" obviously eden wouldn't be bringing it up if it wasn't something on her mind. she knows that's not the natural progression of things for everyone in life but she feels as though that's the path meant for her. not that she's doing much to get herself on-course. "i don't... i don't know," she mutters, eyebrows pulling together slightly, "i'm talking about having a family, desmond. that's looks different in lots of ways. i'd like to think i'd know when i meet the right partner and we'd be able to build a life together."

"n... no... though i can see where you might have gotten that based on my previous statement." nerves coat his tiny chuckle, hand coming up to brush the back of his neck. it appears that his social kills also died within that place and, like a kid trying to get up on their bike again, he's still got a bit left to go on his training wheels. "oh. i see. i'm actually... quite surprised that you haven't found that right person yet. if you haven't, there's not really much hope for the rest of us." it's meant to be praise, that he doesn't find faults within her that would stop her from finding someone truly special for herself. "i-i mean, i'd be totally thrilled if i could have kids with you. sorry — someone... someone like you. god, that was weird. just — just forget that."

"no head spinning required, i'm taking your lack of answer as a yes," tamsin muses, something she feels totally justified in doing. she isn't sure how well received her somewhat sudden departure would be but for minjeong to notice the absence of her? it speaks volumes that the other woman won't. "ah..." she doesn't offer any explanation, isn't sure that most people that she meets actually expects her to text. "how about we just go with beer for them? keep it easy?"

"believe what you want, i will not confirm nor deny." at least there's enough peace between them, that tamsin's absence hasn't triggered any awkwardness. they just, unfortunately, aren't close enough for the bartender to ask where she's been straight up — especially whilst sober. just one of those things that alcohol can excuse. "beer doesn't get me tips... but i guess that's fine. they're here for the girls anyways," she snickers fondly as she fetches bottles from the fridge three at a time. "someone celebrating something? or do you just like watching women take their clothes off?"

pleasure roars through her, the distant pain from the sudden stretch as her body struggles to accommodate him only stoking the blaze further until it feels like every inch of her is consumed by heat. este’s broken, eager moan is something obscene and the moment he retreats, she shivers, reaching to grab at his arm as if she could pull him back to her. fortunately, he’s already one step ahead and she doesn’t have to do much else, the next snap of his hips successful in punching the breath straight from her lungs. what room is left for the heartache she’d gone through earlier when she’s filled all her empty spaces with him? “fuck, i— you feel—” it’s barely audible at first, but she forces herself to use words, slurred and pleasure-drunk as they are. “bite me, use me, whatever you want. just don’t stop.” whether it’s pure instinct or a conscious act, her fingers begin to wind themselves into jesper's hair and drag his mouth back to hers, though it’s less a proper kiss and more like sharing breath, the shape of it messy and open-mouthed.

good is what jesper manages to autocomplete in his head, bolstered by the way she entirely gives into him. a few of the words that practically croak out of her mouth really scratch an itch for him, fueling several fantasies he's already replayed in his mind over and over while he's in his bed alone at night. but tonight, jesper's goal is to get her there hard and fast, a natural medicine to put her to sleep shortly after. "mmm don't think i can stop —" he groans with a particularly sharp thrust of his hips, practically forcing her mouth open to let out moans he knows only he can conjure from her. after all that's happened tonight, that is something he feels he can safely claim. her fingers are soothing against his scalp, a stark difference to how every other inch of his body stings from sensitivity. his kisses, though no longer pressing into her mouth, remains sloppy as it trails down to her jaw, the pulsing vein running up her throat. his teeth sinks into it in tandem with a slow, nearly halting grind of his hips, the aim to keep her completely full of him. doesn’t think this counts as stopping, per se, just a means of catching their breath and appreciating how needy they are for one another. the eye of the storm as they navigate through deep, lust waters. jesper swipes the sore patch of her skin with the rough of his tongue, only to repeat the action so that she's left wanting more, shaking from it. bruised. "you even taste good... god damn..."

"i hear eating food you enjoy releases happy endorphins which are a natural pain relief." she can think of a few other natural pain reliefs off the top of her head but spares him such details for now. "uh... i know somewhere near by, shouldn't be more than a five minute walk?" she tilts her head in the direction of where she has in mind, already stepping back to start to head that way. "what kind of sweet treats do you like? fruity? chocolatey?"

"well, far be it for me to ignore advice from someone in the medical field." his sheepish smile curls a bit wider, hoping that the compliment isn't lost on her ( or as much of a compliment as it can be ). if that advice happens to bear fruit, he certainly wouldn't want to prolong those endorphins for much longer. "sure. it's a nice night out... we might as well enjoy it." noting the general direction, he starts to walk towards their destination, long legs keeping in good pace with her own. "i am quite the chocolate fiend. we're not allowed to keep them in the house anymore, actually. what about you? you strike me as someone who would appear to like the healthier options but can actually seriously indulge..." it's a shot in the dark, an attempt at flirting; he'll see where it takes him.

eden can only offer him a bit of a look, since she figures her complaints ought to let him know this isn’t what she wants from her life. she feels stuck in a weird time loop; living out each day just like the one before. “i mean — yes?” she doesn’t sound entirely sure but only because she feels like her desires are being questioned. “i could live without the picket fence but i guess i just want to have found my people.”

"i'm sorry if that sounded like i was judging you! i only meant... if it's not what you want then those timelines are kind of incomparable, right? but i get what you mean." it's not like he's found his people either. the only ones around all had something wrong with them to some degree, behavioral or otherwise. at least eden doesn't really have to start from ground zero. "who would you consider your people? what sorts of activities would they enjoy doing? what kind of foods would they like?"

"would you prefer that i came alone?" tamsin offers the question along with a teasing little smile, if only because she thinks it might be fair to assume that's the case. it doesn't matter. the people that she's with are unlikely to be a permanent fixture in her life for long. "mauled by a bear? just where is it that you think i slip off to?" considering her 'off the grid' lifestyle, she still mostly sticks to notable areas. "we would love some drinks, though."

"i... am going to let you spin your head for an answer to that question," minjeong tosses right back, mostly in an attempt to keep things light and flirty. it doesn't take a neuroscientist to pick up what she's put down. "the woods? i don't know. i assumed the lack of texts was because you were out camping forever but," she shrugs, starting to go through the motions of grabbing glasses out of cabinets. "now, i know your usual but how about your friends? what would they like?"

a closed starter for @inkshadow featuring tamsin.

"away and the first thing you say is that you've brought friends to my place of employment? i can't tell if you're trying to make up with me or trying to please my boss..." still, she can't really be too upset if after all this time, minjeong still remains a floating thought in tamsin's head — even if this isn't really her preferred place to catch up. "but hey, you haven't been mauled by a bear or anything so i guess all's well that ends well. can i get you and your friends a round of drinks? looks like there's cause for celebration."

a closed starter for @inkshadow featuring eden.

"and is that so bad? being here?" as opposed to being ten feet under but that's the part of the sentiment desmond chooses to omit. he prefers the opposite end of the spectrum from doom and gloom if he can help it; just finds it slightly more difficult to push a positive agenda when he actually finds her life to be farther along than his own. "just wondering but... is that what you've always wanted for yourself? since you were young? marriage and kids with a nice white picket fence somewhere? is that why you feel like you're not moving at the same pace as everyone else?"

a closed starter for @inkshadow featuring harin.

"i'd love some. if it helps make the pain go away, right?" william lifts his newly wrapped, fractured arm and manages a smile — one he hopes she doesn't find entirely too awkward. seems he's made quite a good first impression on her already, even if the bulk of those interactions took place when she was handling his scans. since then, they've managed to grab a quick late-night dinner at a pizza-by-the-slice place and william assumed that would be that but as they loiter at the storefront, it seems she's got other plans. "do you have a place in mind?"

"i guess so, yeah." it might be nice for aster to be able to step a little into her life. might help him understand where her little quirks come from. not that she things he cares much about where they came from or how they came to be, since he's only ever accepted her as she is, but it's nice getting to know someone on that deeper level. they are dating now. "he was just... a lot?" she fills in, figuring that's the most polite way to put it. she can't very well state that his advances and dismissal of her boyfriend filled her with much joy. "oh?" her eyebrows raise a little bit at aster's suggestion. "well, i am definitely down for... all of that. now i probably need to find something with less bubbles to drink, though. i can definitely feel it and i don't want to make a fool of myself in front of your family." anymore than she already has.

"caelum is always a lot, i don't think anyone would fault you for thinking the same. his friends don't seem to mind it but i will bet you a dollar to a donut hole that he's hit on every single one of them too." what an enigma his little brother is. can't tell if his acting out is directly related to their parents divorce or because he really just feels that disconnected to the rest of the family but that isn't aster's job to dissect. he has his own psyche to work out. "oh?" aster playfully echoes, brows quickly lifting up to his forehead and keeping that little 'o' on his mouth for a second longer. "yeah, let's uh... we should probably sober up a little. there's a buncha sodas and juices right next to the alcohol."