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[hgfictionwriter]

Master List

I figured it may be time to create this list. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to anyone who has read, liked, reblogged, commented. There are some absolutely stellar fics and writers out there, so thank you for welcoming me into the fold.

For anyone who’s new, I write JFlem fics of the smut-with-feelings variety. ❤️

Requests are always welcome!

Stories and categories below:

Master List - Smut Fics

Master List - Non-Smut Fics

[hgfictionwriter]

Orbit: Part Ten - Connection

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: After your daughters get the safe version of Jessie’s second date with you, the private memory tells the rest. Teasing gives way to long-delayed want, vulnerability, and Jessie finally choosing to stay.

Warnings: G!P content. Penetrative Sex. Oral (R receiving). Squirting. Unprotected sex. Multiple orgasms. Service Top Jessie. Reader finally gets the sex she deserves.

A/N: Smut is finally here. And if you know my work, you know that if it takes me this long to get to the smut - it's lengthy! Series is here.

"Oh my God. Finally," Harper said, entirely exasperated, but wearing a smile nonetheless. "Please tell me you actually texted Mom when you got home."

"Of course," Jessie responded, not disguising a look of mild offense.

"Not 'of course', clearly," Harper retorted. "You guys just told us about you politely ghosting Mom for like a month."

"Yeah, well," Jessie started, stumbling slightly as she looked up at the ceiling in harmless annoyance, "I learned my lesson."

“Took you long enough, Momma," Ky remarked with an eyeroll before cracking a smug smirk. "And an arcade? You guys are such dorks.”

“Your mom loves those kinds of games. And I was being a good sport," Jessie argued pointedly.

You rolled your eyes affectionately. “You were very serious about ticket optimization.”

“I’m a serious person,” Jessie replied dryly without missing a beat.

“I don’t think I’m related to you two,” Ky said with a faint sigh.

You gave her a look. “Kylen. You’re a copy of your Momma. The math brain, the football, the refusing to let foods touch on your plate-”

“My hair’s lighter,” Ky said.

“Compelling evidence,” Jessie said wryly.

Ky folded her arms. “Fine. But you won’t catch me pining for some girl for over a year and going all heart-eyes because she smiled at a keychain.”

Jessie’s smile turned wicked. “So the three stores you went to for Kelly’s record were…?”

Ky’s face went pink. “Not relevant.”

“Very relevant,” you said.

You held back a grin and peered over to see a delighted and wicked smile cross Jessie's face.

“Sorry to break it to you, kid. You are not nearly as casual as you think you are. You notice things, Ky. You remember them. You make them matter." Jessie leaned in and spoke conspiratorially. "I know that move.”

By now, Ky was very much blushing. She blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. Jessie sat back and smiled fondly at her daughter.

“Thankfully, you got your mom’s communication skills, so you’ll probably frustrate people less than I did.”

"Anyway," Ky went on pointedly. "So, then what, second date?"

"Oh," you said, settling back in to your and Jessie's story. "Yeah, a second date."

"Okay. So what'd you do? How'd it go?" Harper asked.

You looked around briefly. "Um, we went to the zoo. Grabbed coffee afterwards and wandered Powell's." You made a point of not looking at Jessie and shrugged. "It was...nice."

"Wow. And now you're married with two kids," Harper responded exaggeratedly. She cracked a smirk. "Fairytales do happen."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Jessie deadpanned.

"Still can't believe you ghosted Mom," Harper went on, laughing incredulously.

Jessie made a face, but there was no real defense in it. "Not my best moments."

"Don't worry. You haven't let Mom out of your sight since," Harper teased further before laughing anew. "If Mom ever went missing, they wouldn’t need a search party. They’d just send you, and you’d somehow find her in under twenty minutes.”

"Why am I going missing? What are you plotting?" You asked as you narrowed your eyes at your daughter. She mimicked your look and posture.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she quipped and you both laughed.

"Okay. Time to clean up," you said as you rose from the table and the others did, too.

"Yeah, Momma, you took so long to finally ask Mom out that I'm late meeting Kelly and Isla," Ky mock complained as she tidied up.

"I need to go over to Sam's to finish our project," Harper said as she turned to both of you. "I can go, right?"

"Yes, you know the rules. Take your phone. Be home by curfew," Jessie replied.

"I'll drive you," Ky offered as she closed the dishwasher.

"Yay! Thank you!" Harper said, delighted, clapping her hands and Ky gave an affectionate, but facetiously annoyed look.

The girls took off upstairs to get ready and it wasn't long before they came down in a rush of noise. Shortly after, they were headed out the door shouting their goodbyes.

"Okay, be safe you two. See you later," you said as they were leaving.

As soon as the door slammed shut, the house was immediately quiet with you sipping tea and Jessie nursing a glass of water beside you at the kitchen counter.

"Well, that was a journey," Jessie commented, glancing towards the now-empty hallway.

"That's one word for it," you joked.

Jessie turned towards you with a hint of a grin.

"And what - you didn’t want to tell them about how our second date ended?”

You protested and swatted her arm lightly. She laughed and feigned defense.

“No,” you asserted through gritted teeth and a hidden grin as you continued to poke at her. "That didn't quite seem appropriate." Jessie was still laughing and making a show of trying to dodge you.

She kept grinning even after you stopped poking at her, pleased with herself in that way that still made you want to kiss the look off her face all these years later.

"That was a fun night, wasn't it?" You said as you nudged her knee under the counter.

Jessie's grin turned mischievous. "That's one word for it," she echoed.

--------

Flashback

"Do you think you have enough books about [y/favourite topic]?" Jessie said with a flat tone and a teasing smile as you reread the back cover of the book you'd chosen earlier that evening.

"No," you retorted easily. "Never. And you're one to talk. How many books can you have about transportation?" you teased as you grabbed her newly acquired book out of her hands and snuggled back into the couch cushions a bit further.

"Hey," Jessie complained but the renewed smile on her face assured you she was anything but annoyed. “Transportation and urban planning matter," she asserted haughtily.

"Once you hang up your boots you'll have a grand future in traffic mitigation," you said with a sidelong glance.

Jessie made a face at you and went to grab her book back. You held on and wrestled against one another, both of you laughing at the ridiculousness of this.

That said, the proximity was a welcome outcome and you enjoyed it a bit too much. Somewhere in the back of your mind you were aware of how unreal this was. A few weeks ago, Jessie was nearly non-existent in your life. Now, here she was on your couch, end of date two - both of you laughing giddily together and playfighting over some silly book.

Jessie was clearly letting you pretend this was an even match, but eventually gave a slightly harder tug, pulling you with the book.

"Hey, not fair, you're stronger than me," you pouted and she laughed, relenting slightly.

You'd held hands earlier in the day at the zoo, stood pressed up against each other in the narrow aisles of the bookstore, but what you were missing was a kiss.

Frankly, you were having an embarrassing amount of difficulty not thinking about the kiss she'd given you at the door during your previous date. You'd envisioned a kiss from her too many times, but there was something about it - the intensity maybe - that still managed to catch you off-guard.

Touch between you two had always had some kind of tension. But since that date, the charge felt very different. Inviting. Like you were standing on the precipice.

And you wanted more of it.

You studied her for a moment. You couldn't overpower her, but, maybe a little distraction could get you the win.

You leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She stilled almost instantly before turning only her head toward you.

You bit back a laugh and simply stared back, trying not to look smug.

"That's cheating," she eventually breathed in a mixture of mock indignation and undisguised appreciation.

"Oh, well, I won't do it again," you offered innocently. Again, you had to stifle a laugh as she opened and closed her mouth in nonverbal protest.

"Well - I - I mean, you can-" She eventually stammered.

"No, it's okay, I won't do it again," you teased.

She looked adorably offended. A beat passed.

"I want you to do it again," she expressed, surprising you with her assertiveness.

And honestly, that did something for you. You didn't have a rebuttal. You simply leaned forward and laid a much slower, lingering kiss to her cheek again.

You cleared your throat as you sat back, trying to regain your composure. You gave a small lift of your chin.

"Okay. I'm glad you're not bothered," you said with a subtle lilt in your voice.

"Far from it," she said, giving you an open smile now as her cheeks turned crimson.

She lowered her gaze for a moment before returning to meet yours.

"I, um, I've been wanting to kiss you all day. So...," she trailed off, giving a vague shrug of her shoulder.

"Is that so?" You asked, allowing a small laugh as your chest filled with warmth. "Well...I'm right here."

She digested your challenge for a moment, but her eyes didn't break from yours as she reached out to grab the book you now fully held and set it on the coffee table. She shifted forward, closing what little space was left between you and you tried to ignore how your breath quickened as she leaned in.

Your eyes closed as her lips met yours and her hand came, warm and steady, to the side of your neck. Her thumb rested against your jaw, grazing gently in small, subtle motions.

It was really just a peck, but the touch of her hand and the look in her eyes as she drew back had you thinking anything but polite thoughts.

You began to lean back in and she met you readily, this time in an open kiss that had you diligently trying to swallow a soft noise that threatened to escape your throat.

You shifted to a better angle and wrapped your arms around the back of her neck. She placed her other hand softly on your knee and stubbornly kept it there as you continued to kiss.

Maybe you should've been embarrassed at how quickly you could feel yourself starting to ache, but right now, all you could think was this is the woman you'd been wanting for over a year. She'd been like a dream since you'd agreed to a date - no more ambiguity, no more hiding.

Instead, there was focus, earnestness. Intensity.

It was a lot. But quite frankly, you were loving this new side of her.

And right now, you desperately needed her to move her hand higher.

You deepened the kiss. She deepened it, too.

You ran your thumb softly up and down the nape of her neck. She let out the faintest sound at that and your core honest to God pulsed at that. You let out a faint moan in return and she tightened her grip on your knee as her other hand still caressed your face.

You shifted slightly, not only because it was difficult to sit still, but you hoped to subtly encourage her hands to explore.

She did no such thing.

Eventually, you reached down and grabbed her hand gently. She nearly pulled away, but you gave a soft tug and she moved with you until you laid her hand on your upper thigh.

She broke the kiss and she looked at you, a faintly crooked smile on her face as realization set in.

She kissed you again with renewed fervour and this time her hand caressed your leg, wandering, kneading into your thigh in time with your kisses.

Another subtle moan escaped you and she broke off the kiss to lower her head and begin kissing your neck. The gasp you let out next was not so subtle as you let your hands roam over her.

"Is this okay?" She asked between kisses, warm breath against your skin and sending a shiver through you.

"Very," you responded, suddenly aware of how breathless you sounded.

Encouraged, she latched onto your neck and sucked lightly as her hand now wandered further and gripped your ass through your jeans.

You were nearly on top of her now, grinding rather blatantly, but by her reactions she didn't seem to mind in the least.

Fuck it.

You shifted, swinging your leg over her and now settling fully in her lap. In this position, you could feel the obvious bulge in her pants.

"Oh shit," she breathed, though her hands remained on you and her mouth at your neck. "I'm sorry."

You opened your eyes, blinking momentarily in confusion.

"What?" You asked in a breath as you gently shifted on top of her.

"For, um," she trailed off, no longer kissing you and you reset yourself enough to look down at her, shifting your hands to rest atop her shoulders. She glanced down purposefully at her pants and it took you a moment to register her meaning.

You cracked a smile and captured her lips in another kiss.

"You don't need to be sorry at all," you insisted as you began to gently grind against her firm but restrained length through her clothes once more.

She exhaled a slow, heavy breath as she brought both hands to your ass and gripped firmly; appreciatively.

"Holy shit," she said.

"You can tell me to stop," you told her as you ran your fingers through her hair and she let her head fall back, eyes closed with a small groan.

"Mm mm," she voiced in negation before righting herself and latching back onto your neck with renewed focus. This time she began to flex her hips, rocking up to meet your movements and you practically melted into her embrace.

"You can tell me to stop too," she said.

You couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. The offer was absurd given how needy you were already.

"That's kind of the last thing I want," you admitted, hedging even with that statement.

Her hands started to sneak up under your shirt, just a thumb at first, before your continued gyrations encouraged her to explore more fully.

Growing impatient, you reached down and took off your shirt.

For the slightest second you felt a shred of uncertainty, until she looked at you in complete wonder and her hands immediately began to softly knead your breasts through your bra.

"You are so gorgeous," she told you unequivocally.

You gave her a relieved smile that quickly turned teasing. Your hand snuck under her shirt and you tugged at the fabric. "I can't be the only one getting undressed."

She obliged and soon you were both taking off clothes. Actions hurried, but steady, until your underwear and her boxer briefs remained the only barriers between you.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked between kisses, needy and breathless.

"Very," you said resolutely. "Are you?"

She nodded against you. "Very."

"You don't need to feel rushed," she went on, hands still enjoying discovering your body. "I'm totally fine waiting."

You let out a huff somewhere between amusement and frustration. The statement was kind of funny when she was straining through her boxer briefs, rolling her hips up into you and nudging blatantly at your entrance the way she was. And ridiculous when you were soaked through your underwear with need.

You didn't speak right away. Instead, you worked on slipping out of your underwear while breaking the kiss as little as you could. You laced your fingers with hers and guided her hand between your legs, allowing her to feel for herself just how much you wanted this.

"Does it seem like I want to wait?" You asked.

The groan was out of her mouth before you'd even finished your sentence. You smiled into the kiss and tugged at the band of her underwear.

"Your turn," you said flirtatiously.

"Holy fuck you're amazing," she said as you climbed off of her long enough for her to shimmy out of them. You couldn't help the way you bit your lower lip at seeing her cock spring up.

She looked at you and held an arm out, beckoning you to climb into her lap again. You needed no further encouragement.

You lined her up with your entrance - a smirk tugging at your mouth when she gasped at the contact, her head falling back - when she spoke up.

"Should we go to the bedroom?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed together in concern that was so adorable. You kissed her deeply.

"I want you now," you said as you gently sank down onto her.

You cursed simultaneously, her fingers digging into you as you enveloped her in your heat, and while you gripped her shoulders tight.

You'd been waiting for this for way too long.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently as she opened her eyes once more and sought your gaze. You nodded rapidly.

"I'm good. Just adjusting," you said as you slowly lifted yourself up and sank back down. Your jaw grew slack at the sensation, but a small grin took over at how her eyes slammed shut under your motions.

"T-take your time. I want you to be comfortable," she said as she forced her eyes open and her hands, intentionally or not, began to roam up and down your waist. Her eyes now raked over you. "Jesus Christ, you're tight," she said as she let out another measured exhale. "You feel amazing."

You leaned down and kissed her, barely holding back your moan as she gripped your hips, helping to move you at the pace you were setting.

Against your will, you let out a small laugh. She pulled back and looked up at you in question. You shook your head.

"Sorry. I'm just so wet," you laughed again at the sounds that made your excitement impossible to hide. "It's kind of embarrassing."

She puffed out her cheeks with a breath and her gaze fell to where you were riding her cock. She shook her head in wonder and dug her thumbs into the creases between your hips and thighs, massaging you there.

"Fuck no," she told you adamantly. "How wet you are and the way you sound is outrageously sexy."

A slow smile crossed your face and you wrapped your arms around her again and rolled your hips into her with greater intention.

Okay. The woman who only a couple months ago could blush and stammer simply giving you a compliment - just told you how wet you were and how it sounded was sexy.

The surprises - amazing surprises - kept coming.

You smiled.

"You can move, you know," you told her lightly. She frowned up at you in question. She eventually clued in and gave a small shake of her head.

"No. You can set the pace," she said.

"I know," you returned. "But I want you to move with me."

She studied you for a moment as you continued to lift your hips, your warmth gripping her tightly until just her tip remained, before you sank back down, allowing her to fill you once more.

Her eyes stayed on you as her hands went around your thighs and under your legs and she rolled her hips up as you dropped down onto her, the extra force and the angle of her cock sending a whole new sensation through you. Your mouth fell open with a gasp.

"Are you okay?" She asked. You nodded with a near whine.

"Yes. I'm very okay. That felt really good," you told her and she merely nodded, eyes still trained on you as she met your hips again. Another small gasp escaped you and it seemed to be the affirmation she needed.

Soon she was fucking you from underneath, her strong hands gripping and lifting you up and down on her cock.

"Oh my God," you said as you let your head fall against hers, anchoring yourself as the sounds of her thrusts and your arousal filled the living room.

You kept clutching her tighter, gasping and unable to hold back your moans. She moved one hand from your leg and wrapped her arm securely around you instead, pulling you close.

"I want you," you said between breaths.

"You have me," she said against you with absolute certainty, not skipping a beat. She kissed your chest.

Maybe it was just everything all combined; you couldn't say your mind was functioning at full capacity at the moment. Everything was overwhelming in the best way.

"Stop," you found yourself saying in a wispy breath.

She paused, head snapping upright to look at you and even in your haze you could see the alarm bells going off in her mind.

You laughed and shook your head.

"No, no. Sorry," you insisted. "Stop being so charming is what I meant." You laughed again and she visibly relaxed. "I really want you. So keep fucking me. Please."

She took a moment to process your words, ultimately relaxing further until a wicked grin you didn't anticipate crossed her face.

A brief squeal escaped you as Jessie suddenly flipped you, pinning you beneath her on the cushions. You stared up at her in both wonderment and surprise and she grinned down at you as she gave a purposeful thrust. All laughter in you dissipated into a shameless moan as your head fell slack against the couch.

When you lifted your head back up to look at her, she was still grinning and now entirely lit up. Your heart raced.

She reached over and tossed the back cushions off of the couch to give you two some more space. She shifted you both further into the center with sure hands and you couldn't resist letting your own hands wander across her while she did so.

With you now securely positioned, she buried her head in your neck and kissed you anew, drawing a heady gasp out of you and your core pulsed around her hard cock.

“I thought about this,” she admitted against your neck, voice rough. “More than I should have. You. Here. On this couch.”

“Holy fuck,” was all you could murmur. You hooked your ankles around the back of her firm calves and raked your legs up hers in desperation, opening wider for her.

She moaned and lifted her head to kiss you on the lips again as she rolled her hips against you skillfully.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted you."

You were on such a high from the absurdity that the shy and timid Jessie you knew, who could barely hug you at times, was pinning you to these cushions and fucking you into the couch. That said, it just spurred you on.

You pushed a hand between you two, her lifting herself slightly to give you room and you wrapped two fingers around the base of her cock to play with her.

"I think I can tell," you said.

Jessie’s jaw dropped before an appreciative huff fell from her lips. She gave a delirious grin and kissed you again.

“You’re incredible. More incredible than I even imagined," she said as she started driving her hips more firmly into you, her playfulness turning intense again.

You let out a whimpering moan as she fucked you, letting your head fall back against the cushions once more.

"Do you like the way I spread my legs for you?" You asked.

Jessie’s hips stuttered and she let her forehead rest against yours. “Jesus Christ.”

She released a breathy laugh as her hand came up to tenderly tuck your hair behind your ear as she regained her rhythm.

”What am I going to do with you?” She asked in adoring disbelief. You chuckled.

“I think-” your words were disrupted by an involuntary, shuddering moan as she quickened her pace subtly. “I think,” you started again, a lust-drunk smile crossing your lips, “you’ve got it figured out.”

She didn't say anything as her thumb caressed your cheekbone and she kissed you again. You moaned in response and your fingers curled into her skin.

She bit your bottom lip, her hips now pumping into you with strong, steady digging motions that had your head falling limp, mouth agape as your cries get lost in your throat.

You inhaled sharply as the tightening sensation that had been building between your legs finally peaked. You stiffened underneath her and gripped her desperately as a breathy whimper fell from your lips.

"Oh fuck," she said as you pulsed, your walls massaging her tightly and pulling her over the edge with you. A low grunt rumbled from her chest as she stiffened over you, her back arching over and enveloping you in her embrace as she buried herself deeply inside of you with a few final strokes.

"Oh my God," you panted as you brought a hand absently to your face. Disbelief fell over you at what had transpired so rapidly and intensely between you.

For a few seconds, neither of you moved. Jessie’s forehead rested near your shoulder, her breathing uneven against your skin, and the reality of it settled over you with a force that had nothing to do with the fading ache between your legs.

"Wow," you eventually continued with a blissed out smile and Jessie propped herself up on her forearms. You frowned at her expression.

"Sorry," she said. Your frown deepened, perplexed. "I don't think that was very long."

You gave her a dubious look and spoke, still a little breathless. "I can't say I was watching the clock."

She gave a slight nod of acceptance, but went on. "I know, but I was a little...pent up."

You relented with an appreciative smirk. "Well, I'd say that worked in my favour. And I don't care how long it was. It was amazing," you told her resolutely.

She reluctantly accepted, a small blush now forming on her face.

"You were the amazing one," she insisted.

You rolled your eyes. "Okay, sure."

She sat up enough to see the ring of cum at the base of her cock and how it started to drip out of you. You glanced down, seeing what she was so transfixed by and it drew a latent pulse out of you.

“Fuck,” she laughed as she snatched the blanket off the back of the couch and lifted your hips, her softened cock still inside you, and laid it out as best she could under you one-handed.

She looked down again and the sight alone started causing her to swell once more.

“This looks amazing,” she said.

“What - your cum spilling out of me?” You asked with wicked casualness.

She blew out a steady breath as your words sent a jolt through her. She drew her hips slowly back, just the tip of her growing cock nestled inside of you now.

“Mm,” she couldn’t help but voice as her cock continued to harden. “Jesus, you are so sexy.”

She stared down between you, her pupils blown as she began to slowly rock her hips into you. Suddenly, she shook her head and looked up to your face.

"We don't have to go again," she said earnestly. "We can stop, or take a break. Whatever you want.”

You shook your head affectionately at her. All this questioning could've gotten annoying, but the fact that she cared so much about your comfort, even when her desire was simmering almost aggressively just below the surface, made you love her more.

You reached down and began stroking her cock with your hand. Her head fell back and a low moan escaped her.

"I'm very happy to go again," you assured her.

"I want to..." she paused, blinking rapidly as you continued to tease her with your hand. She cleared her throat, eyes now shifting as she searched for the words, "be with you properly."

You paused and gave her a curious look. She nodded to the bedroom.

"Besides, there's more room there," she added.

"So polite," you said wryly as you scooted back and got up.

You led her to the bedroom by her hand. You climbed up and laid out on your back again, pulling her with you, giggling quietly as she let herself be guided on top of you and between your legs.

You pulled her down by the back of her neck, your lips brushing against hers. "You can just say you want to fuck me in my bed," you whispered. "I wouldn't be offended."

“It’s not vanilla?” She asked with a teasing smirk.

“No,” you answered honestly. “It’s the most comfortable. For sure.” You gave her a soft kiss before going on. “But. For the record. If you were pent up, well, me too. Right now, I’m more interested in you just taking me. The where isn’t so important.”

A slow grin crossed Jessie's face as she gave you an appreciative look of warning.

"You like playing with fire, don't you?" She asked as she ran her fingers through your folds. She moaned low in her throat at the arousal she found there.

Before you could conjure up some witty retort, she shuffled back on the bed and laid down with her head between your legs and she wrapped her arms under your thighs.

Your jaw fell slightly at the action and she simply smiled up at you looking much too pleased with herself already.

She kissed the inside of your thigh and you subconsciously bit your lower lip.

"I've thought about this too," she said as she nestled herself further up between your legs.

You couldn't take your eyes off of her.

With no hesitation, she closed her eyes and ran her tongue teasingly around the outside of your lips.

"Oh shit," you murmured as you pressed your fingers into the tops of your thighs in anticipation.

Jessie looked entirely content, head nuzzled between your thighs as she slowly licked up and down your slit. She took her time to explore and savour, giving a full lap at your entrance, her tongue dragging slow and firm up from there to your clit and ending with a teasing flick.

"Oh shit, Jess," you repeated, and she chuckled faintly before continuing her ministrations.

She licked and sucked at you, trying various things and adjusting until she'd found the right rhythm, right pressure, right technique.

You realized, distantly, that this was not a new Jessie at all. This was the same focus, the same careful intensity, finally turned loose.

She sucked your clit and lapped at you in a way that had your toes curling into the sheets and your hands palming at them just the same.

And she didn't come up for air. You'd had girlfriends who'd gone down on you in the past, obviously, but Jessie Fleming had proven herself to be an eater.

She devoured you relentlessly as you panted and bucked into her face. She reached up with one hand and laced her fingers with yours, calmly caressing the back of your hand with her thumb as though to soothe you from the intense pleasure she was eliciting between your legs.

Her other hand kneaded into your thigh in the same rhythm she tongue fucked you, before slipping a digit, then two, inside you, drawing a shuddering moan from you.

She set a slow, even pace that matched the rhythms of her mouth, and she curled her fingers up against your walls, gentle but firm.

And all the while, she simply followed your hips wherever you writhed, unfazed and steady.

When your orgasm hit, your legs locking around her head as your core spasmed, you felt an intense rush between your legs that you hadn't experienced before. A cry fell from your lips and you dug your fingers into her forearms in a way that had to be painful, but you couldn't stop yourself.

When you finally fell back to the bed, your body suddenly drained and limp, your chest rose and fell dramatically as you tried to catch your breath.

It took a moment to gather up the energy to open your eyes. You blinked several times before looking down at her.

You immediately saw the red, angry crescent-shaped marks on her arms.

"Oh my God," you breathed in near horror. You sat up, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she told you, a wide grin on her face as she sat up too.

You looked down again and saw the evidence of the rush you'd felt earlier, a pool of wetness on the sheets. Your jaw dropped as you slowly looked up at her to see her trying to subtly wipe her chin.

"Oh...my gosh," you said. "I-oh my God," you stammered. "I've never done that before. I'm so sorry," you said, now truly horrified.

"Hey, hey," she said, clearly seeing you panic as she reached out to caress your arm. She moved in and kissed your cheek. "You have no reason to apologize. At all."

You shook your head and buried your face behind your hands.

"Baby," she said softly, and you dropped your hands enough to look at her wide-eyed. She'd never called you that before.

She was blushing madly now, but she held steady. "Baby," she repeated, "Please don't feel bad. I loved it."

You gave her a doubtful, but admittedly hopeful look. She nodded insistently. "Honestly. I-I think it's incredible. And, hey, I'm just sad I wasn't able to clean up more of it for you."

Your eyes went wide again and a delayed laugh left your lips. You softened.

"This goes to the grave, Jessie," you warned her, though she'd managed to make you smile despite this new discovery about what your body could do.

She held up a hand. "Scout's honour."

You studied her for a few moments and her mouth twitched into a hint of a smug smirk.

You gasped. "Jess," you accused, scandalized.

"What?" She asked with poorly feigned innocence and a laugh. She held up both hands in defense.

"You know," you said through near-gritted teeth as you shoved her shoulder lightly. She laughed and grinned brightly at you now. "You are way too happy with yourself."

"I like making my girl happy," she said matter-of-factly as she failed to rid herself of her cheeky smile.

Your mouth opened anew though you tried to hold back your hopeful intrigue.

"Your girl?" You asked.

She blushed, bravado quickly stripping away, but she didn't waver.

"If you'd like to be," she said. "I'd like you to be."

You stared at her for a few prolonged moments as a smile tugged impossibly at your face. You narrowed your eyes at her.

"Weren't you horribly avoidant a few weeks ago?"

She laughed, but didn't break your gaze. "And miserable. Yes."

You rubbed your face with both hands and groaned as you finally allowed yourself to smile.

"What are you going to do with me? What am I going to do with you," you echoed her earlier sentiment.

This was a much bigger conversation. One you really wanted to have.

But perhaps not when you two were so…distracted.

You glanced down with a newly teasing grin at her cock that was very much at full attention after servicing you.

"I, however, think I know what I want to do with that," you said with a nod to her arousal.

She blushed, gaze drifting down before lifting her head quickly to look at you again.

You pulled her with you as you moved up the bed and laid back. She grinned as she settled herself between your legs, her hand palming your thigh firmly, her touch warm and grounding.

She knelt up for a moment to run her fingers through your slick folds once more and she rubbed your cum along her cock, and even having the audacity to stare you down as she pumped her fist up and down her length.

You simply shook your head at her, highly amused and enticed by this side of her.

She nestled the head of her cock at your entrance and shifted her hips slowly forward. You felt the wide head slip past your entrance and soon her length filled you.

"Mm," she nearly groaned, biting her lips together as she watched her cock sink inside you. "You are so tight." She blew out a breath, steadying herself. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to this."

You were about to tease her about being presumptuous when she quickly started to establish a rhythm, rolling her hips to dig into you in such a way that a gasp immediately got stuck in your throat.

She leaned forward on her hands, balancing herself over you and she picked up her pace, her knees and feet barely touching the bed as she repeatedly drew her hips back and rolled them forward fluidly to thrust deeply and firmly into you.

"Holy shit," you breathed as you gripped her wrists as a way to anchor yourself.

"You'll tell me if it's too much, right?" She asked above you.

You nodded rapidly, but couldn't form any words as she fucked you harder.

"Baby?" She asked. At this you opened your eyes, finally locking your gaze with hers.

The expression she wore as she looked down at you, thrusting into you, was entirely unfair and you had to swallow before you spoke.

"Yes," you told her.

She gave you a small smile and leaned down to kiss you gently, such a contrast from the way her hips were bouncing off of you in sharp, precise motions.

You had to break off the kiss, your head falling back as a cry of pleasure fell from your lips.

She rested her head against your cheek and she panted in your ear as you dug your fingers into her ribcage and dragged them down towards her hips.

"You are so gorgeous," she breathed as she kissed your cheek. "I care about you so much," she said.

You couldn't conjure up a response, surprising yourself with how you even managed to simply nod your head against her as she drove her hips into you.

You palmed at her desperately as your pleasure began to mount once more. Even moans of desire now died in your throat as you panted and gasped shamelessly beneath her with your legs spread wide for her.

Clipped moans started to catch in her throat and you felt her muscles starting to tense up over you. Her hand came to the back of your neck and she buried her face into the crook of your neck as she came with a low groan, pushing herself up the bed and into you, shifting you up the bed with her.

A ragged moan fell from her lips as she rutted into you again, her fingers gripping the back of your neck tighter as you spasmed around her cock as she filled you.

As your highs faded, she let herself collapse partially on top of you, her head resting on your shoulder. She absently drew small circles on your other shoulder as you saw her body rise and fall with her heavy breaths, her skin glistening with sweat from her efforts.

You laid there together in comfortable silence for several moments. You nearly had to laugh at how at home you felt in her embrace.

This was absolutely crazy.

You played with her hair and kissed the top of her head, drawing out a soft chuckle.

Shortly after, she lifted her head to look down at you in faint concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

You gave a tired huff of a laugh and met her gaze.

"Yes. I am extremely okay," you assured her. You gave her a nod of your chin. "How are you?"

Despite how vigorously and confidently she'd been fucking you a few minutes ago, she now bit back a sheepish smile. You suspected that if her cheeks weren't already flush from exertion, she'd be back to her blushing self. Her gaze flit away as she contemplated her answer.

"I'm...really good," she said simply with an understated smile that betrayed the brightness in her eyes.

"Okay," you accepted with a tender smile.

"Here," she said as she rose from her spot. Your hand followed her departing form before you realized it, but she returned shortly after. She cleaned you up with almost unbearable care, brought you water, and climbed back into bed.

She laid on her back and gently guided you into her arms. You naturally tucked your head under her chin and she tilted her chin down, laying a soft kiss on your crown. Your cheeks began to ache as your smile lingered.

The two of you laid cuddled together like that for several moments. You trailed your fingers along her bicep as your mind wandered.

"Are you staying?" You finally asked.

You felt her turn her head to look down at you.

"Oh, well, I-"

"I had a great time. Don't get me wrong," you interjected, still tracing random designs on her skin. You finished your thought, voice low and small. "I'm just wondering if you're going to get scared and leave."

"What? No," she said immediately, shifting in a way that urged you to look at her. You met her gaze, seeing the clear concern on her face. Still, you shrugged nonchalantly despite the ghost of worry in your chest.

"I'm just wondering," you repeated.

“No. I would never do that to you," she went on with certainty.

“You can’t say ‘never’,” you said gently, “because you did leave.”

She paused for a moment, absorbing your words. Guilt flashed across her face but she turned further towards you and spoke with that same steadiness.

“Not anymore.” She let it sit. “I crossed the line I kept stopping myself at. I’m not going anywhere now. Not unless you want me to.”

She took a breath and allowed a faint smile to cross her lips. Her gaze fell away momentarily.

“I like you…an awful lot, Y/N,” she said with a soft laugh. “More than I know what to do with.”

You swallowed as your heartbeat echoed strongly in your ears.

“I’m afraid now that you’ve slept with me, I’m even more painfully attached,” she offered wryly; a confession more than a joke.

You let out a near watery laugh.

“Serious?” You asked, propping yourself up to meet her.

She seemed to contemplate whether she should deny - evade - or not, but she held your gaze and nodded. “I am.”

You relaxed back into her embrace.

“Well, good. The feeling is mutual.” You kissed her shoulder. “And you don’t need to know right now - what to do with your feelings. I just hope you’ll keep sharing them with me.”

Jessie kissed the top of your head and pulled you in. “Thanks. I'll keep trying. I promise." She paused, as if catching herself before the old instinct to swallow the truth could win. "You make me really happy.”

You let out a gentle, content sigh and wrapped your arm around her waist, giving her a soft squeeze.

“Then stay.”

She pulled you closer.

"I will."

You bit back a smile as your chest fluttered at her claim.

“You know,” you murmured, dragging your fingers lazily over her stomach, “for someone who wanted me as badly as you apparently did, you’re still very polite.”

Jessie gave a quiet, embarrassed laugh. “I’m trying not to be too much.”

“Jess.” You lifted your head enough to look at her. “I like you when you're a little too much.”

Her expression shifted.

“So if you want me,” you said, softer now, “let me know.”

[thirstywoso]

Can't believe they convinced Jessie to be a part of this lmao

[hgfictionwriter]

No clue what’s happening, but I love it

[hgfictionwriter]

"Come on, Mrs. Fleming," she said before immediately making a face. "Oh no. That's my mother. Nope."

I literally laughed out loud at this, because it’s the same conversation/realization my wife and I have had. She uses my last name and refers to herself or me as “Mrs. last name” and it always makes me think of my mom 😂

🤣 I can see how that would happen. Maybe the mom connection will fade over time haha. But it’s romantic that your wife’s enjoying using your shared last name.

For some reason my wife and I never even talked about taking each other’s name. And now I’m thinking about it, I don’t think either of us have ever used “Mrs” with each other 🧐 Missed opportunities!

[hgfictionwriter]

Newlyweds

Summary: Jessie’s your girlfriend - there’s no ring, no grand promises, no ironed out plan. But an innocent mistake leads you to discover that Jessie is alarmingly comfortable with the idea of you as her wife.

Warnings: G!P content. Fingering. Oral (R receiving). Penetrative sex. Possessive sex. Soft dom Jessie. Wife kink. Language.

A/N: Just a smutty, fluffy, dirty one-shot.

“Checking in? Name, please.”

“Fleming. Jessie,” Jessie replied, reaching for her ID and credit card.

“Ah, yes.” The clerk’s expression brightened as he found the reservation. “Congratulations to the happy couple!”

Jessie frowned slightly and glanced at you out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh. Um, thank you.”

“Of course. Thank you for choosing our resort to celebrate such a momentous milestone. You’re booked into our honeymoon suite, and the concierge will be happy to assist with any activities. Breakfast room service is also included each morning as part of the package.”

Your head snapped toward Jessie. She managed only the briefest glance back.

Honeymoon?

“I’ll just need your ID and a credit card,” the clerk prompted.

Jessie remained motionless until you nudged her with your elbow.

“Right. Here.” She placed them on the counter, then turned subtly toward you and mouthed an apology, colour already climbing into her ears.

You and Jessie had been together for a while and sure, you'd talked about the future, but nothing as explicit as marriage.

This was supposed to be an off-season getaway.

Apparently, it was now your honeymoon.

Jessie drew a breath. “I think there’s been-”

“So, where did you two get married?” the clerk asked, still typing.

Jessie startled. Her mouth opened, but no discernible sound emerged. A beat passed.

“On the coast,” you supplied with an easy smile. “Lots of friends and family.”

Jessie’s eyes shot toward you while the rest of her remained perfectly still.

The clerk continued cheerfully through the check-in process, seemingly oblivious to Jessie’s crisis. Once you had your keys and were safely away from the counter, she released a lengthy breath.

You looked at her, amusement already tugging at your mouth.

"You know, normally there's a proposal. An engagement. A wedding," you teased. "Then, a honeymoon."

“I don’t know what happened.” Jessie asserted as she retrieved her phone and pulled up the confirmation email. “See? Couples getaway package.”

You took out your own phone and found the resort listing.

“For newlyweds looking to celebrate the next chapter of their journey,” you read, pointing to the sentence buried in the description.

Jessie took your phone and scrutinized it.

"That should've been front and center! Why would they put that in the middle of a huge block of text? That's just poor marketing," she disputed, her cheeks burning hot once more.

She glanced down at the description again in a vain attempt to defend herself. "I mean, I guess I was rushing when I actually booked it," she murmured. "I researched it! I swear. You know I would. But when I actually booked it we were between buses and-"

"Jess, don't worry," you assured her easily.

"I'll talk to the receptionist again. I'll get them to change it," she said resolutely as she withdrew her attention from your phone and stood righteously.

"If that's what you want," you responded slowly, tilting your head and speaking lightly. "I mean, breakfast in bed. Massage. Hydrotherapy. Special dinners. Probably an awesome suite. Those all sound pretty decent to me."

She looked at you wordlessly in that way she did when she was running a million thoughts through her head at once. You waited patiently.

“You’re actually okay with this?”

"Are you okay? You seem bothered," you returned. She made a face briefly, but quickly reset.

"I just don't like being caught off guard," she explained. You acquiesced with a nod.

She looked at you more carefully. “So, you really don’t mind?”

You glanced down and lifted her hand, examining the fitness ring she wore. Then you removed the simple ring you wore on your own right hand and slipped it onto your left ring finger.

"I can pretend to be newlyweds," you declared nonchalantly.

A crooked smile appeared on her face. You held up your newly adorned hand for her to see.

"My wife wanted to keep the ring simple. She knows what I like."

She laughed before a quiet smile settled on her face.

"Is that so?" She asked, her voice softer than you expected.

"Mhm," you said as you rest your left hand on her cheek and kissed her sweetly. “Now, let’s go see the honeymoon suite.”

-----

Once you were all settled in, you decided to grab a late lunch together at one of the restaurants. You approached the host stand and gave them your room number.

"Ah, Mrs. and Mrs. Fleming," the host greeted.

The title threw you off kilter and your hand automatically came up to the back of your neck as you rocked up on the balls of your feet. You found yourself blurting out, "Oh. That's new," in a voice that was a bit more breathless and less controlled than you were used to.

You were oddly amused and excited to play along with this whole charade, but to hear something that explicit affected you in a way you hadn't expected.

To your surprise, Jessie smirked at you, not a hint of a blush on her face. The host started to head into the restaurant and Jessie had to hold out her hand for you to prompt you to move.

"Come on, Mrs. Fleming," she said before immediately making a face. "Oh no. That's my mother. Nope." She shook her head adamantly though she led you through. "We'll workshop that."

Now seated at the table, menus in hand, you felt compelled to speak.

"For the record," you started cautiously, remaining rather focused on the menu before you with only a fleeting glance her way, "I didn't entirely mind the title."

You bit your lips together and continued to pointedly read through the wine selection as you felt her eyes on you.

"Mrs. Fleming?"

"Mm," you voiced noncommittally. You allowed your gaze to flick over to her when she released a soft chuckle, her attention now back on her own menu.

"Okay. We'll take it under consideration."

You tried to ignore the faint buzz inside your head at her expression and relaxed response.

You two chatted about what you wanted to order and the server came back.

"What can I grab you two for drinks?" They asked.

"I'll have the imperial," Jessie said. "And my wife will have the rosé."

There was a notable thump in your chest at the action. The server swiftly departed and Jessie gave you an unexpected wink as she set the menu down.

"Too much?" She asked, a cheeky smirk still pulling at her lips.

"Nope," you responded, voice tighter and higher than you envisioned. You ignored the warmth in your face and waved her off. "That was fine."

And the days continued as such. Where you thought Jessie would've been flustered, bashful - and totally adorable - while you teased and played with this whole concept, she'd flipped the anticipated dynamic on its head.

She moved through the week and conversations with an easy, embodied confidence.

"How'd you two meet?"

Before you were able to formulate a random, funny story, Jessie shared your real one.

“How'd you know she was the one?”

You choked lightly on your drink. Jessie did not. Rather, she gave an easy response like it was a normal, everyday thing to discuss.

Like she’d thought about it before.

Like she knew it and felt it.

And more than once:

"You two are such a sweet couple."

Likely prompted by Jessie wordlessly pulling out your chair for you, handing you her sweater when you were chilled or simply standing with a hand at home on the small of your back.

And instead of being shy, allergic-to-public-attention Jessie, she smiled quietly. Squeezed your hand. Stood closer. Shoulders squared and proud.

And let's not forget when she idly played with the ring that remained strategically on your finger.

And worse, the sly smile she tried to conceal whenever you'd get flustered or affected in response.

You’d spent the first couple of days wondering how Jessie was pulling this off.

By now though, you wondered whether she was pulling anything off at all.

"What does my wife want to do this evening?" She asked with her fingers set at the base of a cocktail glass, relaxed in her seat across from you at one of the bars. Her arm was propped on the back of the chair and her leg bent, ankle resting across her knee, and looking far too good.

“You’re getting awfully comfortable with this,” you murmured as you took a sip of your drink and narrowed your eyes playfully at her.

Jessie glanced over, maddeningly composed. “With being married to you?”

“With pretending.”

Her mouth curved. “Right.”

And then she looked away, leaving you to deal with whatever that was supposed to mean.

You huffed, though a smile pulled at your lips.

"Well, I'm not interested in the show that's on tonight, and I won't force you to go dancing two nights in a row. I don't know, really. What I wanted to do today was snorkeling and that's what we did," you relayed with a shrug that quickly devolved into a scrutinizing look as she gave you a wicked grin.

"What?" You went on.

"Nothing. Just reminiscing about snorkeling," she said innocently though her shit-eating grin was anything but.

"Uh huh," you said flatly as you took a slow sip of your drink and held her gaze. "Could you possibly be thinking about how you so unnecessarily carried me in your arms?"

She shrugged, smiling brightly and tilting her chin up further, entirely undeterred.

"You said you didn't like walking with the fins on. It was my wifely duty to carry you to the water," she justified before her eyes drifted down your body noticeably. "And an excuse to touch you while you were in that bikini may have inspired me as well."

You laughed at her ridiculousness, though the thought of her hands on you was distracting. You stared at her a moment, her skin sunkissed and dewy as she smiled sweetly at you.

"What are we going to do when we go back to the real world? No more roleplaying as happily married newlyweds," you said in a teasing voice.

She released a near-pouting breath through her nose as she held your gaze.

"I know. Where's the fun in that?" She asked.

"I mean, the newlywed sex is pretty hot. Gonna miss that," you said with feigned regret, enjoying the way her jaw shifted at your comment.

"You know. If you like being married to me so much, all you have to do is ask," you said cheekily, pulling a smirk out of her.

"Okay," she said with that steady confidence around this topic that had caught you so off guard. Then, before you could think too much about it, she regarded you with a hungry look up and down. "I'll think about it."

Your eyes fell to her lap. She wore linen pants and though they were roomy, they failed to conceal the faint bulge beginning to form between her legs.

"Looks like you might be thinking of something else first," you remarked, raising your eyebrows pointedly.

She blew out a steady breath and looked away momentarily with a pleased expression. "What can I say. This is doing something for me," she said simply.

"Yeah? The idea of putting a ring on my finger and making me yours for real sound good?" You asked as you leaned forward and ran a hand up her thigh. You delighted in how the muscle under your palm twitched and she readjusted in her seat to try to better hide her growing erection.

"You better quit it," she warned with little bite and you simply smiled at her.

"Why do I feel like you're not serious," you said.

She lifted her head to look at the ceiling for a prolonged moment, lips pressed tightly together with a concealed grin. She dropped her head to look at you again, newly focused.

"If you don't want me to take you to our room and fuck you all over that suite, then you better quit it," she said.

Your core pulsed at her words and you shifted uncomfortably in your seat, pressing your legs tightly together.

You drained your drink and nodded to her.

"Finish up," you instructed. She flashed you a grin.

"The only place I'm finishing is in you," she quipped.

You reached out and smacked her arm, drawing a bright laugh out of her as she did as she was told and drained her drink.

She rose from her seat with a bit of a groan and a strategically placed arm.

"Now let's hurry up before you get security called on me," she muttered as she wrapped her free arm around your waist and ushered you out.

By the time you were fiddling with the room key, Jessie was pressed against your back, both arms wrapped possessively around your waist. She rocked her restrained hardness against your ass with no apparent concern about prying eyes.

“Jesus, Jess. At least let me open the door.”

Your reprimand lost some credibility when you deliberately ground back into her.

“No one’s looking,” she murmured against your shoulder.

You finally got the door open and stumbled inside together. Jessie barely gave it time to shut before spinning you around and pressing you gently against the wall, her mouth finding yours.

“You should know better than to work me up like that.”

She caught your leg and hooked it around her hip, pushing the hem of your dress higher. Her now-very-prominent bulge pressed between your legs, drawing a faint gasp from you.

"I just mentioned sex. The rest was all your doing," you jokingly reprimanded.

"Yes. In that dress. With that look on your face. And while I was already thinking about you half-naked in a swimsuit. Very irresponsible of you," she tsked in return.

"Irresponsible would've been giving you a hand job in the ocean like I wanted to," you remarked as your hand came to her sculpted ass and encouraged her to press her hips further into you.

"Fuck," she groaned and bit your lower lip, giving it a tug. She gave a pronounced roll of her hips and your fingers dug deeper into her ass. She chuckled and brought a hand up to your underwear, running two fingers along the already damp fabric.

"Mm, baby," she moaned. "I can already feel how wet you are." She drew her fingers across your covered slit, circling slowly your clit before pushing along the definition of your lips again towards where you were quickly soaking your panties.

You couldn't help how you freely dropped yourself into her hand and rocked against the pressure she was providing. She tilted her head and began to lay slow, teasing kisses along your neck.

"I have such a needy wife," she whispered against your sensitive skin, sending more sensations through you.

"You seem pretty happy about it," you returned with a breathy laugh. She moaned low in approval and caught your hand, pressing it against the front of her pants. Her cock was rigid beneath your palm, straining against the linen.

"Is this proof enough?" She asked as she ground her hips into your cupped palm.

"You're such a tease," you told her as you curled your hand around her through the fabric and gave her a loose smile.

She pushed your underwear aside and slid her fingers through the wetness waiting there. The new touch stole whatever response you had prepared. Jessie watched your face as she circled your entrance, gathering your arousal before dragging it slowly through your folds and over your clit.

Your head tipped back against the wall.

"I think you know that's not true," she said in a calm voice and smiled. "My baby is so wet for me."

She kissed along your neck as one finger eased inside you. You inhaled sharply and tightened your leg around her hip, encouraging her deeper. A second finger followed, stretching you with a slow care that starkly contrasted with the hunger in her expression.

"This pussy feels so incredible," she told you as she lifted her head and kissed the corner of your open mouth, her thumb settling over your clit. The rhythm she found was unhurried but exact, every stroke drawing a little more of your composure away.

You managed to open your eyes. She was studying you with the same focused satisfaction she had worn all week whenever someone called you her wife.

"Baby girl," she whispered against your mouth, "you're dripping in my palm already."

Through your pleasure, you managed a small huff of amusement. You cracked your eyes open to see her consuming you with a look.

"Are you complaining?" You asked.

"Never," she said easily with a shake of her head. She kissed you tenderly before withdrawing her fingers from you slowly.

You made an involuntary sound of protest.

“Your leg’s starting to shake,” she said. “Let’s give it a rest.”

Before you could answer, Jessie hoisted you into her arms. Your legs wrapped around her automatically as she carried you toward the nearby table.

You laughed, still breathless. “You’ve really committed to carrying me around this week.”

“Wifely duty. Remember?”

She set you on the edge and pulled your underwear down your legs, tossing them aside. Her palms travelled slowly back up, taking the hem of your dress with them.

Jessie dropped to her knees.

"God, I love your smell," she said as she kissed the inside of one thigh then the other.

She was dangerously close to your wetness and you didn't even realize you were holding your breath as you looked down at her in anticipation.

"How do you feel about wearing a dress with no panties tomorrow, hm?" She asked as her tongue slipped lightly along the edge of you.

Your entire body jolted.

"You're wild," you dismissed.

"Daytime Jessie can't be held responsible for whatever Horny, Nighttime Jessie says and wants," she said as she traced the tip of her tongue up between your slick lips and back down.

"Daytime Jessie can be pretty horny, too," you pointed out.

Rather than argue, she gave you one long lick from your entrance to your clit.

Your laugh broke into a gasp.

She did it again, slower this time, her hands spreading your thighs as her mouth settled fully against you. The teasing disappeared. Jessie sealed her lips around your clit and sucked, her tongue working in a steady rhythm that had your fingers scrambling for purchase against the table.

Your hips began to move and buck towards her mouth subconsciously and Jessie followed every movement. When you lifted into her, she held you closer. When your thighs tightened around her head, she seemed only more determined to remain there.

It wasn't long before you were certain you were dripping onto the table despite how she lapped at your entrance from time to time, swallowing your juices.

The pressure gathered low and fast, sharpened by the sight of your dress draped over her head and the thought of how pleased she probably looked beneath it, devouring her supposed wife on the table of your honeymoon suite.

You pulled the hem of your dress back and dug your hands into her hair.

She moaned in response and smiled into you, only burying her face impossibly deeper into you.

As your breath caught in a high whimper and your legs clamped around her head, you came hard against her mouth. You gripped her hair, certainly painfully, in your fist but she didn't waver. Her mouth stayed on you and her tongue worked you steadily as another small gasp escaped you and another wave of pleasure went through your body.

Only when the sensation became unbearable did you push weakly at her head.

Jessie emerged looking thoroughly delighted with herself.

“Fuck,” you breathed, reclining on your hands and nearly knocking over the lamp behind you.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes still fixed between your legs.

You were still recovering when she gathered you into her arms again.

"Come on, Princess," she said with thinly veiled amusement as she carried you over to the bed.

Your head was clearing as she laid you out on your back and nudged your legs apart with her knees as she settled herself between them. Her cock remained painfully constrained beneath her pants, the shape of it impossible to ignore.

She noticed exactly where you were looking.

With maddening deliberation, she stroked herself through the fabric, making a real show of it.

"What do you want, baby?" She asked as she continued to massage herself through the fabric, her gaze hungry and trained on you.

"I want my wife to fuck me," you told her unequivocally.

Her mouth curved in a satisfied smirk as she stepped off the bed long enough to remove her clothes. You nearly moaned with a rush of desire as her cock sprang up as she pushed her boxer briefs down her legs.

She climbed back onto the bed and knelt wide between your legs, spreading them further. She reached down, rubbing you and coating her fingers with the mix of your cum and her saliva that remained there.

You bit your lip as she proceeded to close her fist around her cock and began rubbing your juices along her length.

Your need grew as she gave you a wink while she pumped her hand over the sensitive head of her cock several times, subtly flexing her thighs and hips into her fist.

Her gaze shifted and fixed on your entrance where you were surely starting to drip once more. She grabbed your left hand, making a point of rubbing the ring that had remained a mainstay on your finger this week before placing your hand on her hard cock.

You hummed in approval as both your chest warmed with emotion and your core ached at the action.

You stroked her several times, spreading your arousal along her length. Jessie’s breath faltered, her hips giving an involuntary push into your grip.

She looked down with a salacious smile as you nestled her tip at your slick entrance and you urged her forward with a lift of your hips.

She needed no further encouragement and simply grasped your hips, holding you in place as she gently drove her hips forward, slipping inside you with little resistance given how worked up you were.

The stretch stole the breath from your lungs. She entered you slowly, hands anchoring your hips as your body opened around her. Once she was fully inside, she held still, both of you basking in the feeling.

“Mmph,” she huffed through her nose. “God, you’re tight.”

She shifted her hips, starting to draw back and you both moaned at the sensation.

"Mm, fuck. You are so amazing I might have to actually make you my wife," she said through gritted teeth as she watched with intense focus at how your tight lips gripped her cock as she moved in and out of you.

Her words hit you and your fingers curled into her and you dug the back of your head into the pillow.

“I’m going to start believing you soon,” you said as you struggled to keep your voice steady.

She pushed her hips back into you with that digging thrust, her cock filling you up so well. She pumped in and out of you a few times and you’d hardly realized she hadn’t responded until she finally spoke.

“Maybe you should.”

You tilted your head forward, eyes locking on her to find her staring down at you with that look that made you feel undeniably at the center of her attention, but remarkably exposed.

It felt electric, yet…safe.

You grabbed her wrist and tugged at her. A goofy grin crossed her face as she let herself collapse forward. Your hand immediately came to her face and you collided in a heated kiss.

You wrapped your arms around her and she quickened her pace, movements firm and deep.

“And if I like it?” You asked breathlessly.

She reached down and laced her fingers with yours.

“Then,” she started between breaths, sweat beading along her forehead, “maybe I actually buy you a ring. Make it official. Make you mine.”

“Shit,” you groaned, your hips lifting off the bed as you writhed beneath her as want coursed through your body. “This shouldn’t be so hot.”

She cracked a grin.

“Yet it is,” she stated decisively. “I like other people knowing. And I like the way ‘my wife’ sounds when it comes to you.”

You nearly winced as the pressure inside you built to the point of rupture. You were absolutely dripping wet for her and the sounds filling your suite with every thrust made it undeniable.

“I love it.” You nearly moaned the declaration.

She growled in clear appreciation and you barely registered the way her jaw clenched in concentration.

She held steady for the few strokes you needed before a whimper got caught in your throat and your body went from restless to trembling beneath her, your nails digging hard into her skin as you came.

“Ah, fuck,” she hissed as your walls gripped her tightly. She drove into you with a few, final hard strokes before she released a taut breath and her jaw dropped as she began to shoot ropes of cum deep inside you.

She let out a clipped exhale, eyebrows knitted together in a mix of intense focus and relief as she remained buried as deep as your hips would allow while her cock twitched inside you, spilling every last drop of her seed.

When she relaxed, her body nearly collapsing on top of you, you simply laid there, her cum overflowing and leaking out of you onto the sheets below.

As you two recovered, you gradually realized she was idly playing with your ring.

“Sure you gotta take it off after we leave?” She asked with a huff of a laugh, her face still tucked into the curve of your neck.

“People may start asking questions if I don’t," you replied with a chuckle of your own.

She exhaled in a gruff pout.

“I know. I’ll miss it. People assuming I’m your wife. And I have to say I’m very into this domestic, possessive side of you,” you remarked.

“Stop. You’ll make me hard again,” she half-heartedly complained as her hips already began to shift restlessly between your legs.

“You owe me a proper ring someday,” you teased further. “And imagine how good actual honeymoon sex will be.”

She let out a low groan while her hips flexed instinctively as she started to grow hard inside you.

She pushed herself up onto her hands and looked down at you, equal parts affection and threat in her expression.

“Okay. Now you’re in trouble.”

[hgfictionwriter]

@Offsznsbest on IG put out a lovely post about Jessie. Including a shoutout to her time at Chelsea.

So, let’s reminisce (again) 🥹

[hgfictionwriter]

Julia Grosso on Canada’s Drag Race?

I love when worlds collide.

[hgfictionwriter]

Guess Jessie is sticking around Portland for 2 more years, I’d image she runs home to Canada after that

Smart of Portland to renew her! It'll be interesting to see where things are at in two years. I'd argue she's on an upwards trajectory, so even though she's 'getting up there' in some respect (which is wild to think of), if she's still playing like this in two years, the NSL will only be appealing if she really wants to slow down or for other personal reasons.

That said, we'll see how the NSL grows. It'd require pretty steep growth for the league over two to three seasons, but I've been surprised by recent signings (Zadorsky, Sabs) and it'll be important to see if prominent players stay - like Pridham, Hunter, etc.

[hgfictionwriter]

Hiii thought of you straight away! Thought you might wanna see this-

https://www.tumblr.com/flemingsfreckles/821979089782095872/oh

Oh yes! Truly exceptional.

And thank you to @flemingsfreckles for sharing the wealth with all of us 🙏

[hgfictionwriter]

Orbit: Part Nine - Official

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie takes you on the date you’d wanted for longer than you cared to admit. One filled with the ease you missed, old hurt, new clarity, and the kind of kiss that makes pretending impossible.

Warnings: Lingering angst. Emotional repair.

A/N: A fluff-break from the angst. Rest of the series is here.

Jessie put the car in park and suddenly the ease that had gradually settled in during your drive faded with the quieting of the motor.

“Okay, here we are,” she announced, a newly stiff smile on her face as she turned to you.

“Okay,” you returned, a near smirk on your lips despite yourself.

You two sat for a moment before you went to reach for the door.

“Oh,” Jessie spoke up, stalling your movement. You looked to her curiously. She seemed nervous, but she went on. “Uh, this is for you.”

She reached into the driver’s side pocket and retrieved an envelope, handing it to you with both hands.

You looked between her and the card for a moment, one eyebrow threatening to rise in question. You tentatively took it from her and turned it over in your hand, seeing your name neatly handwritten on the front.

“You can open it now if you want. Or later,” she explained, quickly tucking her hair behind her ears.

You responded by pushing your thumb under the flap of the envelope and opening it. You tugged out the card and a small smile pulled at your cheeks upon seeing a cute illustration of two koalas on the front with the caption “Koala-ty time” below.

You were just flipping it open when she began to speak in a bit of a rush.

"I wasn't sure if this was date-like enough. I know it's not a candle-lit dinner or a romantic walk along the river. So, I wanted to be clear.”

You heard her, but you were equally focused on what she’d written inside. 

“Y/N, I’m excited for our first date. It’s long overdue, but I'm grateful for the chance to do this properly. Finally. — Jessie”

The warm feeling in your chest came back before you could stop it. You had fought hard to starve it out over the past few weeks, and for a while you had almost succeeded. But now Jessie was sitting beside you, nervous and earnest and explicit in a way she had never been before, handing you a card because she wanted you to know - without guessing, without reading between the lines - that this was a date.

Clarity.

At last.

After hearing her out, the behaviours that left you wondering, left you aching, held a different meaning.

It did not erase the hurt. It did not excuse the silence. But it changed things.

You tempered your smile as you tucked the card back in its envelope. You started speaking as you did so and looked up.

“Well, candlelit dinners aren’t really my thing. And walks along the river are more of a spring or summer thing,” you reasoned. Her apprehension faded as the corner of her mouth twitched into a concealed smile. “Besides, I told you to surprise me.”

“You did,” she affirmed. She frowned seriously. “Those, and other things, didn’t seem quite right.”

You relented enough to let a teasing smile show through.

“Yeah? I mean, if me whooping you in arcade games is what you envisioned for a first date, happy to oblige.”

Her expression brightened and you could see her relax. “You’re talking a pretty big game. We’ll see who wins.”

As you two approached the establishment, Jessie took a couple of quick steps ahead and opened the door for you with shoulders squared and a small, but certain smile. You smiled back as you moved past her and she fell into step with you again.

Now inside, a roar of light and sound swallowed you both - flashing screens, chiming machines and excited chatter ricocheting off the walls.

“Uh, over here,” Jessie said, having to speak a bit louder to be heard over everything. You followed as she led you in and procured play cards for each of you.

She handed you yours with a subtle tilt of her chin upwards and a smile.

“Thank you,” you said as you accepted it.

“Anytime,” she returned easily until her expression shifted entirely, suddenly second-guessing herself. “Or, uh, whenever.”

You let out a short involuntary, but fond laugh.

“You’re good, Jess,” you said as you took a few steps past her, touching her arm fleetingly as you did so and surprising yourself with the action.

You carried on purposefully as she came up next to you once more with a quiet smile.

“Okay. So. Where do you want to start?”

You weaved your way through the crowds and machines together, taking everything in and seeing what was available.

Jessie was explaining an entire thought process around peak times versus low times when you pointed to a couple of open skeeball lanes.

Cards tapped and skeeballs racked into place, you both began. You threw a couple, one good, one not so good. You glanced over to see Jessie lining up a shot with almost comical focus before releasing and watching its trajectory with much the same intensity.

You had to chuckle in amusement as you resumed your game.

Soon, you were nearing the end of your available balls and you glanced over to see Jessie still far too serious and with a few still remaining.

You hesitated for only a moment before casting caution aside, leaning down, and snatching a ball out of her rack. You tossed it up your lane and bit back a laugh as, in your periphery, Jessie shot upright, her head snapping toward you, jaw dropped.

You simply snickered quietly and went to reach for your remaining ball when suddenly Jessie shot in front of you and grabbed it.

You outright gasped, somehow scandalized that she’d return the favour. You didn’t even realize that you’d reached out and were now gripping her arm in protest, both of you laughing.

You drew back your hands and she straightened, returning to her spot. You subconsciously cleared your throat, feeling heat on your cheeks as she stood there holding the ball. You couldn’t quite confirm if she was actually blushing or it was just the lighting.

"Um, sorry," you said quickly. She shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she said as she returned her attention to the ball, studying it for a moment before quickly throwing it up her lane and scoring 5,000 points.

“Show off,” you said flatly, trying to ignore the heat burning on your face.

"You're still warming up," Jessie said as she threw her last ball up the lane, her final score absolutely annihilating yours. You couldn't help but laugh.

“So, um, what’s next?” You asked, nerves still a little heightened as you began stepping away.

You were so distracted you nearly careened into a small group that was rushing past. The only thing that stopped you was Jessie’s hand coming lightly to the small of your back and gently guiding you a half-step to the side. It was there for only a second - warm, steady, careful - before she seemed to realize what she’d done and let it fall away.

Still, your skin remained warm as if her palm had stayed there.

Jessie glanced at you, ears faintly pink. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you said, a little too quickly.

Her smile went small, relieved, and the two of you kept walking.

You made your way through a series of games, settling into a groove together. And, though you weren't surprised, Jessie was taking credit-to-ticket ratios very seriously, quickly locating which games had the highest payout versus less optimal ones.

Which, frankly, worked well for you. It just so happened to be frustratingly endearing.

Not everything was about tickets though. You taunted her into playing some old school fighting game with you, much to her chagrin.

"You're just button mashing!" She complained loudly over the din of the arcade.

"Yeah, and I'm kicking your ass," you replied with an open smirk as you continued your non-tactical button-mashing approach and K.O.'d her character a few moments later.

She released a growl of frustration and you shifted your weight, nudging her lightly with your shoulder, not holding back the shit-eating grin you wore.

"Again," she deadpanned as she tapped her card for both of you to start another round.

"Your funeral," you said and you choked back a laugh at the look she shot you in your periphery.

Eventually, you made your way to a soccer simulator game where you had to kick a tethered ball to 'score' on the keeper or hit targets to earn points.

You stepped aside completely, leaning casually against a nearby pole and gesturing for her to go ahead.

"You'll rack up the tickets on this one, for sure. Can't help but feel like it's nearly cheating," you teased.

She stepped up wordlessly, but with a hint of a cocky smirk. The game counted down and she stepped back, readying herself exactly as she would've for a penalty or free kick.

With an exhale, she closed the space between her and the ball with two sure strides and sent the ball careening in with a loud bang.

You both watched the screen and you stifled a laugh as it showed her missing the target.

"What," she said, clearly affronted and glaring at the screen. She set up for another shot, some of her frustration showing in her movements as she set the ball.

She shot you a cursory glance, a stern frown on her face as she readied. You held up a hand in innocence and she huffed before taking a steadying breath. She kicked the ball decisively once more. Another miss.

"Oh my God," she said in near dismay and outrage. "This thing is broken," she went on in protest, turning to face you and pointing at the machine accusingly.

She was so adorable.

You simply shrugged. "Never mind. Maybe it's not cheating," you said with great seriousness that caused her jaw to drop.

You finally broke down in laughter at the expression on her face and you found yourself closing the space between you two, turning her by the shoulder and ushering her away.

You two took this as an opportunity to take a break. You grabbed a table while she ordered a couple of drinks.

While she was at the counter ordering, you sat at the table and watched her with a faint smile until you caught yourself. You shifted on the stool as the more conscious part of your mind took over once more.

"Here you go," she said warmly as she found you and set your drink in front of you and hopped up onto her stool.

"Thanks," you said, offering a small smile that was vastly different from the ones you'd worn not even 10 minutes ago.

"Hey, look," she said as she peered over your shoulder. "Someone's just wailing on that hammer one. It's about technique, not strength," she remarked with a short laugh.

"Oh, yeah," you said as you dutifully glanced over your shoulder and gave her a nod and another faint smile.

You could feel her gaze shift and hone in. She watched you for a moment or two before she spoke up again.

"Um, do you need anything?" She asked, a slight, but keen frown on her face. "Do you want some food or anything? I can-"

You shook your head 'no' as you examined the condensation on your glass and she quieted. You lifted your head to look at her and smiled. A closed-lipped smile, but one nonetheless.

"It's fine, Jess. I'm having a good time," you explained, before giving a thin laugh. "That's kind of the issue."

Jessie frowned. “Oh. Um. I’m sorry. Did I do something?”

“No.” You smiled faintly down at your drink. “I just forgot. That I’m still mad at you.”

Jessie’s expression softened, guilt flickering there without taking over. “Okay,” she said. “You’re allowed to be. And I understand why.”

You looked up at her for that.

She did not try to explain it away. She didn't panic and take it as an excuse to leave. She just stayed where she was.

"Thanks," you responded, taking a sip of your drink and watching her. She nodded.

"Of course. And, again, if you want to talk through anything more - I'm here," she assured you calmly before tilting her head and frowning. "Well, I mean, if I'm not physically here, I'll be available. If you know what I mean."

You couldn't help but chuckle and gave her a couple of nods.

"Yes, Jess. I get it," you said, allowing some hint of fondness to show through. "Thank you."

You took a small breath, allowing yourself to reset.

"So. How does it feel to be an NWSL champion?" You asked anew. You nearly frowned when she didn't light up the way you expected her to. Instead, she gave a soft, but wistful smile.

"It's good," she said with assuredness, despite the look she wore. Her eyes remained on you while she seemed to contemplate something further.

"It really is good," she repeated, her gaze now dropping to the table before meeting yours again. "But, it's not quite what I envisioned. My own doing. I just - I really wanted to call you that night."

You blinked, surprised at her confession. You were brought back to that evening, staring at your phone and the feeling of longing and disappointment.

"I- yeah," you haltingly agreed. You softened. "I wish you would've called, too."

Quiet fell over you two as the energy and noise continued on around you. She sighed.

"That's not the only time I wanted to call. Or text. But yeah," she fiddled with her glass and continued, "that night isn't what it could've been. Because I didn't share it with you, in some way."

She sat up straight again and went on quietly.

"I don’t say that because it makes anything better. I know I’m the reason it happened. I just don’t want you to think it was easy for me to stay away.”

You looked down at your drink.

“I kept seeing things I wanted to send you,” she added. “Articles. Weird signs. Funny menu descriptions. Stuff you would’ve had opinions about.”

She paused, then reached for her phone with a small, embarrassed frown.

“Actually. There was this mug.”

You blinked. “A mug?”

“A very bad mug.”

Despite yourself, your mouth twitched.

Jessie turned the phone toward you.

“Oh,” you said immediately. “It's hideous.”

Jessie’s face softened with helpless fondness. “I know.”

The words landed more gently than they should have.

You looked from the picture back to her. “You took a photo of a mug I would hate.”

Jessie tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly shy again. “Yeah.”

“But you didn’t send it.”

Her smile faded at the edges. “No.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought I shouldn’t.” A beat. “Because I thought wanting to talk to you wasn’t a good enough reason to make things harder for you.”

Your gaze dropped back to the phone.

“It would’ve made me laugh,” you said quietly.

Jessie swallowed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

You held her gaze for a second longer, then shook your head, fond despite yourself.

“You’re ridiculous.”

She blinked. “For taking the picture?”

“For bothering to take the picture and still not sending it.”

Her expression softened, guilty and amused all at once. “Fair.” A beat passed and she cracked a faint smirk. "I won't tell you about the others, then."

You let out a disbelieving, but somehow warm laugh and looked up at the ceiling. You dropped your gaze back to her with a shake of your head.

"You're very frustrating, Jessie Fleming," you remarked.

"I know," she accepted with an absent scratch at the back of her neck. "I'm trying. Or rather - trying not to be," she went on with a far too endearing, crooked smile.

You exhaled and pushed your drink aside as you slid off your stool. “Come on. Let’s go put your overthinking skills to use and rack up some more tickets.”

Jessie huffed a quiet, relieved laugh and stood, stepping around the table. After a small hesitation, she held out her hand to you.

You looked at it, then at her.

Then you took it, lacing your fingers with hers.

You had to ignore the lump that formed in your throat as she gave your hand a gentle squeeze and the look she wore.

You were almost embarrassed at the way your pulse hadn't quite recovered as you two weaved through the bustle. She gave the softest tug as she navigated you around a particularly rambunctious group and you couldn't quite swallow the smile that formed on your face.

"Now these are a total rip off," she commented as she began to lead you two past a few crane machines lined up next to one another. You stopped dead in your tracks, causing her to nearly stumble, but she whipped around and came back next to you with a curious frown.

"That is so cute," you said as you pointed to a stuffed axolotl among all the other toys.

"Oh," she said simply, suddenly changing her tune as she peered into the bin, looking at it from various angles. You laughed and she gave you a half-hearted glare before dropping your hand to tap her card.

You couldn't help but miss her hand almost immediately.

Your cheeks hurt as you watched her lean in towards the plexiglass and frown with concentration as she meticulously moved the crane over the plushie one tiny adjustment at a time.

"Five seconds left," you warned her as she continued to fiddle with the placement. She huffed and simply frowned deeper.

With a musical tone, the claw descended into the pit of toys, stretching over the axolotl before closing up - shifting the toy slightly, but failing to capture it.

"Ugh," she complained as she swiftly leaned down to tap her card again.

She tried two more times, once lifting the toy an inch before the claw rudely dropped it back into the pile.

"Here, let me try," you said as you stepped in closer, gently pushing her aside with your shoulder and hips. You felt her eyes on you and you glanced over to see a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she diverted her gaze towards the game.

You positioned the claw above and sent it down. Your eyes widened as the claw closed around the toy and lifted it into the air.

"No way," she said as you gasped as the toy was carried precariously through the air over to the drop. She leaned into you as you both watched and you brought a hand up to her arm, clutching her in anticipation until the plushie was dropped into the chute.

You both cheered, jostling against each other as you did, but neither of you pulled immediately away this time.

Eventually, you leaned down and retrieved the axolotl and displayed it proudly.

"Whoa, great job," she said, smiling at you. "The crane game is clearly your calling."

You blew a raspberry and gave her a fondly chiding look. "You loosened it for me."

You two carried on, exploring and playing through remaining games and returning to your favourites.

You were somehow better at shooting games. Jessie was alarmingly good at whack-a-mole and humorously affronted by any machine that fed balls too slowly. You were both terrible at basketball, which Jessie insisted was fine because the ticket-to-credit ratio was abysmal.

By the time you reached the prize counter, you both had accumulated a pretty decent amount of tickets.

"Thanks to your ticket generation strategy," you'd told her. She shrugged it off, but still looked rather pleased.

"I just did the math," she'd dismissed.

Tickets cashed in, Jessie returned with a small enamel keychain resting in her palm: a tiny arcade cabinet with a pixelated heart on the screen, one you’d smiled at earlier without thinking much of it.

You stood before her and playfully narrowed your eyes at her, hands remaining behind your back.

"Is this an official date prize? Or a friendship prize?"

"Date prize. Definitely a date prize," she affirmed without skipping a beat.

"Then I accept," you said with a growing smile. "Thank you."

You tried not to grin as she rocked up onto the balls of her feet and nearly preened.

With your tickets spent and prizes in hand, you two left the arcade, stepping out into the night air. You laughed at the sudden quiet as the doors closed behind you.

"Just a little more peaceful out here," you joked.

"Yeah, sorry," she said as she scratched behind her ear. You turned to her with a slight frown.

"Don't be sorry. I had a very good time," you told her with far less internal conflict than earlier in the evening.

"Yeah?" She asked, trying not to look too pleased or hopeful. You had to smile.

"Yeah." A beat passed and you gave her a look. "Don't make me regret it."

She stood there, calm and steady.

"I won't."

She held your hand again as she walked you to the car.

When she parked in front of your building, you pressed your palms against your pants as nerves - different this time - started to settle in again.

"Can I walk you to your door?" She asked.

"Sure," you said with a laugh.

You walked together to the front door of your building and came to a stop, turning to stand in front of one another.

"Um, thanks for tonight," Jessie said as you could see her own nerves creeping back in. She fidgeted slightly, her gaze wandering a bit before landing on you again. "I know it was far from a given. So, I really appreciate you giving me this chance."

You nodded. "Well. Thanks for being clear with me. Eventually," you said, now somehow able to say it with a teasing smirk.

"Better late than never?" She asked facetiously with a faint grimace, hands lifting in a faint, guilty shrug.

"You're lucky you're cute," you retorted and Jessie’s face did something wonderfully unguarded - surprise first, then wonder she clearly had no idea how to hide. You couldn't help but feel an exciting pull in your chest at her reaction. It emboldened you.

"Now. Jessie, if I asked you to kiss me, would you?"

She blinked several times, shock overtaking the pleased flush still lingering on her face.

"What?" She asked before quickly correcting herself. "Yeah. Yes, I would."

You nodded calmly and smiled, quietly pleased. She stood in front of you, staring at your lips then up at your eyes.

"Oh- now? A-are you sure?"

Instead of being hurt or irritated by her hesitation, you were endeared. Now that you knew where she stood, her awkwardness and her caution didn't read as rejection anymore.

"Oh my gosh," you muttered fondly as you reached out and pulled her in by her shirt. Your lips met hers, warm and soft, and you couldn’t help smiling into the kiss as her hands came to rest on your waist.

You pulled back, breaking the kiss to look at her. Her eyes were slow to open and she looked dazed in the best way. A slow, crooked smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she stared at you.

"Was that okay?" You asked, less joking this time, genuinely not wanting her to be uncomfortable.

Her response was to wrap her arms securely around your waist and pull you into another kiss. More confident; deeper this time.

When she eventually broke off the kiss, you were very much the one who was now dazed. Nearly breathless.

After more than a year of wanting her, you had finally kissed her. And then she had kissed you back like that.

And, well, it was quite the kiss.

"More than okay," she replied.

"Hm?" You asked, blinking a few times in confusion. She cracked a smirk.

"You asked if it was okay. The kiss," she said easily. If you weren't mistaken, there may have been a cheeky glint in her eye.

"Right," you said quickly, disregarding your blush and tucking your hair behind your ear. "Pretty decent first date, Fleming," you tried to deflect, striving to appear composed and certainly not weak in the knees after a simple kiss from her.

You strongly suspected you were failing.

"I'll take that," she said softly, her arms still around your waist.

You were very aware of how she - intentionally or not - thumbed the back of your hips through your shirt. If she kept that up you'd be thinking about a lot more than a kiss soon.

"So, if you're interested - and you don't have to answer now - I'd love to take you on a second date," she said, her eyes shifting from your eyes to your lips and back again and her voice in a tone you were sure you hadn’t heard from her before.

You swallowed involuntarily, grazing your thumb up and down the back of her neck. You let your impulses take over and you leaned in, kissing her again. She met you readily, wrapping her arms a touch tighter around you.

You could easily feel the heat on your cheeks when you pulled back and your thoughts went dangerously astray upon seeing the way she looked at you.

You cleared your throat.

"I think your chances are pretty good for a second date," you told her.

Her look transformed into a slow, open smile. You gave her a chaste kiss.

"Night, Jess. Text me later," you said softly. She initiated a chaste kiss of her own.

"I'll text you when I get home."

[flemingsfreckles]

I loved your most recent chapter. Thanks for sharing with us. And I hope the worst of your move is behind you.

I also kind of had to laugh - your stories are so much more mature than mine haha. Just a more mature tone. Dynamics. Depth. More realistic (minus G!P stuff obviously). Mine are so indulgent and fantasy-like, which obviously is what I like to write and there’s a place for both styles, but I just had to share the passing observation. My own perspective anyway!

That’s of no consequence, just wanted to share my stream of consciousness 😆 Thanks again for keeping the tag alive and sharing your work! And fingers crossed you’ll have more time to write soon.

Glad you liked it!

I agree I definitely fall into the less fantasy and more “realistic” side of things, I honestly think it’s because I just rely on my own life to give me inspiration. I wouldn’t consider myself super “creative” in the way of coming up with unique/new ideas. I find it easiest to write off of real experiences.

Believe me the indulgent and fantasy-like fics are definitely my favorite to read. But definitely an interesting observation that I really hadn’t given too much thought to before.

I can’t thank you enough for also keeping the Jessie tag alive, I love Orbit so much.

[hgfictionwriter]

Well, I enjoy your work. And I think it’s a skill to write the way you do.

And thanks, I appreciate that a lot.

[hgfictionwriter]

Hey would u write others than Jessie? I need M and P fic and there’s no one to write for them 🥺

I’m sorry. Remains Jessie only at this point, but hopefully someone else will write something for M and P.

Speaking of Jessie:

[flemingsfreckles]

Oh my god we’ve lost them all

[hgfictionwriter]

I’m reeling 😭

[hgfictionwriter]

Thank you so much for the Jessie fanfics, they're really good! 💕🫶🏻

Thank you! ❤️

[hgfictionwriter]

Orbit: Part Eight - Repair

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: After weeks of absence, Jessie asks for one conversation that could either change everything or prove that she came back too late.

Warnings: Angst. Emotional hurt/comfort.

A/N: Jessie POV. Rest of the series is here.

“Hi. I know this is a lot to ask, and you don’t have to say yes. But would you be willing to talk in person? I owe you more honesty than I gave you, and I’d like to apologize properly.”

Jessie’s heartbeat echoed in her chest as the message sent and nested into the conversation above. She released a slow, steady breath in an effort to calm her nerves.

Her trip home had started a reckoning, forcing Jessie to pull apart the careful logic she’d built around her choices - and around everything she had chosen not to do.

She’d talked with her parents a bit more, and even select confidants - Janine, Sam.

They understood the life. That was the uncomfortable part. They understood travel, absences, injuries, the strange guilt of asking someone to build around a calendar that never belonged entirely to you. And still, neither of them seemed to arrive at the same conclusion Jessie had.

It was helpful, but still, she huffed dismissively at their advice:

Just chill out.

It’s not like you’re asking her to marry you.

You’re acting like you’ve left her to raise imaginary kids all by herself.

That’s life. You just figure it out.

Sure. Yeah. It was that simple. What was there to worry about?

She was just built different. But, her approach wasn’t the valiant, noble path she’d once envisioned.

She was at a crossroads. She could stay quiet and call it respect until there was nothing left between you but the silence she'd made. Or she could finally tell you the truth and accept whatever you chose to do with it.

So. Now, she had to wait. Like she’d made you do for her so many times. Not only the past several weeks, but on and off throughout your friendship.

Relationship.

And she’d let you suffer alone.

She’d worked so hard to protect you. And under her watch, all of her intricate care transformed into something damaging and hurtful.

She wasn’t sure she deserved your forgiveness. You’d done nothing to earn the hurt she’d dealt you. But if Jessie was good at one thing, it was doing the work in front of her. This time, though, the work was not convincing you. It was telling the truth and accepting what came after.

If you’d let her.

She said ‘goodbye’ to her parents, killed time at the airport, and was settling into her seat on the plane by the time you texted back.

“I don’t understand. You’ve barely spoken to me for weeks, and now you want to talk in person? What changed?”

She took a steadying breath as she formulated her response.

“I know. I’m sorry. I thought staying away was the right thing to do. But you were right. I was making a decision for both of us and that wasn’t fair. You didn’t deserve that.”

She was partway through a podcast, doing her best to distract herself when you replied.

“I don’t know if I have it in me to do this again.”

Her heart sank. She’d drained you of your warmth and generosity.

A piece of her, the part she was most comfortable with, immediately threw up a cautionary flag. This attempt to explain herself was threatening to hurt you.

Abort. Stop being selfish.

She had to be conscientious and firm with herself.

No. Hiding was selfish. Keeping you in the dark was selfish.

“I understand. And I’m really sorry. I’m not trying to pull you back into the same thing.”

“You’ve said what you needed to say. You made your decision clear. In more ways than one by now.”

That familiar twisting in her chest sprang to life.

"I didn’t say what I needed to say. I acted like I did, but I didn’t, and that’s part of the problem. I won’t push. But if you’re ever willing, I’d like to tell you the truth. What I should've said before. Then it’s up to you what you want to do."

Several minutes passed before a new text came through.

“I don’t know. I’m having trouble trusting this.”

Her throat constricted with emotion. She hated that she’d done this to you.

“I can understand that. If you’d be willing to hear me out, that’s all I’m asking for. But I’ll respect whatever you choose.”

She was retrieving her bag from the carousel back in Portland when her phone buzzed in her hand.

“Okay. I can listen. But that’s all I’m promising.”

The smile that broke out across her face with a breath of relief was entirely involuntary. Her bag dropped down off the ramp and rolled past her as she typed out a reply that she had to downplay.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. Truly.”

She saw you typing and remained still, waiting patiently.

“K. I’m free on Tuesday for a bit after work. We can meet for coffee at Point at 7.”

She typed her response as her bag made a second lap on the carousel.

“Perfect. I’ll see you there.”

—————

“Are we still on for coffee?”

Jessie frowned, disappointment filling her chest.

The juxtaposition was jarring. Jessie had spent the day thinking about nearly nothing but coffee with you. In fact, as your text came through she was about 20 minutes into fiddling with her look. Hair up? Hair down. Toque? No toque. Green button up? Or grey crewneck.

And here you were wondering if she was going to bail.

“Of course. If you’re still available.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Jessie made sure she was early. If you were already worried about whether she’d show up or not, she didn’t want you to get there and wonder.

She was seated at an open table, alert and waiting. Most times, she’d be focused on trying to appear casual. Occupied. Like she wasn’t blatantly early or waiting.

Tonight, she didn’t care to pretend.

Her breath literally caught in her throat as she saw you appear in the doorway and enter. She forced a hard swallow as her eyes remained locked on you as you tentatively scanned the interior of the coffee shop. As your gaze neared, her hand shot up and she found herself offering a too-eager smile as she straightened in her seat.

Your eyes met hers and you paused, blinking for a moment. Her wide smile faltered as you watched her neutrally. Her nerves were starting to fire when your mouth shifted into a fleeting, tight-lipped smile and you weaved your way over.

Her heart raced as you approached. It’d been so long since she’d seen you. She was so grateful to see you again.

Her pictures of you didn’t do you justice.

She could feel her chest rise and fall as she tried to remain steady. You gave another brief, polite smile as you came to stand next to the table.

“Hi,” she greeted. Too friendly. Too light for what this was. She abruptly stood to match you. “Hi,” she repeated.

“Hi,” you returned.

“Um. Can I get you a coffee? What would you like?” She asked, eyebrows high on her forehead.

“I’ll get my own,” you responded evenly, expression still neutral.

“Oh yeah,” Jessie accepted easily, her gaze dropping momentarily before she looked back with a soft smile. “I’ll hold the table.”

You seemed to study her for just a fraction of a second before giving a single nod and angling away with an “Okay.”

Jessie’s leg bounced rapidly as she waited, now allowing herself to look at the menu on her phone. She stilled her movements as you returned.

She noticed that you got your coffee to go. She tried not to dwell on it.

When she returned a few minutes later with her own drink, you fidgeted slightly in your seat before reclining into it and resting your hands in your lap with a look to her.

Guess that was her cue.

She rubbed the back of her neck for a moment before righting herself.

“Thanks. For meeting me,” she said. Her knee started to bounce again and she stilled it immediately. “I know you didn’t have to, but I really appreciate it.”

You gave her another thin, almost humourless smile, with a faint lift of your shoulder.

“I said I’d listen,” you clarified. She gave a few quick nods.

“I know. Thank you,” she repeated.

“I have to say I was surprised to hear from you,” you said carefully as you intently turned your coffee cup.

“I know,” Jessie accepted quietly. She swallowed. “I- I disappeared. And I shouldn’t have.”

You watched her, your stillness making it clear that you were expecting more.

"I told myself I was giving you space. And I think part of me believed it - that that's what was right."

You continued to observe her carefully.

She had to make the leap.

"But the truth is, I- I just didn't know what to do," she ventured, fumbling slightly. Her attention shifted between your watchful stare and at her cup as she continued to work up her courage and recall the words she'd run through so many times now.

"The truth is," she started again, "is that I can't do things halfway. With you." She let the statement sit and took the opportunity to breathe. "I told you I couldn't commit to more. And, I didn't know how to be anything less with you."

Your expression shifted subtly. Surprise, maybe. Or maybe she was only hopeful enough to see it before you masked it again.

She took it as a crumb of encouragement and carried on.

"And so," she took another quick breath, "I left. And I told myself I was protecting you. Not recreating...what we had...but," a weak chuckle escaped her, "I was actually just-" Her eyes scanned the table before settling on you. Her posture softened at the sight of you. "-terrified."

At this, you openly frowned. You opened your mouth to speak and your words were slow to come out.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've let a lot of things stand in the way of or distort how I actually feel. About you. Us."

She let the word sit.

"I know you were just asking about a date. But, I couldn't help but think about-" she backpedaled slightly, feeling heat rush to her face, "-a whole life."

She shook her head and went on quickly.

"I know that's too intense. I'm often too intense. But I-I just couldn't think about becoming more with you without thinking about the scale of what it would ask of you. Not just now, but, in the future." She held up a hand preemptively. "I know that's crazy. And so presumptuous. And I really didn't mean it that way - but I just couldn't think of things lightly."

She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, the tension expelling from her body as she did so. When she spoke, her voice was soft.

"I'm not casual about you."

She sounded stripped bare by it and she didn't want to be. She sat there with her shoulders rounded and hands tucked between her knees.

"I know this is a lot."

You sat up straighter in your chair and took a visible breath. Jessie waited and tried to ignore the incessant thumping in her chest.

"That was...yes, a lot," you admitted tentatively. You softened. "But, I don't - I don't know. I need to process."

Jessie nodded and tried to give you a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, of course," she said. "I, yeah, disappeared, and now I've come back and totally just dumped on you." She finished with an effortful laugh.

You turned your coffee cup idly again, scrutinizing it as you did so, before lifting your gaze to her once more. A faint frown lingered on your face.

"I-" you started before taking a moment. "So you were terrified of...a life? Together?"

Jessie felt heat crawling up her neck again and she scratched at her temple.

"Well, I mean, that sounds extreme. I know a date doesn't mean a life. Or that you were thinking anything like that with me - which is totally okay," she babbled, her gaze settling on the lighting fixtures around the room before returning to you.

"I was terrified of what a relationship with me would ask of you, and cost you. I know you said you heard me on my life - and to be honest - I still stand by my concerns around the demands of it. But," she said pointedly, "you are right. I should've been honest about what I was actually feeling, and then let you decide."

You exhaled heavily and took a sip of your drink as you contemplated. You set it back down and studied the sleeve of the cup again.

"Okay," you suddenly said decisively as you locked eyes with her. "So tell me. What about your life - and what you think it would cost me - scares you."

Her posture straightened to attention, as if suddenly called upon in class. She'd gone over this hundreds of times in her head, so why did the words suddenly feel stuck in her throat?

"Sure," she eventually said. "I mean, you see some of it now. How often I'm gone. The changes in my schedule. I miss important things - and little things, those matter too - no matter how much I want the opposite."

"The demands of my routines; recovery," she went on. "And, frankly, the ups and downs that come with competitions and performances. I'd be bringing that home; affecting us and inadvertently asking you to bend around my needs even if I don't want that."

"Never mind injuries. I've been really lucky so far, but - that may very well not always be the case. I've seen what it asks of partners. Physically and emotionally."

She took an unsteady breath.

"And future. Well. If we became serious-" she paused, "-I'm terrified of what you may sacrifice. Not because you'd have to, but because you're generous, and you're caring, and I just...yeah. I know, it's not fair to make that leap, but - you're asking what I had in mind and this is it.

"If we were together and I needed to transfer teams, I just- I would hate to be the one who you either wasted time and affection on only for it to end. Or worse, for you to give up your life here to support me."

She felt jittery, eyes now staring blankly at the table as she racked her mind. There was more to say, but she looked up to meet your steady gaze instead.

"That's, uh, enough for now," she said slowly. "That's pretty much the gist."

You blinked a couple of times.

"Okay...there's a lot to unpack here," you said. The faint laugh you gave surprised her and it prompted a watery laugh from her. She found herself sniffling and she quickly sat up and wiped her face.

"Sorry," she offered with a weak laugh.

"No," you said oddly unbothered as you nearly cocked your head at her. You contemplated before speaking. "I mean, after the past month, this is-" you paused, "better."

Jessie blinked back the last of the tears that threatened to fall as the corner of her mouth twitched with the hint of a hopeful smile. She composed herself, not wanting to get ahead of things.

"I don't know where to begin," you eventually said as you absently scratched at your jaw. You frowned in time.

"Why didn't you just tell me these things before?" You questioned, some exasperation bled into your voice.

Jessie released a shaky breath. "I don't have an excuse. Nothing good anyway," she said as she leaned forward, arms on her knees. "It was never about not wanting you. I think - if anything, it was about wanting too much." She sat up again and rubbed her ear before she finally forced herself to meet your gaze again.

"But you didn't even give it a chance," you said, the latent hurt evident in your voice and causing her stomach to drop in shame. "You wouldn't even let us talk about it."

"I know," she admitted quietly. "I was wrong to just decide on your behalf. I wasn't thinking of it that way at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do - to care about you by 'sparing' you what my life might ask of you. But it was wrong to not have an honest conversation and let you choose."

"That's right," you agreed unflinching. "It was selfish of you to let me guess for months, and then to just take any choice away from me in the end. And," you went on, "your reasons are strangely self-centered."

Jessie couldn't help but frown subtly. Self-centered?

You must've clocked her confusion because you folded your arms against yourself and gave an amused huff.

"Yes, Jessie. Self-centered."

The statement probably would've worried her more, but the faint smirk at the corner of your mouth dulled her concern.

"Yes. I get it. Your life demands a lot. It's not typical. It's rigid, but also unpredictable. Maybe I don't get all of it, but I'm not oblivious either. If you haven't noticed, our lives actually became pretty intertwined-" a flash of hurt crossed your face "-so I've been inside a lot of it already. And it didn't hinder things. You hindered things."

You sat up, dormant aggravation seeming to fuel you. "I never had a problem with you missing things or being away. I wasn't bothered by or afraid of your moods. I just," you paused, swallowing briefly, "I wanted in. You wanted to get away."

Jessie released a sad sigh. "I didn't. I know my actions didn't show that, but I didn't actually want to disappear. I just never wanted to burden you."

"Well if that's what you still think, then we have a problem," you said unwavering.

"No," she relented gently. "I need to trust that you'd tell me if it ever got to be too much."

You nodded silently as you dropped your gaze, eyes now wet. You inhaled sharply.

"Anyway. What I was trying to say. It's weirdly arrogant to think that your life is the only one that may have demands. Who's to say I might not find an opportunity elsewhere that would - if we were ever together - ask us to move? And. I don't know, maybe this is simplistic, but contracts are a year or a few years; there are ways to navigate. And, heaven forbid, I could get sick, or injured, too."

She swallowed around the lump that promptly formed in her throat and dropped her chin to her chest briefly before lifting her eyes to yours. She nodded.

"You're right," she confessed. "That's true. And I'm sorry."

You blew out an uneven exhale between your lips and toyed with your cup again. You both sat wordlessly at the table while bustle and noise carried on around you.

"So what now? What does this all mean?" You asked, suddenly looking tired.

She rubbed her palms together as she readied to speak.

“I want you. Not halfway. Not when it's convenient. I want to try. And I know it should maybe just be fun and easy - I shouldn't think ahead; just see where things go. But I can’t think like that. I don’t look at you and see just a date on the weekend. I see - I see a life. Choices. Milestones."

She took a quiet, steadying breath.

"So. I want to try. I want to be with you. Commit to you - properly. But if you're interested in that, I need to know you understand what a life with me would actually involve. I just need to know that you won't feel like I've not been forthcoming, that I've promised something I can't truly deliver."

You frowned and let out a sigh, softening. "You seem to think you're the only one who thinks ahead, but I take things seriously too. So. It's not talks like this that scare me. Believe it or not, I've thought about a lot of this, too. What scares me is not being allowed to understand where your head's at. Being iced out of decisions."

Another breath. "And quite frankly, even though we weren't together, you showed up more and were more caring and attentive than, yeah, probably any actual girlfriend of mine. So, some of your argument is bullshit."

You took a moment.

"If it becomes 'our' life. Then you need to act like it. Shared understanding. Shared decisions. We're still our own people, and I need you to respect me. Actually respect me. You can't make choices for me."

She felt the weight of your words and nodded her understanding. And maybe she shouldn't feel a spark of hope deep in her chest, but it burned behind her ribs regardless.

"I agree. I won’t make decisions for you and call it respect again," she told you. She took a sip of her drink, the cup still largely full and the coffee cooling fast. She set it down with a questioning look. "You've - thought about the future?" She braved.

You exhaled and shifted slightly in your seat. "Yes."

Jessie waited, but you didn't offer more. Her stomach twisted around as doubt filled her system, but she continued.

"I know this is leaping way too far ahead. But it's one of the things I really want to be transparent about," she said. Her face started to warm as she prepped her words. "You've said you want kids. I do too. So, if we made it, and, you know, it's like, way in the future. I just want to be transparent about what a family together would require."

She paused to gauge your reaction and you sat patiently for her to continue. Her cheeks felt blazing hot, but she forged on.

"As much as I would want to be around for everything. Truly. I think I'd be," she trailed off, a goofy smile crossing her face for a split second before resetting. "Anyway. Reality is, I'd be away. A lot. And I know that's far from fair. But truth is, a lot would fall on my partner...you." She inhaled, chest rising. "I'd do whatever I can to make up for it when I'm back, but...I just wouldn't want you to feel cheated out of the family experience or life you wanted."

You watched her quietly, expression even.

"We're a long ways off from a proper date," you said a bit wryly. "But. I repeat. I've thought about the future, too, Jessie."

Your words set in and, somehow, a smile snuck up on her and she tried to stifle it as she dipped her head.

"Okay," she said softly.

She took another breath, a strange blend of energy and nerves rushing through her.

"I think that's all I have to say right now," she went on. "I'm incredibly sorry for the way I hurt you. And how I made you question yourself. And for leaving. You deserved to know the truth. I'd like to take you out on a date - an actual date - like I should've done a long time ago. And then keep showing you, if you’ll let me, that I’m not going to run from this again."

"You said you'd listen, and you have - so, thank you," she went on. "I don't need you to answer anything right now. You can take whatever time you need. And I'll answer any other questions you have."

You were quiet for long enough that Jessie had to remind herself not to fill the space.

Finally, you looked down at the coffee cup between your hands.

“I had to start getting over you,” you said, voice quieter now. “I don’t know if you understand that.”

Jessie’s chest tightened.

“I do,” she said, though the words felt too small. “I know why. And I’m sorry.”

You nodded once, not quite accepting it, but not rejecting it either.

Another silence passed.

"I want time to think first," you said gently.

"Of course," Jessie agreed, despite the way her stomach flipped. "Absolutely."

You gave a quick smile of thanks as you pushed your chair out. You looked at her a moment before standing. She reciprocated and soon the two of you were outside.

The night air was cold enough that you wrapped your arms around yourself.

"Thanks again for meeting me. And listening," Jessie said. You nodded.

"Yeah. And, thanks, for - you know - reaching out," you said.

For one wild, selfish second, Jessie wanted to ask if she could walk you home. Or hug you. Or do anything that would make the night feel less like simply watching you leave.

She did none of that.

"Good night."

"Good night, Y/N."

----------

“One date."

Jessie went very still as she read your text over a bowl of granola and yogurt.

The three dots appeared before she could remember how to breathe.

“An actual one. No almost-date. No pretending it’s something else. No deciding halfway through that you’re protecting me by leaving.”

Jessie dropped her spoon into the bowl with a clang and typed a reply.

"Yes. Of course. And no, I won't do that."

“And I’m not promising I’m not still angry.”

“I know.”

“Or that I trust you yet.”

“I know. That's very understandable."

“Okay. One date.”

A smile crossed Jessie's face before she could stop it, fragile and disbelieving.

"Okay. I'd really like that. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet haha."

Jessie let out a wet huff of a laugh.

"Okay, I'll try not to. And we can figure out details whenever you’re ready."

She set the phone down on the table and stared at it for a long moment.

One date.

An actual one.

Not fixed. Not forgiven. Not yet.

But not over.

[hgfictionwriter]

Did the Canadians win today? Unfortunately not.

Did I wear my Fleming jersey to the game though? Absolutely, yes.

Not the result we wanted, but the team did Canada proud 🇨🇦 Lots to be excited about and hopeful for going forward.

[hgfictionwriter]

Orbit: Part Seven - Loss

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie tries to protect you by staying away, but her restraint starts to falter and the silence between you starts to complicate the truth.

Warnings: Angst. Polite ghosting 👻 Olympic-level emotional avoidance🏅 Lesbian yearning ❤️‍🩹.

A/N: Jessie POV. Rest of the series is here.

Cheers were still erupting from her teammates as they finally retreated to the locker room, yells of celebration bouncing off the walls and feeding the energy around her.

Jessie wore a smile on her face and even forced a skip into her step as she bounded in with the team, but it was anything but effortless.

Another bottle of champagne came out, cork popped and liquor sprayed as her teammates started taking pictures of themselves and others, displaying their medals proudly.

She somehow found herself standing still as the room moved around her.

"Jessie!"

The practiced smile immediately spread across her face as her name registered and she perked up, returning the cheer Liv initiated. As soon as the moment passed, she practically felt the energy drain out of her, her shoulders rounding out.

She retreated to her cubby, against her better judgement, and retrieved her phone.

Messages from her parents. Her siblings. Former teammates. Friends.

You.

Her breath caught in her throat against her will and her thumb hovered over your name. She tapped the notification.

“Congratulations!! You played really hard. I’m really happy for you. Please pass along my congrats to everyone. Mac’s really gonna be feeling it tomorrow after some of those dives haha.”

Her throat constricted and she blinked hard a few times.

She mindlessly scrolled up in your conversation and she felt the ache immediately as she saw her replies.

She saw what wasn't there. Inside jokes, pictures she'd send, reading and watching recommendations.

She wanted to tell you how horrible the pillows were. You would've hated the coffee here. The sunset was beautiful. She wanted to tell you...too much.

And now that the match was behind her - her first Championship win - she should be experiencing one of the thrills of her life. Instead, she felt this hollow ache inside.

She wanted to send you some stupid selfie where she was smiling too awkwardly, too eagerly with a goofy thumbs up that always made you laugh. She wanted to joke about Mac. Hell, if she was being really honest, she wanted to find the least rowdy corner and FaceTime you. Hear your voice. See the way the corner of your eyes softened when you smiled at her.

She wanted to ask you when she could see you next.

But that was an impossibility now.

She'd taken enough from you. Now, she had to be fair to you. And that meant she couldn't recreate the familiarity and the intimacy she'd indulged in before. That's how she put you in this situation in the first place and she refused to do it again.

So:

“Thank you, Y/N. Means a lot. And I will. Yeah, haha, she killed it tonight.”

She didn't want to be cold. She didn't want you to think you weren't important to her. But she had to be careful.

Riotous chanting started up again behind her, bringing her back to the moment. Right, there was a celebration to be had.

She just wanted to share the moment with you.

She was quiet on the flight back, grateful for the excuse to say that the party the night before took it out of her.

And the days dragged on. And they were exhausting.

She thought she'd been disciplined before, but this required a new level of conscientiousness.

There were reminders of you everywhere. A new feature coffee at a local shop that she wanted to tell you about. A pop-up market you two would've liked. An interesting article to share with you. A funny post. A wry observation.

She looked at her calendar and saw the pockets she used to keep free for you; little sacred slivers of time she held so dear. Now, she tried to fill them to dull the ache.

And worse, the upcoming stretch she was looking forward to sharing with you. An actual break where she could try to make up for lost time.

Now, it was just an unfinished road trip itinerary she'd mapped out with too much care, too much hope, to keep pretending it meant nothing.

Restaurants with dishes you'd like. A cool bookstore you'd love both. The scenic route planned with plenty of options for pictures. Hike options depending on whether you were feeling energized or drained and tired. Playlists for different moods, including artists and genres you'd enjoy. Hotels saved, but not booked.

In its place, a "I hope your week's been going well" text would have to do.

By the time she was boarding a flight home to her parents' place for the holidays, your name had fallen down the series of threads in her messages to the point where she had to scroll to your conversation.

Even now, it hurt to not reach out and she missed you terribly.

When she walked through the arrival doors she was greeted by her dad with a boisterous wave.

"Hey Dad," she said with a smile as she let him envelop her in a big hug.

"Hey Kiddo," he said as he rocked her from side to side, eliciting a grumble from her. He merely laughed. "Hey," he continued as he drew back enough to look at her, "you're lucky I didn't have a big, fully decorated sign - 'NWSL Champion Jessie Fleming'."

She rolled her eyes heavily. "Oh my God, Dad."

"See? I knew better. Don't say I never did anything nice for you," he joked.

"Uh huh," she complained, a smile lingering on her face as they began their trek to the car.

"So...no company?" He ventured with an arched eyebrow and a sidelong glance.

"Hm?" She asked with a frown.

"Well. Your mom and I thought you might bring Y/N. We were starting to think we'd actually get to meet her," he relayed with a chuckle.

Something shifted inside her and all levity dissipated.

"No," she answered simply, finding it hard to even get that out. Belated, unjustified irritation swept over the ache that began to bloom. She frowned anew. "Why would she be here?" She asked sharper than intended.

Her dad didn't reply right away; instead they walked several steps before he answered, gentle and more serious this time.

"I was half joking, sweetie," he said. "She just sounded like someone important to you. So, if that were the case, of course we'd want to meet her." A beat. "Whenever you'd be ready though."

She kept her eyes trained forward and unnecessarily readjusted her backpack straps as they continued.

An acceptable time to respond came and went before she eventually spoke, voice low and more tentative than she'd like.

"We haven't really talked much lately," she confessed.

"Oh?" He said lightly as they reached the SUV and he popped the trunk. They pushed against one another as they idly competed for who would hoist her bag into the trunk. He gave her a pointed look and she relented with a performative sigh and another eyeroll as she let him grab the bag. "Any reason you haven't talked much?"

She released an exhale as she walked to the passenger seat and got in.

"I don't know," she eventually replied, sounding too much like a borderline petulant teenager. She took a corrective beat. "I, um, I don't know," she went on, tone shifting as she struggled to verbalize it. "I, uh, realized - I guess - that I was hurting her. Not intentionally of course, but, um, yeah. So I figured space would be better."

She felt her dad's eyes on her before he started the car.

"Oh. That sounds complicated," he said. He proceeded to drive. "Well, you have a good head on your shoulders. I know you wouldn't make a decision lightly. But you know that if you want to talk about any of this, we're here, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she accepted as she looked out the window at the familiar sights.

He took mercy on her throughout the rest of the drive back to her childhood home, switching topics and bringing some light and fun back into their conversation.

She'd mostly forgotten her discomfort by the time they were walking into the house and her mom came down the stairs with a big smile to welcome her.

"Oh my gosh! It's so good to see you, sweetie," she said warmly in Jessie's ear as they embraced tightly.

Then, she looked past Jessie to the door with a playful grin.

"What? No Y/N?"

Jessie's shoulders fell and she looked behind her to catch just a glimpse of her dad waving her mother off of the topic. She looked back to her mom to see her adjusting in real-time.

"Oh, um, I was just getting your room ready upstairs. It's all set for you," she deflected merrily.

Jessie released a defeated sigh with a tired look. She didn't want her parents to have to tread lightly around her. She gave a faint smile.

"Thanks, Mom. You didn't have to do that. I could've done it. But thank you," she said.

"I know, hun," her mom said, reaching out a hand to squeeze Jessie's arm. "Just happy to have you home."

It should've made her feel warm - loved - and it did, but it also hinted at her absences.

She smiled again at her mom. "Me too. 'Kay, I'm gonna go drop off my bag. I'll be back down."

It was great to be home again. She needed the break. And being with her family brought her an easiness and a peace that she'd found near impossible to replicate.

The closest, she couldn't help but compare, was what she'd begun to build with you.

In fact, there were countless times during her visit that her mind drifted to you. Things she wanted to tell you, moments she wished she could share.

She'd be lying if she hadn't pictured what it would've actually been like to bring you home and introduce you to her family.

She could see it - what you'd add during conversations, how you'd look sitting next to her or across from her at the dinner table, taking you on a walk around her neighbourhood, sharing stories. God - whatever her parents would choose to embarrass her with - they'd be so thrilled. She'd cringe and want to crawl into a hole, but deep down she mourned the absence of it.

Christmas day came and she sat in the living room as the evening wound down. Her parents and siblings were still chatting in the kitchen after they'd all cleaned up.

She held her phone in her hand and stared at the message that remained unsent.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N. I hope you're getting spoiled and having a great day."

She released a weary sigh and finally sent it. It wasn't nearly enough of what she wanted to say. From envisioning some version of a life where you'd be here with her - maybe not this exact time, but in the future - to some sad and insufficient text.

"You alright?"

She startled at the hand on her shoulder and the sudden interruption.

"Mom," she exclaimed, half in complaint.

"Sorry," her mom chuckled softly as she rounded the couch and took a seat in the armchair next to her. "You were pretty deep in thought."

"Yeah," she released with a heavy breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her mom asked gently with a look to her phone.

Jessie averted her gaze to the phone as her jaw tightened. She nestled into her seat a bit more and swallowed to settle her nerves. She knew her mom would wait her out, so she had to reply.

"I don't know. I don't think there's much to say," she responded low as she locked her screen and tucked the phone into her pocket.

Her mom seemed to contemplate her statement before giving a faint shrug. "Maybe. But you have seemed...preoccupied. Not quite yourself," her mom observed carefully but with certainty.

Jessie raised her eyebrows with a tight-lipped smile. She eventually shrugged one shoulder. "I'm just tired, Mom."

She saw the way her mother exhaled through her nose silently and knew whe wasn't going to let it go. Her mom leaned in instead, resting her forearm against a crossed leg.

"Honey, we weren't trying to upset you the other day when we asked about her. We just thought, well, you talked about her a lot," she explained.

Jessie gave her a look before relenting.

"I know," she said quietly, turning her gaze to the knee of her pants and picking idly at the fabric.

"So, what happened?" Her mom inquired.

"Mom," she implored wearily.

"Honey, we just love you and want you to be happy. And we're here for you, you know."

She held her mom's gaze for a few, long seconds before giving in. She fiddled with the tassels of the pillow next to her.

"I told Dad. I hurt her. So, I'm giving her space," she relayed far more matter-of-factly than the situation deserved.

"Space from what?" Her mom asked.

Jessie gave her a beseeching look but answered, now pulling the pillow into her lap and picking at the embroidery on it. "From me, I guess."

“I know, honey,” her mom said gently. “But from what with you?”

Jessie looked down again, throat tightening around the answer.

“I let us get close in ways I wasn’t willing to name,” she said eventually. “I kept telling myself it was okay because I wasn’t saying anything. Like if I never called it anything, then I wasn’t promising anything.”

Her mom’s expression softened, but she didn’t interrupt.

Jessie picked harder at the embroidery. “But I think I still let her feel...special. And then I didn’t choose her.”

A quiet beat passed between them.

“Did you want to?” her mom asked.

Jessie’s eyes stung immediately, which was answer enough.

“That doesn’t really matter now.”

“I think it might.”

Jessie exhaled in an effort to steel herself. She sat up straight once more. "No," she dismissed. "It's not fair to her. And she said it couldn't be what it was, so, I'm respecting that."

Her mom's eyes narrowed just so and Jessie let herself fall into the back cushion as she braced for more.

"So, did she ask you for space? Or to stop being unclear?" Her mom probed lightly.

She hated when her mom asked the real question.

She set the pillow aside and clasped her hands loosely across her lap, sinking deeper into the couch.

"No...she didn't ask specifically for space. But I can't commit to more. So, space is the alternative," she reasoned.

"Well, is it that you don't want more?" Her mom ventured.

Jessie's head snapped up with a frown.

"No," she answer decisively. Defensively. She dropped her gaze once more, but her mom waited. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Her mom asked.

Jessie let out a dry chortle and met her gaze.

"Mom. You know what my life's like. It just isn't fair to ask someone to fit into that. I ask people to understand the ups and downs and everything in between that my career requires and it doesn't end."

“You keep saying it wouldn’t be fair. But was it fair to let her care about you and then decide for her what she could handle?” Her mom countered. Jessie remained tight-lipped and her mom continued.

“Jessie," her mom started gently, "your life does ask a lot of the people who love you. You’re not wrong about that. But that doesn’t mean we would have wanted you to make yourself smaller in our lives so we wouldn’t miss you.”

Her eyes began to sting again immediately and her gaze flicked away urgently.

"I wouldn't ask that of her," she said quietly, her voice wavered.

"Honey, inviting someone to be part of your life isn't the same as trapping them. They can choose; eyes wide open," her mom corrected tenderly.

Jessie sniffled and she rolled her eyes irritated with herself.

"Why would I ask someone I care about to take on all of this?" She retorted. She hated how her voice was strained. "To put up with my absences. To have to navigate around my routines, recovery. God forbid, have to suffer through injuries with me. Put her in an impossible situation if I transfer teams. She could spend months or years building around me, only for it to go nowhere. Just wasted time and emotion. Or uproot her life because she thinks loving me means she should." She shook her head. "No."

"Honey, you're talking about this like it's already serious," her mom pointed out softly.

Jessie lowered her eyes and grew deeply interested in the stitching on the pillow again.

"I take her seriously," she said soberly. Her eyes stayed on the pillow before lifting to meet her mom's. "I wouldn't ask her to invest in me without thinking the consequences through.”

Her mom's expression turned so sad that Jessie had to look away.

"Does she know that? That you take her seriously?"

Jessie blinked back tears and swallowed around the lump in her throat.

“You’re asking an awful lot of questions,” she deflected. Her mother’s response was seamless.

“Because I love you.”

Her shoulders hitched briefly and she crossed her arms with another involuntary sniffle.

“Look, honey,” her mom started in softly. “You’ve always been so careful with other people’s emotions. And I love how much you care, but sometimes you carry too much on your own.”

Her mom waited until she looked up at her again.

“It’s not wrong to think that far ahead. And I know you’re trying to do the right thing. I do. And you can give her space if that’s what she needs. But you shouldn’t get to decide what she can handle and call that respect.”

“I am being respectful,” Jessie refuted sternly, hating how her voice cracked with emotion. Her mother’s empathetic expression didn’t waver as she calmly disagreed.

“Honey, I know you think you’re stepping back. But from here, it sounds a little like you’re still trying to decide the shape of this for both of you."

Jessie’s features fell at the tender accusation.

Your words came back to her then, sharp and immediate.

You don’t get to decide what I want or need.

She had heard you when you said it. Of course she had.

But she had to consider that perhaps she was merely listening to you instead of believing you.

She didn’t want to control you. Ever. She liked that you were independent. Smart. Your own person.

She just wanted to spare you the hardship of caring about her. Or worse, loving her.

But then why did her mom’s statement sit so heavy in her chest.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Both she and her mom looked in its direction, but neither spoke. Eventually, her mom rose and gave Jessie’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Okay, I’ve said enough,” she said with a faint laugh. “Your sister’s itching to play Bananagram. Join us when you’re ready.”

Jessie offered her mom a fleeting look with a smile she knew wouldn’t even begin to fool her.

“Love you. Okay?” Her mom said before planting a kiss to the top of Jessie’s head.

She departed in that quiet, merciful way she had when she knew Jessie was at her limit. By the way Jessie’s reciprocation got lodged in her throat and was swallowed instead, her mom was absolutely correct.

Jessie sat motionless on the couch for several long moments before she found herself digging her phone out of her pocket. Her lip nearly trembled when she saw your name.

“Merry Christmas, Jess. Hope you’re having a good day with your family.”

Jessie stared at it.

It was kind. Thoughtful, even. Perfectly appropriate.

It gave her nothing to answer except the same careful nothing she had offered for weeks, before even that had turned into silence.

She typed:

“Thank you. You too.”

Stared at it.

Then she sent it before she could overthink herself into silence.

The message appeared beneath yours, neat and awful.

It was exactly the kind of thing she had been sending for weeks. Kind enough not to be cruel. Empty enough not to be honest.

She typed:

“I wish you were here.”

And deleted it almost as soon as she wrote it. Her eyes stung once more.

Her mother’s words lingered in her mind.

She wanted them to be wrong, but she feared they weren’t. She didn’t know what to do with that yet.

For the first time, Jessie couldn’t quite pretend that giving you space was the same thing as giving you a choice.