[ It's taken this long for her to realize that her motivation for staying doesn't just fall under the reason of wanting to help; it's more than that now, more a result of the people she's come to know and the ones she wants to protect, with him chief among them, even if she knows he'd be the first to tell her he's more than capable of taking care of himself.
They're a lot alike in that way, each firmly insistent that they don't need anyone else's protection but maybe knowing deep down that they're stronger when they're in each other's corner, that the threats of this town are less insurmountable when they're fighting side by side.
There's no haste, no intention to rush this now, the lazy slide of mouths mimicking the similarly unhurried rocking of bodies; she likes him this deep, the added grind offering a friction that she can feel in all the right places, and her fingers dig into his back a little more while she finally starts moving to meet him in a lift of her hips. ]
So good. [ She probably doesn't need to tell him that based on what he can hear in those breathless exhalations while she clings so tightly, but there's really no filter between her brain and her mouth right now and she's dangerously close to saying everything she's feeling in this moment, trying to find the right words to express this sense of safety and warmth and right ā and she brings her lips to his again, kisses him before she can spout off and inadvertently ruin this somehow by saying something too soon. ]
[ itās strange to have found routine here, taking up the gig at the diner and choosing to look out for laura on more official terms than he would have originally allowed himself. but nothing has been more a part of his every day here than she has, a familiar constant since his arrival, and a steadiness that keeps him from going unhinged here.
chaos thrives in this town, but wynonna supplies him with an odd kind of normal, someone to seek out when he tires, a face to find when he goes home, whether in early hours or the late ones. itād been years since heād had any of it, all of it snatched away in a single incident, and if anyone actually terrifies him in deerington, it isnāt the monsters, it isnāt the tricks, but the threat that he might just lose everything all over again.
that heāll wake up tomorrow, and heāll lose laura, and heāll lose wynonna, all at once.
his body quivers a little, and credit could go to the remnants of the drug in his system, or the breeze of the night air, or even the overwhelming heat exchanged between them. but he kisses her harder then, not taking for granted that he has her here now, that whatever hell they might end up dealing with in the morning, theyāve still got this despite it. as he carries a firmer urgency in his thrusts, their lips donāt quite align as he moves, but he keeps their mouths close nonetheless, the whisper of her name there harsh and needy, as his palm clings a tight grip to her thigh, rocking into a harder grind. ]
[ She'd said as much to Yasha, once ā there are probably worse places to be, without the people you love ā and while it would never dawn on her to replace anyone from home, never occur to her to let anyone assume the position of chief in her heart other than her closest friends and family, she's found something like it here, found people to give her purpose, to make her new mission and her responsibility mean something. There are worst places to be than this, and she's been there, far from any sign of anything or anyone who mattered. Deerington reminds her of Purgatory in a lot of ways, a small town full of people who are just trying to find a sense of normal amidst the weird, fighting to have that life for themselves, and maybe she knows a thing or two about that.
None of it would be possible, she thinks, without him here with her now; they'd showed up around the same time, and he's as much a piece of her existence here as the rest of it ā the job at the bar, the farmhouse slowly being patched up to some degree of livability, the people she recognizes every time she goes to the diner who know her as Wynonna and not the heir, not the disaster, not the reckless liability with a tendency for running her mouth. Okay, maybe that last part isn't completely true; he's likely to call her out for her inability to shut up, moreso than anyone else here.
It should say something all on its own that she's fallen silent apart from those desperate sounds, soft enough for his hearing to pick up with him nestled this close to her ā and she crests, contentedly, one minute cradled at the precipice of her release and the next tumbling right into it with a hard tremor of her hips and a series of gasps, the furrow in her brow smoothing out as her lips broaden into a smile.
But he's still moving over her, in her, and she keeps herself tight against him, wanting to bring him there to that edge right after her as his own motions prolong everything she's feeling, makes something in her chest swell simply from the intimacy of the moment, from hearing her name on his lips over and over, the only time he ever uses it like this. ]
[ he isnāt sure how much he has waiting for him back home, for whatever home is to him, mostly anywhere he can find a nightās rest or at least stay a couple of days without worrying about getting shot. heād gotten amy to florida and convinced karen to live a better life without him in it. letting himself disconnect from anyone that would only be in danger from being entangled in his own convictions, only the punisher awaited for him outside of this town.
yet, somehow heās been able to reclaim the name of frank castle here, seen as more than just the skull painted across his chest, even if heās recognized that it holds a corner of his identity just as well. heād never considered the idea of settling down in deerington for long term, not exactly ābut there are certain parts of it that hold more reason to keep him around than going back to far less.
and as she tenses against him, the reflexive stutter of her body that clues him in on her pleasure, he urges himself only closer, parted mouth braced to her cheek as he holds her through the brink of it, lets her ride it out against the continued insistent press of his hips. she clings to him, everywhere and down below, and itās encouragement to chase his release with her. a steady panting falls to her skin, and he grunts deeply when he finds it, hips thrusting harder still, as fingers smooth across her throat while he kisses her lips.
when it all comes crashing down, he remains where he is, moving little save for the dipping of his forehead to hers, breathing softly as he lets the shared warmth between them wash over him. ]
[ And maybe this is where she's the most torn about all of it, rarely secure in any kind of knowledge about how long she'll be here ā but she wouldn't have made it this far on her own, wouldn't have survived without forging connections to keep her rooted, to ground her on those days that have been harder than others, to add on to her own strength.
If she is on some kind of timetable, if she isn't meant to be here past a certain date, she'll deal with it then, and she might be kidding herself if she thinks experiencing that severance won't break her a little in the process, won't add to the cracks that already exist around her heart, but she'll get through it the same way she always has, by learning to lean on the people around her.
He's that support for her here, will be until he can't anymore, and even if they've got an expiration date ahead of them she's not willing to think that far into the future; she's definitely not projecting herself outward beyond him and them and this in the right here and now, with him warm and solid above her and cradling her close, touching her like she deserves to have something good in her life.
And she's there to hold him too, when he finally empties into her, fingers smoothing over his skin as he brings their faces together; she's still catching her breath, doesn't have the words yet, but she doesn't necessarily need to in a moment like this one, when she feels like she's floating above herself and he's the only thing keeping her tethered to solid ground. She presses her mouth to his from behind closed eyes, once and then again, murmuring dreamily when she finally manages to speak. ] You're something else.
[ heās heard about it plenty, how in the same way that people can arrive without warning, they might just vanish in the same way. heās heard it but hasnāt experienced it for himself, and every day heās come to fear it more and more, the loss that inevitably awaits him. but heās been well trained at putting on a brave face, at taking what he has and running with it, because ultimately, whatever he gets is what he deserves and he knows that none of this is ever meant to end well for him.
still, she shakes his plans, always coats him with the unexpected, including the very feelings that heās come to have for her, the longing to see her each and every day that he wakes up in this town, and the peace he finds in her lips when she kisses him soft as she does now.
with a sigh and a shiver that he faults the wind for her, he tucks his arm besides her head, fingers stroking her hair as he lingers against her, settling into the warmth and dreading the eventual need to withdraw.
at her voice, he laughs softly, quiet but with an affectionate sound. ] Yeah? Hope thatās a good something. [ holding his smile, he nudges his nose to hers softly. ] And youāre ā [ everything, he thinks, the word right there on his tongue. ] ā very naked.
[ He likes to claim that sheās done a thorough job all on her own of catching him off-guard, derailing his plans when he least expected it, but the truth of it is that heās unseated her too, worked his way past those shields of humor and teasing that she so often equips to ensure people remain a safe distance away. Heās seen her in those moments, but heās also seen her stripped of her defenses, nothing left to keep her intact, even more vulnerable and exposed than she is laying right here without a single stitch of clothing on ā and it hadnāt been enough to make him run.
So often sheās worried about whether sheāll be too much for him to handle, but she wakes up almost every morning to the soft press of lips against her cheek and a quietly murmured goodbye, the hairs of his beard tickling her face before he departs the room in a series of creaking steps on the staircase, soon followed by the sound of the screen door clapping shut. Heās there, in every way she never anticipated, and try as she might to convince herself otherwise, heās never shown signs that anything could prompt him to leave her side.
Her grin widens and she drifts back to herself, head lazily lolling against the blankets beneath them as she slowly comes back to where they are and what theyāve just been up to ā and his shiver seems to pass on to her then, her thighs reflexively squeezing at his hips as she nuzzles into his nose. ]
Yeah, looks like I am. [ Good thing sheās got her clothes in easy reach, but dressing means sacrificing his weight on her and she doesnāt want to surrender it yet, her fingers a steady slide across his spine. ] This might actually be the craziest thing Iāve done in this damn truck, and thatās counting the time I accidentally rolled it.
[ they hadnāt intended on unveiling so many parts of themselves, but they had, from the loss of his family to the truth of her daughter, from the gallons of blood on his hands to the ghosts that still lingered close behind her. so much had changed since they sat across from one another, literally blind to what was right in front of them, and while frank wouldnāt have guessed the girl whoād been a thorn in his side for his first couple of weeks here would be so important to him, he doesnāt bother denying it now.
especially not in his current state, the air of the afterglow leaving him relaxed above her, even as he keeps a forearm steady to support his weight. but itās the press of her hips and the tickle of her nose that keeps him close, postponing any need to separate themselves so soon. ]
Well, weāre going two for two on our vehicles. What do you say we hit up that bike of yours next? [ obviously, a joke. but heās not exactly blind to this accidental trend theyāve begun to set, either. ]
[ Maybe there'd been a metaphor in that whole blind dating adventure all along, how she hadn't been able to see the truth of who was sitting right in front of her until it was too late for her to deny it ā and she can't even claim that she'd tried to keep it casual either, that first night he'd finally ventured over to her place to do more than tighten loose screws lasting well into the next morning. He'd made a place for himself nestled in close the same way he is now, laying over her with his fingers absently drifting through her hair, and she can feel how flushed her face must look, cheeks filled with warmth and expression wholly content.
Eventually, she slides herself away from him with a soft hiss of breath once they're fully separated, but rather than reach for her clothes to get dressed right away she reaches out to grab the edge of one of the blankets covering the interior of the truck bed, curling it around herself in her best imitation of a human burrito. ]
Mmm. You jest, but there's something about the idea of doing it on that gorgeous blend of steel and leather that might just get my motor running all over again. [ She can't keep a straight face even while she's saying it, though, sinking her teeth into her lower lip in an attempt to stifle her smirk. ]
Keep talking like that and I might just have to drag you over there to it myself. [ he breathes a low chuckle, lifting himself on his knees to give her room to shuffle away from him. he doesn't do much in adjusting his own clothes either, save for tucking himself back in his jeans, letting the open flaps of his shirt remain unbuttoned along his chest.
sliding besides her burrito body, he rests on his side, elbow keeping him slightly raised as he props himself up on his palm. it allows him to peer over her with an affection gaze, relaxed in both his body and his mind.
and he'd stay out here like this with her for hours if he could, satisfied for the quiet that still fills the space around them, save for another soft tune that plays on the radio. no threats, no interruptions, and there's a flutter that rushes through him that has a name he continues to avoid voicing.
but it's practically spoken in the brush of his fingers to her cheek, a light stroke that simply grazing her skin with his fingertips. his voice is a whisper, despite the lack of need for it in their continued privacy. ] You warm?
Promises, promises. [ Dimly, her skin still feels like it's humming with excess energy, whether it's the effects of the weed still working their way through her bloodstream or the afterglow that's settled into her body, leaving her hardly inclined to want to bother with something like putting her clothes back on right this second. She's tucked herself in pretty well anyway, securing the blanket around her middle but leaving her arms free as she rolls herself onto her side to face him, close enough for their knees to bump together. ]
Mmhmm. Downright toasty.
[ The slow slide of his fingers over the side of her face elicits a similarly paced tilt of her head as she leans into that touch, maybe even seeks out the further trajectory she knows he sometimes takes along her jaw toward the fall of her hair, and when she leans forward it's to fit her mouth to his with a soft hum. ]
I don't know about you, but ā [ She doesn't finish her own thought before offering another kiss, a brief peck paired with a low chuckle. ] I really needed that.
[ of course his fingers wander, gliding up along the curve of her cheekbones for a light massage against her hairline before it flutters downward once more to trace the line of her jaw, a light press beneath her chin to encourage that tilt of her head that lands their lips together, the kisses brief but sought out all the same. ]
Yeah? [ with a light smile, he catches her lips again, lazy but determined to keep her mouth close to his, the tickle of his short hairs brushing at her skin. ]
What happened? That asshole boyfriend of yours put you on a dry spell? [ it's him, the asshole boyfriend. though if there's been anything "dry", it's only because frequency for this kind of thing doesn't work so well in light of numerous children running around and constant threats looming over them.
and maybe he doesn't even think about it when he uses the word "boyfriend", such a normality to it despite how little they've relied on labels. ]
[ It's hard to picture an instance when she wouldn't have been driven to initiate this kind of contact between them ā but there had been a BD (Before Dating) stage once, with her often not realizing the unconscious desire to incline herself in his direction until she'd caught herself doing it multiple times over, a tilt of hips that brought her further into his space or those moments when he'd covered her hand with his own to offer sentiment or reassurance or gratitude, depending on the day.
Now, they're firmly embedded in AD territory and she does it all sometimes without even thinking about it ā and this time, it manifests in her peppering his mouth with a series of kisses until she's next door to laughing again, especially when he engages her closely enough to tickle her face with his beard, leaving her to try and squirm away in retreat. ]
You know I don't ā have any complaints ā in that department ā oh my God, you hairy man, quit it ā
[ She weakly swats at the exposure of his chest with the backs of her fingers, knowing she's responsible for initiating this in the first place but forever underestimating his tendency to escalate the terms of war between them, and finally props herself up to sitting over him, bearing her weight against a palm pressed along his side. ]
Yeah, he's kind of an asshole, but he's my asshole. [ Beat. ] Wait, that came out wrong.
[ these natural habits have definitely been a progression towards what they are now; where once upon a time he'd been reluctant to be anywhere in her space. he remembers that instance in that cold shower where her fingers had brush gently against his chin, a tender touch that had jolted an instinct in him to kiss her that first time. the act has been repeated countless times since then, finding her lips and lingering close as he does now.
the difference is it comes with a wider smile, a rarer occurrence overall from the more stoic man, and yet the expression taking no effort at all when she conjures it as she swats back at him to fight over those coarser hairs around his mouth.
but he even manages to bark a fair laugh with her unintended humor, rolling onto his back when she guides herself over him, a hand rising to cease the sound from his lips, despite the smile still given away in the crinkled lines by his eyes. ] Jesus Christ.
[ wynonna earp, always something.
but his fingers find the smooth length of her hair, stroking lightly, voice softer. ] But you're right. I am yours.
[ Oh, don't worry, Frank; Wynonna's snorting at herself after that remark, briefly steering her gaze downward with a duck of her chin, her shoulders shaking before she spots the telltale sign of his amusement in the wrinkles that form on either side of his eyes, that undeniable proof that she's managed to tickle his funny bone even with the unintended awkwardness of her phrasing.
But she finds his gaze with her own shortly after that, turning her cheek against the curve of her own shoulder, her smile fading somewhat while the prominent dimples in her features continue to persist; fondness replaces amusement more and more, as the strains of another song quietly fill the otherwise silence that falls over them between his soft admission and hers.
She precedes it with an extra breath, like she needs to gather that air within herself for what comes next; she can only focus on the repetitive glide of his fingers through the ends of her hair for so long when it feels like her heart is living in her throat, and the sentiment tumbles from her, like it's been dangling on the tip of her tongue and only needed the right set of circumstances to make her brave enough to say it. ]
Hey. [ Here goes nothing, right? Nothing, but also everything. ] I ā I kinda love you.
[ maybe a part of him suspected there was a chance of it, and maybe he had simply mostly feared it, but even if he'd considered the slightest hint of that truth, it doesn't leave him any less surprised when the words suddenly slip free from her without so much of a warning.
whatever smile that had been there seems to vanish, replaced by parted lips that voice nothing for the extended seconds in which he merely stares up at her, eyes focused on hers as if he might somehow find a sign that either he hadn't heard correctly what she'd said or it was just another set of words to fall in line with her routine set of jokes.
but he knows exactly what he'd respond in turn, because he's known it, even if it'd be impossible to conjure up an exact start date, to know if he's felt it since she'd help him escape a literal grizzly life, or from the time he'd first slept at her side in her bed, or if it had already begun to manifest before he even set eyes on her as she told him of her love for Judy Garland. the when of it isn't important, especially not as she casts her eyes on him with uncertainty.
and those words, they haven't been spoken by him in quite some time, not for anyone but maria castle, too precious to use so freely, especially on account of how he knows he hasn't been so deserving to hear them.
but wynonna earp ā she's it. she's everything.
yet when he opens his mouth again, to say exactly what he means to, the only thing that slips is, ] Shit.
[ As soon as the words leave her ā not even voiced with any level of certainty, because obviously she has to couch them in a bit of fumbling too, big rarity in those feelings sincerely expressed for anyone whose name isn't Waverly Earp ā she can't help but think she's really, truly done a bang-up job of stepping in it.
She's ruined the moment because of course she has, because anything less would signify a real change of form for the girl who considers herself a walking disaster on even her best days, because even when she's finally worked up the nerve beyond all other nerves to give a name to everything she's been feeling, she's picked the literal worst possible time to say it. He doesn't have to answer her for her to gauge, solely based on his best impression of a gaping fish, that she's screwed both of them by venturing that honesty; part of her isn't convinced there hadn't just been a freaking record scratch over the radio to add further insult as the final cherry on top of this mortifying sundae.
Maybe she can still salvage this somehow. Maybe she can blame the weed ā the goddamn weed, her idea yet again ā for causing her to say something she'd normally be too reluctant to let slip out. Who knows what's in this stuff? Maybe Chloe likes to spike her strain with a bit of truth-telling serum, the kind of shit you see in the movies, where people say all kinds of crazy things because they've been drugged.
But as the seconds tick past between her momentary lapse in judgment and his single syllable answer, she knows she doesn't have a leg to stand on in terms of blaming anyone but her own damn self, and in that moment all she can think about is trying to bypass it entirely; the first thing that comes to mind is trying to find her clothes, hastily rummaging around the mess of blankets with a weak laugh. ]
What? I meant, uh ā I kinda love you...r abs. Really solid work you've been doing on your core lately. Thought you should know. [ She's definitely not meeting his eyes right now, half-muttering under her breath as she fishes around where he's still laying. Damn it, where'd she leave her underwear in all of this? ]
[ really, more of the fuck up here is on him, when his mouth suddenly forms the wrong sound from what he'd intended, the swear slipping as a mere instinctive reaction. because even that is partially honest, mostly on account of his believing he isn't deserving of whatever love she has for him, that he can't possibly be enough when he's mostly made of danger and disaster.
but they'd approach that conflict before, again and again, when he'd been covered in blood from head to toe and she never flinched away from him, even as he stood there strapped in that cursed vest. they'd seen each other's scars, lurked beneath the surface of their skins, and still come out with clenched tight hands. ]
No, shit, that's not ā [ he bites hard at his lip, a sigh that's more representative of his own frustration with himself as she draws back to search about the truck for her clothes.
leaning to sit up, he runs his palm over his beard before he reaches out to lightly grasp her arm, halting her search. ] Hey, hey, hey. [ if he can get her attention, he slides over closer to her once more, close enough to slip his fingers across her jaw to direct her eyes to him.
he takes a breath, running his tongue across his lip as he tilts his head, eyes sincere in his gaze. ] I love you. There's no ā there's no kinda to it. It's just ... I haven't ā I haven't let myself ... feel that in a long time. I didn't even think I could anymore, y'know, I ā I guess just didn't expect to say it half-naked in the back of your truck, but ā [ he knits his brows, a light chuckle in his breath before he looks back to her, eyes managing to escape the earlier surprise to bear their more honest fondness. ] But I do. I love you.
[ They can get around to who takes first place in the Summer Fuck-up Olympics much later, probably; her thoughts are still racing around the idea of how she's going to spin this later on. She should blame the weed, definitely, that's the safest way to go here, especially because there's no telling how long this high will last and after they've both sobered up she can wave off any and all vulnerability as an unfortunate side effect. But she's definitely veering closer to that sober state now ā funny how a rejection will do that to a girl ā when he stills her with a gentle hand around her arm.
It's then that she realizes, for all the intense conversations they've had, he's never once handled her roughly, never gripped her too hard, never left a bruised imprint of fingers lingering on her skin after the fact and she's brought back to him with a deep furrow between her brows, a squint of focus that zeroes in on him before she attempts to smooth her features out into something more neutral. He always touches her carefully, his voice a low murmur now that reels her in from the anxiety that tries to barrel her ahead to a future point where they're not talking about this anymore, her latest in a long line of consistent screw-ups. ]
You ā [ She presses her lips together, shuts up and lets him do the damn talking for once, but somewhere between her brain shortcircuiting and the beat when she finally comes back to her own body she manages to hear what he's saying, and the revelation that once again she'd just managed to catch him by surprise slowly begins to dawn on her.
And then she just feels completely ridiculous about it all, hunching her shoulders in a brief shrug as she looks down to where her fingers are twisting the fabric of her tank top in her lap. ] Yeah, well, I'm whole-naked, so. [ It's not a competition, Wynonna. ]
Um, okay. So we're on the same page, then, with that. The part where ā you know, I love you, and you love me, and that's all out there now. [ She releases the breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding in, finally peeking up at him with a subtle lift of her chin. ] In the open. No takebacks.
Well, you and I combined makes us half-naked, so the point still stands. [ and despite any brief awkwardness, he could still manage to tease her despite it all, a hint of slyness in both his voice and expression, with a half smile that gradually spreads a little more with each passing second.
but they are on the same page now, the words echoing out free on both their ends without any further filter, and even now he can possibly conjure up a few reasons why it isn't necessarily a good thing, that there's plenty wrong in them only getting deeper and deeper into this thing they've accidentally stumbled into, but either the weed now faint in his system or the softness in her gaze is enough to shelf those worries for the night. ]
Yeah. No takebacks. [ his thumb tucks down over her chin, a gentle stroke before he coaxes her to lean in with him, seeking her lips for a soft kiss. ] Can't take back what you said about my abs now, either.
Okay, details. [ She pretends to scoff but there's a smile in it, a slowly spreading thing that belies her relief with it all ā because she had been worried, that feeling forging a pit deep down in her stomach even against the drugs' relaxing effects, anxious that maybe once she put that out there between them he wouldn't feel the same. It hadn't even occurred to her that this is something he either hasn't let himself consider until now or genuinely hadn't believed he was capable of feeling, and now that she knows it for truth she definitely feels a little silly about the whole thing.
It might be a bad idea, the way so many of hers can be, especially when they don't know what tomorrow has in store or any number of days beyond tonight, and she doesn't necessarily need anything to change now that it's out in the open ā but if they are on a ticking clock, she's realizing she doesn't want to regret not saying it until it's too late. She has too much guilt to want to risk adding to that number here. ]
Oh, I wasn't planning on it. You've still got great muscle definition. [ She murmurs the words shortly before his mouth finds hers, her chuckle half-lost in the kisses they proceed to exchange. ]
[ she smiles and it offers him an affectionate feeling in turn, an ease through the very core of him at merely watching the soft stretch of her lips and the press of the dimples along either cheek. he hadn't thought much of any of it for the first several weeks he'd seen it again and again, but he knows the reasons for that is more on his refusal than the capability of their effect.
there was a time in which he'd been nothing but rude to her, trying to wave her off as just a regular nuisance here in this town, just another one of many obstacles that had kept him here when he wanted nothing more but to escape.
maybe it's because he hadn't expected someone to snatch his heart up the way maria had that he'd gradually let his guard down, allowed wynonna to dig into the very caves of his chest and plant herself into permanence there, working through all his weaknesses and vulnerabilities until it was impossible to be everything that he was without having her right there with all of it.
humming against her mouth, he doesn't stray far from prolonging small kisses into a constant stream of them, fingers holding a light hold along her jaw as he keeps her close. ] Hope you ain't just using me for my body now.
[ Never let it be said that Wynonna doesn't know how to take a hint; okay, she definitely doesn't know how to take a hint, because the hints Frank had thrown her way during the first couple weeks of their acquaintance could be referred to less as suggestions and more like sledgehammers. But his insistence on putting this town behind him had soon become a running joke they'd both drawn on, especially as the chances of him actually leaving had begun to shrink more and more.
And whether it was the workings of this place continually trying to throw them together, her genuine curiosity about him leading her to want to get to know him better, or his diminishing reluctance to turn her away, they'd swung into each other's orbit over and over again until they'd been forced to accept what might have been unacceptable in any other circumstance but this one.
She likes to joke that he's stuck with her now, but it's not like she really did that much to try to get away from him either ā and while she's worked her way in past his walls, he'd accomplished the same on his end, witnessing her at her most exposed and choosing to stay regardless.
She doesn't say anything at all for a while, mostly because he really knows how to distract her with those kisses, damn it; she manages to grin before her mouth finds his again, a soft drifting that she finally punctuates with a retort. ] No, I would never do a thing like that.
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They're a lot alike in that way, each firmly insistent that they don't need anyone else's protection but maybe knowing deep down that they're stronger when they're in each other's corner, that the threats of this town are less insurmountable when they're fighting side by side.
There's no haste, no intention to rush this now, the lazy slide of mouths mimicking the similarly unhurried rocking of bodies; she likes him this deep, the added grind offering a friction that she can feel in all the right places, and her fingers dig into his back a little more while she finally starts moving to meet him in a lift of her hips. ]
So good. [ She probably doesn't need to tell him that based on what he can hear in those breathless exhalations while she clings so tightly, but there's really no filter between her brain and her mouth right now and she's dangerously close to saying everything she's feeling in this moment, trying to find the right words to express this sense of safety and warmth and right ā and she brings her lips to his again, kisses him before she can spout off and inadvertently ruin this somehow by saying something too soon. ]
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chaos thrives in this town, but wynonna supplies him with an odd kind of normal, someone to seek out when he tires, a face to find when he goes home, whether in early hours or the late ones. itād been years since heād had any of it, all of it snatched away in a single incident, and if anyone actually terrifies him in deerington, it isnāt the monsters, it isnāt the tricks, but the threat that he might just lose everything all over again.
that heāll wake up tomorrow, and heāll lose laura, and heāll lose wynonna, all at once.
his body quivers a little, and credit could go to the remnants of the drug in his system, or the breeze of the night air, or even the overwhelming heat exchanged between them. but he kisses her harder then, not taking for granted that he has her here now, that whatever hell they might end up dealing with in the morning, theyāve still got this despite it. as he carries a firmer urgency in his thrusts, their lips donāt quite align as he moves, but he keeps their mouths close nonetheless, the whisper of her name there harsh and needy, as his palm clings a tight grip to her thigh, rocking into a harder grind. ]
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None of it would be possible, she thinks, without him here with her now; they'd showed up around the same time, and he's as much a piece of her existence here as the rest of it ā the job at the bar, the farmhouse slowly being patched up to some degree of livability, the people she recognizes every time she goes to the diner who know her as Wynonna and not the heir, not the disaster, not the reckless liability with a tendency for running her mouth. Okay, maybe that last part isn't completely true; he's likely to call her out for her inability to shut up, moreso than anyone else here.
It should say something all on its own that she's fallen silent apart from those desperate sounds, soft enough for his hearing to pick up with him nestled this close to her ā and she crests, contentedly, one minute cradled at the precipice of her release and the next tumbling right into it with a hard tremor of her hips and a series of gasps, the furrow in her brow smoothing out as her lips broaden into a smile.
But he's still moving over her, in her, and she keeps herself tight against him, wanting to bring him there to that edge right after her as his own motions prolong everything she's feeling, makes something in her chest swell simply from the intimacy of the moment, from hearing her name on his lips over and over, the only time he ever uses it like this. ]
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yet, somehow heās been able to reclaim the name of frank castle here, seen as more than just the skull painted across his chest, even if heās recognized that it holds a corner of his identity just as well. heād never considered the idea of settling down in deerington for long term, not exactly ābut there are certain parts of it that hold more reason to keep him around than going back to far less.
and as she tenses against him, the reflexive stutter of her body that clues him in on her pleasure, he urges himself only closer, parted mouth braced to her cheek as he holds her through the brink of it, lets her ride it out against the continued insistent press of his hips. she clings to him, everywhere and down below, and itās encouragement to chase his release with her. a steady panting falls to her skin, and he grunts deeply when he finds it, hips thrusting harder still, as fingers smooth across her throat while he kisses her lips.
when it all comes crashing down, he remains where he is, moving little save for the dipping of his forehead to hers, breathing softly as he lets the shared warmth between them wash over him. ]
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If she is on some kind of timetable, if she isn't meant to be here past a certain date, she'll deal with it then, and she might be kidding herself if she thinks experiencing that severance won't break her a little in the process, won't add to the cracks that already exist around her heart, but she'll get through it the same way she always has, by learning to lean on the people around her.
He's that support for her here, will be until he can't anymore, and even if they've got an expiration date ahead of them she's not willing to think that far into the future; she's definitely not projecting herself outward beyond him and them and this in the right here and now, with him warm and solid above her and cradling her close, touching her like she deserves to have something good in her life.
And she's there to hold him too, when he finally empties into her, fingers smoothing over his skin as he brings their faces together; she's still catching her breath, doesn't have the words yet, but she doesn't necessarily need to in a moment like this one, when she feels like she's floating above herself and he's the only thing keeping her tethered to solid ground. She presses her mouth to his from behind closed eyes, once and then again, murmuring dreamily when she finally manages to speak. ] You're something else.
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still, she shakes his plans, always coats him with the unexpected, including the very feelings that heās come to have for her, the longing to see her each and every day that he wakes up in this town, and the peace he finds in her lips when she kisses him soft as she does now.
with a sigh and a shiver that he faults the wind for her, he tucks his arm besides her head, fingers stroking her hair as he lingers against her, settling into the warmth and dreading the eventual need to withdraw.
at her voice, he laughs softly, quiet but with an affectionate sound. ] Yeah? Hope thatās a good something. [ holding his smile, he nudges his nose to hers softly. ] And youāre ā [ everything, he thinks, the word right there on his tongue. ] ā very naked.
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So often sheās worried about whether sheāll be too much for him to handle, but she wakes up almost every morning to the soft press of lips against her cheek and a quietly murmured goodbye, the hairs of his beard tickling her face before he departs the room in a series of creaking steps on the staircase, soon followed by the sound of the screen door clapping shut. Heās there, in every way she never anticipated, and try as she might to convince herself otherwise, heās never shown signs that anything could prompt him to leave her side.
Her grin widens and she drifts back to herself, head lazily lolling against the blankets beneath them as she slowly comes back to where they are and what theyāve just been up to ā and his shiver seems to pass on to her then, her thighs reflexively squeezing at his hips as she nuzzles into his nose. ]
Yeah, looks like I am. [ Good thing sheās got her clothes in easy reach, but dressing means sacrificing his weight on her and she doesnāt want to surrender it yet, her fingers a steady slide across his spine. ] This might actually be the craziest thing Iāve done in this damn truck, and thatās counting the time I accidentally rolled it.
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especially not in his current state, the air of the afterglow leaving him relaxed above her, even as he keeps a forearm steady to support his weight. but itās the press of her hips and the tickle of her nose that keeps him close, postponing any need to separate themselves so soon. ]
Well, weāre going two for two on our vehicles. What do you say we hit up that bike of yours next? [ obviously, a joke. but heās not exactly blind to this accidental trend theyāve begun to set, either. ]
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Eventually, she slides herself away from him with a soft hiss of breath once they're fully separated, but rather than reach for her clothes to get dressed right away she reaches out to grab the edge of one of the blankets covering the interior of the truck bed, curling it around herself in her best imitation of a human burrito. ]
Mmm. You jest, but there's something about the idea of doing it on that gorgeous blend of steel and leather that might just get my motor running all over again. [ She can't keep a straight face even while she's saying it, though, sinking her teeth into her lower lip in an attempt to stifle her smirk. ]
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sliding besides her burrito body, he rests on his side, elbow keeping him slightly raised as he props himself up on his palm. it allows him to peer over her with an affection gaze, relaxed in both his body and his mind.
and he'd stay out here like this with her for hours if he could, satisfied for the quiet that still fills the space around them, save for another soft tune that plays on the radio. no threats, no interruptions, and there's a flutter that rushes through him that has a name he continues to avoid voicing.
but it's practically spoken in the brush of his fingers to her cheek, a light stroke that simply grazing her skin with his fingertips. his voice is a whisper, despite the lack of need for it in their continued privacy. ] You warm?
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Mmhmm. Downright toasty.
[ The slow slide of his fingers over the side of her face elicits a similarly paced tilt of her head as she leans into that touch, maybe even seeks out the further trajectory she knows he sometimes takes along her jaw toward the fall of her hair, and when she leans forward it's to fit her mouth to his with a soft hum. ]
I don't know about you, but ā [ She doesn't finish her own thought before offering another kiss, a brief peck paired with a low chuckle. ] I really needed that.
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Yeah? [ with a light smile, he catches her lips again, lazy but determined to keep her mouth close to his, the tickle of his short hairs brushing at her skin. ]
What happened? That asshole boyfriend of yours put you on a dry spell? [ it's him, the asshole boyfriend. though if there's been anything "dry", it's only because frequency for this kind of thing doesn't work so well in light of numerous children running around and constant threats looming over them.
and maybe he doesn't even think about it when he uses the word "boyfriend", such a normality to it despite how little they've relied on labels. ]
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Now, they're firmly embedded in AD territory and she does it all sometimes without even thinking about it ā and this time, it manifests in her peppering his mouth with a series of kisses until she's next door to laughing again, especially when he engages her closely enough to tickle her face with his beard, leaving her to try and squirm away in retreat. ]
You know I don't ā have any complaints ā in that department ā oh my God, you hairy man, quit it ā
[ She weakly swats at the exposure of his chest with the backs of her fingers, knowing she's responsible for initiating this in the first place but forever underestimating his tendency to escalate the terms of war between them, and finally props herself up to sitting over him, bearing her weight against a palm pressed along his side. ]
Yeah, he's kind of an asshole, but he's my asshole. [ Beat. ] Wait, that came out wrong.
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the difference is it comes with a wider smile, a rarer occurrence overall from the more stoic man, and yet the expression taking no effort at all when she conjures it as she swats back at him to fight over those coarser hairs around his mouth.
but he even manages to bark a fair laugh with her unintended humor, rolling onto his back when she guides herself over him, a hand rising to cease the sound from his lips, despite the smile still given away in the crinkled lines by his eyes. ] Jesus Christ.
[ wynonna earp, always something.
but his fingers find the smooth length of her hair, stroking lightly, voice softer. ] But you're right. I am yours.
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But she finds his gaze with her own shortly after that, turning her cheek against the curve of her own shoulder, her smile fading somewhat while the prominent dimples in her features continue to persist; fondness replaces amusement more and more, as the strains of another song quietly fill the otherwise silence that falls over them between his soft admission and hers.
She precedes it with an extra breath, like she needs to gather that air within herself for what comes next; she can only focus on the repetitive glide of his fingers through the ends of her hair for so long when it feels like her heart is living in her throat, and the sentiment tumbles from her, like it's been dangling on the tip of her tongue and only needed the right set of circumstances to make her brave enough to say it. ]
Hey. [ Here goes nothing, right? Nothing, but also everything. ] I ā I kinda love you.
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whatever smile that had been there seems to vanish, replaced by parted lips that voice nothing for the extended seconds in which he merely stares up at her, eyes focused on hers as if he might somehow find a sign that either he hadn't heard correctly what she'd said or it was just another set of words to fall in line with her routine set of jokes.
but he knows exactly what he'd respond in turn, because he's known it, even if it'd be impossible to conjure up an exact start date, to know if he's felt it since she'd help him escape a literal grizzly life, or from the time he'd first slept at her side in her bed, or if it had already begun to manifest before he even set eyes on her as she told him of her love for Judy Garland. the when of it isn't important, especially not as she casts her eyes on him with uncertainty.
and those words, they haven't been spoken by him in quite some time, not for anyone but maria castle, too precious to use so freely, especially on account of how he knows he hasn't been so deserving to hear them.
but wynonna earp ā she's it. she's everything.
yet when he opens his mouth again, to say exactly what he means to, the only thing that slips is, ] Shit.
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She's ruined the moment because of course she has, because anything less would signify a real change of form for the girl who considers herself a walking disaster on even her best days, because even when she's finally worked up the nerve beyond all other nerves to give a name to everything she's been feeling, she's picked the literal worst possible time to say it. He doesn't have to answer her for her to gauge, solely based on his best impression of a gaping fish, that she's screwed both of them by venturing that honesty; part of her isn't convinced there hadn't just been a freaking record scratch over the radio to add further insult as the final cherry on top of this mortifying sundae.
Maybe she can still salvage this somehow. Maybe she can blame the weed ā the goddamn weed, her idea yet again ā for causing her to say something she'd normally be too reluctant to let slip out. Who knows what's in this stuff? Maybe Chloe likes to spike her strain with a bit of truth-telling serum, the kind of shit you see in the movies, where people say all kinds of crazy things because they've been drugged.
But as the seconds tick past between her momentary lapse in judgment and his single syllable answer, she knows she doesn't have a leg to stand on in terms of blaming anyone but her own damn self, and in that moment all she can think about is trying to bypass it entirely; the first thing that comes to mind is trying to find her clothes, hastily rummaging around the mess of blankets with a weak laugh. ]
What? I meant, uh ā I kinda love you...r abs. Really solid work you've been doing on your core lately. Thought you should know. [ She's definitely not meeting his eyes right now, half-muttering under her breath as she fishes around where he's still laying. Damn it, where'd she leave her underwear in all of this? ]
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but they'd approach that conflict before, again and again, when he'd been covered in blood from head to toe and she never flinched away from him, even as he stood there strapped in that cursed vest. they'd seen each other's scars, lurked beneath the surface of their skins, and still come out with clenched tight hands. ]
No, shit, that's not ā [ he bites hard at his lip, a sigh that's more representative of his own frustration with himself as she draws back to search about the truck for her clothes.
leaning to sit up, he runs his palm over his beard before he reaches out to lightly grasp her arm, halting her search. ] Hey, hey, hey. [ if he can get her attention, he slides over closer to her once more, close enough to slip his fingers across her jaw to direct her eyes to him.
he takes a breath, running his tongue across his lip as he tilts his head, eyes sincere in his gaze. ] I love you. There's no ā there's no kinda to it. It's just ... I haven't ā I haven't let myself ... feel that in a long time. I didn't even think I could anymore, y'know, I ā I guess just didn't expect to say it half-naked in the back of your truck, but ā [ he knits his brows, a light chuckle in his breath before he looks back to her, eyes managing to escape the earlier surprise to bear their more honest fondness. ] But I do. I love you.
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It's then that she realizes, for all the intense conversations they've had, he's never once handled her roughly, never gripped her too hard, never left a bruised imprint of fingers lingering on her skin after the fact and she's brought back to him with a deep furrow between her brows, a squint of focus that zeroes in on him before she attempts to smooth her features out into something more neutral. He always touches her carefully, his voice a low murmur now that reels her in from the anxiety that tries to barrel her ahead to a future point where they're not talking about this anymore, her latest in a long line of consistent screw-ups. ]
You ā [ She presses her lips together, shuts up and lets him do the damn talking for once, but somewhere between her brain shortcircuiting and the beat when she finally comes back to her own body she manages to hear what he's saying, and the revelation that once again she'd just managed to catch him by surprise slowly begins to dawn on her.
And then she just feels completely ridiculous about it all, hunching her shoulders in a brief shrug as she looks down to where her fingers are twisting the fabric of her tank top in her lap. ] Yeah, well, I'm whole-naked, so. [ It's not a competition, Wynonna. ]
Um, okay. So we're on the same page, then, with that. The part where ā you know, I love you, and you love me, and that's all out there now. [ She releases the breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding in, finally peeking up at him with a subtle lift of her chin. ] In the open. No takebacks.
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but they are on the same page now, the words echoing out free on both their ends without any further filter, and even now he can possibly conjure up a few reasons why it isn't necessarily a good thing, that there's plenty wrong in them only getting deeper and deeper into this thing they've accidentally stumbled into, but either the weed now faint in his system or the softness in her gaze is enough to shelf those worries for the night. ]
Yeah. No takebacks. [ his thumb tucks down over her chin, a gentle stroke before he coaxes her to lean in with him, seeking her lips for a soft kiss. ] Can't take back what you said about my abs now, either.
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It might be a bad idea, the way so many of hers can be, especially when they don't know what tomorrow has in store or any number of days beyond tonight, and she doesn't necessarily need anything to change now that it's out in the open ā but if they are on a ticking clock, she's realizing she doesn't want to regret not saying it until it's too late. She has too much guilt to want to risk adding to that number here. ]
Oh, I wasn't planning on it. You've still got great muscle definition. [ She murmurs the words shortly before his mouth finds hers, her chuckle half-lost in the kisses they proceed to exchange. ]
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there was a time in which he'd been nothing but rude to her, trying to wave her off as just a regular nuisance here in this town, just another one of many obstacles that had kept him here when he wanted nothing more but to escape.
maybe it's because he hadn't expected someone to snatch his heart up the way maria had that he'd gradually let his guard down, allowed wynonna to dig into the very caves of his chest and plant herself into permanence there, working through all his weaknesses and vulnerabilities until it was impossible to be everything that he was without having her right there with all of it.
humming against her mouth, he doesn't stray far from prolonging small kisses into a constant stream of them, fingers holding a light hold along her jaw as he keeps her close. ] Hope you ain't just using me for my body now.
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And whether it was the workings of this place continually trying to throw them together, her genuine curiosity about him leading her to want to get to know him better, or his diminishing reluctance to turn her away, they'd swung into each other's orbit over and over again until they'd been forced to accept what might have been unacceptable in any other circumstance but this one.
She likes to joke that he's stuck with her now, but it's not like she really did that much to try to get away from him either ā and while she's worked her way in past his walls, he'd accomplished the same on his end, witnessing her at her most exposed and choosing to stay regardless.
She doesn't say anything at all for a while, mostly because he really knows how to distract her with those kisses, damn it; she manages to grin before her mouth finds his again, a soft drifting that she finally punctuates with a retort. ] No, I would never do a thing like that.