Supernatural
Written by Megan.
299 posts.
18 years old.
two timin' hoe.
I am Male.
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Post by Ashton Pines on Feb 25, 2023 0:50:15 GMT
“Ain’t nothing gonna happen to me,” Ashton charmed, voice rolling and smooth as he flattened down some of her stray hairs with the palms of his hands—dragging them down the length of her before tangling with her own. The taste of her buzzed on his lips, a tingling sensation he could never get enough of—always so hungry for her, starving for his precious girl. Ashton’s stomach once again churned as he swallowed around the mess he’d made. He didn’t want to think about it, insisted he wouldn’t, but that guilt came clawing back up his throat with every soft look she threw his way, with every shimmering bat of lashes, and with every anxious nibble of her lip. Again and again he was slammed by the berating voice in his head, criticizing him for ever risking what he had with Jade. She was perfect and he was a damn fool. He shifted his weight anxiously from his left foot to his right, hip jutted out as he leaned back to take in the full scope of her. She was beautiful. More than that, she was breathtaking. Jade was a summery day, the sunshine glistening off an ethereal, calm pool of water—a lake, teeming with life and welcoming with its warm waters. Jade was the song stuck in his head, a sugary-giddy melody that had him tapping his toes and shimmying across the kitchen as he cooked. Jade was everything he’d never known he wanted and he was realizing it too late.
He had to tell her.
He blinked slowly then, hiding behind his eyelids as he accepted that he had to tell her the truth. Ashton didn’t want to keep going behind her back anymore, not when he was finally coming to terms that he… the word felt heavy in his mind, he couldn’t imagine the weight of it ever lifting off his tongue.
Maybe after he told her about Erin, he’d be able to say it. Maybe she’d give him a chance to fix things.
It was unlikely.
Jade could be a bit air-headed, floating on pillowy clouds and ditzy in a way that he adored, but she was not dumb. She was radiant, guiding him through homework those rare times they actually put pencils to paper in a way that a teacher would envy. Ashton knew now that her effortless knowledge in the sciences stemmed from her roots as a hunter, but her craft did not stop there. There had been several afternoons where he’d wait at his car, leaned against the front-end with his eyes cast towards the school’s front doors and she’d never pass through them. He’d filter through the exiting crowds, following the familiar path to the art room where he’d find his girl hunched over a spinning table, hands dirtied by clay as they carefully molded and shaped another work of art. He’d stand in the doorway, perched against the frame and grinning like a cat as she leaned out of her hunch and wiped the sweat from her brow and let out a terrified squeal as she caught sight of him lurking in her peripheral vision. There was something so entrancing about watching her work. Jade was flighty, jumping from one topic to the next in a rambling, destination-less train of words. But when she had clay in her hands and a final product in mind, Ashton couldn’t keep the fascination from dawning his features at her focus. She’d run up to him, careful of not letting her hands dirty him as she swooped in for a quick peck—fussing over the traces of clay that would mar him despite her caution. There were days where Charlie would be a few spaces away, charcoal covered hands gripped tight around a pencil as she shaded a landscape piece or dotted with stray splatters of paint as she pondered over a canvas filled with color and delight. Ashton loved those few moments before he was caught, where he could just watch Jade work—where she was unabashedly herself.
When she wasn’t flustered under his gaze or squirming beneath his hands.
He wonders if he really knew Jade before he’d found her in the art room that first time.
Ashton has asked for her to make him something—anything—but this is the one thing she’s refused him. He knows it's because she worries it won’t be good enough, fearful that she’d never create anything worthwhile. She had brushed off his insistence that it would be perfect because she made it, her hands wringing in front of her and eyes cast down. He’d change the subject then, hating seeing her so unsure of herself. He did have one thing she’d made, though. They had been studying at her house, and he’d spotted a new addition on her desk. He held the little clay sunflower in his hand, turning it this way and that as he asked, “Did you make this, Jay?” She glanced up for only a split second, giving him a soft hum of acknowledgement before her attention was back on the math problem she was trying to solve. He’d long since given up even pretending that he was going to finish his homework, flitting around her room and snooping at the items she cherished. She was laid out on her stomach on the bed, kicking her legs back and forth in the air as she flipped the page. She’d painted the clay soft yellows and deep browns. He tucked it in his pocket. Either she hadn’t noticed it was gone or she’d forgotten about her creation, but very little topped the teary-eyed look of awe that shaped her features as she spotted the ornament hanging from his rearview mirror. He’d been so damn careful poking a hole into one of the petals, stealing a shoelace from one of Jensen’s shoes when he couldn’t find a string. It danced along to the songs he sang to her, shaking and trembling with every bump and turn. She’d look at it and blush. “It’s a placeholder,” he had promised, all smiles as he squeezed her thigh, “’til you make something just for me. Think I’ll still hang on to this one, though. Reminds me of you. My little sunflower.”
His smile softened then, so full of that word he couldn’t say as his fingers tightened around her hand. How could he have done this to her? He’d never know. The answer he held onto felt more and more flimsy the longer he thought about it. Would it be enough? Would what he had to offer ever be enough to keep her from leaving him? Ashton didn’t want to guilt her, didn’t want to weave his truths in a light that made her feel bad for him after all he’d done to her. Was there any way to say that his parents’ death influenced his actions without it sounding like an excuse? Was there a way to spin the fact that the feelings he held for her, the love, had scared him and he’d only given in to Erin because of fear? Because he needed to test if what he felt was real? Because he was confused?
The more he thought about it, the stupider his decision seemed. There was nothing he could say that could justify what he did—could justify him to continue doing it. To, god—fuck, to develop feelings for Erin too. Not, not love, but something. He felt something for her and Ashton needed to stop thinking before he hyperventilated and spilled everything right here and now.
He was grateful when she took the lead and started following the others back inside, her words echoing over his thoughts and giving him something else to focus on. “When you put it like that,” he laughed, realizing now that suggesting another game definitely had not been the right move. And to think he thought of her as ditzy. He was going to say more, make some kind of joke to defend himself, but she’d stopped them—and as he followed her line of sight, he knew what she wanted before she said it. How had he landed someone so damn good?
He shouldn’t be surprised he was fucking up so bad. She was out of his league. As hot shit as he thought himself to be, he would never deserve Jade.
“Don’t worry about it, darlin’,” Ashton chuckled, letting go of her hand to go right the table. It would be like Munson to have a heavy ass, wooden beer pong table rather than the classic plastic, foldable one. Bougie bitch. Ashton pretended (just barely, still wanting to show off for his girl) to struggle as he hoisted it up and let it carefully fall back on to all four legs. He was tempted to make a joke about how skinny-little Murphy was able to move such a thing so easily, but kept his mouth shut—best not to draw attention to it. After Jamie’s throw and Murphy’s stunt, he didn’t want to prompt Jade to view anything that happened here as a hunter.
Jamie. His face soured at the thought and he was grateful his back was turned to Jade as he wiped his hands down his jeans to dry them. He didn’t know what she was, if she was anything at all, but he did know she was a bitch. He couldn’t do it here, but if Murphy didn’t come clean, he would use his Alpha advantage to figure out exactly what she was.
He turned then, smile back in place as he stretched his hand out for Jade, heart warming at her words. God, the way she made him feel. He’d never been a sap like this before.
“All you gotta do is ask, Jadey-Baby,” he purred, pulling her in close—wanting so badly to kiss her, but she was talking again. He paused, head tilted curiously to the side. A flash of anger flared in his chest, eyes blinking slowly as he tamed the feeling. He’d only called Erin today because she wanted to come to this damn thing and now she wanted to leave when he’d only just gotten there? He’d ruined everything for this party. He’d taken that one step he promised he wouldn’t because of this party.
And she just wanted to go.
She wanted to go to spend the rest of the night with him. How—how could he even dare get upset at her when that’s why she wanted to leave? Not that he had the right to be bothered when he was the one fucking everything up in the first place.
He schooled his features into something softer, hoping he had looked confused rather than bothered when she'd asked that—he didn’t know if he was that lucky.
“You sure, sugar?” Ashton asked, fingers tiptoeing across her waist before joining together as he rested his hands on the swell of her ass, using the leverage to pull her closer, “I’m all for heading home,” and god, the way she called his house ‘home’ made him melt in a way he never thought he would, “But you’d been so excited and we’re already here.”
Shuffling near the house had his eyes drawn to the noise and away from her face, finding Blake lurking in the doorway—looking hesitant as he called out, “We’re playing Truth or Dare, you guys in?” He seemed uncomfortable and Ashton realized he must have overheard them. He smiled at his friend, nodding as he hollered back, “Give us a minute and we’ll be right there. You can start without us if you need.” Blake gave him a thumbs up before heading back inside, closing the door behind him.
Ashton’s eyes found Jade again, lips perked at the corners as he asked, “Truth or Dare could be fun. Watching them all be dumbasses, you know? Why don’t we give it thirty minutes or so and if you’re still wanting to head out, we will. That sound good?”
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Supernatural
Written by Jasmin.
75 posts.
17 years old.
gaaaay.
I am Female.
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Post by Jamie King on Mar 6, 2023 21:56:12 GMT
Clearly the word was as unfamiliar on hers lips as it was to Murphy’s ears as she caught how the word made him stall just a little. The pair of them were both unpredictable, to each other and to everyone else around them. Lottie had pulled her aside a few times over the past few months, always baffled by how and why she was spending time with Murphy. Jamie could never give her a straight answer because Lottie she could predict, she knew how to make her friend happy and what they’d get up to when they hung out but with Murphy… there was always such a level of unknown. Despite herself, she loved it. She thrived off not knowing what sort of mood he’d be in because he felt like the only person who could switch moods as quickly as she could.
It was probably foolish to let two grenades interact in the same space but hey, they hadn’t killed each other yet.
They were cut from the same cloth. Never willing to budge once they’d made their minds up. Although with Murphy acting under the watchful gaze of his alpha, maybe the same wasn’t entirely true for him. Jamie could never imagine being under someone else’s beck and call in that way. Sure, foxes lived in packs as well but Jamie would always chose going solo over reaching out to others. She’d only ask someone else for help if she had no other choice. It was just tricky to pinpoint when exactly Murphy had become someone else. But she’d turned to him for help just then. Well, maybe help wasn’t the best wording - a way out was probably a far better phrase. But, he’d done it for her.
Big old softie.
But Jamie knew he wasn’t blind and she was about to let him clue onto her a little too much if she didn’t get a grip and push Sadie out of her mind.
“Apologising was weird for me too,” Jamie said to him, eyebrows raised and trying to ease back into her cool and aloof demeanour, “you’re not unique, asshole.” Yep, there she was.
Her hands moved quickly, catching the precious vial sent her way with ease and slightly too much enthusiasm. Her actions were smooth, as if she was busy fiddling with her clothing as she pushed the vial into the pocket of her overalls without verbally acknowledging what Murphy had sent her way. Too many prying ears nearby. As fun as it was to think of him in trouble like a little kid, she didn’t want to push his patience for her.
Speaking of prying ears, Jamie couldn’t stop the laugh as Murphy crashed into Blake, finding slightly too much amusement in the moment. But what Blake suggested had her laugh ending pretty quickly. There were way too many routes that truth or dare could go down. Which Sadie all but confirmed to Jamie as she walked past, the meaning in the other girl’s eyes undeniable. Jamie’s stomach was turning in on itself, forcing her hands behind her back to keep them from shaking in front of everyone. No, truth and dare was risky, and Jamie wasn’t sure she could cope.
She couldn’t show weakness in front of the boys. She had to be seen as strong and independent. So when Murphy looked over at her she just raised her eyebrows a half inch and shrugged, as if couldn’t hurt when Jamie was very sure it could definitely, definitely hurt. She tuned Blake’s question to Murphy out, eyes following the path Sadie made away from her, feeling her heart slowing down and steadying with each foot of distance between them.
Part of her was disgusted with how close she stuck to Murphy - well, that consistent distance was still maintained but she wasn’t letting him out of her sight - as they made their way to the kitchen. Jamie hung back just a little from pouring her own drink, mulling over her options for the rest of the night. There was a risk that if she wasn’t sober she’d do something she’d regret in the morning. Especially with the group of people here.
But, continuing the night sober felt like an awful option.
So wolfsbane cocktails it was.
Starting on her drink, Jamie glanced Murphy’s way when he checked in with her. She hadn’t expected him to say it. To offer her yet another way out tonight. It was verging on him being nice, an act which made her more worried than it should have. “Scared you’re gonna get told off?” She quipped back, giving her drink a gentle stir as she focused her attention back on the liquid and encouraged it to go round and round in a small circle. Wolfsbane had a horrible aftertaste or just, taste in general, so she wanted to make sure it was as mixed in as possible. Content with her mixology, Jamie leant against the counter behind her, mirroring Murphy’s position a few cabinets down from him. Going home meant going back to her mom which sounded just as unappealing as being in a room where people could ask her to confess something she wasn’t ready to say. Even if she knew she’d just lie. Murphy probably would too.
Neither option felt like a good one.
There was no way she could voice to Murphy why she was so apprehensive to play but, “actually, fuck this, lets leave. Irish goodbye style because I cannot deal with any more touches.” Jamie declared, eyes staring down at the liquid in her cup which she knew not to down when she was about to hop behind the wheel. Sure, they could heal but she wasn’t in the camp of wanting to fuck someone else’s life up. She passed her cup to Murphy as she pushed away from the counter, “drink up,” she suggested as she tried to take a peek back towards everyone else. She didn’t particularly care if anyone was bummed by her sudden departure. This felt the easiest option. She could message Willow after she dropped Murphy off, maybe her friend had no plans this late on a Friday night… and after the debacle with Sadie, Jamie just wanted someone comforting to be around.
Jade and Ashton were still absent but Blake had found a seat and was instructing Sadie, under the encouragement of Chrissy, to give them a gymnastics demonstration. Perfect. “Quick steps and avoid eye contact,” she instructed Murphy who was busy draining the contents of the cups in his hands. “Now,” she added as she slipped from the kitchen, making a beeline for the front door just as Sadie went upside down. Great, absolutely wonderful timing. Blake caught her eye, a look of confusion on his face but Jamie just waved a hand before tugging on the door handle and breathing in the cool air of night.
“Get in,” she said as they reached her car, the pair settling into their seats in sync. “I think we pretend tonight didn’t happen,” Jamie said as she started the car and pulled off, Murphy hummed in acknowledgement, eyes on the roads outside. Fiddling with the radio, Jamie let the sounds of some early 2000s songs fill the car as she made the way to the cabin. The drive was becoming more and more familiar. As she pulled into the drive, Jamie turned the radio down, “send Ashton my way if he wants to be a little bitch boy to you,” Jamie said which Murphy just rolled his eyes at, muttering a goodbye before heading back inside. She waited until he was in and lights inside were flickering on before she headed off.
She’d head for Willow and then if that didn’t work, she’d sulk back home.
She’d rather be with Willow.
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Hunters
Written by Jasmin.
132 posts.
18 years old.
in looooove.
I am Female.
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Post by Jade Little on Mar 6, 2023 22:03:32 GMT
Her cheeks shined peony pink, ears probably following suit as he peered over at her. She felt so incredibly seen. She may as well have been naked. Which, duh, Ashton would like just at much. Probably more. He had a habit of studying her in those intimate moments, Jade half hated it, always trying to crack a joke so that he’d stop looking at her so intently. "Not my fault you’re so damn beautiful, darlin’,” that was a response she’d heard more than once after her attempts to distract him failed. It felt as if he were committing her to memory sometimes. The thought was so incredibly ridiculous to Jade. He didn’t need to do that, she never wanted to leave him. A gentle smile took over her face, softness and adoration in her eyes. It was exactly the face she pulled when he said something like that whilst they were tangled together, both of them feeling so vulnerable to one another. She was starting to get used to that feeling, to not shying away from him when he looked at her with such intensity that heart rate doubled and her toes curled.
Starting to. The pink of her cheeks and the way she was so actively fighting back on saying something dumb was evidence enough that she wasn’t completely fine with it yet.
But she warmed inside, heart going lovestruck soft when all of his attention was on her. She needed him to know how much she cared for him. How she’d do anything for him if it meant he was happy. After all he’d been through, Jade just wanted to bring him some peace. To be a warm fire he could come home to when his day was tough. To be his biggest supporter, acting like a classic groupie, whenever he’d start humming or singing around her. Anything for that handsome smile of his.
Well, anything besides giving him something she made herself. Her anxieties and worries over it not being perfect held her back too much even though she knew he wanted one, she’d seen the evidence of his hope for one after he’d swiped a piece from her room. She’d put up a look of shock and betrayal for all of 10 seconds when she’d gotten into his car that day before her grin was too powerful and she wrapped Ashton up, smattering him with kisses everywhere she could reach. The tears in her eyes had come throughout the process, the kisses an attempt to hide them from him but she knew he’d caught them. She’d glowed knowing that he had that reminder of her with him every time he drove around. She always felt like she was glowing around him. She was a sunbeam but he was her whole entire sun. She felt herself revolving around him more and more, unable to stop her orbit and not wanting to even if she could.
No, not a sunbeam. A sunflower. That’s what he’d called her.
Oh god, she was so incredibly smitten and honestly falling more second by second.
Jade stood back as Ashton fixed the table, she was slightly fearful she’d be crushed if she even attempted to share the weight of it. She had no idea how Murphy had flipped it as Ashton seemed to struggle ever so slightly to get it back in place. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the view as he fixed the table, eyes fixated on his arms and the muscles there a little too much. Now who was the one staring intensely? It took her half a second to realise he’d turned back around, doing a mental check that she wasn’t drooling before she laced her fingers through his and stepped into his space, their bubbles joining until they morphed into one. Her hands reached up, resting on the very biceps she’d just been ogling.
Her eyebrows twitched, flickering inwards as something passed across his face. She couldn’t quite place it but the movement was over quickly and she pushed it out of her mind. Any concern was quickly forgotten as she felt his hands against her ass and her weight shifting towards him. Yes, she was so, so very sure that she just wanted to go home and rip his clothes off.
His attention was pulled away before she could reply, she took a moment to rest her forehead on his chest, arms sneaking around his neck and holding him close. Mentally she was cursing the Jade from hours ago for cancelling date night. She peered back up at Ashton as she heard Blake head off, eyes big and round as she looked into his eyes. If the world froze then and there and this was the view she had for all of eternity, she’d have been happy. Frozen whilst embracing her love, yeah, that sounded pretty good to her.
“Okay,” she said dragging out the word to give them a few extra seconds together. “But if you get dared to eat a chilli or something, don’t think you can kiss me after.” She teased, a sparkle twinkling out from her eyes. She lifted up then, pressing a peck to his lips, “kidding, please kiss me whenever.” As long as it wasn’t as intense as the one he’d given her in front of Eli earlier, that was.
Dropping her arms, Jade eased her way out of Ashton’s embraced before relacing her hand through his and guiding them toward the door. They made it inside just in time to witness Sadie attempting to do a forward roll across the floor whilst Jamie and Murphy tossed a wave toward Blake before slipping out of the front door whilst most of the group were distracted. That was definitely one way to leave.
As Sadie righted herself, Jade and Ashton found a spot on the sofa to sit, the two of them squished together tightly. “Jade, truth or dare,” Freddy challenged her the moment she got settled.
A look of panic crossed her face, glancing down to where Sadie was still on the ground. “Not the athletic type,” she said, eyes cutting across to Eli quickly as she said so, “so truth, definitely.”
Sadie was the one to speak, cutting off Freddy who seemed ready to launch into some elaborate question, “how long did it take you to get a crush on Ashton?” She asked, the words quick and seeming as if they’d been on her mind for a while. Which reminded Jade, she’d promised to give Sadie all the details. And now she’d have to give them in front of her boyfriend. Great, here come the pink cheeks again.
“Oh, seconds, I mean look at him,” Jade said, trying to play her answer off as easy breezy and not that it was making her heart beat ferociously in her chest. “I mean I crashed into him the first time we met so, been falling for him since the beginning,” and fuck, she’d said it again. But that didn’t have to mean love right? Jade’s widened eyes and dropped stare into her lap were an attempt to avoid how everyone else reacted to that statement. She really had to shut up. “Although he did call me a human bulldozer which wasn’t very romantic,” she piped up, adding a laugh onto her statement, hoping what she’d implied would be lost if she just kept giving more and more details. “But he’s made up for that first nickname plenty,” honey, darling, sugar, baby, princess, just to name a few. Her cheeks were still rosy as she twisted her head up to look at him and admitted, “guess I’m still crushing pretty hard,” he’d forever be her number one crush. No one else could compare.
She had to stop looking at him before she started making out with him then and there in front of everyone else or the alternative option of grabbing his hand and forcing him to drive them home then and there so that she could show him just how much of a crush she had. Brushing a hand against his cheek, Jade turned back to the group, eyes settling on the safest person in the room - Blake. “Okay, Blakey, truth or dare?”
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Supernatural
Written by Megan.
299 posts.
18 years old.
two timin' hoe.
I am Male.
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Post by Ashton Pines on Mar 30, 2023 21:02:01 GMT
It felt like forever ago, and Ashton didn’t know why he was remembering it now, but he couldn’t help but fall back on the memory of their first date. He thinks that maybe it was the way the moonlight glinted off of her love-struck eyes, the stars twinkling in the distance a far cry from the way Jade glimmered. She looked at him now as she did then, in awe and so bashful. Like she didn’t know she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen—he needed to tell her that more. Like she couldn’t understand why he’d ever give someone like her a chance—if she only knew that she was the one out of his league. That night, a picnic beneath the stars and a karaoke session at a bar just out of town, it meant everything to him. It scared the living hell out of him.
Ashton had cared for Jade so intensely so soon, he didn’t know what to do.
He knew that if he ever told Jade what he’d done, she would never understand his reasoning. How could she? How could he say that he did what he did because he liked her so damn much? It sounded insane even to him, but it was his truth. The idea of actually feeling anything for her terrified him. Erin hadn’t even been a part of his plan. They’d shared a passionate make-out session in one of Lottie’s upstairs rooms, all hands and teeth and tongue on that forsaken Halloween night, but hadn’t touched each other since. It wasn’t meant to happen. It was in the heat of the moment. She’d just slapped him for being an asshole, for pushing her buttons and past her well-established boundaries. He’d deserved it. There was no doubt about that. He didn’t know why he followed her. He didn’t know why she surged up and slotted her pretty little mouth against his. He didn’t know why nothing else came of it. They avoided each other like the plague, sharp-tongued and dagger-like glares. The further Erin pushed him away, the closer he found himself to Jade. Sweet, baby Jade. Polar opposites. Ashton would never claim that he sought out Jade to upset Erin, because he didn’t. He was a lot of things—a lot of really awful, horrible things—but he didn’t care enough about pissing off Erin to use Jade. Ashton has never used Jade. He was drawn to her. A grubby little moth enamored with the glittering light she emitted. A starving vagrant welcomed in by her plentiful, warm home. Ashton yearned for Jade because she was Jade. Not because of Erin, not the way he sought out Erin because of Jade.
He was going to give himself a headache.
Erin wasn’t even on his radar. Ashton was determined to remain aloof, to hold Jade just far enough away to cushion his heart from any potential blow. He couldn’t take another devastating heartbreak. Jade was too close to perfect, just the right shape to fill that hole in his chest. Ashton had never had an actual girlfriend before, he never cared about anyone before. Quick fucks and fleeting flings. He’d never taken someone on dates and sent them good morning, princess texts and fussed over his hair and stocked his house with things she needed. He had never given a fuck about the girl before. They didn’t matter. As long as he got them off and then himself, that’s all that they were worth to him.
But then came Jade.
He wishes he was upset he’d met her.
Ashton shouldn't have let Erin have her way, but it was self-sabotage, hoping that by introducing Erin into the mix, he wouldn’t drown in the passion and care that swelled in his chest at the mere thought of Jade Little. It was a split-second decision he would forever regret. But if Erin hadn’t… if she hadn’t lunged forward that rainy afternoon, pinning him to his seat as she devoured his mouth, he doesn’t know how things would have played out. Would he have sought out another girl? Would he have pushed distance between him and Jade? Was it the false bubble wrap around his heart that Erin offered that let him fall so deep into Jade? Having fooled himself into thinking this wasn’t love because of what he’d done, because of what he was doing?
He wishes he could blame Erin. He wishes that he had pushed her off of him and not into the backseat. He wishes he hadn’t whispered her name as he came.
Ashton wishes he was a better man.
He didn’t think he ever could be, no matter how hard he tried.
He would always be flawed by that one, impulsive choice. Erin had ripped a hole in his credibility and kept tearing. Ashton didn’t have much left.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, blinking down at those dewy, heart eyes she always shined up at him. He didn’t deserve her. She didn’t deserve what he was doing to her.
Another night, he thought. Another night he would figure out how to untangle himself from Erin and save what he’d destroyed with Jade. Just not right now.
His laugh was a short burst of sound, forced in a way he hoped she wouldn’t catch. She rarely did. Always so blind to things like that. He wondered why she overlooked some of his faults, some of his slip-ups. He knew it wasn’t because she didn’t care because God, he knew she did.
Another night.
“You know I’ll always give my girl all the kisses she wants,” he purred, letting his thoughts drift as he licked his lips and savored the teasing taste of her, “Chili breath or not.” It was so fucking silly that her mind went there. Of all things to be dared, the worst she could think of was him eating something foul scented. So innocent. His stomach churned.
He welcomed the end of the conversation, letting her lead him back into the home. He had to get a hold of himself. He couldn't afford to spiral out and slip up now. Ashton held Jade’s hand a little tighter, pressing a little closer into her space. He couldn’t lose her.
He wouldn’t.
The house was warm, bustling with tipsy teens and heavy with the cloying scent of arousal and joy mingled in a sickly sweet mixture. Ashton flared his nostrils, flushing the smell from his nose as his gaze danced over each sweaty body in the room. Most of Eli’s friends were in the same seats they’d been in when Ashton had entered the home. Gavin and Steven were on the loveseat squished together while Chrissy settled mostly on Zach’s lap on the couch with Eli beside them. Blake was in a chair beside the couch, legs spread and grin wide. Freddy and Sadie—Ashton didn’t even want to hazard a guess. They must have started the game without them with how Sadie was rolling around on the floor, Freddy clapping his hands cheerily as his friend struggled. Or so he hoped. Really, from what he knew of the girl, he didn’t think it would be out of her normal to do such a thing. The soft sound of shuffling steps had his eyes raising to just behind the couch, watching Jamie filter out the door stealthily, Murphy right behind her, waving at Blake and dropping his gaze the moment that it met Ashton’s. Later, he’d deal with it later.
He was more than happy to squeeze in beside Jade on the only open seating, his arm snug around her shoulders as they shifted into a comfortable position. Freddy didn’t give them a moment to breathe, a sigh barely fluttering on Ashton's lips as Jade was picked as the next victim.
It was on the tip of his tongue, and really it was a miracle he didn’t say it, because he knew just how athletic Jade could be. He smirked to himself, glancing around the room in time to spot Sadie staring towards the door, a forlorn look wetting her eyes. He briefly met Eli’s gaze, the boy watching him curiously, not shying away as they locked eyes. Ashton didn’t like him.
Sadie's question had Ashton breaking his staring contest, head cocked curiously as he leaned back to be able to better watch Jade as she stumbled over her words. He let a hearty laugh out at her initial answer, shaking the both of them as he beamed across at her, but settled as she continued.
Guilt was a familiar feeling in his gut, settling heavily with that one word. Falling. He looked around the room again, not quite able to keep his eyes on Jade as she continued. Eli’s face was unreadable—pensive, almost. Sadie and Freddy look enraptured, lovestruck eyes as they fawned over Jade’s gushings. The others looked intrigued, but not invested. Blake looked… he looked sad. Ashton looked away.
“What do you mean it wasn’t romantic?” He asked playfully, hand on his heart and he didn’t like the way it raced beneath his palm, “Used my best line on you and see where it got me.” He kissed her cheek, keeping it sweet and innocent in front of the onlookers. Could they tell what he’d done? Could they see the sweat on his brow?
“I’m still crushing hard too, sunflower,” he purred, mostly for her, but he knew the others were hanging on his words.
He turned to Blake as Jade picked him out of the crowd, not surprised as his friend shined a sultry smile at her and called across the room, “Oh, Jay-bird, you don’t even have to ask. Dare.” It wasn’t like Blake to tell the truth. He was always sussing out someone else’s secrets. It was rare he’d share his own.
“Gimme something good, too.”
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Hunters
Written by Jasmin.
132 posts.
18 years old.
in looooove.
I am Female.
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Post by Jade Little on Apr 29, 2023 18:58:39 GMT
My girl. From someone else’s lips the words may have made her head roar, her heart to put up some chainmail protection to save herself from the possession of it after Slots. But not with Ashton. She wanted to be his. She’d scribble her initials, with the L swapped for a P on scraps of paper, imagining how it would feel to be Jade Pines. It was silly, she knew that but sometimes during class her mind would drift, picturing some wedding, imagining her dress and how it would feel to walk down the aisle toward Ashton with all their friends around.
It made the nights where she was unable to sleep - too wound up and worried - both bearable and so much worse. She was getting ahead of herself. Yet, she couldn’t stop the fairytale life she was building in her head. Maybe she’d finally settle down somewhere, stop moving about so much and actually have a regular life. If he wanted to go back to Texas, she’d be willing to go. She didn’t have a home or one place she was desperate to return to anyway. She always been fine as long as Erin was by her side. But now she couldn’t imagine moving forward without Ashton being the person she turned to. So he could call her my… anything … wife sounded fine to her. But my girl would work for now.
She could be patient.
Maybe.
With all eyes on her thanks to Sadie’s question, Jade’s rambling was in full force, hoping to say enough to distract the room from her wording slip-up. But Ashton’s laughter beside her helped settle her nerves, her body slotting against his even more, two pieces easily aligned to one another. No one else would fit as well. She knew that for a fact already. He just had a way of easing her without realising it. But deep down she knew. Deep down her body, soul, mind, heart, all yearned to be with him, to be in his arms, cocooned by the depths of his voice and by the warmth of his body next to hers. Her own personal fire for those cold nights.
Her laughter was bubbly, bright and full of reminiscing at his teasing comment, only becoming squished and slightly softer as his lips pressed against her cheek. The gentle caress had her heart melting even more, feeling as if everyone else in the room were vanishing away. His next words had a different part of her stirring to attention, her breath hitching a little but covering it with an easy smile. Every smile around Ashton was carefree, coming in abundance and without thought. It made everything else so much easier. Where she’d held back with her feelings and actions in the past, she’d restrained far less with him, her heart so ready to jump when every time she looked at him, it glowed.
With her fingers brushing against the side of his cheek, her eyes couldn’t stop themselves from taking a quick look down at his lips. It took everything in her to not follow through and slot her lips against his. But there was a game to play and she didn’t want to disrupt Eli’s party anymore than she and her friend’s already had.
With Blake’s enthusiastic answer, Jade’s mind whirred, scanning the room quickly whilst knowing Blake would be up for just about anything. Which made her just as nervous to come up with something he would see as good. “Okay, I dare you to swap outfits with,” a split second to make up her mind, “Freddy,” she said with a grin before adding, “you two can decide exactly what you want to swap.” Freddy had felt like a safe option, he seemed up for anything and like he wouldn’t read into why she’d picked him. Eli whilst probably a better fit was not a choice she’d have wanted to voice.
Jade settled back, one hand resting on top of Ashton’s thigh and the other on her own lap, happy to finally just have him next to her and seemingly relaxed.
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Supernatural
Written by Megan.
299 posts.
18 years old.
two timin' hoe.
I am Male.
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Post by Ashton Pines on May 13, 2023 0:46:05 GMT
Ashton’s brows arched in question at Jade’s choice of dare, giving a curious look and a playful squeeze as he teased, “As if you don’t see him shirtless enough.” It had never bothered him, and it didn’t now either. If it was anyone other than Blake (or Jensen or Murphy) maybe it would. His eyes cut to Eli briefly as he watches Freddy and Blake stand, and realizes that yeah, it definitely would. He wonders if she chose Freddy for that reason, deeming him as non-threatening as he bared his chest to the group. Ashton wouldn’t question it aloud, but he was thankful for her pick. He didn’t want to think about how he would have reacted if she’d called Eli out instead.
“That’s my girl,” Blake cooed, pleased with her choice of dare, and Ashton sent him a sharp look, warning him to never say that again—and the boy only rolled his eyes back, gripping the hemming of his shirt and yanking up with practiced ease. Blake was almost permanently without a top, so it wasn’t a new sight for Jade. There was no preventing her from being brandished with his tan skin and rippling abs every time she came over. The boy would go completely without if he could get away with it. Ashton was happy he at least kept his shorts on most of the time. It was one thing to be proud of his body, but God damn, Blake just took it too far. He jostled Jade again, pulling her closer and playfully covering her eyes as Blake peeled his shirt over his head, feeling all too pleased with himself already.
“Shirt and pants?” Blake prompted Freddy, offering him his plum-colored t-shirt and accepting the black one that Freddy held back out to him, a band’s name that Blake couldn't read scrawled across the front.
“Only because we have a crowd,” Freddy flirted, winking at Blake and the older male blushed and laughed it off.
“Oh, you know it, Fred-man. I’ll get in your pants in the fun way when I can get you alone,” Blake shot back, comfortable enough with his sexuality to give as good as he got. Freddy flushed a bright pink, pulling the purple shirt over his lithe frame. He was lanky, skin pale and he ran his fingers over his smooth chest where it peeked through the v-neck, clearly not used to the exposure. As Blake begrudgingly pulled on Freddy’s shirt, he found that the lettering read Metallica and he hummed in approval. He wasn’t much of a rock music fan, leaning more towards rap or punk or whatever new pop song was playing on repeat on the radio, but he could appreciate a little Metallica now and then. The shirt was snug around his chest, clinging to his pectorals before billowing around his slim waist. Without preamble, he popped the button of his jeans and shimmied out of them, Freddy copying his movements and eyes unashamedly glued to Blake’s ass as he bent over and kicked his feet free of the denim. Murphy was out of his mind in the at moment, the crush faded as the glorious view of Blake’s supple ass taunted him from beneath his tight and unsurprisingly purple boxer briefs.
Blake was smirking at Freddy as they traded jeans, tugging them on and struggling to squeeze in. He got them up to his hips, but couldn’t button them shut, whereas Freddy was swamped in his jeans, the pair sagging on his thin waist. “Twirl for the peanut gallery,” he cheered, giving a spin and posing—Freddy mimicking him with even more flair and dramatics. “Pleased, Jay-bird?” Blake asked, taking his seat. Ashton had long since settled back into the couch, arm snug around Jade’s shoulder and no longer hiding her eyes. He wolf-whistled, wiggling his brows at the pair and letting Jade and the others finish their compliments before reminding, “Big boy, it’s your turn to pick a victim.”
With a feline grin, Blake glanced around the room, tapping his chin playfully before declaring, “Chrissy, truth or dare.”
The cheerleader blushed, quick to choose truth and Blake only took a moment before asking, “If Zach gave you a hall pass, who are you fucking?” Zach bristled slightly, a soft hey flowing from his lips, but Chrissy put her hand on his thigh to sooth him and tilted her chin up in confidence—cheeks scarlet but voice firm as she answered, “Sadie, duh.” A chorus of hoops and hollers and whistles ring out and Sadie crawls over to the blonde to leave a smacking kiss on her cheek. As everyone laughs, Chrissy picks out Gavin, who chooses truth as well. He admits that he used to have a thing for the daughter lion in The Lion King 2 when Chrissy asks who his most shameful crush was.
The question traveled through the crowd.
Gavin dares Zach to kiss Freddy’s boot.
Zach gets the truth out of Steven that Jonathan has the bigger dick of the couple.
Steven turned to Eli, a flush high on his cheeks after his confession, asking him truth or dare and Elliot glanced around the room once before picking dare.
“I dare you to,” he paused, pushing his long hair out of his face and tucking it safely behind his ear. His eyes flick to where Jade was leaning her head on Ashton’s shoulder, the male scrolling through his phone and turning it towards Jade every now and then, a giggle shaking her body proving he must have shown her something silly. The pair were so enraptured with one another and Steven couldn’t help but recall the conversation from lunch. He had a bad idea. Eli frowned as he followed his gaze and immediately turned to give his friend a hard look, but it was too late. “Tell us three things you learned about our new friend, Jade, today.” Eli kept his face neutral, eyes hard on Steven who snickered, finding the situation funny—Elliot didn’t. He didn’t know Jade very well, but after their conversation in his room, he was worried about doing anything that might piss Ashton off and upset her more. With a deep inhale, he shifted in his seat, positioned towards the couple as he collected what he learned and tried to figure out what was the best details to share—the safest ones. Ashton had put down his phone, attention on Elliot and daring him to say anything out of line. Eli met the challenge, only looking away to find Jade’s head tilted in a cute manner, wondering what he’d say.
“She’s very kind,” he started, and Steven groaned, clearly not entertained with the obvious answer, “And she is apparently awful at archery.” He shared a private look with her, lips lifted in a cheeky smirk and from the corner of his eye he could see Ashton frown and shift in his seat. Such a territorial man. The more Eli watched them together, the worse his gut tightened and clenched. Something was off, he knew it. This wasn’t just his desire to be a hero. It couldn’t be.
He hesitated on the last one, wanting to tease her about the high five, but he couldn't get the words out. For some reason, he wanted to keep that to himself—a secret between them, something their own. He really shouldn’t be thinking that way, but as Ashton leveled a spiteful glare on him, Elliot couldn’t help but let the thought fester.
“And she has a scar on her right knee,” he said finally, dragging his finger up his own leg where he remembered seeing the scar earlier in the day—that damn skirt so teasingly short, “From when she was sixteen and tripped over a hurdle.” He watched as Ashton’s back straightened, leaning slightly away from Jade and Eli knew he’d played with fire and Jade was now likely going to get burned. “We played two truths and a lie earlier,” he tried to explain, calmly backtracking so Ashton wouldn’t assume the worst, “Made this dare a little easier.” He laughed, leaning back in his seat but not able to take his eyes off of Ashton and Jade.
Ashton curled his right hand into a fist, tucking it between his leg and the couch—wanting to hide it from Jade, not wanting to upset her again with him getting pissy over Eli. His eyes shuttered shut, and he could hear Blake whisper so quietly to stay calm. He didn’t wolf out often, but he wasn’t always the best at keeping his claws sheathed and eyes green. He counted to three, breathing deeply before blinking over at Blake whose shoulders went lax and he shared a shaky smile with his alpha. Ashton gave him a short nod before looking between Elliot and Jade and letting out the air that had been growing stale in his chest.
“My girl sure does like to talk so I ain’t surprised you’ve learned so much, so quick,” Ashton finally drawled, leaning back and pushing himself tighter against Jade. He just needed a second, he wouldn’t blow up again—wouldn’t hurt her again like he had with the scene he’d caused earlier. Elliot arched a curious brow at him, and Blake’s lips pulled up at the corners as he watched his alpha in shock. Neither of the boys had been ready for a level-headed Ashton and Ashton was happy to surprise them. “Keep listening to her,” he said, and only Eli could sense the challenge in the words, “She has a lot of good things to say. Important things. It’s not all rambling. She’ll surprise you.”
Sparkling emeralds clashed with glittering diamonds then, his fingers tiptoeing from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping it in his palm as he vowed to Munson while his attention was on Jade, “Promise you, it’ll always be worth your time.” Ashton couldn’t help himself then, closing the distance and giving her a chaste, sweet kiss, keeping it innocent as the teenagers around them oo'd and aw'd.
“And with that,” Ashton turned his face away from his blushing girlfriend’s and looked at his peers, “I think it’s about time Jadey and I call it a night.” There were boos and pleadings for just a little longer and a bold outburst from Eli.
“You haven’t had your turn yet, Ashton.”
The alpha turned to him, having already stood himself up and was holding his hand out to Jade. He arched a brow, clearly daring him to test him and dare Eli did.
“Truth or dare.”
Ashton huffed, rolling his eyes and looking back at Jade in dismissal of what Eli said, but she was looking at him with amusement, a curious hopefulness in her eyes that he would play along. He sighed, helping her off the couch and wrapping his arm around her waist as he relented. “Dare,” his voice was bored, ready to get this over with.
“I dare you to tell us your biggest regret,” Eli was quick to answer, and it earned a few curious looks. Ashton stiffed, brain stalled, and fist clenched once more.
“I said dare, that’s a fucking truth,” Ashton shot back, and Eli shrugged.
“I’m daring you to tell the truth,” and he really didn’t know why he was pressing this so hard, but that snake in his stomach was coiling tighter, telling him he needed to save Jade, to figure Ashton out. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd already singed his knuckles in the inferno that was Ashton, and he hadn't gotten the reaction he wanted. So he tried again, knowing it put Jade at risk, but he thought he was helping her in the long run.
Disbelief was clear on Ashton’s face, eyes meeting each of the others’ before falling to Jade. The longer he stalled, the worst he looked. It was just a question; Eli couldn’t know the truth of Ashton’s guilt. He was just being an asshole, trying to make him look bad.
Ashton knew what his biggest regret was. There was no contest.
Letting Erin close the distance between them. Letting her pull him into that backseat. Letting her back in again and again.
Seeking her out today.
Meeting her first.
Erin.
His biggest regret was Erin.
But he didn’t say that.
“I regret asking my parents to watch my last match,” Ashton started, and he felt Jade go stiff next to him and Blake stood from his seat in his too tight clothes. Their eyes begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t let Eli off the hook, making him uncomfortable as the room around them grew tense. “If I hadn’t, they wouldn’t have died on the way there,” he whispered, throat growing tight and eyes watery, “Or maybe it’s not a regret because it brought me here and I met Jade and get to live with my best friends but fuck if that isn’t a tough call. Having my parents alive or having all of this? Lemme think about it, Munson. I’ll get back to you with my final answer, yeah?”
And no, he wasn’t going to cry here.
“I’ll be in the car, Jay,” he said as he let her go, not able to meet her eye. He didn’t want to abandon her, but he couldn’t be in this room anymore. A few others had risen from their seats, reaching for him as he walked past but he dodged their touch. Blake went to follow but he shook his head, pointing back towards Jade and instructing, “Make sure she says goodbye, don’t let her rush off after me,” he hesitated, ivy orbs pleading with Blake’s auburn eyes, “Please.” Blake’s head ticked to the side at the word, but he was otherwise still, nodding along as Ashton finished, “She likes ‘em all and I want her to have a chance at being friends after this.”
And Blake was speechless, only nodding more firmly as Ashton clapped his shoulder and left. Something had changed so dramatically in his friend in such a short time, in mere hours. It was a selfless act that Blake had grown unfamiliar with from Ashton. Ever since he’d come back, he’d been so different, but now—with Jade—he was starting to see parts of the alpha he thought had been lost when his parents had died.
Ashton slammed his fist into his steering wheel once he’d slid into his seat, cursing himself for getting worked up but it made his case. Eli would back off and any suspicion of Erin was pushed further away. He waited for Jade, arms propped on the steering wheel and head hung between them. Fuck. In the silence of the car, all he could think was fuck.
Inside, Blake turned towards the group, catching Sadie chastising Eli. “That was so un-fucking-cool, Eli. What the hell!”
“I didn’t know that would be his answer!” Elliot shot back, defensive as his friends chimed in and ganged up against him for being so rude and cruel to the outsider. He softened quickly, catching sight of Blake moving to Jade, pulling her into his side in a half hug, trying to sooth her in the way he knew best and keeping her inside like Ashton had asked of him. “Jade, I’m sorry. I was just messing around,” Eli promised, stepping closer, eyes worried—fearful. He really hopes he hadn’t fucked up this friendship before it had the chance to blossom.
Blake held her tighter, interrupting before she could speak, “Messing around or not, man, you knew about what happened. What did you think he was going to say?”
Eli floundered for a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head, hair shuddering and falling across his face. Blake had told him in confidence more details than he’d shared with anyone else about the accident. Elliot knew Ashton blamed himself for it. He… he didn’t know what he wanted to hear from Ashton, didn’t know why he pushed so fucking hard for him to be guilty of something regarding Jade. “I don’t know, Blake. I’m sorry. I took it too far,” he admitted, accepting he fucked up.
Blake’s eyes were hard, his carefree smile gone, and it was such an unsettling sight. Eli dipped his head in shame, the group’s chattering growing soft as they waited for Jade to speak up in Ashton’s absence.
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Hunters
Written by Jasmin.
132 posts.
18 years old.
in looooove.
I am Female.
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Post by Jade Little on Oct 1, 2023 19:49:52 GMT
Jade was all giggles and rosy cheeks, beside Ashton, playing along when he covered her eyes with his hand when they both knew this wasn’t a new sight for her. Jade pried open a gap in Ashton’s fingers to peer out of as Freddy and Blake consulted on swapping their bottom halves as well. A laugh of mild disbelief escaped her, closing the gap between Ashton’s middle and ring finger again, she was quite content on not seeing both boys in their boxers.
At the sound of jeans being tugged back on, Jade squirmed her way free, grabbing Ashton’s hand and pressing the back of it against her lips in a kiss that promised a thousand more. A brush of her lips that spoke to the world that she would never not think of him and the daily daydreams she had of the two of them. There, in her dreams they were in the kitchen stumbling back inside after a date night and Ashton was twirling her around, the room only lit by the pale light of the moon. They were sat on chairs outside, Jade’s legs over his as she read some paper and he hummed a song to her whilst the leaves turned from green to gold. They were stood side by side, arms around one another as fireworks lit up the darkened sky, welcoming in yet another new year together. All these simple, intimate moments that in the safety of her daydreams, when her anxieties finally settled, she allowed herself to dwell on.
Giving a whoop of support as the two boys showed off their new, ill-fitting outfits, Jade beamed back up at Blake, “oh, most definitely.” She confirmed, passing a grin over to Freddy as well. Her hand squeezed the top of Ashton’s thigh lightly as she watched Blake scan the room before settling on Chrissy. Maybe her fingers tightened a little at Blake’s question for Chrissy, a sudden pang of unease inside of her at how she’d react if Chrissy were to pick Ashton. Not that she seemed like the kind of girl to turn around and do that but by God, Jade’s inner spiral and worries would just not let up today. Her hand relaxed, trying to play it off as if she were just giving Ash’s leg a stroke while she gave a happy cheer along with everyone else at Chrissy’s answer. Of course, Sadie was the safest option to pick in the room.
She stayed relatively quiet as the game continued, comfortable enough to just sit back and watch. Ashton’s presence was all she needed now, no matter what happened. Her attention perked up again when Elliot’s turn began, curious as to what he’d pick and guessing it would be dare just as he confirmed as much. But, it wasn’t enough to fully distract her from where her attention had drifted, thoughts turning somewhat lewd despite all that Ashton was doing was showing her little videos on his phone which he’d stored up, thinking she’d find them funny. He was right, of course. Although she’d probably have laughed if he’d showed her a video of paint drying on a wall. His soft smiles at her giggles made her want to laugh forever for the effect they could wield on him.
She pried her head away for a moment, tilting it to the side and looking over at Eli, unsure what he’d say and only hoping that it wouldn’t embarrass her too much after the whole high five situation. Thankfully, his first answer put her mind at ease, his second drawing a smile back onto her lips, shaking her head lightly. In reality, those were probably two of the last traits a hunter should want but hey, she didn’t exactly want to do any actual hunting, so it was fine, really. She hoped. It wasn’t like word about this would get back to her parents and remind them just how badly a job they’d done at raising Jade in the family trade. She would never say it but she was glad for their incompetence and lack of determination. As horrendous as that could sound.
Her eyes honed in on his finger tracing a line up his leg, not having realised quite how good of a view he’d gotten of it. It was like the damn thing was sketched into Eli’s brain. She felt it then, the shift of air around her as Ashton pulled back and her eyes inadvertently dropped, unsure how to proceed. Eli’s explanation was good, this was all completely innocent, Jade knew that, Eli knew that… Jade looked back up, pushing one of those classic ‘all is good in the world and I’m oh so happy’ smiles onto her face. The mask was so second nature, it had the added benefit of being like a placebo effect. Every time she put it on, her brain started to convince itself that it was fine. And maybe, just maybe, it was magical as Ashton settled back in to her side.
Looking over, Jade’s focus shifted entirely to the green of Ashton’s eyes and the lines of his jaw. His hand on her cheek and that fake sincerity in her smile dropped, something genuine taking its place at his compliment. She melted into their brief kiss, waves of relief that nothing happened pouring out of her heart as everyone around them cooed at their display. Cheeks once again rosy, Jade was about to stand up despite the boos when Eli’s voice cut through the room. Her hand fell from where she’d been reaching up to Ashton, settling it into her lap and looking up at Ashton with a quirk of her lips and a teasing shrug when he glanced back at her. After a second she took his hand back, standing up and wrapping an arm around her front, fingers holding onto Ashton’s. Her grip increased, casting a look over to Blake at Eli’s so-called dare. A moment passed as Eli and Ashton squabbled over the nuance of Eli’s dare and Jade’s look turned questioning as she focused back on her boyfriend’s face.
God. Curiosity killed the cat. And the fucking mood.
Jade’s whole body stilled, daring herself not to breathe. They hardly ever spoke about his parents. She was too scared to ask many details about what they were like. If the cards were reversed, if she lost her parents or Erin, she’d be inconsolable anytime they were mentioned. If he wanted to bring them up, she was more than happy to be a listening ear but even if she spent 90% of her time thinking about him, there were still boundaries between them which she wasn’t brave enough to cross. Her eyes pleaded with him to not pour his heart out in front of these people. But, he had a point to prove. She knew there was no way of stopping him.
The whisper of his words, the tightness of his breath, the tears poking out of the corners of his eyes. Fuck, Jade’s own eyes started to feel a little wet. No, she couldn’t allow herself to be the upset one here. She just wanted to fix it. Even if his next words were an attempt to find a silver-lining, one that included her, she couldn’t find it within herself to put that cheery mask back on. Probably the right call with the way that silver-lining ended up just looking like a steaming pile of shit. She’d try not to take it personally, even if her own insecurities were so ridiculously vulnerable that she’d probably still think about it far too much.
Her fingers went slack, arm falling to her side as she watched Ashton’s retreating form, sadness etched across every line of her face. She went to move, to just follow Ashton out but Sadie was there, checking on her. Shit, smiles Jadey, she reminded herself, pushing a mildly unenthusiastic grimace to her lips as she reassured Sadie that she was fine and promised her that they would have a thorough gossip at school next week. With Sadie placated, Jade turned her goodbyes to Chrissy, Zach and the others, promising them that she and Ashton were okay and that she’d check on him and of course that she’d talk to them all again soon. Her words felt hollow but they didn’t know her well enough to know how lifeless she sounded. Or felt. Or, hell, looked by the way Blake pulled her to him. She was fairly certain that if there was a way to bottle Blake’s hugs, most people’s sadness would be gone within an instant, the man was so relentlessly consoling as he held her. Her worries faded away just a little.
She didn’t know what to say. How the fuck do you speak up on your boyfriend’s dead parents behalf? “Well, my biggest regret was the time I made a mustard and ketchup sandwich,” Jade said, because of course she did, “that did not end well for me.” She hadn’t been able to touch condiments for years after the saga. Turns out her stomach had not been strong enough to withstand an inch of the sauces nestled between two pieces of bread. How was six year old her meant to know any better? “Anyway,” she continued, shaking her head and hoping she’d somehow broken the tension in the room, “thanks for the party invite. I’ll see you all at school.” Her eyes found Eli’s, knowing she didn’t quite have the words to say to him to yet but not being able to leave without acknowledging him somehow, “say goodbye to the dogs for me?” She asked, the pair of furry friends having disappeared a while earlier. “Blake, will you walk me out?” She said, turning away from everyone else and already taking the few short steps towards the door. There was nothing else for her to do now.
Stepping out the front door, Jade made out Ashton’s car parked on the other side of the road and what seemed to be his hunched form. Her heart clenched but at least he was still here, she’d had half a worry that he would have just driven off, desperate to distance himself between what he’d said inside and his own feelings. Spinning on her heel to look at Blake, Jade wrapped her arms around him, beyond grateful for his presence today. Pulling back, she said “thanks for being there today, Blake. I’ll make sure he’s okay.” Not that she had any idea how she was going to do that. “Eli seemed really nice… until then, I guess.” She added, unsure what else to say and for once, figured it was probably best to just leave it. “All right, I’ll see you back at the cabin, bye Blakey.”
With that and a wave, Jade hurried across the road, tapping on the window to catch Ashton’s attention before pulling open the passenger side door. Sliding into her seat, Jade reached out a hand, rubbing her fingers gently over his right cheek. “Drive me home?” She asked quietly, knowing it was best to not delve into what went on in the party right now. They could do that in the tentative privacy of his bedroom. He copied her movement from earlier, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand before placing it down on his leg and driving off. Like before, she stayed quiet this time, watching the streetlights as they drove through the streets of Beacon Hills.
The radio was on, classic rock songs whirring away quietly in the background. Head pressed against the cool glass of the window, Jade let her eyes trickle over to Ashton, trying to get a read for how he was feeling. He’s just being a little bitch right now because of other shit and taking it out on you. Blake’s words from earlier came back to her, was he talking about this? Was Ashton still struggling badly with the loss of his parents but wouldn’t tell her? Was that it? Or was there some big other unknown? He’d said he was in a mood and needed to sleep it off. This didn’t feel like something he could just sleep off. But there she was again, internally spiralling and doubting because she’d been hurt before. Push it down. Everything’s fine. He didn’t drive off.
“Ash,” she started keeping her voice gentle, “you know you can talk to me, right?” There was an unmistakable sadness in her voice, her words sounding as if they were half a breath away from coming out shaky and wobbly from tears. “There’s nothing you can say which will scare me away,” she added as they pulled into the drive of the cabin, “you know you’re stuck with me now.” Her realisations about her feelings had made that all too clear. She couldn’t just walk away from him. Not now, not ever.
She could have said it then as the car stopped and the radio turned off. She could have uttered the three most important syllables of her life.
But she didn’t.
She sat and waited to see if he’d say anything. If he’d let her in.
But maybe she was too scared that he’d brush her off or that he’d say the same back and everything would come tumbling out in some hideous word vomit which she couldn’t stop.
So, “but, hey, we should probably just go to bed.” She said, unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car before he could speak. She was scared, nervous, worried, so unsure of herself and her ability to keep some perfect mask on that she’d rather just stay silent. Not because she didn’t want to help him but rather because she knew she couldn’t bring up Slots. She wasn’t ready and she was highly suspicious it would only bother Ashton in all the wrong ways.
Did it seem like she was shutting him out? Should she wait and take his hand as they walked up to the front door? Yeah, that sounded smart. Beckoning him over with playful wiggles of her fingers, Ashton’s hand slid into hers with an ease she was grateful for. As Ash unlocked the door, Jade turned her attention to the sparkling night sky, mind drifting to all of the lives the stars got to witness time and time again. What did they think of her? Wow, now she was getting ridiculous. The stars do not care about you, Jade.
Through the front door, any sign of Murphy had vanished for the evening and after his little beer pong outburst, Jade was a little relieved she didn’t have to talk to him right then. Ashton mentioned grabbing them water and to head upstairs whilst he busied himself in the kitchen. Jade took the hint, he still needed some time on his own to process. In his room, Jade took no time in unceremoniously peeling off her jeans and collapsing onto the mattress as she waited for Ashton to come up. She had no idea if he were simply about to give her a kiss goodnight and turn the light off or he’d actually speak up.
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Supernatural
Written by Megan.
299 posts.
18 years old.
two timin' hoe.
I am Male.
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Post by Ashton Pines on Dec 27, 2023 23:09:23 GMT
In the silence of the car, Ashton’s thoughts were deafening—a cacophony of voices echoing in his ears, words lost in the rush of speakers and Ashton could only push his arms closer to his ears where his head hung between them. He could pick out his mother’s voice, his father’s laughter, and his uncle’s soft apologies. Not Benny, but Cole, the uncle he’d left in charge of the pack while he… what was he even doing here? He didn’t want to think about those weeks after his parents’ deaths, couldn’t stomach the memories of how he’d been. Weak. Pathetic. Small.
He didn’t talk about it.
Not to Blake, not to Murphy—not even Jensen could find the key to unlock Ashton’s deadbolted heart. Those days were his and his alone and he had done so good keeping them at bay, distracting himself with Jade and Erin and the boys, but now—now he was left staring at that gaping door. He could see his father’s fingers curl around the edge, pushing the door further open to let his mother pass by him first, stepping from the shadows into the haunted scene in Ashton’s mind. He couldn’t open his eyes, couldn’t look away from these figments as his fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel. They didn’t look like how he’d known them. There was no kindness in their eyes, no soft tilt to his mother’s lips and no fiery glow of mischief in his father’s gaze. They were mangled, pale recreations of the bodies that had laid under the blood-stained sheets the mortician had pulled back. Ashton had been shaking, trembling, a complete fucking wreck that evening—still wearing his golden boxer get-up, his last name printed across the waist band of his shorts and branded across the back of his jacket, his chest bare beneath it. He’d only just finished his fight, turning towards the crowd with a victorious smile when he found his parents’ seats to be empty. Uncle Cole had met him in the locker room with the news and Ashton barely had the wherewithal to grab his bag, let alone change.
Looking at them, he couldn’t identify the bodies.
Uncle Cole had been at his right, speaking with the doctor on his left and he could only hear a muffled version of the conversation he was stood between, his eyes unblinking as he stared at his parents’ bodies. It was a car accident. A drunk driver ran them off the road, fleeing the scene—abandoning his parents’ where they lay in a burning vehicle after they’d crashed into one of the pine trees that skirted the edges of the highway. The irony of it made him want to cry. His father’s head was hanging on by threads, carefully sewn back to his body with black thread in an attempt to scar Ashton less upon identification. It was futile. His father’s face was gone. The windshield had caved on him upon impact, severing his head and killing him instantly. It had been thrown from the car, his head, hitting the tree and disfiguring his face past recognition. His mother… Ashton could only see her in his peripheral vision, he couldn’t look at her. Her skin was a garnet color, bubbled and raw—darkened by dried blood and soot. She’d survived the impact, the doctor was saying over Ashton’s shoulders, turned towards his uncle with a sorrowed look marring his features. She’d watched her husband’s lifeless shoulders slump, blood gushing from his neck as she wept and screamed. The impact had caused the front of the car to crumple, shoving the dashboard onto her lap and pinning her to her seat. Ashton briefly wondered why she didn’t use her strength to push it off of her, he wondered if she even could had she not been drowning in the scent of her husband’s blood, crying out at the loss of her mate, not a care towards her own well being or towards surviving for the sake of her son. He doubts she would have had time to crawl out of the wreck anyhow as the doctor explained the fire happened shortly after the collision, the flames melting her skin and suffocating her before she had time to heal. His mother was an angel, a saint—the kindest damn person he’d ever known, and she died like that.
Ashton was floored. Face deathly pale and eyes unseeing as the doctor placed his palm on his shoulder and asked if he could confirm their bodies. No. He blinked down at their lifeless forms, bloodied and burnt and ruined. No, he couldn’t by looking at them, but by scent? There was no mistaking who they were. But he couldn’t say that to a human.
Instead he swallowed down his tears, his voice fragile and shaky as he pointed at his mother’s left hand and identified her wedding ring. Matching that to the make of the car and melted remains of the license plate, the doctor dismissed them from the room with condolences.
The time between their death and moving to California had been nothing short of Hell. Ashton was the heir, his eyes ruptured rubies as he struggled with the surge of power and storm of emotions. He couldn’t stomach being in his family home, sleeping on his uncle’s couch and being tended to by his aunt and young cousin, Reagan, while his uncle and cousin Dustin did what they could to control the pack in his absence. He howled in agony, cried in pain—a relentless, haunting presence on the Sanctuary as he struggled with the loss. He was a miserable being, impossible to be around as his mood swung from sorrowful fits to lashes of rage.
He was growing to be a monster, turning into something Cole feared, so he called his brother Benny and begged for him to take the boy in. Cole hoped that a change of scenery would help Ashton heal because being on the pack lands was ruining him. He hoped that being around Jensen and the friends he’d made in Beacon Hills would patch up his broken heart in ways that Cole's children and his friends here couldn’t. They were too familiar, too close to who he’d lost. Ashton needed a change and Cole was surprised when his nephew agreed to it.
The deal was that he would spend his last year of high school in Beacon Hills, and if he was ready after graduation, he would come back to Texas to lead the pack as Alpha. Cole would cover for him until then, familiar with all that his brother Alan had to do as Alpha and was respected as a stand-in. Ashton never feared that his uncle would steal his role, instead embracing him and thanking him for the opportunity to get away for a while. Ashton tried not to look at it as though he was running away.
Boarding the plane was the first time Cole had seen his nephew relax since their death.
The ghosts of Ashton’s parents disappeared in a wisp of smoke as the quiet wrapping of knuckles against the passenger window startled him from the daze he’d lost himself in, sitting upright to watch Jade settle into her seat and wiping the tears from his cheeks as she looked away to grab her seatbelt.
Home. Ashton swallowed hard at the word, his heart hammering in his chest because he knew she meant to the cabin with him and not her house down the street. He was home to her.
It was gut wrenching to know.
All he could do was press a kiss to the back of her hand, eyes squeezed shut before cutting to the windshield as he placed her hand on his thigh. He couldn’t look at her, not yet. His eyes were misty, bloodshot, and dark and he just couldn’t risk looking her way and breaking down into tears. Ashton was supposed to be strong. He was supposed to be the one everyone looked to.
He wouldn’t turn into that pathetic waste he’d been back then.
Ashton took more care driving than normal on the way back to the cabin. Eyes sharp and keen, honed in on his surroundings. It was late on a Friday night, anything could happen and he was so fucking scared of Jade getting hurt on his account. And yet, they were listening to the station Erin had left it on, having flipped it from the country station he always had full volume as he crooned along with Garth Brooks and Luke Combs. Scared of her getting hurt physically, he amended.
The sound of her voice, soft and cautious (like he was a cornered dog and she was scared he’d bite if she made one wrong move), broke him from his vigilance, eyes finally swinging her way as he came to a stop in the driveway. Blake’s car was the only vehicle missing—Jensen’s truck and Murphy’s SUV off to the left, his uncle’s trunk stored in the detached garage off to the right. The Jeep hummed beneath them, louder than the radio and emphasizing Ashton’s silence.
She didn’t know what she was saying, and Ashton couldn’t stop the wobble in his lips as he nodded at her. He wished he had recorded her saying that, wished he could play it back for her on the day she inevitably finds out about his affair. She promised he was stuck with her, that nothing would scare her away—but as selfish as Ashton was, he knew he’d never hold her to that. How could he?
Ashton was many things, but he didn’t want to be a guy like that. He knew deep down that he’d let her go even if it killed him because that’s what he deserved.
Before he could clear his thoughts enough to respond, Jade’s hand was on the door handle and she was excusing herself—surely her insecurities getting the best of her. He could smell it on her, a wave of worry and nerves cut off by the door easing shut. Ashton really needed to do a better job of reminding her what she meant to him, he needed to confirm her place in his life. That started with cutting off Erin, but he… he didn’t know how to. He feared how she would retaliate. He just… he needed a little more time.
Ashton was at a separate crossroads now, a new hurdle to either leap or bypass all together.
Did he talk to her about his parents or did he take the out she’d given him?
He turned off the car, staring down at the keys in his hand for a moment before looking up to find Jade holding her hand out to him and his decision was made. How could he not? How could he hold something so important about himself back from her? He knew it would help him in more ways than one. It would alleviate the ache in his chest because he still couldn’t face their death. He hadn’t talked to Jensen or the boys. He had been so busy with distracting himself that tonight, because of fucking Munson’s pressuring, he finally tripped into those memories. It would help gain her trust back too. He’d fucked up big time today, but maybe… maybe letting her in on this part of him—a part no one else had—she’d keep those rose-colored glasses on a little bit longer. Just long enough for him to figure out how to handle Erin.
He clicked the lock button on his keys as he stepped towards Jade, the Jeep beeping as he slid his hand into hers and let her lead him inside—as if it were her home and not his. As if it was theirs.
The house was still as they entered. He could hear the soft snores of his uncle and the chittering of whatever game Murphy was playing on his switch down the hall. Upstairs was quiet, only the soft heartbeat of his sleeping cousin shattering the silence. Ashton let out a long breath then, his shoulders dropping as the stress visibly flushed from him. It was good to be home… to be here with her. “I’m going to get us some water, why don’t you get ready for bed,” he offered, voice hoarser than he’d like, throat still tight with emotion. He was thankful she didn’t question him, relief rolling off of her at the opportunity to collect herself as well.
The fridge light was blinding, the water bottles cold in his palms as he grabbed one for each of them. He stood there for a moment, a wetness building at the corners of his eyes as he allowed himself to just feel for a moment. The loss of his parents and the hatred of who he’d become festered in his chest, a sinking, swelling feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He knew he had to have this talk with her, but fuck, that didn’t make it easier. The upbeat tones of Murphy’s game paused in his room and Ashton went still, eyes cutting towards where he knew his beta was hidden behind the cabin’s walls. The call of his name was soft, a questioning lift at the end and he sighed—easing the fridge shut with a bump of his hip. Ashton stopped by Murphy’s room before heading upstairs, palming both bottles in one hand and opening his door with the other. Murphy sat there already looking up at him, face illuminated by the blues and greens of the new Sonic game he’d gotten for his Nintendo switch, a gift Ashton had bought him on a whim a week or so ago. He didn’t say anything, instead awaiting for Ashton to speak like the good beta he was.
The corner of his lips lifted then, wondering how he let himself suffer in silence for so long when he had so many people in his corner, ready to catch him when he fell. Murphy’s own quiver of a smirk only cemented Ashton’s determination to address his parents’ death with Jade tonight. “Party was a bummer,” Ashton sighed, deciding to leave it to Blake to catch him up better when he got home, “You mind putting some headphones in? Got some stuff I gotta talk to Jay about.” Murphy raised a brow before catching the glittering of tears at his lashline in the moonlight that creeped through his curtains. He knew then that this wasn’t a talk about Erin, but about something else. He nodded, reaching for his earbuds immediately and popping them in. “Good boy,” Ashton purred, smirking at the indecipherable look Murphy shot him before the soft hum of rock music began to play, making his beta deaf to anything else. With a nod, he eased the door shut and headed upstairs, his room was quiet, the glow of the moon brighter upstairs through the glass doors that led to his balcony—the curtains pulled back to show the trees shuddering with the autumn winds.
He moved quietly, knowing Jade wasn’t sleeping, but buying his time as he pieced together what he wanted to say. The water bottles were placed at his bedside, freeing his hands to strip himself of his layers, and God, the cool air did wonders to sooth his frayed nerves. He left himself in his boxers, a fitted pair of black briefs that did very little to hide what he was packing. Ashton paused then, deciding to pull on a pair of loose gray sweats because he couldn’t imagine having this talk in his underwear. He ran his gaze over the darkness of the room, able to see what hid in the shadows with his heightened sense—making sure there was no trace of her sister before he crawled into bed behind Jade.
There was something so sweet, so flowery about Jade’s natural scent. It was calming, his heartbeat settling where his chest was pressed to her back. His fingers tiptoed over her waist, crawling under her shirt so his palm could settle on the warmth of her soft stomach while his other arm shuffled under her head. He pulled her in close, kissing a gentle trail of kisses up the length of her neck, nose nuzzling her ear as he stalled. He knew she was awake, her breath bated as she waited to see what he was going to do—always taking his lead and he liked that, but sometimes he wanted her to take control. That’s part of what drew him to Erin and he knows her twin would have pushed him for answers in the car instead of running off and leaving him with the choice.
It wasn’t a choice he wanted to make.
But he did.
He’s choosing to tell her. He’s choosing her and just maybe, she’ll find security in herself and their relationship and get her footing enough to talk to Ashton as an equal and not like he’s a fallen angel.
“I wanna tell you,” he whispers and she deflates into him, her scent shifting just enough for him to realize she was prepared to have sex with him if she thought it would make him feel better, even after all that had happened today. He felt sick, but carried on, knowing that was a whole other conversation they would need to have. “I just, I don’t know where to begin, Jay. It’s—It’s so fucking hard to get out. I haven’t even talked to Jenny, I just, I can’t, but I want to tell you. It’s real important to me that I do.” Ashton hadn't divulged this into Erin either. Jade would be the first and it meant everything that he got it out now with her and not with Erin in the heat of another mistake. He pushed himself up then, perched on his elbow and looking for her eyes in the moonlight, realizing he needed to be face to face with her for this.
Ashton sat himself up completely, reaching for the lamp on his nightstand and turning it on. He watched her wince at the sudden light, copying his posture and sitting herself up to face him. Ashton handed her one of the water bottles to hold, knowing that having something to fiddle with during serious conversations made it easier for her. “Jade, you—you’re the one for me and I want you to have all of me,” and that was it, that was as close to saying I love you as he could get while still entangled with Erin, “And this is one of the biggest parts. I just—can you ask questions? I… I ain’t like you. I can’t just talk and talk. I need you to ask so I can get it out.”
He reached out for her then, cupping her face in his big palm and searching the blue of her eyes, the ivy green of his own shimmering with unshed tears. The muscles in his arms shifted as he smoothed his thumb over her check, his bare chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. “‘Whatever you want to know, just ask me,” and it almost sounded like begging, just this once needing her to take control from him so he could truly give in to the weakness the loss bred in him, “Please, sunflower.” His head dipped ever so, and it could be equated to a dog baring it's neck to a superior, holding her gaze, but giving himself completely to her in this moment.
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