joey @ahotcupofjoey - Tumblr Blog

Buck felt as if he had been holding his breath, the closer that she leaned in, the more that his senses were invaded with everything Joey. His attention danced around her eyes and her relaxed posture - arms crossed effortlessly. He couldn’t properly process the moment as all that he could focus on was the way that her lips wrapped around the silverware that he had somehow managed to keep poised while feeding her with.

That hum; he would be slightly ashamed to admit that it didn’t just settle in his mind, destined to be a memory he would keep close, but elsewhere too. Where the eyes could not see, right now anyway. And that was when he forced himself to lick his lips and swallow some of the air between them. The spoon was mindlessly placed on the table as Buck’s gaze swept shamelessly across Joey's mouth, observing the way that her lips twisted and perked, savoring every flavor he fed her palate.

Frankly, the suspense was killing him and he wasn’t sure what he needed more, to know that he had done a decent job with dessert - or to find out whether Joey would kiss him again. After all this time.

Watching closely, he found himself almost mirroring her actions, glancing around the kitchen as if he couldn't believe that she was prolonging the moment painfully, despite the very obvious smirk permanently fixed on his lips. And then the real answer arrived, before Buck could quip with one of his remarks. Her lips were pressing against his and his heart all but slammed against his chest.

It was everything that he could have ever wished for, yet not enough. Disappointment reared it's ugly head around the corner as the kiss ended much too soon. But if there was one thing that Buck knew about Joey, it was that she was lingering, giving him the freedom to either pull away or do more. Do more, his mind, his heart and every fiber in him begged. Screamed.

He lifted his watch adorned hand, cupped Joey’s cheek and pressed his lips against hers again, this time without pulling away as quickly as she did. He savored the moment, and the sweet remnants of the pie on her lips. A light, pleased hum transferred via breath, as his puckered lips curved into a smile without separating from Joey's lips. "So, i guess i won," he breathed out, nudging his nose against hers, enjoying the closeness before finally pulling away enough to take in her expression.

ahotcupofjoey

Joey regretted her kiss being as short as it was the exact moment she was pulling back. All this time, all of those moments wishing she could re-learn his lips, re-learn how it felt to be kissed by him, how it felt to be that close to him again, and she’d left this as barely more than a peck. What the hell was wrong with her? Even with her lingering, even with her silent hope that he’s press in for more, she was a mere breath away from apologising, from retreating and making a run for it to get back onto safe ground.

But she was swept up and off her feet long before that could happen, his hand on her cheek cupping it so perfectly, like puzzle pieces slotting back together after too long apart. Their lips met again, a savoured moment this time that she dared to lose herself in, even for just a fraction of a second. She let herself remember, let herself learn, let herself enjoy it without worrying about anything else.

Because it was Buck, and it was her, and it was familiar and new and exciting and comforting all in the same simple touch of lips. She almost mourned it when it was over again, her breath hitching in her throat when she remembered that she had to breathe again.

“I guess you did,” She answered on an exhaled laugh, her lips tugging into an almost shy smile, eyes remaining closed right up until he pulled back to look at her. It took more than she expected to open her eyes, almost out of fear of what she might see. That he might be second guessing, regretting the whole thing.

But no, there was no regret. Just that warmth that she loved adored so much, the familiarity she could get lost in. “Though I still think Eddie’s cinnamon had something to do with it,” She teased, her smile gentle and teasing and still holding a hint of shyness she just couldn’t seem to shake.

#op; buck #aloneintheafterglow

aloneintheafterglow

Buck’s ego took the hit right where it normally did - his eyebrows joined with surprise at her bold comment. “Oh, so never mind the time I spent measuring and mixing everything, then. Huh?” Of course, he took her remark with a hint of playfulness, naturally knowing that she would never discredit him or his efforts. Still, he kept up his end of the playful banter.

His face relaxed into a warm chuckle, his eyebrow slightly raising as he noted the way that Joey’s cheeks seemed to draw color to her face and gave her that doe-eyed look that always made him weak in the knees. After all this time, she was still so effortlessly and probably unknowingly beautiful, and it took his breath away how she looked leaning against his table. The new table his parents had bought him, despite his insistence that he didn’t need a new one.

“Hold that thought.” He stood up fluidly and returned with the dessert, setting it in the center and between their cups of wine. “Let me just grab something,” he breathed out, mostly talking to himself as he moved around, reaching into the fridge for the ice cream.

Once he’d grabbed a spoon and a pastry knife, he returned to the table, cutting a perfect slice of the custard pie. He fixed a dollop of the homemade ice cream Maddie had made and brought him, and with a steady hand, scooped up an equal amount of pie and ice cream, lifting it to feed Joey.

“How about we make this interesting… with a wager of some sort? Like…” the gears immediately spun in his mind, thinking of ways to fuel what he thought was an obvious spark between them, and that’s when the brilliant idea was born. “maybe, if my dessert is good, you give the chef a.. a kiss,” he tilted his head, challenging her. “And by the chef, I mean me, of course. I don’t really think Athena would appreciate me auctioning off Cap for a kiss.”

There was a spark in his blue gaze that did very little in hiding the mischief behind his intentions. “Let’s just say that I’m confident enough knowing I wont need a losing option.” Sure, the competitive nature of the burly, yet childish man was part to blame for the bet. But, there was more to it and Buck wasn’t sure if Joey even wanted to go down that route. So, what better way to get rejected, than with the satisfaction that it’s just about his skills in the kitchen and not because he ruined his chances at whatever was brewing between them.

ahotcupofjoey

Something about this was so familiar, so natural, that Joey felt more comfortable than she had in months. Watching Buck dart about for ice cream and utensils, it seemed like it was the most natural thing in the world to be experiencing, that this was just how things were, like nothing had changed or happened in between. It made it easy to relax, and she found herself smiling warmly as she watched him, content to do exactly that for now.

And then he was sat down, scooped up some of the dessert, and was holding it out for her. She didn’t question it at all, seeing it as just another natural progression, until he asked that question, offered that wager, and she was suddenly very aware of exactly where they were, what had happened leading up to this moment and the pounding of her heart at the thought.

A kiss. Her eyes flicked from his face, to the dessert, then back to his lips. A kiss. She could see how he’d framed it, given her an out, a way to say no without making things awkward, but a way to say yes, to take that step, without the heaviness to it all.

It was just a kiss. Just a kiss, but one that she knew, hoped, might change things.

She didn’t confirm it with words at first, though. Instead, she flicked her gaze back up to his, their eyes meeting. And then she leaned up, arms crossed on the table. She leaned over them and without once breaking that gaze, took the bite from the spoon, wrapping her lips around it. She hummed out a soft noise as she pulled back, keeping it as ambiguous as she could. It was good. Really good, but maybe she could make him sweat just a little longer.

“Hm, I’m not sure. It’s not the worst, don’t get me wrong...” She pursed her lips, feigning thought as she leaned forward gradually again, the distance between them closing even as she tilted her head, pretended to look around. And then, before she could let the heart-hammering, stomach-clenching nerves take her over, she closed that gap and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was quicker than she might’ve liked, a peck really and yet she stayed close, her eyes searching his face for a reaction, for a sign that she should be getting up and getting her shoes. Or maybe a sign for more...

#op; buck #aloneintheafterglow

lisa-lq

#mirror; joey

aloneintheafterglow

cont from here. | @ahotcupofjoey

Buck’s head tilted, his lips parting and showcasing a not-so-subtle smile of awe, gentle blinks casting temporary shadows from his lashes as he absorbed Joey’s answer. “That’s-that’s actually brilliant. With Bobby’s new kick of working out and going for his runs, when Athena can’t run with him - the dog would be his partner. That’s-that’s a great point,” his voice pitched with its own excitement. “Hell, i might bring you with me to bargain. He’ll definitely believe it’s a sound idea of you’re there too. Bobby has always valued your feelings.”

The man was chipper with a newfound motivation, the help of the source of curiosity seated, yet physically effervescent and adjusting in place to get a better view of the dessert he’d set to cool on the stove-top. “Well, if you must know,” his arm extended on the table, filling up space between them, with a confident tilt of his head, “With my improved mathematical sense, I have dabbled into new recipes and with little to no help, this one is mostly on me. Though, I did have to ask Eddie to lend me some cinnamon.” His index finger tapped on the table, coyness sheltering his smile as he looked at his own digit, his mind momentarily taking him to the night he’d been struck by lightning.

It was still such a mystifying thing to the man, that he’d medically died and had been given a second chance to return to the life and people who mattered the most to him. This second chance came with realizations staring back at him - one of which smiled across from him, her hair falling over her shoulder and exposing a sliver of her neck while she peered into his gaze. Heat rose to his cheeks with a gentle chuckle as he found himself staring too long. “Uh, thanks-thank you. I just hope it tastes as good as your apple pie recipe. I trust you will let me know with the utmost honesty.” A playful grin overtook the place of his tongue after it swiped at his bottom lip.

ahotcupofjoey

Joey gave a light shrug, just one movement away from waving it off. She’d go anywhere he wanted her, that had never changed and while a small part of her wondered just how valuable Bobby would find her after all this time, she was almost giddy with the fact Buck believed she’d make a difference. After everything, it was almost like they were back at square one, where his smiles and his compliments made her chest flutter and her stomach do somersaults. It was such a simple comment, but she knew she was just one more grin away from flushing pink.

Unless, apparently, Buck started talking like that. His passion, his confidence... they’d always been two things Joey loved about him, two things that had her feeling all fuzzy and a little hot under the collar, but something about this particular situation was making her cheeks start dusting pink. Maybe it was the light in his eyes, or the way his arm seemed to almost be reaching across the table. It took all she had not to reach out and grab for him, to wrap both of her hands around his and hold on, feel the slight roughness of his skin from his job yet the always gentle touch she adored so much.

“Oh, absolutely. All the honesty you could ever want,” She teased with a smile, resting her own hands on the table for a moment, tapping one finger against the other absently, “Though if it’s got Eddie’s cinnamon in it, I’m sure it’ll be a sure success regardless.” Her grin back at him was bright, almost mischievous, teasing. If he was gonna make her blush just by existing, she would be just as playful back.

#op; buck #aloneintheafterglow

lisa-lq

lalisa ☆

#mirror; joey

ahotcupofjoey

aloneintheafterglow:

“I am back, dessert is cooling. Now, where were we?”

@indiestarter

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Joey teased, chin resting on her hand as she watched him sit back down. Watching him cook may or may not have been one of her favourite pastimes and somewhere between him getting up and sitting back down, she may or may not have forgotten what they were even talking about. At least, it seemed, she wasn’t the only one, “I vaguely remember something about a dog but I could be a good ten conversation points behind.”

ahotcupofjoey

aloneintheafterglow:

Buck’s chuckle was audible, slightly breathy, as he adjusted his serviette, a term that he learned while taking lessons from Bobby at the firehouse.

It was no surprise when he and Joey got lost during story-telling, or simply got sidetracked within moments of speaking, due to the many thoughts shared and the detours that came with, when excitement took over during a conversation.

“Right! I was telling you that I have been trying to convince Bobby to let us get a dog at the firehouse. Since we all have constantly shifting schedules, whoever is on the clock would be able to walk them, feed them, and we can all receive a nice, warm welcome from the dog. Imagine it - a happy tail and a pair of floppy ears greeting you each and every time you walk into the firehouse?” The man knew all too well that there were other responsibilities that came with having a dog, and since he wasn’t home often enough, and he and Joey were just getting back into a good rhythm, a firehouse pet was the next best thing.

Sure, Joey still had a spare key, Buck convincing her that she should have her key back in case he lost his, or if one day she needed to get in and he wasn’t home - you never know. Or, maybe it was just wishful thinking that one day, he would return home to see Joey lounging at the kitchen island, leaning over the marble finish, popping a sugary treat into her mouth.

It would be jarring, just how easily they fell back into step with one another, if it didn’t feel so natural. Moments like this, where they could’ve so easily convinced themselves that everything was fine and how things used to be, where nothing had happened, where they hadn’t fallen apart, where Joey could call this apartment home rather than Buck’s place - these were the moments she had started to crave. Moments where the spare key in her pocket didn’t feel heavy, a metallic reminder of the fact that while she could technically come and go as she pleased, the reality was different.

But sitting there, watching him and listening to him talk about getting a dog for the firehouse, seeing that excitement, that passion, she could almost believe that maybe one day the apartment would stop feeling so strange, like a place she knew from a distant memory but didn’t completely recognise. Those were thoughts for another time, a time alone in her little shoebox place closer to the coffee shop where Buck’s sprawling balcony with city views was replaced by a rickety window and a view of the street below, just high up enough that she could carefully lean out and see the stars on clear nights.

“I think he’ll say yes,” Joey shrugged with a grin, dropping her hand from her chin, shifting in her seat, “I mean, he always caves with you. But if he’s being a hard sell, talk to Athena. I bet she’ll agree if you spin the whole good for his health thing and if you get her on side, there’s no way he’ll say no.”

She shifted again in her seat, this time pushing herself forward to lean both elbows on the table so she could peer over into the kitchen and towards their dessert. She missed his cooking too... “This a new recipe from Bobby or your own creation?” She asked with a curious smile, “It smells good whichever it is.”

#op; buck #aloneintheafterglow