#gavin mlqc

[arabella-77]

Gavin Live 2D Modern Rapshody

Live 2D edit by :

Sub translated by me.

#mlqc gavin #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #gavin mlqc #mlqc #mlqc cn #mlqc bai qi

[lithopsy]

I made a spreadsheet with links to every single MLQC date/mind quest (including CN content that hasn’t been released globally yet)! there are still some that i wasn’t able to find, but almost everything is there! if you find something I’m missing or notice an error, please let me know <3

#mlqc #mr love queens choice #love and producer #lovepro #gavin mlqc #lucien mlqc #kiro mlqc #victor mlqc #li ziyan #xu mo #bai qi #kilou zhou #mr love #mlqc dates #lithopsy #pdbutterfly

[spacesquidlings]

One-Of-A-Kind

Enamoured by the sight of his bite marks on his wife's neck, Gavin has an idea for something unique to show that she belongs to him, something entirely one of a kind

Pairing: Gavin Bai x MC (Rowan) Tags: 18+ readers only, light sub/dom dynamics, unbearably horny Gavin, light bdsm, collaring, f!receiving blow jobs, possessive Gav, soft dom Gav, vaginal sex, fluff at the end I swear I SWEAR taglist: @aluneposting

The touch of Gavin’s fingers had been soft as he’d brushed their calloused pads across Rowan’s collarbones, a little line forming between his brow as his eyes had fallen to the hickies that dotted her neck.

He hummed, deep in thought as he trailed his finger over a line of them, pausing as his thumb brushed over the deep in the middle of her collarbone.

“Rowan,” he said, his voice measured and slow, soft as spun sugar.

She hummed, already half asleep, the warmth of the bed sheets tucked around her flushed skin making her drowsy. Steam from their bath wafted from the open bathroom door, filling the bedroom with the smell of lavender and rose and eucalyptus and all the sweet smelling things Gavin always let her use in their baths together.

He chuckled, brushing a strand of hair back from her cheek. “Pumpkin, are you asleep already?”

She nodded, rolling onto her side so she could bury her face against his chest, his skin still warm from the bath. “You smell really nice, babey.”

He snorted, the hand at her neck sliding up to cup her cheek. “Thank you, although you’re the one who picked out the soaps.”

“Mmm, I have really good taste.”

“The best taste.”

She sighed. “I love you, babey.”

He chuckled. “I have to ask you something important, sweetheart. Do you think you can stay awake for a few more minutes?”

She cracked one eye open, peeking up at him. “I can do my best, babey.”

He traced her collarbone, his brow furrowing. “And know that you can say no if you want to.”

She opened both eyes now, pushing past her fatigue to give him her full attention.

His cheeks were flushed a soft pink, his ears already crimson. “Well I wanted to try something, if you’re comfortable with it.”

***

Months passed after that initial conversation, and it had faded almost entirely from Rowan’s mind, despite how much time Gavin had been spending in the garage since then.

Their garage was big enough for Gavin to set up a dedicated space for some of his craftier hobbies, and he usually kept most of his tools for jewellery making out there.

And yet, despite how many trips he’d made to the craft store, and how much time he’d been spending hunched over his worktable, Rowan had almost completely forgotten why exactly he’d been working so diligently over the last two months.

It was still morning, soft golden light bleeding through the drawn curtains, casting rosy light across the bed as Rowan cracked open her sleep-heavy eyes.

Gavin was already wide awake, propped up on his elbow, a box wrapped in ocean blue wrapping paper lying on the pillow between them.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice still heavy with sleep. “Babey, why are you up so early?”

He shrugged. “I wanted to get my morning workout in.”

She rolled her eyes, tugging the blanket up over her head. “You left me?”

He chuckled. “I had planned to go out, but you looked so cute I couldn’t stand leaving you.”

She peaked out from beneath the blanket. “Well I’m glad you stayed, I love waking up next to you.”

He sighed, leaning down to kiss her. “I love waking up next to you.”

She smiled blissfully, bubbly delight spilling through her veins like champagne.

“Are you going to open your present?” Gavin asked, his eyes glittering with mischief.

She narrowed her eyes, her focus shifting to the neatly wrapped package. “What is it?”

Gavin hummed, his eyes twinkling, the tips of his ears pink, as he pushed it towards her. “Open it and find out.”

She slipped her hands out from beneath the blankets, dragging the box towards her and back underneath the sheets.

Gavin snorted, trying to pull the blankets back. “What are you doing?”

“Saving it for later,” she mumbled, struggling to keep the blankets up. “I want snuggles right now.”

He grinned as he managed to wrestle the sheets away from her, pulling them back to reveal where she’d hidden the box. “You can have snuggles in a minute.”

Rowan tried pulling the blankets back up over her, but all her attempts were futile against Gavin’s iron grip.

She yawned, plucking the little package from where she’d tried to hide it, playing with the golden ribbons that had been tied around it. “It’s so pretty though, I don’t want to ruin it.”

“I promise that what’s inside is far prettier.” He hummed, leaning down again to trail kisses along her jaw. “Although nowhere near as pretty as you, pumpkin.”

She giggled, his breath tickling her skin, her fingers sinking into his hair as his lips moved to her cheek, to the corner of her own lips.

Gavin bumped his nose against hers, cupping her face with one hand. “Will you open it? It’s one-of-a-kind, just for you.”

She nodded, warmth washing over her as Gavin’s soft, honey-sweet words danced through the air. As he watched her with his starlit eyes, with that sweet little smile curling across his lips.

How could she ever say no to him?

She sat up, tearing the wrapping paper away to reveal a plain brown box. She lifted the lid, revealing two necklaces on delicate silver chains.

The first chain was longer, about as long as the chain Gavin’s tags hung from, with a small silver key attached. It was simple, with no intricate designs or shapes on the handle.

The second chain was shorter, and Rowan figured it was closer in size to a choker, with a delicate pendant that was likely meant to rest at the collarbone. This one was slightly more intricate than the simple key, with an array of curving, interlocking lines, the way they curled over each other reminiscent of the way the wind moves through the trees. Cerulean blue gems had been embedded in the spaces between the lines, like fragments of the sky. 

There were four blue gems in total, glittering as they caught the rosy sunlight that managed to sneak through the curtains, casting rainbows across the messy blankets. But there was a fifth space in the centre, and in the place of a blue gem was a golden one, smaller than the others, seeming to hover between the curved silver lines with nothing fixing it in place. As if the wind alone held it in place.

It was the colour of Gavin’s eyes, the gold of starlight, of summer sunbeams washing over ocean waves, of melted gold, of gingko leaves in the autumn. The colour of joy, of what she imagined love looked like, if it could be made tangible.

She ran her fingers over the little gem, smiling softly, because of how much it reminded her of him. Because of how warm it made her feel, happiness bubbling in her heart, the same gold of this little gem, of his eyes.

On the other side of the necklace was a small lock mechanism, which Rowan quickly realized fit the key from the other chain perfectly.

She flushed instantly, heat racing across her cheeks and down her throat as the realization struck her.

Gavin had asked her, months ago, on a night when he couldn’t stop staring at her throat and the bite marks he’d placed there, about what she’d thought about wearing a collar. For him. Something subtle that only he would really know about. Something that would show that she was his.

Her face had burned then the way it did now, and she felt as though she would catch flame. Her core grew tight, and she felt warmth blooming between her legs as she looked at the collar, at the key, up at Gavin’s twinkling eyes.

She set the collar back into the box, nestled between crumpled pieces of tissue paper. “Gavin, it’s beautiful.”

The little smile that had danced across his face blossomed wider, turning into a dazzling grin that stole her breath away. It was so open, so clearly delighted and pleased with her response, with himself.

Gavin brushed her hair back from her face, his eyes brighter than starlight now. “It’s one-of-a-kind, nothing else like it exists.” His voice grew lower, rougher, and he leaned forward to catch her lips in another kiss. “Just like you.”

Her eyes fell closed without thought, her mind already gone as she felt his fingers thread through her unkempt hair. She tipped her head back, wanting more, wanting him. She felt heat and tension blooming in her core, felt a wetness pooling between her legs already.

He was just so sweet, and it took so little for her to melt in his arms. He was her husband, her Gavin, how could she not?

“So what do you think, pumpkin?” He asked, his eyes meeting hers as he pulled away. His cheeks were flushed the same soft pink that stained the sheets from the morning sunshine, and it made her heart stumble, made her feel like there were butterflies in her stomach, in her chest.

She looked back down at the box in her hand, the wrapping paper crumpled and strewn across the pillow. She looked at the silver key, at the collar and its glittering gems. She could hear his voice echoing in the back of her mind, asking her if it would be okay, if she would be willing to try it with him.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she said, smiling up at him. She played with the chain that held the silver key, holding it up to him. “And we’ll kind of match.”

He chuckled, relief flickering in his eyes as he covered her hand with his, bringing it up to his lips. “I’m glad.”

She snorted as he brushed kisses against the back of her hand. “Babey, what are you doing?”

“Showing you that I love you.”

She giggled, his words tickling her skin as he spoke. “You always do that. You did that last night.”

A crimson flush crept up his neck and jaw, reaching into his hairline and washing over his ears. “Well, I can never stop loving you enough.”

Now it was Rowan’s turn to flush, her face hotter than before. Her voice was little more than a crackling squeak as she spoke. “You’re a dork, Gavin.”

He kissed her hand once more before setting it against the blankets, a blissfully happy look on his face. “I know.”

He reached into the box, lifting both chains, the key and the pendant swinging through the air, casting rainbows across the bed as they caught the light. “Can I-?”

She nodded, butterfly wings fluttering in her chest and her belly. She twisted so her back was towards him, sweeping her hair up from the back of her neck.

She heard the click of the lock as Gavin opened it, felt his lips brush against the spot between her neck and her shoulder. A shiver raced down her spine as he settled the collar against throat, the metal cool against her skin.

She sucked in a breath as she felt the chain tighten around her throat, the click of the lock shutting sweeping across her senses. Gavin kissed the back of her neck again, trailing his lips to the side, pushing her sleeve aside to scatter kisses along her shoulder. As if to say a silent thank you, to show his pleasure without words.

He pulled away, and she felt a finger caress the skin beneath the chain, as though he were already enamoured with it.

“Turn around,” he said, the quietness of his words doing little to disguise the roughness of his voice, how low it had become, sinking into her senses and making her core ache. “I want to see how you look.”

Rowan turned back around, hoping she didn’t look too silly. She was still flushed, her skin burning so hot it was a miracle she hadn’t set the blankets on fire yet.

She found Gavin’s eyes first, dark and hazy with desire. His cheeks were flushed too, and had she pressed her palms to his chest she would have felt the beat of his heart, felt the way it faltered and tripped in its erratic tempo.

He cupped her face with one hand, the other tracing the skin around where the pendant lay above her collarbone. “You’re so beautiful.”

She wanted to look away, to close her eyes and press her face against his shoulder, his chest, anywhere so she could hide how she felt her emotions beginning to overwhelm her. They spilled from her heart, racing through her veins like storming ocean waves, threatening to drag her down as they crashed against her mind again and again and again.

But she could not look away from Gavin, not when he was looking at her the way he was. Like she was the entire universe, like she contained all the stars and the planets.

“And you’re mine,” he murmured, running the pad of his finger over the pendant, keeping his eyes locked onto her, holding her in place. “My wife, my stars, my moon, my everything.”

The warmth that flowed through her now was different, so much different from what she had felt earlier. This was softer, like the sunbeams that slipped through the curtains to warm their room. Like her favourite blanket wrapped around her during a storm. Like a mug of something warm clasped between her hands. Like spiced wine touching her lips, fogging her mind.

‘My everything’

He kissed her, and she felt as if she was surely drunk, her mind so hazy from his words, her body turning to jelly from a simple touch.

The kiss was soft and gentle, at odds with the way his voice had dipped earlier. Even the way he drew her bottom lip between his teeth was tender, little more than a nip. One hand remained at her throat, still seeming enchanted by the collar. The other fell to the small of her back, the pressure from his palm drawing her closer.

She was breathless when he finally pulled away, although if she was being honest she was always breathless around him. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, listening to him hum as he rubbed her back.

“Can I have those snuggles now?” She murmured, her voice muffled against his shirt.

Gavin chuckled, shifting his arms around her so that he was cradling her against his chest. “Of course you can.”

“Can we lay down, too? I’m still sleepy.”

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

He swiped the empty box and torn wrapping paper to the side, the silver chain and key that hung from his own neck glinting as it caught the light. He laid back against the pillow, tucking her head beneath his chin as he pulled the blankets up over them.

“How’s that?” He asked, rubbing her back again.

“Very comfy.”

She felt his laughter reverberate through his chest, and she smiled as it danced through the room like the errant sunbeams skittering across the floor now.

They lay there for a long while, a drowsy haze washing over them as the warmth of the blankets and their tangled bodies drew them towards unconsciousness. Rowan’s eyes were so heavy it was impossible for her to fight against her own drowsiness.

When she awoke again Gavin was still curled around her, playing with her hair while she slept cocooned in his embrace.

“Sleep well?” He murmured, his fingertips brushing against her scalp as he ran his fingers through her messy hair.

“Mmhmm,” she cuddled closer, closing her eyes again. “I sleep best with you.”

“Well you can have me all day if you’d like,” he said, smiling.

“You’re off today?” Her voice was still heavy from sleep, and it cracked as her excitement piqued.

“I’m off for the next few days since we finished up that last case.”

She sighed, twisting the material of his sleep shirt between her fingers. “I wish we could cuddle all day, but I do have a few errands to run.”

He brushed her hair back from her cheek, stroking her jaw before his hand sank back into her hair. “What kind of errands?”

“Groceries, we’re both almost out of shampoo, the light in the living room is flickering, and Stella needs to be taken to the groomers.”

“So what you’re saying is that we can spend the day together?” He asked, his hand resting at the nape of her neck.

She quirked a brow in bemusement. “You want to spend the day running errands with me?”

“As long as I’m by your side, I don’t really care what we do.”

She whined, nuzzling her face against his chest. “You’re too sweet, Gavin Bai, and it’s not fair.”

He snorted, his finger brushing over the collar as he trailed his hand down the side of her neck. “I’m not allowed to want to spend time with my wife?”

“You are,” she muttered. “But you’re way too sweet, I don’t know what to do.”

“You could kiss me,” he teased, pinching her waist. “Or you could let me go with you while you run errands.”

“Can I do both?” She asked, squirming as he pinched her waist again.

“Of course you can do both, pumpkin.”

She tipped her head back, scattering kisses along his jaw. “Okay, but I want ten more minutes in bed.”

His hand brushed the collar again, his thumb running over the glittering pendant. “Anything for you, my love.”

Now Rowan snorted, smacking his hand away so he didn’t pinch or poke her side again. “And I want waffles for breakfast. And to go to a few stores I like before coming home.”

He pulled the blankets up around her shoulders, keeping her warm. “As you wish.”

***

Two plates of toasted waffles and eggs followed after Gavin was finally able to convince Rowan to let him carry her from the bed. She whined the entire way to the kitchen, earning Stella’s attention as she followed behind them, her fluffy tail wagging as she listened to Rowan’s complaints.

She demanded the strawberry waffles they had in the freezer, and Gavin had only just placed them in the toaster when she asked if they had any eggs left.

While he wasn’t proficient at making much of anything, he had gotten much better at making simple breakfast foods, like fried or scrambled eggs.

“If we have any left we should use them up, and then we can get a fresh carton,” she said, scooping out Stella’s breakfast and pouring it into her bowl.

So Gavin fried the eggs, adding the last of their cheese to the eggs as they cooked.

Rowan smiled as the food cooked, cupping her chin between her palms as she sat at the table, her eyes drooping closed.

While she had offered to help, Gavin had gently pressed her back into the chair, telling her to just sit, to relax. She was always preparing food for him, a light breakfast to take to work, filling lunches accompanied by little notes telling him that she loved him and was proud of him, warm and hearty dinners that were made up of more than noodles.

He could cook for her. He could make food for her. She deserved to be taken care of.

The collar around her neck sparkled beneath the kitchen lights, the blue gems reminding him of the glittering ocean waves she loved so much, the ones he took her to see as often as he could. The middle gem glittered beneath a stream of sunlight, and his chest grew tight as rainbows fell across the tiled floor.

He’d grown selfish when he’d chosen that final gem. The blue had been for the ocean, for the skies, for the blue flowers that had started blooming in the front yard when she’d first moved in.

But the gold had been for him. He’d done his best to match it to his eyes, the shades nearly identical.

It was meant to show that she was his, and how could the collar show that she was his unless it was connected to him somehow.

The chair scraped against the floor as she stood, the pendant swaying slightly as she moved, and Gavin felt his pants growing tighter around his cock.

Head washed over him, crawling across his face and down his throat and chest, and he was tempted to throw cold water over his head to calm himself down.

The day was going to be busy, he couldn’t detract it right now. He couldn’t let this get the best of him now. If he did then nothing would get done.

The chain around her neck seemed to move like quicksilver, the gems reflecting the light around the kitchen, hanging just above his favourite place to leave hickies along her throat.

He swallowed, focusing on the eggs, on the smell of the oil and the pepper and the rosemary and the basil he’d added. On anything other than the idea of pressing his lips to her skin, of drawing her skin between his teeth, of the cool kiss of the chain against his cheek as he focused his ministrations there, marking her there as surely as the collar marked her as his.

Gavin bit down on his tongue, realizing that he was horrible at trying to redirect his thoughts.

He turned towards the stove, glaring down at the eggs so Rowan wouldn’t see how hard he’d already become in the span of a few moments.

The boxers he wore made everything worse, of course. They were comfy and he liked wearing them after his post-morning run shower, but they were so loose that they did nearly nothing to hide his erection.

 He tensed as Rowan’s arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt his face burning as he scrambled to find something to distract himself.

The eggs were almost done, he should focus on the eggs. Should he add more oil? No, then they would be greasy and he didn’t want them to be greasy. Maybe he should add more cheese, he knew she liked cheese in her eggs.

But there wasn’t any left, he’d used the last of it so they could buy more at the grocery store.

“Babey,” she murmured, and her voice snapped him from his anxious thoughts immediately, sending fire scattering across his nerves.

It would be so easy to turn around now, to throw her over his shoulder and drag her back to their bedroom. Breakfast be damned, errands be damned. He wanted to feel the flutter of her pulse beneath his lips, wanted to cover her body in marks, wanted to feel her walls quivering around him, wanted to hear her cry his name, completely drunk on him and how he made her feel.

Gavin took one slow, shuddering breath, struggling to regain himself.

“I love you,” she breathed, her fingers twisting into his shirt, pulling the hem past the waist of his pajama pants and boxers.

“I love you too,” he said, cursing himself silently for how hoarse his voice sounded.

“I could’ve made breakfast you know,” she muttered, and it almost sounded like she was pouting.

He chuckled, relieved at the direction the conversation was taking his thoughts. “Can’t I take care of you?”

“You do plenty,” she whined, and now he was certain she was pouting.

“Well I want to take care of you a little more,” he said, flicking the stove off and moving the frying pan to a cold burner.

She whined a little more, and he could feel her face pressing against the space between his shoulder blades. “Fine.”

He shuffled to the side, his movement becoming difficult with her clinging to his back.

“Rowan,” he said, stifling a laugh. “I can hardly move.”

“That’s awfully unfortunate.”

He patted her hands, doing his best to reach for the plates he’d set on the counter and dividing up the eggs between them. “Well you’re going to have to let go when I sit down.”

“Can’t I just sit in your lap?”

He sighed, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling, both from how cute she was and how relieved he was that the tightness in his pants had nearly vanished.

He was okay, he could get through the day.

He would get through the day

***

Gavin was starting to think that he would not make it through the day.

They had eaten breakfast, and Rowan had won out, situating herself on his lap as they’d eaten, Stella circling the table, looking for spills and scraps.

They’d dropped Stella off at the groomers first before heading to buy replacement light bulbs for the living room. Then they had to drive to the little hair supply store that Rowan loved, to pick up more shampoo.

It was, unfortunately, just outside the store that Gavin’s attention slipped to where the collar still lay against her throat.

She’d told him she was happy to keep wearing it as long as he’d wanted, and Gavin had needed to bite his tongue to stop himself from telling her that he wanted her to wear it forever. Until the end of time and past it.

Her fall jacket had shifted as she’d moved, revealing the collar beneath the golden autumn sun. She’d been reaching for the shop door with one hand, the other firmly clasped in Gavin’s.

Where it belongs.

He couldn’t stop the thought from surfacing in his mind, the possessive way his heart grew tight.

His. She was his.

That was his wife, his partner, his everything.

She looked back at him, smiling, and his breath caught in his throat, the familiar feeling of his cock growing hard making his vision dizzy.

He scratched at the back of his neck, doing his best to smile back at Rowan as she dragged him inside, chattering about how he wasn’t going to be able to argue his way through getting two-in-one shampoo.

But he couldn’t focus on what she was saying. He could hear her, he could register the sing-song sound of her voice curling through the air, but he didn’t hear the words. Didn’t understand what she was saying.

All he could register was the sound of the blood rushing to his head, the way the collar looked as it rested against her throat, the little lock that only he had the key to winking beneath the store’s fluorescent lights.

He tried to focus his attention on how the store smelled, how colourful some of the bottles were, how loud the music blaring through the speakers was.

He was just glad he’d been smart enough to change out his boxers for something that would hold him in place better.

Although nothing was going to be able to hide his dick if he wasn’t able to keep his thoughts very focused and very far from anything to do with Rowan.

Which was so hard when her hand was still in his, when he could smell the light floral perfume she wore, when he kept catching sight of the collar he’d spent months constructing just for her.

He wanted to drag her home and pin her against the bed. He wanted her in nothing but that collar. He wanted to pound her into the mattress until she was a breathless, moaning mess beneath him.

She was his after all, and he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Control yourself.

He was stronger than this, wasn’t he?

Gavin swallowed, struggling to focus on the bottles of hairspray lined up on the shelf in front of him. On controlling his breathing and calming his heartbeat.

We’re in a hair product store, come on man.

Rowan, completely oblivious to the turmoil in his mind and his pants, turned to him, beaming as she cradled the shampoos and conditioners in her arms. “Okay! I’ve got everything we need.”

“That looks like a lot more than you said we needed,” he said, his voice strained as he struggled to keep his tone even.

“Well I thought you could change up your shampoo and conditioner since you’ve been complaining your head feels kind of dry and itchy. And this one smells like roses!”

He snorted, focusing on the fact that she was holding shampoos. That they smelled like flowers. That she liked flowers and flower smells.

But his mind quickly wandered to how her skin would smell when he pressed his face against the space between her breasts. How the room would smell like spring flowers the warmer she got. How the soft flesh between her thighs always smelled so sweet.

He nearly hit himself over the head with one of the hair dryers on display to shove the thoughts from his mind.

He needed to focus on something else, on anything else.

But it felt like the more he tried to distract himself the more the thoughts persisted, growing worse with every passing moment.

First it was wanting to bite and suck at her throat until it was covered in marks. Then he wanted to mark the rest of her, her breasts, her stomach, her thighs, her ass.

He wanted her naked, wanted to bury his face between her thighs and raw out every moan and whine until she was a shaking mess. He wanted her only thought to be him, he wanted the only word on her lips to be his name.

He wanted to sink inside of her, wanted to make her cum again and again until her legs shook, until her body shuddered around every movement he made.

The autumn air was blessedly cool when they stepped outside, and Gavin sucked in a deep, shuddering breath as he beelined for the car. He focused on the feel of the wind, the way it rippled and undulated through the air. 

The air smelled different too, crisper now that they were into the fall. It was stained with the smell of warm spices coming from coffee shops and bakeries across the city, with an undercurrent of something earthy, promising rainfall soon to wash across the world.

He felt almost normal again by the time Rowan slid into the passenger seat, tossing the bag of hair products into the backseat.

He did his best to focus on the road as she chattered, asking him what he felt like having for dinner that night, so they could pick up something at the store.

He was almost confident he could make it through their day of errands until she reached out to squeeze his thigh, trying to draw his attention towards her.

“Can we get something to drink?” She asked, pointing to a little coffee shop she loved.

It was little more than a hole in the wall, but she loved going in, if only to clutch her paper coffee cup and wander through the small bookshelves behind the café counter.

Usually Gavin loved taking her into the store, loved holding her hand while she chatted, telling him about different books or trying to take a sip of his own drink.

But today Gavin couldn’t possibly fathom a detour. Especially not now that her hand was on his thigh, much too close for his liking right now.

Stars burst into his vision, and he squeezed the wheel until he was sure it would break, struggling to keep himself from swerving off the road.

“Maybe on the way home,” he offered, his voice a strangled remnant of what it normally was. But he didn’t have the energy to speak properly, not when he was struggling to keep something else in check.

“If we get it now it’ll get cold in the car while we’re in the store,” he continued, holding his breath as she nodded, retracting her hand.

“You’re probably right,” she said, slumping back against her seat. “But you owe me a coffee.”

He smiled, doing his best to keep his eyes locked on the road, to ignore the whiny tone of her voice, the way his cock twitched at the sound of it. “Anything for you.”

Any hope that Gavin could calm himself down enough to get through the rest of their errands fizzled out after they’d barely crossed the threshold of the grocery store.

Rowan had grabbed a cart, a small pink piece of paper with their grocery list scrawled across it in glittery gold clutched in one hand. He’d been trying to focus on the paper, on the first few things written at the top of the list, on the way the ink had smudged on the paper while she’d been writing it.

But then he’d noticed how the ink had smudged on her hand and fingers. And then he noticed the smudge of ink on her neck, just below her jaw, in the perfect place to kiss her. To suck at her skin until it was bruised from his lips.

Although there were other places perfect for that too. All across her chest, on the inside of her thighs, especially all over her neck, just above where the collar lay.

Gavin pinched the inside of his wrist before reaching for the cart and prying it from Rowan’s hands, swiftly moving behind it as he noticed the tightness of his pants around his dick.

“Why don’t you let me take the cart, pumpkin,” he said, his words sounding strained even to his own ears.

She beamed up at him, completely unaware of the turmoil seething in him, of the blood rushing to his cock as she smiled, squeezing his arm.

“Thank you babey,” she said, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek.

It ached, he ached, and it took all of his self-control to keep a firm grip on the cart and not to grab Rowan and drag her home.

“I was thinking we could get some beef for tonight! There was a recipe I wanted to try out.”

Gavin nodded, steering them towards the meat aisle, trying to focus on her words, trying to listen to the words Rowan was saying.

“What do you think?” She asked, holding up two different packages of beef.

Gavin blinked, not realizing that they’d already arrived, that she’d already chosen the beef for tonight, that she was asking for dinner for tomorrow, and for something to freeze.

He shrugged, pointing at the package in her right hand. “That one seems good enough.”

She looked at it, shrugging before she added it to the cart. “There’s not much difference between them anyways. Okay, then I want to get some pork to freeze for next week.”

Gavin tried to focus on his breathing next as he followed Rowan through the store, as he tried to focus not on the collar, or her smile as she talked at him, pointing out different things on their list and things that were not on their list but that she wanted anyways.

He definitely didn’t focus on the fact that she was his, that this beautiful woman trying to decide between strawberry waffles and pumpkin waffles was his. That she’d even told him that she was his. That all the collar did was prove it, prove that Rowan was his. It was a mark that didn’t fade.

Rowan spun around, her hair sweeping to the side, revealing the little lock that rested on the back of her neck, and Gavin’s heart seized, his vision going blurry as the ache in his cock became near painful.

A lock that only he had the key to. A lock that no one could open except for him.

He sucked in a deep breath, counting the seconds up to twelve as he inhaled, holding for twelve, and then exhaling slowly for another twelve seconds.

Rowan seemed to remain completely unaware, plucking things from shelves and setting them in the cart, asking his opinion on desserts and breads and how many eggs should they get, and should they splurge for the organic peppers this time, since they’re local?

When they got to the frozen food aisle he opened one of the freezer doors and stood before it, wishing the cold air could freeze his thoughts until they’d made it through the last of their errands.

“What are you doing?” Rowan asked.

“Trying to pick an ice cream.”

“You’re focusing awfully hard. Don’t you usually like the plain chocolate?”

Gavin frowned at the myriad of different flavours. Cookie dough, moose tracks, tiger trail, cereal flavoured, one named after a late night talk show, Vietnamese coffee.

“I wanted to try something different,” he muttered.

“Well I’ve had the one with the brownie pieces and it’s really good!” She chirped, tapping the unopened door beside him. “And it’s not too extravagant, which might be nice.”

Gavin nodded, wishing he could spend an eternity in the freezer aisle. He closed the door, moving to the side to open the other one, considering the ramifications of just crawling into one of the bottom shelves and telling Rowan to leave him there.

Instead he just grabbed the ice cream she had pointed out, and then an extra bag of hashbrowns further down the aisle, if only for the sweet relief of the frigid air slowing his thoughts and his blood flow.

“Do you want to get buns?” She asked, pointing to the bakery section.

He did, but he didn’t want bakery goods, he wanted to strip her naked and squeeze her ass between his hands.

Control yourself

He was staring at the cream puffs and doughnuts in the bakery display case and having some thoughts that were completely unacceptable for a grocery store bakery when he realized that he wasn’t going to make it through the rest of the day.

He grabbed his phone while Rowan was choosing between a pie and fresh cinnamon buns, his mind focused almost entirely on the last time he’d filled her, until his release had leaked down her legs, shining in the darkness of their room.

His

He shot off a quick text to his brother, promising repayment if he picked Stella up from the groomer and kept her overnight.

He pocketed his phone when he saw his brother was typing more after his initial “yes” and Gavin really didn’t want to know what nonsense he was about to say to try to rile him up.

Looking at his wife as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as she tried finding the expiration dates on her bakery goods, the collar glittering as she tipped her head to the side, was already winding him up enough.

Gavin was sweating by the time they made it to the checkout, and he bagged everything as the cashier slid the scanned items to the other side of the counter, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.

He threw everything into the cart, and he considered throwing Rowan over his shoulder too and carrying her from the grocery store so they could get out quicker.

But no, he had to be patient, he’d made it through this much, surely he could survive another few minutes.

“That’s a beautiful necklace,” the cashier said to Rowan, hand resting just below her collarbone to indicate the collar around his wife’s neck. “Where did you get it?”

“I made it myself,” Gavin said, grinning as colour bloomed in Rowan’s cheeks, like pink petals unfurling beneath the morning sun. “A one-of-a-kind necklace for my one-of-a-kind wife.”

“Well make sure you keep him,” the cashier said to Rowan, handing her the receipt. “He sounds like a sweetheart.”

Despite his frustrations and the fact that he was still trying very hard to hide his erection, Gavin couldn’t help smirking.

He wasn’t sure if he would call it being sweet, especially not with how his entire body seemed to ache now, desperately needing to bury himself deep inside his wife.

They said their thanks and Gavin took Rowan’s hand as they exited the store, the cool air washing over them as they stepped outside.

He practically threw everything into the trunk of the car, his hands shaking as he slammed it closed, sucking in deep breaths as Rowan took the cart back to the store.

Patience

The car was already started by the time Rowan returned, and Gavin started pulling from the parking lot before she’d even buckled her seatbelt.

“We’ll have to go pick up Stella soon,” she said, checking her phone. “The groomer said we could pick her up after five.”

Gavin shook his head, speeding through a yellow light right as it was turning red. “Shaw said he wanted to take Stella to the dog park, so he’s going to pick her up today.”

Rowan hummed. “Well he’d better take lots of pictures of her then. She’s always so cute when she’s at the park.”

Gavin chuckled, cursing inwardly as someone cut him off, forcing him to slow down. “I’ll let him know.”

The drive home was nothing short of a harrowing experience as Gavin struggled to drive within the boundaries of the law. He was a police officer, he shouldn’t be driving above the speed limit or running reds. But the temptation was there, and if he was going ten or fifteen above the speed limit, who was really to say?

He practically fell from the car once they’d pulled into the driveway, racing to the trunk to get everything inside.

How he managed to carry so many bags and unlock the front door he would never fully understand, but he did it, and he was throwing the groceries into the fridge and freezer and cupboards before Rowan even stepped foot into the house.

She laughed, heading towards the front door after setting the bag with the shampoos on the kitchen table. “I’ve never seen you so efficient at putting everything away.”

Gavin panted, one hand clutching the handle of the fridge as he watched her walk away. “Where are you going?”

“I think there’s one more bag in the car. With the buns and some soups and the dried apricots I wanted to use for breakfast tomorrow.”

Gavin crossed the kitchen in three strides, grabbing her wrist and slamming her against the wall. He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t wait any longer.

“Leave it,” he said, and his voice came out as more of a growl. “You can get it later.”

Her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed as she peered up at him from beneath her bangs. “But it’s just one more bag, babey. And then-”

He took her hands, pressing her knuckles to his lips. “Please? I’ve been so patient all day.”

She blinked, sucking in a breath as he flipped one hand over, trailing kisses up her wrist.

It wasn’t where he wanted his mouth to be, but he could mark her wrists and her arms just as surely as her throat and her thighs.

“I suppose,” she breathed, her voice shaking. “That the last bag can wait.”

It was all the confirmation Gavin needed before he was straightening, grinding his hips against hers as he pressed his face against her neck, sucking and biting at the skin around the collar, not caring anymore as the ache in his body grew, as he grew hard against her.

She was his, Rowan was his and he could kiss and bite her as much as he wanted now. And he would make very sure to draw out every last moan from her lips.

His hands fumbled over her clothes, and he pulled away just enough to yank her shirt from her body, to tug her skirt down her legs.

“You won’t be needing these anymore,” he murmured, unable to stop himself from smiling as she whimpered, her eyes falling closed.

“What is it, princess? Why won’t you look at me?” He asked, running a finger over her still clothed slit, rubbing against her clit.

She whimpered again and he repeated the movement, slower this time, delighted that he wasn’t the one being teased anymore. “Use your words, princess. I don’t know what you want unless you tell me.”

She breathed deeply, her face flushed, her eyes dark with lust as she finally opened them. “It just feels good. It feels really good.”

He arched a brow, a finger hooking into the waistband of her panties. “It feels good…?”

She whined, her fingers scrabbling against the wall as she realized what he was asking for. “It feels good, sir.”

Hearing her say the words sent a surge of fire coursing through him, the ache in his body and the tightness of his pants around his cock unbearable now.

“Good girl,” he breathed, dragging her panties down her legs, watching as her throat bobbed, as she chewed on her bottom lip to stop herself from whining.

He liked to praise her, liked to tell her she was doing well, but he liked the way he could twist it slightly, so she always knew who was in command here.

She was a good girl if she listened to him, and only if she listened to him. She would get praises if she did what he asked.

And if she listened? If she followed his instructions and she moaned and whined just the way he liked, then she was his very, very good girl.

“Let me hear you,” he breathed, kissing the inside of her thigh. “Let me hear every beautiful sound you can make.”

It didn’t take long until she was shuddering beneath his touch. She moaned as he licked along her slit, sucking at her clit until she started squirming, her legs shaking on either side of him.

He pressed his hands against her thighs, spreading them further apart and pressing them against the wall, holding her still while he worked.

“Stay there,” he ordered, letting it dip, letting it turn rough and low as his own need raced through him.

He needed to touch her, to taste her, to feel her writhe and squirm, to bring her to her release. Because he wanted to, because he knew he could, because she was his and only he could make her feel that way, make her feel as needy and desperate for him as he was for her.

He groaned as he spread her folds with his tongue, his cock throbbing as he imagined how it would feel when he ran it over the delicate flesh. When he prodded her clit with his tip, when he teased her entrance until she was begging for him to be inside her.

He wasn’t sure if he could hold off for much longer. Because he wanted to be inside of her, wanted to fuck her until the mattress broke.

He circled her entrance with his tongue, grinning as he felt her squirm, knowing her walls were fluttering as he teased her.

“Gav-Gavin.”

He hummed as she struggled to say his name, her words breathy and stained with a moan as he drew her folds into his mouth, sucking lightly.

She tasted so good he didn’t understand how he could stop. He dragged his teeth across the flesh, alternating between sucking and licking the delicate skin, the smell and taste of her arousal coating his senses. He tilted his head, trailing kisses along the inside of her thigh, murmuring that she was doing amazing, that she tasted so good. That she just had to keep moaning his name, had to keep letting him hear how good he was making her feel.

She had to, he needed to hear it. It only made his pleasure grow, blooming in his chest and his belly, turning his blood to liquid fire as he listened to her cries.

Knowing that he made her feel so good, that only he made her feel so good, made him feel so unimaginably good.

When he sank the first finger inside of her she nearly screamed, his mouth still working on her clit, his tongue still lapping up her arousal, his mind growing hazy. Like she was a fine liquor and he was completely drunk on her.

He moaned, her walls fluttering around his finger as he curled it, finding the sweetest spot inside of her.

The sounds she made were so sweet he almost gave up then, almost tore his clothes off and fucked her against the wall.

But no, he had to be patient. He’d waited all day for this, he could wait a little longer.

He sank a second finger inside of her, a third, grinning as she cried his name, as she squirmed, her fingers burying in his hair as her moans turned to begging.

He took a shuddering breath as she clenched around his fingers, her body beginning to shake, her walls beginning to quiver erratically.

“Do you want me to make you cum?” He asked, breathing the words against her as she whimpered. “You want to cum, my princess.”

She whined, panting as she tried to find her words. “I do, I do. Please make me cum, sir.”

He smiled, pressing a chaste kiss to her clit. “As you wish.”

He moved faster now, drawing out her orgasm with his fingers and his tongue, tasting the sweet headiness of her body as he relished in the way she shuddered around his fingers.

Her body shook, moving uncontrollably now, and she cried as her body grew taut beneath him as she came, clenching around his fingers so tightly he almost couldn’t draw them out.

He continued his ministrations until her body had stopped shuddering, until he was certain that the only thing keeping her standing was his hands on her.

He pulled away, making sure she watched as he licked his fingers clean.

He stood then, grinning as she sucked in a breath, her face a beautiful crimson, the colour reaching down her neck and over her chest.

He hooked a finger beneath her collar, drawing her towards him as he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth for him, letting him in.

He hoped she could taste herself on his tongue, hoped she knew how hard it made him, lapping at her wet folds until she’d found her release from his mouth and his fingers.

He pulled away, and as Rowan stared up at him with wide eyes, her lips swollen from the kiss, he licked his bottom lip, letting her know just how much he liked how she tasted.

He kept his finger hooked in the collar as he dragged her to their bedroom before lifting her into his arms and setting her on the bed.

“Lay down,” he ordered, his hands falling to his waistband.

His clothes had to go now. She was laying on the bed, completely bare, her chest heaving as she watched him with wide, needy eyes.

His eyes raked over her body as he discarded his clothes, letting them fall in a messy heap by his feet. She was so beautiful, every part of her.

And she was completely and entirely his.

There were already marks on her arms, on the inside of her thighs, on her neck, but he knew he could leave more. Knew he could leave plenty more.

“Spread your legs for me,” he said, stroking his cock, catching the precum on the tip and spreading it over the head.

He hummed as he moved towards the bed, positioning himself between her legs as he knelt above her.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He asked, one hand falling to her hip as he dragged the tip over her folds, letting it rub against her swollen clit until she squirmed.

“So incredibly beautiful, and you’re all mine.”

He reached for one of her hands, pressing it against the sheets as he sank inside of her, pressing his face against her neck until he bottomed out, until she was gasping for breath.

Gavin sighed, kissing her jaw just as he pulled out, until only the tip remained inside of her, and then he slammed his hips against hers, and she cried out, the hand that remained in his squeezing tight, her other hand scraping down his back.

“Don’t move much,” he breathed, nipping at the skin above where her pulse thrummed an erratic, harried beat. “Let me take care of everything, princess.”

She writhed beneath him, and he couldn’t help chuckling, not as he felt her desperate attempts to lift her hips to meet his. But he just felt her firm, pushing her back against the mattress no matter how many times she tried to move.

He tsked, swiping his tongue over a new bite-mark. “Good girls listen and don’t move.”

“I-I am good,” she whined, sounding breathless.

His cock throbbed, and he thrust into her again, harder than before. “Are you?”

“Yes-yes. I’m your good girl, sir,” she cried, her back arching as his movements became more forceful, shoving her back against the bed with every thrust of his cock.

“Then don’t move,” he said, his voice rough as sandpaper, punctuating his words with another hard thrust.

She whimpered in response, her nails digging into his back as he moved faster now.

He slammed his hips into hers, drawing out breathless groans, the sounds spilling from her mouth turning wordless as he moved. He sank his teeth into the skin of her throat, running his tongue over every little indent his teeth made. And when he was sure her neck was properly marked he moved on to her breasts, sucking and biting at where they swelled on her chest before slowly working his way inwards.

His body felt taut, a ball of tension sitting deep within him, growing with every snap of his hips against hers, fire surging through him like a wave as the bed creaked in time to his racing heartbeat.

It didn’t take much time at all until he brought her to release, her body shaking beneath him, the flesh extra sensitive from his earlier work. He swore as she clenched around him, drawing out his own release not long after hers.

His movements turned jerky, the tension in his body snapping as the fiery waves dragged him under. He felt hot, felt his cock throbbing almost painfully as he came, spilling inside of her.

He kept moving, groaning, murmuring her name like it was a prayer as he thrust into her again and again, coating the inside of her legs with his release.

But he could hardly say he was done. Not when the coiled tension had barely loosened in his body. Not when he still felt hard, not when Rowan’s expression wasn’t nearly as blissed out as he wanted it to be.

It didn’t take much until he was hard again, and he could continue, the sound of her voice echoing through the room like thunder in a storm.

His own moans soon joined hers now, feeling more sensitive now than before, and with every clench of her body, with every one of her cries, he felt himself throb, growing swollen from all the need and desire building within him.

If it was a song, it was a lewd song, their voices punctuated by the sound of him thrusting inside of her, of the wet pop of his mouth against her skin as he continued to bite and suck every place he could find. But it was a song he had been craving all day.

The slickness of her folds, the way her body trembled around him, the way she cried his name like it was a prayer to the high heavens, the feeling of her soft breasts against his chest every time she arched her back.

And this new sensation, of the cool silver chain against his cheek and his jaw as his mouth worked at her neck, as he sucked at the skin until it was red, as he left marks from his teeth that would not fade for days.

The coolness was sharp, narrowing his focus to the task at hand. And it was a reminder that she was his, that was inexorably his. He had put that collar around her neck, he was the only one with the key.

She was his.

His

His

The coiled tension and fire in his body snapped as that thought repeated itself in his mind, over and over and over again with every thrust into her.

He gasped as he found his release, bright white stars and shapes exploding in his vision as he came harder than before, moaning until he was sure the walls were shaking as he spilled inside of her. As he filled her until he was sure her body would swell.

Rowan came soon after, her head falling back against the pillows as she cried, shuddering as his hips continued to snap against hers, losing any previous rhythm as he rode out his release, and helped her ride out hers.

He wrapped her in his arms, holding her tightly until both their bodies had stilled, and then for a while afterwards.

As all the frustration and desire melted away, a different sort of neediness remained. The type of neediness where he just wanted to hold her close, wanted to feel her skin against his and be reminded that she was his wife, that he loved her and she truly loved him.

He kissed her brow. “You were wonderful, pumpkin.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion seeming to take over. “You’re always wonderful, babey. Always so wonderful.”

He kissed the corner of her lips this time, wincing as he pulled out. “You made me feel so good, princess.”

“Well I always feel good when I’m with you.”

His heart ached, and as he slumped onto his side on the bed he pulled her towards him, tucking her head beneath his chin.

“I love you so much,” he breathed. “More than you will ever know.”

She nuzzled her face against his chest and he felt his heart squeeze more, a gentle warmth washing through him. She was his, he couldn’t believe she was.

His wife, his love, his stars, his moon, his entire universe.

And she was his. She was entirely his.

“We should probably get cleaned up,” he murmured, although he loathed the thought of letting her go. Of standing and untangling himself from her arms.

She hummed, nestling closer. “But you’re so comfy.”

He snorted. “So are you. I could lie with you like this forever.”

“Then let’s lie like this forever,” she murmured, sounding like she was already half asleep.

Again he snorted, peering down at where his release was still smeared between her thighs. “But we should probably clean this up before it gets sticky.”

She whined, shaking her head. “I don’t wanna get up.”

He kissed the top of her head, trying to extricate himself from her embrace. “Don’t worry, I’ll still be close.”

“Will you carry me?” She asked, cracking her eyes open.

“Of course I will,” he murmured, brushing her hair back from her sweaty face. “You think I’d let my wife walk on her own after that?”

He shook his head, earning a giggle from her lips as he sat up. “No, I’m carrying her around for the rest of the day.”

“And tomorrow?”

“Of course and tomorrow.”

He stood, meaning to lean down and scoop her into his arms, but he paused, his eyes falling to the collar, seeming to glow against the red marks covering her skin.

“Do you want me to take this off?” He asked, brushing his finger across the pendant.

Although if he were being honest, he didn’t want to take it off. He wanted it to remain there, so even when those red marks did fade there would be something to say that she was his.

But Rowan shook her head, resting a hand over the pendant. “No, I like it. I want to keep it on.”

“You do?” He asked, his voice squeaking a bit, his cheeks and ears growing warm.

“I do,” she said, her gaze soft, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze. “To remind me that I’m yours.”

His heart ached, and he thought he would fall apart before her.

“It’s one-of-a-kind,” she said, smiling. “There’s nothing else in the world like it. Nothing else in the world to say that I’m yours.”

She hummed, lifting her left hand so her wedding band caught the light. “Except this maybe.”

Gavin held up his left hand, his matching wedding band glittering, a twin to hers. “Does that mean that this says I’m yours?”

She giggled, shifting closer. “It does.”

Gavin cupped her face with both hands, pressing his brow against hers. “Well someone like you deserves something special and unique.”

“Someone like me?”

He nodded, bumping his nose against hers. “Someone beautiful, special. Like no one else in the entire world.”

“You make me feel that way,” she breathed, curling into his arms.

He lifted her up, cradling her against his chest. “Well it’s true. I would never lie to you.”

And it was true. The things he made for her, the collar he’d spent months crafting, we’re all unique, incomparable to anything else. Or at least he liked to hope they were incomparable. 

Because there was no one else in the world like her. She was entirely unique, completely unrivalled. And she deserved things that were as special as her.

Or as close to as special as she was, because he had never met anyone else like her in the entire world.

And he couldn’t quite believe that she was truly his.

But she was. She was his, and he would love her until the end of time.

#mr love queen's choice #love and producer gavin #mlqc gavin #love and producer #mlqc #gavin bai #mlqc gavin x mc #gavin mlqc #mlqc bai qi #bai qi #bai qi x mc #star kissed winds

[tsuumei]

WHEWW is it hot or is it just Gavin...??? Commission for @/Jr344278 from twitter!!

#commissions #gavin mr love #gavin mlqc #bai qi mlqc #baekgi #haku mlqc #baek gi mlqc #gavin #commissioned art

[ivyginkgo]

Start from this one 🤭💕

Disclaimer for the quiz, is not for hating other voice actor but to be honest, I miss Joe Zieja as the voice actor (just for my own opinion guys), Alan has husky voice but maybe because for many years, we always hear Joe voice as Gavin.

#mlqc gavin #voice actors #gavin mlqc #mlqc #mlqc quiz

[r3almellow]

Punish Me, Baby ( Gavin x Mia!OC Commission Fic)

Gonna be honest...I don’t know what I’m doing 99.9% of the time, but one thing I do know is...I LOVE ME SOME GAVIN AND WON’T HESITATE WRITE ABOUT HIM. I listened to a lot of boyfriend asmrs to into the mood and I regret NOTHING. Thank you to the anon who commissioned this from me! Please enjoy and I’m sorry any typos you all may come across! 

PS: Who do I need to talk to get more pics of Gav in handcuffs?!

Words: 3k

Warning: NSFW, Breeding (????) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When it came to sex there wasn’t much Gavin objected to. Whatever Mia wanted to try he was pretty open unless their exploration led to her being hurt in any way. Aside from that, he wanted to be accommodating to her needs because that’s what mattered most to him. 

So when Mia voiced her interest in using handcuffs Gavin was all in. Using handcuffs came natural to him with the job he had, so the possible ways he could use them on her were endless. 

He couldn’t wait to have her underneath him, so vulnerable and unable to escape his touch, begging for him to give her the sweet release she desired. This was going to be his chance to truly worship her body. 

Or so he thought. 

What Gavin didn’t expect was for her to suggest that he be the one cuffed to their bed, allowing her to do to him what he had planned to do to her. Having Mia care for him so intimately wasn’t foreign to Gavin. He had grown used to her gentle caresses, words of affirmation, and sweet kisses, showing him just how much she loved every bit of him. But this…. This was something completely new for him. And there was a big part of him that was curious to see where this would lead.

“They’re not too tight, are they?” Mia, who was currently straddling him, asked as she inspected the cuffs that bound Gavin’s hands to the headboard. Gavin shook his head and lightly tugged on the cuffs proving that he was okay. 

It had been a while since he’d been on the other side of handcuffs. Restrained with no hopes of breaking free. The good thing about this was that this time around he wasn’t staring down the barrel of a gun, but beautiful eyes currently filled with concern and a hint of uncertainty clad in only one of his t-shirts. 

So cute. 

When Mia went to check the cuffs one last time, Gavin winced causing Mia to jump slightly and look down at him in fear that she had hurt him in some way. Gavin only winked at her to show that he was fine which prompted Mia to laugh and slap his chest playfully. 

“You’re lucky I love you or I’d leave you like this as punishment,” She leaned down planting a quick kiss against his lips. As she pulled away Gavin followed, his lips drawn to her like a magnet. He frowned realizing the limit of his reach as his head fell back against the pillow. 

“To be punished by you would be a dream come true.” 

Mia rolled her eyes.

“Kind of hard to have you as my prisoner when you’re loving every minute of this.”

“Can you blame me? I’m in the presence of the world’s sexiest woman who’s about to teach me a lesson,” Gavin smirked then thrusted his hips up with just enough force to cause Mia to fall forward, right against his chest.

“Go ahead, baby. Punish me.” He was ready and more than willing.

Mia laughed then trailed the outline of his face with a finger, analyzing him before kissing him once again. 

“You’re so eager…” Mia whispered against his lips. She kissed him again this time on the corner of his mouth then on the scar right on top of his collarbone while she gently stroked the ones on his abs with a hand. 

She always loved touching his scars in some way. At first he didn’t understand why she put so much love and care into his imperfections. His scars were from the ugly parts of his life and yet she saw something in them that he failed to see. 

It wasn’t until she used his words against him that he realized the truth.

“I love every part of you, even the parts you don’t find beautiful.”  She would say.

He was so used to giving, but he appreciated Mia’s efforts in reminding him he deserved more. 

Gavin was so caught up with his own thoughts that he failed to notice the hand that slipped under his boxers to grip his semi-hardened member. 

Mia gave him a firm squeeze and grinned.

“You’re so hard, baby. Is that all because of me?” Not waiting on an answer she pulled down his boxers, revealing his erect length and evidence of pre-cum seeping from the tip. 

Mia’s hands gripped him once more as she lightly brushed over the tip of his cock with a thumb, smearing the cum all around the tip. Gavin groaned as his cock involuntarily twitched. 

“My sensitive baby…” Mia giggled. 

When she did away with his boxers and had her mouth wrapped around his throbbing cock, he was in heaven. He sucked in a sharp breath and bucked his hips each time her tongue teased the tip. And when she started pumping? Fuck. He was losing it. 

The build up was becoming too much and he could feel himself reach his limit. But it was too soon. He wanted to enjoy this moment with Mia, but she was too good at making him feel like his body was on fire. An endless burning inferno with every stroke, lick and nibble she made drove him further into insanity. Gavin had gone through all sorts of torture throughout his life and not once did they break him, but with Mia, she knew just the right buttons to push to get him to crumble.

“Mia, if you…if you keep going-ah..I’m gonna…” He was struggling to get the words out, but she understood and with one final stroke she smiled up at him, licking her lips. 

“You can last a little longer, can’t you?” Gavin nodded as he panted softly. He probably looked so flustered, but he didn’t care in the least. All he wanted was her by any means necessary. 

Mia straddled him once more, wasting no time to lock her lips with his own. 

She slowly started to rock her hips against him, creating friction between her clothed clit and the base of his cock. Gavin felt the sexual frustration build up within.  

Screw panties. 

They teased and blocked him from direct contact. He craved her warmth and this flimsy garment would have been ripped off, an act he had done many times, if he had the ability! He pulled on his restraints, a not so nice reminder of his current predicament. 

Handcuffs were officially on his shitlist too. 

Either she was reading his mind or she felt the same way because the next thing Gavin knew his cock was nestled in between her wet folds, shirt and panties discarded. The juices that coated his cock and lower abdomen gave him a clear idea of how needy she was for him. 

When Mia rolled her hips, the tip of him brushed against her entrance, causing Gavin to tense up. All he had to do was move his hips just enough and he’d easily slide inside her. The temptation was strong and she felt so inviting. 

When she rolled her hips again he felt himself slide a bit further into her. He wanted to move so badly, one thrust to finally connect them was all it would take. 

Wait. 

There was a nagging feeling that erupted from Gavin’s mind. A feeling he wished he could throw away and selfishly enjoy the moment, but it was damn near impossible. 

“Mia…Mia, wait,” His reluctant protest sounded more like a needy moan. He turned his head away from her, preventing her from kissing him. She looked down, her slightly puffy lips from their heated makeout session forming a pout. 

She looked so damn good like that and Gavin wanted nothing more than to ruin her right then and there, but for both of their sakes he had to be responsible. 

“I think the condoms are still in th-”

“What if we skipped the condoms this time?” She interrupted. 

Gavin blinked blankly at that. Skip the condoms? That was something they had never done before; not that he never thought about it. 

Gavin never wanted to pressure Mia into anything. She always set the pace and he followed willingly. He refused to selfishly act on his desires, but now the opportunity presented itself and he wanted this more than anything. 

Not only because of his own sexual cravings, but because this could put them on a path that could change everything. 

The silence between them lasted a lot longer than it should’ve. He could tell she was starting to get self-conscious by the way she nervously bit her lip.  

“You know what? Forget I said anything I-I’ll go grab them.” 

“Hold on!” He tried to reach for her only to be met with the tight pull of the cuffs, forcing his hands back. 

She froze. 

“You don’t…you don’t have to get them.” 

Then came the silence again. They stared at each other for a while trying to read the other’s thoughts. There was a level of understanding between them in the silence and when she finally sunk down almost fully onto his length they both realized this was the point of no return. 

Gavin groaned feeling her walls firmly grip his cock. The way she felt around him was unexplainable. The use of his fingers nor his tongue could have prepared him for such a euphoric feeling. 

He watched as Mia gripped the headboard to steady herself, trying to get used to the new sensation.  

“If I knew it would feel this good, I would have suggested this weeks ago,” Mia let a breathy laugh.

Gavin responded with a low chuckle and bucked his hips up to slide himself fully into her. She shivered slightly and let out a small whimper.  

“If I knew it would feel this good, I’d have you screaming my name by now,” He groaned.

Mia licked her lips. By the way she clenched herself around him, she was probably thinking of all the things he could do to her if he had the chance. Gavin subconsciously tugged on the cuffs, the irritation within him growing.

When she finally started moving, it was slow as if she was trying to test the waters. It reminded Gavin of their very first time. Slow and gentle. Trying to take in the feeling of being connected so intimately.

Mia’s pace quickened as the seconds ticked by and now she was riding him with no signs of slowing down.

Watching her ride him, breasts bouncing, head cocked to the side as she looked at him with nothing but lust clouding her eyes was just too much. He had a strong urge to touch her. He wanted to squeeze, mold, suck and lick to his heart's content, but these damn cuffs were in the way. 

He wanted to make her come undone so badly.

“I-I…hgnn…I can’t take much more.” He watched as her back arched and head tilted back as her hands cupped her breasts, fingers pinching her erect nipples.

“Baby, you’re close too, right?” Mia wiggled her hips in a way that had Gavin struggling to respond. 

“Mmm…you wanna cum with me?” She was teasing him knowing damn well he was ready to burst. 

He could feel her walls start to spasm and at this rate he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold off on his release. Where did she want it this time? Did she want him to coat her chest? How about her mouth? That was her favorite place afterall. 

“Fill me up.” Gavin’s heart stopped. Did she not realize what that meant? If that were to happen then she might…

“Mia…you might..ah..fuck…get pregnant.” He tried to counter, but the lack of concern was evident in his voice. It was kind of hard to oppose the idea considering how good he felt inside of her. That being said, was he worried about Mia getting pregnant? Yes. Did he want to get Mia pregnant? Fuck yes. 

Every time they were intimate he cursed the condom he wore the minute his release was imminent. He wanted to fill her with his cum and watch as her stomach grew in the upcoming months with the life they created. He wanted to be the one to fuck her over and over again until he put a baby in her. No cum wasted and no hole left unfilled. But he always had to bury that urge for her sake. 

Mia’s expressions turned bashful as her movements became languid. “I don’t mind. I wanna have your baby…”

Something within Gavin snapped. 

Within seconds he found himself on top of her, his once restrained hands caging Mia under him. There was a heat pooling at his abdomen, his entire body growing hot.

Mia looked at him, the surprise written all over her face. She looked at the hands that confined her to the mattress. The realization quickly hit her that the cuffs had been broken in two. 

“Gav, how did you-AH!” Her words were cut off by the feel of him roughly thrusting into her.  

He pressed his lips against her ear, his hot breath brushing against her skin. He felt Mia shudder slightly. 

“That wasn’t very nice, riling me up like that,” His voice was low and rasped. 

Gavin wasn’t sure what came over him, but he was damn sure he was going to finish what they started. 

All that could be heard throughout their apartment were the sounds of skin slapping against each other, along with the creaks from their bed, and their voices mixed together. Gavin was sure their neighbors were going to have a field day come the morning, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to take Mia in every way he could. 

And so he did. 

“Tell me how badly you want a baby. Doesn’t matter how much because you know I’ll give you as many as you want. Just say the word and I’ll paint your pretty pussy all over, give you everything.” Mia opened her mouth to respond but the only thing she could do was cry out for him. 

“It's okay, gorgeous, I understand. Just be a good girl and take it all.”

Never had he wanted to ruin her so badly and never had he seen her turn into such a mess under him. She clutched onto him, nails digging into his back and she begged for him to continue his unrelenting tempo, pleading for him to drive his cock deeper into her pussy. 

And when their release came? God. There was something that washed over Gavin that had him on a high. 

He felt himself twitch inside her as his hips continued to rock against her, hoping to fuck his cum back into her. When he finally came back to his senses he looked down at Mia whose body twitched each time she let out a breath. 

A few seconds ticked by before Gavin drew his hips back, slowly pulling out her.  He watched as a mixture of their fluids leaked out of her and felt a sense of pride at his handiwork. Finally he was able to give her a piece of himself that could never be erased. 

He looked over Mia’s sweat-covered body again as he was about to reach out to caress body then realization dawned on him.

Gavin was so caught up in the moment that he had completely forgotten about his precious Mia and her needs.

“Shit! Are you okay, Mia?” He quickly sat up trying to give her room to breathe. Mia didn’t respond. The only thing that could be heard were the sounds of her heavy pants. 

“B-babe?” He hurt her! Oh god! Was he too rough? Did she need to go to a hospital? How was he going to explain this to the doctors?!

“Oh my god,” She rasped then weakly buried her face in her hands. 

Panic started to bubble up in his chest. He wasn’t sure of what to do. Hold her? Give her space? 

Mia removed her hands from her flustered face and looked at him, causing Gavin to tense up.

She sat up slowly, wincing as she did and with a small smile she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling back down into the bed. Gavin let out a shaky breath of relief as he felt the barrage of kisses against his face.

 “That was incredible!” It took him a second to realize what she was referring to. She actually liked what they did? She wasn’t horrified by his behavior in the least? He honestly wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted him to touch her again.

“You sure you’re okay?” He looked at her skeptically, not fully convinced that she enjoyed any of that. 

“Gav, I’m not made of glass. You’re not going to break me…well…not in a literal sense. You can rough me up a little bit.” She laughed.

“But I could have hurt you. You…” He trailed off seeing the disapproval written on her face.

“Gavin, we just had amazing sex. The sex was so good, I can barely sit up. This was something that we both wanted and you can’t lie and say otherwise after breaking handcuffs just to fuck me,” She teased.

Gavin could feel his ears burn from embarrassment. 

Noticing this Mia giggled and kissed his cheek. 

“Promise me you won’t hold back anymore? I want to see this side of you. The side that’ll turn me into a mess and have me seeing stars within seconds then turn around and pamper me soon after. Be rough with me, baby.” Gavin nodded at her request before she pulled him in for a gentle kiss.

They laid like that until the urge to rid themselves of the sweat and stickiness overpowered their desire to lay in each other's arms.

Mia was the first to roll away or at least she attempted to. The minute she tried to get off the bed her tired body refused to move, resulting in her almost falling off if not for Gavin’s quick reflexes. 

“Maybe I went a little overboard.” Gavin said sheepishly as he gathered her up in his arms, carrying her to the bathroom.

-

A nice hot bath and a massage later Gavin found himself wrapped in Mia’s arms, his cheek pressed against her chest as she lazily played with his hair. It was enough to almost lull him to sleep, but there was a burning question plaguing his mind.

“Were you serious about what you said? About wanting kids?” 

The gentle caresses slowed.

“Well yeah…unless that wasn’t something you…I mean I know we were both caught up in the moment so I don’t want you to feel-” 

“All I want is to have a family with you. To have you become the mother of my children would be a dream come true. ” He nuzzled his face against her chest and lightly stroked her clothed stomach. The thought of her carrying his child and raising them in a loving home, something he never had, made his heart swell. 

Gavin often imagined what life would be like with a family of his own. He’d give up his nice apartment in the city for a house in the suburbs. Sure he’d have to deal with annoying neighbors and fight a few PTA parents, but his kid was going to have a peaceful and safe life. Speaking of ‘safe’, if he had to trade in Sparky for an SUV he’d do it without hesitation. Can’t take a child to their basketball games or dance recitals on a motorcycle. 

Mia let out a content sigh. “When we’re ready I’ll stop taking birth control and we’ll go from there.” 

“You’re still on it?”  He asked, making no effort to hide the surprise in his voice.

“Mmhmm! I didn’t want our first time without a condom to be what seals the deal and pressure you into something this big so soon.” So his efforts were for nothing? Gavin couldn’t help but feel a bit of sadness at that. 

“Are you pouting?” She asked, amused. 

“Of course not…” He totally was. 

“Aww! Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of chances to get me pregnant.” Gavin did like the sound of that. If there was one thing Gavin wasn’t, it would be a quitter. He was a firm believer in the ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again’ rule. 

“Would that mean you’d want to get married?” Mia looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.

“You should know by now that you’re stuck with me forever. We could go down to the courthouse and- ” Gavin quickly sat up and locked eyes with her. If it wasn’t almost midnight he would definitely have gone over there and made it official, but Mia deserved better. She deserved a proper proposal and the wedding of her dreams, not something that’s done in haste. He didn’t even have a ring to slip onto her finger yet. 

He had to do this right.

“You have no idea how badly I want to do that, but I want to ask you to marry me properly. It’s gonna happen. I promise,”  Gavin took her hand and gently kissed her ring finger. 

Mia smiled fondly at his words, but that smile immediately disappeared the minute she noticed red markings around his hand.

“Honey, your wrists!” She urgently took his hand and analyzed the slightly red rings around both of his wrists. It must have been when he broke out of the handcuffs. 

“It’s not that bad.” Mia frowned at him before giving both wrists delicate kisses.

“Do I even want to know how you managed to break out of those cuffs?” 

“Well it was one of the first things I learned how to do as an agent sooo…” Mia giggled as she gently massaged his hands.

“Maybe next time I should be the one in handcuffs.”

 Gavin immediately perked up.

“So there’s a next time?”

Mia let out another laugh. 

“How else are we going to play cops and robbers, Officer Bai?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like my writing? Please make sure to check out my Masterpost

#Gavin #gavin mlqc #mlqc #mr love #mr love queen's choice #mr love gavin

[oceanlipgloss]

DEADBEAT

GAVIN.

+ no warnings.

Frightful, maybe. Monster? Perhaps.

But how can it be, when he who once was a living legend of terror in her mind became the gentle guardian of her heart?

No, he was once deadbeat, but truly so beautifully human. Warm in the flesh, soft in the heart; as for her, he could rip the world apart and bring down the stars.

+ MASTERLIST

©𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨

#mr love mobile #mr love queen's choice #mr love gavin #mr love fanfic #mlqc fanfic #mlqc gavin #gavin mlqc #love and producer #mlqc mc #mlqc bai qi #the story factory

[shuubah]

House of Love event Karmas' animated comics compilation

🫦

#mr love: queen's choice #mlqc #love and producer #恋与制作人 #恋プロ #Gavin #Gavin MLQC #白起 #ハク #백기 #Kiro #Kiro MLQC #周棋洛 #キラ #주기락 #Victor #Victor MLQC #李泽言 #ゼン #이택언 #Lucien #Lucien MLQC #許墨 #シモン #허묵 #Shaw #Shaw MLQC #凌肖 #ショウ #Youtube

[beneathashadytree]

STIFF - GAVIN BAI X READER

Warnings : semi-nudity, gets a little steamy towards the end but nothing NSFW, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : domestic fluff, a little spicy at the end though!

Word count : 1.1K words

Synopsis : Shower time with Gavin could become an interesting thing in the future.

Additional notes : this is completely based off those new karmas that dropped in the CN server (I am SWEATING!!) and not at all proofread lmfao. I dedicate this one to my beloved Cheri, who’s been tirelessly working on making content all the time, and who always deserves the special treatment with some Gavin loving ❤️ @cheri-translates hope you enjoy this! Sending you all the love ❤️

Requests : Are closed for the time being.

Want to support me financially? Here’s my CashApp!

Masterlist

A mild curse and a hiss came from the bathroom, causing them to look up from their seat in front of the coffee table, where they’d been lounging in the soft silken robe provided by the inn, with a nice warm mug of chamomile tea cradled in their hands. Setting the mug down on a coaster with something akin to worry on their face, they pushed themselves up to pad across the sitting room and to where the sound had come from.

They knocked twice on the door, tentatively calling out, “Gavin? Everything okay in there?”

“Um, yeah,” came his reply, a few seconds too late to be reassuring, the waver in his voice only convincing them more that something was wrong.

Their frown deepened. “I’m coming in,” they announced, barely waiting for his choked complaints and the sounds of rustling before entering.

He coughed a little awkwardly, and through the vapor filling the shower cubicle they could see his silhouette scrambling to pull a towel around his waist.

“A few seconds of warning would’ve been nice,” he managed to say, although they could almost envision his red-tinged cheeks as he did.

With a chortle, they rolled their eyes, “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” they settled down on a small wooden bench in the corner of the bathroom, “You alright? You sounded like you were having some trouble in there.”

“Er, not exactly.”

“Gavin.”

The stern voice they were using against him wasn’t one they were unaccustomed to using; after all, their boyfriend was prone to hiding injuries and the like under the pretense of being fine, and only when they used this tone did he usually crumble and admit the truth.

“Y-yes?” he sounded a little hesitant now, almost as though he were already aware that there was little he could do to prevent them from weaseling the truth out of him.

With a resigned sigh, they pushed up from their seat, “I’m getting in with you, you infuriating man. Have to check for myself.”

“No need for that, honest,” Gavin rushed to protest, and they could see the vague outline of his palms pressing against the cubicle’s door handle, “It’s just a pulled muscle. I’m a bit stiff, that’s all.”

Eyeing the door skeptically, they asked again, “Are you sure?”

“I promise,” his voice softened at that, just barely audible over the sound of the shower running, before he added, “It’s only because I was trying to wash my hair that I twisted in an odd position, I think.”

“Fine,” they relented, but still walked up to where he stood, “But don’t stop me from getting in with you.”

“Why?” he had a confused look on his face, but he seemed to not have much of a protest against them, seeing as he’d removed his hand from the handle.

They didn’t bother giving him an answer, opting to slide the door open and step in under the warm drizzle with him. The brunette looked a little surprised as they did, taking in their attire of choice, and watching as they quickly got drenched under the showerhead where they fumbled around.

“You’re soaked to the skin,” he worriedly pointed out, all care for his semi-nudity thrown out of the window as he reached out to them, “You’ll catch cold if you get out like this.”

“I won’t,” they insisted, “I’ll dress into your shirt or something,” they turned to him with the opened bottle of shampoo in their hand, “Can you bend down a little?”

“Ah,” Gavin finally realized what they were up to, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he obeyed, before he thought back on what they’d said before that, “But what about pants? You can’t walk around without any.”

Though a good part of them wanted to ask him why on earth couldn’t they, and torture him through having to answer, they only quipped, “Well, my boyfriend happens to be almost six feet tall, and practically any shirt I steal from him happens to serve as a dress.”

Just as they suspected, Gavin only blushed harder to the tips of his ears as they began to lather his hair, seemingly more than pleased with the idea of them dressed in his clothes. It was rather amusing to watch him still get flustered over the smallest of things, even after being together for quite a long while. Though they had to admit, as they gently massaged his scalp, this almost-showering together was a step forward they wish they’d taken sooner.

With deft hands, they conditioned the thin strands, making sure to be careful as they untangled the knots in his hair courtesy of the wind. His normally-alert amber eyes were heavy-lidded in relaxation, and he let out a delightfully soft noise from the back of his throat that showed just how much he was enjoying the treatment—a sound that they admittedly found a little too distractingly delicious to be able to ignore.

Feeling their own cheeks warm up as they rinsed his hair, they were suddenly all-too-aware of how the water ran down Gavin’s body, every drop tracing the planes of his taut muscles and descending below where his towel hung dangerously low. The view was almost tantalizing, and they had the sudden urge to cross their legs at the thought.

Brought back to their senses as they saw him slowly sweep his fringe to the side and stand upright, they returned the showerhead to its place with burning cheeks as their thoughts continued to race south.

Their boyfriend furrowed his eyebrows, not quite able to decipher the silence and leaning in a little closer to eye their expression closely, “What’s wrong?”

Clearing their throat, they turned their back to him, feeling more than just a little flustered under his intense gaze and pretending to reorganize the bottles to the side.

“How about we… have a little fun in the shower?”

A moment passed without a response, the only sound interrupting the silence being that of the drizzling water. Before they could turn around and check they hadn’t stunned him into fainting, a strong pair of arms wrapped around their waist, and his low breathing was louder than before as his head dropped.

“I’m not entirely opposed to the idea,” came a soft murmur, his freshly-cleaned hair tickling the side of their jaw as his lips softly pressed against the warm skin of their neck.

And as one of Gavin’s arms reached out to press against the foggy glass of the cubicle while his other calloused hand began to slowly push their drenched robe off their shoulder, they knew that they would be making joint showers a frequent thing very soon.

Taglist: @thispersoniscrazy

#oneshot #fluff #otome #imagine #mlqc #domestic #spicy #otome games #gavin bai #bai qi #gavin mlqc #mlqc gavin #mr love queen's choice #mr love gavin #mr love gavin bai #anime #mr love bai qi #mlqc bai qi #gavin bai mlqc #love and producer #evol x love #koi to producer #mldd #mr love dream date #gavin #gavin x reader #gavin oneshot #gavin fluff

[lunars-babeclub]

Gavin🍓🍓

#mr love dream date #dollphotography #dollstagram #mldd #mlqc #mr love queen's choice #20cmdoll #evol x love #koi to producer #animedoll #anime figure #bai qi #gavin mlqc #mlqc baiqi #mlqc haku #mr love gavin #otome boys #otome fandom

[xingxueyue]

Lasting Waves UR Card Wish Tree Event

Date: 4 July 2023 to 15 July 2023

#love and producer #mr love queen's choice #mlqc #恋与制作人 #戀與製作人 #evol x love #lovepro #xumo #许墨 #許墨 #mlqc lucien #mr love lucien #lizeyan #李泽言 #李澤言 #mlqc victor #mr love victor #baiqi #白起 #mlqc gavin #mr love gavin #zhouqiluo #周棋洛 #mlqc kiro #mr love kiro #UR #UR card #wish tree #wish tree event

[arabella-77]

Gavin Solo SSR 抬壹 PV (MLQC CN)

Gavin is so hottt 🔥🔥🔥 🤣🤣🤣 .

As always 💐💙.

"There is no place in this world that the wind cannot reach"

"What you give to me is only glory."

#mlqc gavin #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #mlqc cn #gavin mlqc #mlqc bai qi #Youtube

[tomochii-chan]

Guilty

Hello yes. I'm like a million years late to the trend lol. This has been in WIP hell for months ahah.

#love and producer #mr love queen's choice #mlqc gavin #mlqc #fanart #otome #baiqi #guilty ch

[spacesquidlings]

Tonic For The Heart

Description: Gavin's eyes are sharp, especially when it comes to his beloved partner. He's noticed how she's slipped away, sadness and fatigue enveloping her like a shroud. So he suggests going out, to find ways to make her smile, to coax happiness into her heart once more.

Pairing: Gavin Bai x Female OC (Rowan)

Warnings: Mild sexual content (at the end), suggestive content, mentions of depression/a depressive episode, mentions of anxiety, mentions of OCD

Notes: Hello!!! This is a bit of a personal, self indulgent piece I wrote while I wasn't feeling particularly well mentally. Thinking about the ways Gav would help and be supportive have certainly helped when I've been at my lows, mentally and emotionally, and writing this through was quite cathartic for me. I like to think he'd be supportive and sweet (and like mildly horny but when isn't he). Anyways, I hope this brightens your day, because Gavin would most certainly love you and help however he could no matter what.

********************************************

Hands appeared on either side of Rowan, gently drawing her phone from her hands.

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” Gavin murmured, turning her phone off and hiding it from view.

Huffing, Rowan crossed her arms, glaring at the floor. “Give me my phone back, Gavin.”

He tsked, arms wrapping around her once again to hold her closer. “No. I know what you’re doing and it will only make things worse.”

She glared harder, wishing she could shrivel up and disappear. Gavin might have had a point, but that didn’t mean she was happy about it.

She’d been trying to make a few final pulls in one of her favourite gacha games, thinking maybe if she got the unit she wanted she would feel a little better.

She should have known better, known that it wasn’t going to make her feel better. But the draw of something shiny and new made her think it could at least offer a scrap of joy in the seemingly depthless fatigue and despair she felt like she was drowning in.

“You don’t know that,” she grumbled, wiggling away from Gavin’s arms and flopping onto her side on the bed.

She’d had a panic attack a few days ago, the first in a while. It had been brought on by family visiting, a cousin thinking they were joking around as they trampled over her carefully constructed boundaries. She’d had to send them away, her hands shaking and her mind screaming. Sweat had beaded on her forehead despite the chill in the air, a vestige of the waning winter.

Then had come the breathlessness, her vision swimming as she struggled to draw in breath, lungs spasming as she gasped and gasped and still nothing seemed to fill her chest. The roil of her belly, the strangled scream lodged in her throat as her hands twitched, unsure of what to do.

Her voice had eventually arrived, as had burning tears that limned the world silver, as though it were beautiful and innocent and painted in starlight.

That’s how Gavin had found her, returning home from errands, still standing in the place she had been when she’d sent her cousin away.

He’d had to coax her from the place she’d been frozen, gently taking her hands and helping her to wash them before taking over the cleanup to make their home feel safe again. He’d had to help her into the showering, murmuring gentle words and promises of safety as he’d ran his fingers through her hair, as he’d rinsed the soap from her body.

And then he had held her, for what seemed like hours, as the afternoon sun exploded as dusk burned across the sky, before the indigo blanket of night wrapped around the world and the stars winked into existence. She hadn’t been able to move, suddenly too tired to do even the small things she had hoped to do that day. To work on a personal project, to watch the new episode of a show she’d been keeping up with, to play the new game she’d just bought.

She’d been unable to do anything but sit there, tucked against Gavin’s chest, silent tears running down her cheeks as she’d stared at the wall. A sitcom she’d already watched a million times played on the television screen, the dialogue nothing more than dull murmurings against her ears.

Rowan had felt exhausted the following day, perhaps even worse than she had in the hours after the attack. Fatigue weighed her body down like lead, despite her chest feeling strangely hollow. She’d felt like a revenant, her flesh rotting, her bones in decay. No blood to be pumped through her deteriorating veins, nothing to coax her cold heart to beat. Her body trapped in the throes of rigor mortis, hardly able to be moved.

Gavin had stayed with her as long as he’d been able, even forgoing his usual morning run, but he’d had to leave for work far too soon. He’d coaxed her from bed before leaving, setting out one of her favourite dresses. It had been crumpled in the dryer, forgotten along with the load of laundry she’d been handling before her cousin had stopped by.

Seeing it had brought tears to her eyes, even as she’d drawn it over her head, mussing her already messy hair. She’d smoothed her hands over the wrinkles, leaning against Gavin as he’d pulled his jacket on, quietly pleading with him not to leave.

He’d had to go, and of course she’d known he’d had to. His job was important to him, and he always worked hard. She couldn’t have ask him to shirk his responsibilities, had already been ashamed that he’d wasted his afternoon and evening off coddling her like a fussy toddler.

But Gavin had still called her when he’d had the moments to spare, and he’d returned home that night with her favourite takeout and a bouquet of fresh peonies that filled the house with the smell of spring.

She’d been so thankful, so grateful for his kindness, his gentle hands as he’d cradled her against his chest again, rubbing her back as he’d told her about his day. But still she’d felt hollow, as though there were a hole where her heart ought to have been, and all his warmth and love seemed to spill through, leaving her just as cold and empty as she’d been that morning.

Listening to Gavin had made her feel even more ashamed, even days later the feeling gripping her heart, crumpling it like paper. Because she’d accomplished nothing when he’d been at work. She’d managed to do the dishes, wipe down the kitchen from their breakfast. But she’d had work she’d wanted to do, projects she’d wanted to put time into.

She’d hardly even had the energy to warm up leftovers for her lunch, and when Gavin had returned home with his bouquet of flowers and her favourite food she’d just been staring at her computer screen, hands trembling above the keyboard, unable to do even the simplest of tasks.

It got better, but it also did not. Her fatigue clinging to her, blurring her mind and slowing her thoughts until she felt as though she were dragging herself through mud. She could do regular chores around the house, but she could not seem to bring herself to do the things she usually loved. She could not work on her projects, she could not focus her attention on any new shows, she could not play any games, even though some part of herself that still lived screamed to do something, to do anything.

Rowan wondered if she would ever be able to shrug off this feeling that swathed her. If she would ever escape the feeling of being empty, of being alive but feeling dead.

She’d plucked her phone from her side table by the bed with the intention of forcing herself to play something, do something. Maybe if she bulldozed her way through something she enjoyed she would feel better. Maybe it would be cathartic. Maybe she would feel warmth spilling into her chest, healing the hole where her heart had been.

And then she’d logged into one of her few mobile games, eyes landing on a new gacha event, promising a shiny new unit that she very much wanted.

This had happened before, and she was certain she needed to speak to a professional about it, but she’d convinced herself that maybe if she got that new unit she would feel better. Not wholly healed, but better enough to play a game, and then afterwards better enough to work on her stagnating projects. That somehow it would have a ripple effect and by the end of the day she would feel better if she just managed to win that unit.

Historically that had not really been the case, and with the randomness of the system it was more likely that she would lose and her last fraying thread of hope would snap and everything would feel so much worse.

Logically, Rowan knew it was good that Gavin had caught her quickly, and yet still she found herself infinitely annoyed with his meddling.

She rolled onto her stomach, pressing her face against her pillow. “Just leave me to rot, then.”

A snort, followed by a sigh as the bed shifted by Gavin’s movements. She felt his hands at her side, gently rolling her onto her side. “I could never do that.”

Rowan huffed, flicking her eyes away, towards the wall behind him so she didn’t have to look at the amber of his eyes, gold with the light of the morning sun spilling across his face. Concern wrinkled his brow and twisted his mouth, and his touch was gentle as he brushed her hair back from her cheek.

How horrible she was, how ashamed he must be. To have a wife who could not shake something off even days after the event.

“Still not feeling good?” He asked, his voice soft as he rested his hand on her hip.

“No,” she muttered, staring straight ahead, avoiding his gaze.

“Rowan, why won’t you look at me?”

Her bottom lip quivered, but she resolutely looked ahead. “It’s been days, Gavin. This is shameful behaviour. You must be so embarrassed by how I’m acting.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” he said, his voice hitching. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I’m being ridiculous. I’m being stupid. It’s been days and I still feel like shit.”

He sighed, cupping her cheek. “You’re not being ridiculous. I know your head works a little differently from mine, but that doesn’t mean you’re being ridiculous. Maybe we just need to try something new.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to try something new. I shouldn’t have to try something new. I should be able to just feel better. This doesn’t bother people the way it does me, and not for nearly as long as this.”

She rolled over quickly, facing the wall, unable to look away from Gavin a moment longer unless she was facing away from him. She couldn’t bear to look into his eyes, to face him. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she be normal.

“I miss your face,” he cooed, sounding upset even as his arm wrapped around her waist, his breath brushing against the back of her neck. “Why did you turn away?”

“So I don’t have to look at you. So you don’t have to look at your stupid wife.”

“Rowan,” his tone was less soft now, the gentleness giving way to something unyielding. The stone of a mountain beneath the soft grass and wildflowers of the meadow that blanketed it.

“You’re not stupid,” he continued, turning her back around, his expression somber. “You’re not stupid, and I don’t think you’re stupid. And I’m not ashamed of you. I just want to help.”

His gaze wavered and he sighed, leaning his brow against hers. “Just let me help you.”

An ache spiderwebbed from her chest, reaching through her body, cracking against her bones, releasing her marrow to pool in her veins.

“I don’t know what can help,” she said, her words soft as breath. “Nothing seems to help.”

He ran his hand over her back, massaging gently. “Well then why don’t we try something new?”

“Like what?” She couldn’t help snapping, feeling surly.

There was something about asking for help that always grated against her, about doing something differently than how she did. Like there was something wrong with her, like she couldn’t handle things on her own. Like she were a toddler, and needed her hands held to get through the simplest of tasks.

Of course, maybe there was something wrong with her.

It still grated, still made her want to shrivel up and vanish from the world.

Gavin clicked his tongue, pinching her cheek. “Don’t say no yet, you don’t know what I’m going to suggest.”

Rowan frowned, batting away his hand. “I think I liked it better when you were shy about touching me.”

He snorted. “Like when we first started dating?”

“You wouldn’t have pinched my cheek then.”

Gavin laughed, his hand trailing around the waistband of her sleep shorts, fingers slipping past it. “There’s a lot I wouldn’t have done then.”

She sucked in a breath, hands balling in the material of his shirt as he dipped his fingers lower. “Gavin.”

“But now I can show you all the ways I love you,” he drawled, mischief in his eyes.

Rowan flattened her hands against his chest, shoving him back. “Gavin, not now.”

He retracted his hand, although his grin remained. “I think I like it more now. I feel happy touching you.”

“Horny jerk,” she muttered, pushing him further away as he laughed.

“Okay, okay,” he conceded, holding his hands up, palms out. “I’m done teasing. But I do want you to hear me out.”

Pulling her arms back, Rowan sighed. “Fine. What were you thinking?”

His smile softened. “I think we should go out today.”

She was already shaking her head, her stomach dropping. The last thing she wanted to do was go out while she still felt so poor. “Oh Gavin, I don’t know. I don’t want to go out and-”

“For me?” He asked, cutting her off. “At least try, pumpkin. It can’t hurt.”

Face burning, Rowan looked away. “Okay, I guess.”

He beamed, closing the distance between them to press a kiss to her brow. “Great. Then let’s get up.”

“You haven’t told me where,” she said, frowning as Gavin sat up.

His only response was to kiss her cheek. “It’s a surprise. You’ll have to get up to find out.”

Steeling herself, Rowan yielded, letting Gavin draw her from bed before he straightened the sheets, telling her to get dressed. She supposed for him, at least, she would try, and see what he had planned for the day.

***

Rowan hadn’t known what to expect, although finding herself on a bench next to a paved path that ran alongside the local lake had not been it.

“Gavin, what are we doing?” She asked, watching curiously as he laced up the pastel pink and blue roller-skates he’d helped her put on. Another pair was propped against the leg of the bench waiting for Gavin.

He grinned. “Remember when you mentioned that you thought we should take more walks together?”

She frowned. “Yeah?”

“And remember when you were looking at those roller skates online?”

She arched a brow, peeking down at the skates he was nearly done lacing up, the pair she had been pining after for weeks now. “I do.”

“Well why not both?” He asked, smiling wider as he finished up with her skates, moving to sit next to her.

“Gavin I haven’t exactly roller-skated before, I’m not going to be the best,” she said, feeling awkward as her feet slipped out from under her and having to drag them back.

“That’s okay,” he murmured, bumping his nose against hers, his lips only just grazing hers. “I’ll be here with you, we’ll do it together.”

She sighed as he pulled away, crossing her arms over her knees as he pried off his shoes and tucked them into the backpack he’d brought along. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Of course I remembered,” he said, arching a brow as he shot her an incredulous look. “I try to remember everything I can about you.”

Her face flamed and she looked down, watching his deft fingers as they began lacing up his own skates.

“And it wasn’t exactly hard to figure out about the skates,” he teased, drawing her attention back to his face. “You left the tab open on your computer for weeks.”

She balked. “You broke into my computer?”

He shrugged, finishing up with his skates. “I just checked out the website when you forgot to close your laptop when you went to the bathroom.”

“Gavin,” she scolded.

Another shrug as he stood. “I wanted it to be a surprise, I couldn’t just ask you.”

Rowan frowned at his offered hand, stewing over the fact that he’d snooped on her computer when she wasn’t there. “That’s not a habit of yours, is it?”

He didn’t respond, although his mischievous smile suggested that occasionally it was.

“Come on, pumpkin,” he said, reaching his offered hand closer. “It’s warm today, it will be perfect to try out the skates.”

“Alright,” Rowan said, taking his hand, letting him draw her to her feet. She felt hesitant, even as he gently pulled her down the path, the bag he’d brought with their shoes slung over his shoulder.

“It’s alright, I promise,” he said, keeping hold of her hand as she stumbled behind him. “I’m right here.”

Her legs shook as she tried to follow beside him, her stomach lurching when the trail dipped and she started picking up speed. “Gavin, how do I make it stop?”

He only squeezed her hand, explaining how to turn her feet to the side to slow her descent. Heart in her throat, clutching Gavin’s hand so tightly she was sure she was cutting off circulation, she did her best to follow his instructions. Relief flooded through her as she began to slow, and she slumped against Gavin’s side when they came to a stop.

“See?” He said, his words warm as they threaded with the wind. He ran a hand over her hair, smoothing back her bangs. “That wasn’t so bad, right?”

She nodded, even as she continued to clutch his side, legs shaking like they were made of jelly.

“Why don’t we keep going?” He suggested, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. “You’ll feel more confident once you’ve tried them for a bit.”

“Gavin, I’m terrified I’ll fall over,” she whined, squeezing her eyes shut. “And this isn’t making me feel any better.”

“It’s only been a few minutes,” he murmured, brushing her hair back. “Some things take time, and you’ve only just started.”

She wanted to protest more, wanted to curl up in a ball and draw a soft blanket over her body and melt away. The sun felt as though it were piercing her eyes, the pollen in the air stuffing her nose. She was already sweating, from anxiety more than any real physical exertion, and her stomach was in knots as small groups of people and couples passed them by. A few teenagers shot them a few weird looks, and a woman walking her dog snorted as Rowan stumbled forward.

“You wanted to learn to skate anyways, didn’t you?” Gavin asked, taking her face in his hands and tilting her head up, so she couldn’t see anything but him, but the glittering gold of his eyes. They were so reminiscent of starlight she imagined she was floating in the middle of the unending darkness of space, a trail of stardust and light guiding her way towards something wonderful, towards the warmth of the stars that loved her.

“I did,” she said. “But Gavin, I-”

“No buts, okay?” He asked, smiling even as his brow creased. “Let’s try for a little while longer. And if you like it then we can come here more often.”

“Okay,” she grumbled, pulling away from his side.

“Don’t pout,” he said, ducking his head as his eyes fell to her mouth, running the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “Or else I’ll have to do something about it.”

“Like what?” She asked, raising her brows. “Are you going to arrest me, officer?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he mused. “I could handcuff you.”

She laughed, a scrap of mirth bursting in her chest like embers of a flame. “Handcuff me to what?”

Humming, Gavin leaned closer, his nose bumping with hers, a languid, wicked smile arcing across his lips. “Would you like to find out?”

The tightness in her belly and the trembling in her legs weren’t brought on by anxiety now, and although Gavin had been teasing her, Rowan couldn’t help but feel a little thankful. His taunts were distracting her from the icy anxiety that had her stomach roiling and the leaden feeling she had been carrying deep in her bones for days now.

“I’d say you’ll have to catch me first, but I don’t think I’m going to get very far,” she admitted.

“Well maybe you just need a little practice.”

She smiled again, those flickering embers beginning to catch on the tinder in her heart. At the very least she could try.

***

Although Rowan had agreed to try roller-skating for the day, she hadn’t expected Gavin to take such advantage of the opportunity. They skated for what felt like years, although surely couldn’t have been more than a few hours.

He worked out every day, and seemed to be an expert in every sport and outdoor activity, including skating. He glided effortlessly down the path, not even breaking a sweat as he skated.

Rowan, on the other hand, felt exhausted after twenty minutes, her legs shaking from exertion and sweat pouring down her back. She kept tripping over seemingly nothing, shrieking whenever the path started going downhill until she’d managed to completely stop. Her hand was like a claw in Gavin’s, clutching it so tight her knuckles had long since turned white.

But despite that, Gavin persisted, coaxing her forward down the path, the lake glistening like it was made up of precious gems beneath the afternoon sun.

She knew her legs were going to ache the next day, having never roller-skated for so long before, having never roller-skated at all before now. But she reached a point in the day where she no longer cared, lungs heaving as she tried keeping up with Gavin, wiping sweat from her brow.

He paused a few times, directing them to benches that looked out over the lake. He offered her water and snacks that he’d stowed away in the bag slung over his shoulders, but after a few minutes he would stand, dragging her with him. Giving her enough time to rest, but not enough to think too much about anything other than getting to sit for a few minutes and have something to drink.

Although she did start desperately craving curry of all things, and a sweet drink. Maybe a mixed cocktail, something with a fruity flavour and a sugary base.

“Gavin,” she said, breaking the comfortable quiet that had draped over them as they sat, staring out at the lake.

He raised a brow, watching her from the corner of his eye as he took a long drink from his water bottle. His throat bobbed, a trickle of water slipping from the lip of the bottle and slipping down his throat.

It snagged her attention, her train of thought derailing and crashing in a burst of flames as she took in his appearance. The sweat that beaded on his brow, the way the sun gilded his hair, the way it set his eyes alight like they were made of sunfire.

He swallowed again, throat bobbing, and Rowan’s stomach twisted, an ache blooming between her legs that had nothing to do with how long they’d been skating.

Gavin’s brow arched higher and he lowered the water bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The movement summoned a memory in Rowan’s mind, of Gavin kneeling between her legs, wiping his mouth as he grinned, his eyes so dark they seemed to smolder like fiery embers.

“Rowan?” His voice yanked her back to the present, his hand cupping her cheek as his eyes searched hers, concern staining his tone. “Is something wrong? Your face is red.”

She pulled back, shaking her head furiously, trying to dispel the heady memory. “No, sorry. I’m alright. I was just lost in thought for a second there.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he gave her a bemused smile. “You’re sure.”

“Very sure,” she answered, hastily grabbing her own water bottle and taking a long sip.

He tipped his head to the side, still looking bemused, but the light in his eyes turning mischievous.

“Did you want to ask me something?” He asked.

Rowan nodded as she clutched the water bottle between her hands, willing all the desire in her body to go away. She would never hear the end of it if he found out he’d turned her on by accident. She also would never get a chance to have that curry and sweet drink today, maybe tomorrow too, knowing Gavin.

“I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to get dinner,” she said, picking at a thread on her sleeve. “I know we had takeout a few days ago, but…” She trailed off, not sure what else to say.

“Of course we can,” he said, his smile gentler now. “What were you thinking?”

“I kind of really wanted curry,” she said. “And a cocktail. Or maybe two.”

Brow arched, Gavin chuckled. He reached out to cup her face, ducking his head to brush his lips against hers. “We can do whatever you want.”

“Really?” She asked, her voice squeaking as the kiss reignited the ache in her core she had hoped to stifle.

“Really,” he said, lips trailing from the corner of her lips down her throat. “As long as it will make you happy.”

She giggled, thoughts growing hazy as he nipped at the corner of her jaw. “Gavin, we’re in public.”

“And?”

She pinched his side, earning nothing but a heady chuckle and his teeth against her throat.

“Gavin,” she chastised. Although her heart wasn’t entirely in it, her mind slipping away as she imagined all the things she wanted him to do to her.

But she was craving that food so much right now. Surely he could wait a few hours. Surely they both could.

“Gavin please,” she said, a little more firmly this time.

He paused, looking up at her from beneath the fringe of his bangs. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she promised, running her fingers through his hair. “I just kind of really want to get some food before anything else.”

His eyes closed for a moment as he pulled away. He took a steadying breath, his smile soft as he opened his eyes. “Of course. Then we should probably start heading back.”

He stood first, offering her his hand. And this time Rowan didn’t hesitate, letting him draw her back down along the lake.

***

They were both sweaty by the time they arrived back at home, and changed quickly into fresh clothes before heading back out. Rowan’s legs were already beginning to ache, and she knew she was going to be sore when she woke up the next day. But she was certain she wouldn’t mind too much. Maybe Gavin would take her skating again soon, until her body was used to the movements and no longer ached afterwards.

Hands intertwined, they wandered through the city, electing to walk rather than drive.

“It’s good to walk around sometimes,” Gavin had said, although when Rowan had countered that they’d just been on their feet all afternoon he’d only chuckled. Promised that all the extra exercise and movement would make her feel better.

Whether that was true or not was yet to be seen, but she was certain that despite the early desire that had kindled in her veins, it was very unlikely anything would be happening tonight. She could already feel fatigue creeping in at the edges of her consciousness, the kind of full body fatigue that only came from way more physical exertion than she was used to.

She wasn’t sure if Gavin’s efforts would truly help to soothe her heart, but she did know that she would sleep very, very well that night.

She slumped against him as they finally arrived at the restaurant, eyes falling closed as they waited for the hostess to take down their information and put them on the waiting list.

“Hey,” Gavin murmured, brushing his knuckles across her cheek as they sat in the low chairs lining the walls of the entrance as they waited for a table to open up.

Rowan groaned, readjusting as she tried to snuggle against his side.

“Don’t fall asleep yet,” he cooed, pressing his lips to her brow. “We haven’t even eaten anything yet.”

“I feel sleepy,” she muttered, cracking her eyes open to peek up at him.

“It’s all that sunshine and exercise,” he teased, trailing his lips along the curve of her jaw. “You need to get out more.”

“I go out,” she argued, which she only realized was a weak rejoinder once it had left her lips. Gavin straightened, his grin impish as he caught her eye.

“You should go out more,” he said, snorting as she rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. Maybe it will help.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything that can help me,” she grumbled, crossing her arms as she slumped in her seat. “I might just be broken.”

“You’re not broken,” he said, reaching for her hand, prying it away from where she’d tucked it beneath her arm. “But maybe starting some new habits will help so you don’t feel so bad when this happens again.”

She nodded, muttering out a quiet “I guess” like a morose child.

“You could come out with me on my run tomorrow,” Gavin suggested, massaging her hand. “That would be a good place to start.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be waking up before noon after today,” she said, sighing. “I already feel exhausted.”

“Something in the evening then,” he said, reaching for her other hand. “We can go to my gym. Or there’s a new pool that opened that we could try. It’s pretty quiet in the evenings.”

“Do we have to do something tomorrow?” She whined, twisting in her seat to face him, trying to summon her most pitiful puppy dog eyes and pout to sway him. “I’ll be so tired, babey.”

But Gavin did not cave, instead snorting as he released her hand. “It’s good to start better habits as soon as you can. And besides, we can do it together. It will be fun.”

Rowan groaned, staring up at the ceiling. Working out at all sounded like the exact opposite of fun.

Maybe if she didn’t bring it up again he would forget. And they could watch a movie or play a game tomorrow evening instead.

The sound of rustling at her side drew Rowan’s attention back to Gavin as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“What are you doing?” She asked, peeking over his shoulder, momentarily forgetting her earlier chagrin.

“Putting it in my calendar for tomorrow so I don’t forget,” he said, arching a brow as his eyes caught hers. “So neither of us forgets.”

Rowan wrinkled her nose, frowning at the implication that Gavin had already guessed she’d hoped he would forget about working out tomorrow evening.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he pouted. He tucked his phone away, reaching for her face again. “I love your smile.”

“I don’t want to smile, you’re trying to torture me.”

Warm laughter rang through the room, filling the air with light, as though she were being swept up towards the sun.

“It’s not torture,” Gavin insisted, stroking her cheek as he continued to laugh. “I promise. I really think it could help.”

But before Rowan could argue any further, the hostess called their name, beckoning them over to follow her into the restaurant.

Gavin was grinning far too widely for her liking as he took her hand, drawing her from her seat and following behind the hostess.

“If I’m honest, I have a selfish reason for wanting you to come out with me tomorrow evening too,” he whispered, leaning close so his lips brushed against the shell of her ear.

Although Gavin hadn’t said anything particularly improper, still Rowan felt her face burning. He was so close, his breath sending shivers down her spine. His words tangled in her mind, his voice twining around her ribs and looping through her veins and nerves, like a languid summer wind rattling leaves and branches as it passed by.

“What do you mean?” She asked, voice quivering, her legs wobbling like jelly.

He hummed, the sound warming her veins, liquid heat pooling in her core. She wasn’t expecting the scrape of his teeth, gasping as she felt them against her ear.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” was his final response before he peeled away, moving to pull out a chair for her to sit.

Rowan didn’t know how she made it the final few steps to the table, falling back into her chair before Gavin moved to take his seat. The hostess was chattering about something, but Rowan didn’t catch it. Her words sounded like they were coming from underwater, garbled and slurred and strange.

All she did know was that her face was burning and her legs were shaking and she wasn’t sure if it was from fatigue or Gavin’s teasing. Maybe both.

She drained the water set at the table before the server arrived, wishing it would clear her mind and settle her racing thoughts. At the very least she could feel her face beginning to cool, and she heaved a sigh of relief as she set her glass to the side.

“Dehydrated?” Gavin asked, peeking at her over the menu as he flipped through it. “Did I not bring enough water?”

She huffed, refusing to make eye contact. “Something like that.”

He hummed, propping his chin in hand, smirking. “Or are you maybe craving something else?”

She kicked him, but even as he winced Gavin laughed, reaching across the table for her hand.

“I love you,” he said, leaning forward to press a kiss to her knuckles before releasing her hand. “I love you so much.”

Rowan felt baffled as he leaned back, lifting his menu to once again peruse the options. He was telling her he loved her now? After she’d kicked him?

“Gavin, are you feeling okay?” She asked. “Did you get too much sun?”

He blinked, seeming just as baffled as she’d been. “No. Why?”

“I think you might be delusional,” she said, leaning forward to press the back of her hand against his brow. “Maybe you have a fever?”

“I don’t have a fever,” he said, gently batting her hand away. “What’s this about?”

Rowan sank back into her seat, pouting. “Well you said that you loved me.”

“I do love you.”

“After I kicked you.”

A pause, his bemused smile growing wider, brighter as understanding flashed in the amber of his eyes.

“I love you always,” he said, far too smoothly. It made her belly twist, made the heat in her core burn as though her bones were kindling for a wildfire. “Even when you kick me.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, looking away. She struggled to keep the flush she could feel creeping across her body in check. She also struggled against the urge to kick Gavin again.

Rowan was starting to think going out today was more for him than her.

“You’re paying for dinner,” she grumbled, snatching up her menu and opening it with a flick. “And I’m ordering a mai tai.”

“As you wish,” he said, voice warming around the edges, like sun-warmed honey.

“And I want crab rangoons for an appetizer,” she muttered, feeling particularly surly after being teased.

“We can get whatever you want, pumpkin,” he promised. “Do you want to order some things to share?”

Rowan hesitated. Part of her rebelled against acting anything but a petulant child, still annoyed that he’d teased her. That he always managed to surreptitiously tease her in public, leaving her on the edge of becoming a mess and unable to do a thing about it.

But she also did want to share some plates, wanted to spear food right off of Gavin’s plate when he wasn’t looking. Whatever he ordered always ended up tasting better anyways.

“We can get some noodles,” he suggested, leaning forward again, brows raised. She knew he was trying to make peace for teasing her earlier. “And a few different curries if you want.”

“And crab rangoons?”

“Of course.”

Rowan snapped her menu shut again, already knowing exactly what she wanted. She smiled, feeling a little lighter than she had that morning when she had felt like a corpse walking. “Okay, I think we should do that.”

“Perfect timing,” Gavin beamed. “I think that’s our server now.”

“Don’t forget my mai tai,” she added, pointing to the small menu of drink specials propped up in the middle of the table.

He took her hand again, squeezing gently. “I could never forget anything about you.”

She rolled her eyes, but her heart softened all the same. Even if he was talking about her drink order.

***

Dinner was delicious, and for a few brief moments Rowan forgot everything but how content she felt as she clutched the bag of their leftovers in one hand and Gavin’s arm in her other.

She might have had more than one cocktail. Maybe two. Maybe three. Blessedly, Gavin said nothing. He’d only smiled, helping to pack away their leftovers and tuck them into the bag they were given before paying the bill.

She leaned against him, her head empty but for a dawn-coloured haze and the smell of his cologne.

“You smell nice,” she mumbled, dropping her head so it fell against his shoulder. “You should wear this more often.”

“Anything for you, love,” he said, laughing when she brushed her lips against his throat.

“Why are you always so kind,” she muttered, peeling away. “I haven’t exactly been a ray of sunshine lately. Why are you doing all of this?”

His brow creased, the light of the streetlights flaring to life catching in his eyes, turning them gold. They were like stars, guiding lights that kept her safe. His smile was small, almost amused at her question.

“Because I love you,” he said, squeezing her hand so tight it nearly hurt. Like he didn’t want to let her go, like he was scared of what would happen if he let her go, if she slipped from his grasp.

“I love you, and I want to protect you,” he said, drawing her to the side, so he could hold her gaze. “I want to take care of you. I would never hold your feelings against you.”

She wanted to protest, opening her mouth to argue. She was being surly, selfish, lazy. She wasn’t doing anything, she was morose. She was a rainstorm stretching darkness across the sky, plunging the world into a chilled, damp misery.

Gavin’s gaze hardened, if only for a moment. His mouth pressed into a thin line, and he reached up to cup her cheek, pressing the pad of his thumb against her lips.

“No arguing,” he said. His tone was firm, although there was still some of that kindness.

She considered licking his finger to see what would happen, but decided against it. She was sure Gavin would only use it to his advantage somehow.

“All I want to do is take care of you, and help you feel better,” he said. “I love you regardless of how you’re feeling. Whether you’re struggling or not. I’m here for you. Always.”

Rowan’s eyes burned, all thoughts of licking his thumb to tease him gone. The world was blurring at the edges, painted in messy strokes of quicksilver as he spoke. Her heart ached, ribs fracturing against the pressure of it as his words slipped through her veins, pumped through her with every erratic beat of her heart.

“And when you have these attacks, I want you to lean on me. Let me take care of you until you feel better again.”

Rowan sniffled, her bottom lip wobbling. She didn’t have any words, her throat closing up in anticipation of sobs building in her chest.

“Don’t cry,” Gavin cooed, his hand sliding away from her lips, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Her lip continued wobbling, and she closed her eyes as the world was drowned in silver, blurring so she couldn’t make out anything but the gold of his eyes.

“It’s hard not to,” she cried. “You can’t just say sweet things like that.”

“But I want to,” he murmured, leaning close until their brows bumped together. “I want to tell you sweet things every day.”

“Then you’ll have to put up with me crying.”

“Are they at least happy tears?”

She sniffled, offering him a wobbly smile. “Maybe.”

A huff of laughter ghosted against her lips. “Then I’ll just wipe your tears away until you can smile.”

She cracked her eyes open, catching the light in his own. “I’m smiling right now, aren’t I?”

He chuckled, catching her off-guard as he pressed his lips to hers, tongue swiping over her bottom lip as she gasped.

“I love your smile,” he murmured, breaking away, beaming as though they weren’t pressed up together at the edge of an alley at dusk. “I’ll make sure you can always smile.”

“You’ll have your work cut out for you,” she said, smiling wryly.

“I’d do anything for you,” he breathed, offering one last, painfully chaste kiss to her lips before stepping back. “Although we should probably head home before it gets too late.”

She giggled, wiping the corners of her eyes. “I do feel like I’m in desperate need of a shower.”

“I can help with that.”

Rolling her eyes, Rowan shook her head. “I don’t think much showering would get done then.”

He pouted, taking her hand as they began walking down the street once more. “I would make sure you get clean…” he trailed off, as though he were about to say more, but had thought better of it.

Rowan pressed her lips together to stifle her smile as she hummed. She was trying to sound disapproving, but it sounded more like she was considering his suggestion.

Which she might have been. Depending on how tired she was when they got home.

Gavin’s eyes alighted on something to the side and he paused, drawing Rowan to a halt beside him.

“What is it?” She asked, curious as she turned to search for what he was looking at.

A few feet from them was a neon flashing sign for an arcade. The door was open to let in the evening spring air, and sugary techno music poured onto the street, undercut by the beeps and pings of the machines and games inside.

“Do you want to go in?” She asked, tilting her head towards the arcade. “I don’t think we’ve ever been.”

He hummed. “Would that be okay with you? I think it might be fun. Maybe there’s a game we can play together.”

Rowan bobbed her head, delight bubbling in her chest. “I would love that.”

He smiled, drawing her along with him. “I’ll even let you pick the first game.”

Rowan winced as they stepped into the arcade, the music much louder now that they were inside. She felt like she had to practically shout to be heard above the music. “I’ve never been to an arcade before! I don’t know what to pick!”

“We’ll have to take a look!” Gavin said, squeezing her hand as they walked up to the front counter.

They had to purchase two little cards, loaded with credits to use on the machines rather than coins. The staff member at the front explained it to them quickly as she loaded up their cards. It was meant to replace using change and tokens, especially since many of the newer machines didn’t accept any coins at all. She also directed them to little self-serve stations around the arcade where they could load more money onto their cards if they ran out.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Gavin drew Rowan deeper into the arcade once he had been handed the receipt for their cards. “What do you want to do first?”

She cast her gaze around, frowning as they wandered around, trying to decide on one of the many colourful, flashing machines. “I’m not sure. There’s just so many.”

“Do you want a plushie?” He asked, directing her attention to a massive claw machine next to a pacman game, neon pinks and greens and blues flashing around the pile of stuffed animals trapped within the case.

She clapped her hands together, walking up to the machine. “I do! But I’m no good at these.”

“That’s alright. I’ll win one for you,” Gavin promised, brushing a kiss against her brow. “Which one do you want?”

Rowan pointed to a fluffy teal otter grinning up at them from the side of the pile. “That one please!”

He swiped his card against the card reader on the machine, the claw jerking to the starting position as a little chime sounded from speakers embedded inside the glass case.

“This shouldn’t be too hard,” Gavin mused, taking hold of the toggle stick and moving the claw.

***

As it happened, it was hard. Rowan had to cover her mouth with both hands to stifle her laughter as Gavin struggled to move the claw. She’d lost count of how many attempts it had been now, but still Gavin persisted, intent on getting the otter.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” she said, resting her hand against his arm. She readjusted her other arm, clutching at the few plushies he had managed to snag. They just weren’t the otter. “I can live without it.”

He sighed, hanging his head. “But you wanted it.”

“I want to have fun with you more,” she said, her voice soft as she leaned against his side. “Why don’t we look at some other games?”

Gavin shot one last glare at the otter, smirking at them from the other side of the glass, before relenting. “Alright, pumpkin. What would you like to do next?”

Rowan tapped her cheek, peering around the room. “Why not a dancing game?”

Gavin paled, even as he coughed, trying to look nonchalant. “A dancing game?”

“Like dance dance revolution,” she said, dragging him across the room. She could see the flashing pad that they would need to stand on to dance, and there wasn’t anyone around the game. It was the perfect opportunity.

“Are you sure?” He asked, scratching at the back of his neck. “You know I’m not that good of a dancer.”

Rowan clambered onto the platform before the screens, pouting as Gavin continued to hesitate. “Please, babey? For me? I wanna play this one.”

His eyes closed, and he ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. His shoulders slumped in defeat before he climbed up next to her, taking the plushies from her arms and setting them on top of the machine. “Alright. Why don’t you pick the song.”

Rowan squealed, mirth in her heart and her veins as she swiped her card before scrolling through the different options. There were a lot of songs that she recognized, which made it difficult to settle on just one.

“I think we’ll have to do this one a few times,” she muttered, scanning the songs she was slowly choosing between. “I want to try all of them.”

Gavin coughed again, covering his mouth as if to hide his wince. “All of them?”

“Yes,” she insisted, crossing her arms as she stepped back, finally settling on a song. “All of them!”

“What about the other games?”

She tipped her head to the side, hoping her smile was as innocent as she was trying to make it. “Well physical activity will help make you feel better after all those losses, won’t it?”

Gavin blinked, taken aback. For a few moments he seemed to have entirely short-circuited, unable to come up with a single response. But then the light slowly returned to his eyes, and his lips slid up into a sly smile. “I’ll remember that for later.”

His smile quickly fell away once the music started up. He was hyper focused, taking the game very seriously.

And at first it worked out well. While Rowan stumbled over stepping on the right squares as they lit up, too focused on giggling at Gavin’s serious expression, he managed to hit every one of them with ease.

But then the song hit the chorus and the game picked up speed, the movements becoming more complex, and suddenly Gavin was not doing so well.

Rowan couldn’t stop laughing, even as she gasped for breath as the pace continued to pick up. Her cheeks were hurting by the time they’d cycled through all of the songs she wanted to try, sweat slipping down her back. Her legs felt like jelly, but her head felt lighter than air. Like she was made of clouds and spun sugar. Of gossamer and wind.

“That was so much fun,” she gushed, taking hold of Gavin’s arm.

He felt steadier than her, although he was wobbling a little as he scooped up the plushies from the claw machine. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“Did you?” She asked, taking the plushies from his arms. Ice water seemed to drip through her, like icicles melting in spring, puddling where there had once been warmth. Maybe she had pushed too much, and now he was unhappy after being forced to play a game he didn’t like.

But Gavin only squeezed her closer to his side, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. “Of course I did. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

She frowned, confused even as the chill in her veins melted away beneath the sun of his words. “What do you mean?”

“You were laughing. How could I not have fun?”

“Gavin,” she groaned, even as her face burned. “You’re such a dork.”

“And you’re so cute when you’re flustered,” he teased, dropping a kiss to her cheek before dragging her away before she could protest.

They wandered around the arcade aimlessly after that, pausing every few moments to try out another game. There was Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders. They even tried pinball for a while, but gave up when it was clear neither of them were particularly good at it.

They were just passing by the prize counter when Rowan froze, eyes falling on the fluffy teal otter sitting on one of the shelves.

“Gavin,” she gasped, yanking on his sleeve. She pointed to the otter, its expression seeming to say ‘come win me! You need me!’ “Look!”

He blinked, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the shelf the otter sat on. “We need six thousand points to redeem it.”

“How many do we have?” Rowan asked, wrinkling her brow as she lifted her card.

Gavin headed towards one of the self-serve stations, checking the balance of points on his card. He frowned, brow creasing. “Only two thousand.”

Rowan hummed, checking the balance on hers. “Two thousand too. Could we maybe combine them?”

Gavin hummed, eyes scanning the arcade. “Wait here, I’m going to go find an employee.”

Rowan waited as he vanished from view. Without Gavin beside her she could feel the fatigue of the day creeping in. After dinner she’d had a burst of energy, a second wind to keep her going through the evening, but it was waning now. She wanted to lean against Gavin’s chest, or drink a sugary drink. Or maybe both.

Gavin reappeared as she was slumping against the wall, her eyes so heavy she could hardly keep them open.

“Where’d you go?” She asked, her voice sounding a little slurred as she reached her arms towards him.

He let her draw him close, one hand sliding up her back and massaging her neck. “I was asking how long the arcade is open until.”

She frowned, exhaustion surely muddling her thoughts so she couldn’t understand what he was saying. That and the three mai tais she’d had. “Why?”

“I’m going to get enough points to win that otter for you,” he said, beaming. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

“Gavin we’ve been here for like an hour and all we have is four thousand points between us.”

He chuckled, ruffling her hair before releasing her. “But we spent twenty of that at the claw machine, and that doesn’t offer points.”

“What games do you wanna play then?” She asked, reaching for him again. She was feeling so tired, and she just wanted to be close. Wanted to be close to him where it was warm and safe.

“I want to start with that basketball game,” he said, pointing to a game a few aisles over where a line of basketball hoops were arranged.

Rowan clapped her hands, a surge of energy flowing through her like lightning in a storm. “You’re so good at basketball, babey.”

He scratched at the back of his neck with his free hand, the tips of his ears stained red. “I’m alright.”

But still Rowan beamed, knowing that Gavin was actually amazing at it. Sometimes, when the weather was nice and he met up with a few friends and colleagues, she would tag along, watching as he played from the bleachers. He always looked so focused and serious, and yet there was always a soft light in his eyes, a happiness kept hidden under the serious set of his jaw.

Gavin swiped his card in front of one of the basketball games, a handful of miniature basketballs streaming out in front of them. Rowan watched, utterly enchanted, as he made basket after basket, swiping his card again and again as more basketballs rolled in front of him.

He won so many times in a row a small crowd gathered behind them, ooo-ing and aaaw-ing as he won again and again, the speakers built into the game playing celebratory music as he continued.

“You’re going to become a celebrity at this rate,” Rowan murmured, peeking over her shoulder at the crowd of teens and children and parents watching Gavin with mixed expressions of curiosity and awe.

Gavin paused, turning to look behind them as well, frowning. “Hm. Maybe we should try a different game.”

“We could do one of the racing ones!” She suggested, pointing to an empty game in a corner. “But I want my car to be pink.”

Chuckling, Gavin took her hand, brusquely excusing himself to the gathering as he shouldered his way through the gaggle of people still watching him as though he were an arcade god.

“You know I bet you really could become a celebrity,” she teased, squeezing his hand as she noticed a teen girl recording them with her phone. “There’s probably going to be videos of you all over the internet tomorrow.”

“I don’t care what they think,” he said, even as the blush at the tips of his ears reached down to his cheeks, staining his whole face the red of a sunset. He turned to meet her gaze, pausing next to the game she had suggested. “I only care what you think.”

Rowan grinned, cupping his face in her hands and brushing her lips to his. “Well I think we should try out this game.”

He chuckled, his smile soft as they broke apart. “As you wish, my love.”

***

Although Rowan knew Gavin could easily beat her in any of the games they tried, he always let her win a round or two. When they raced he let her win the first few races, her candy-coated car and bubblegum pink character leaving him in the dust.

It had almost been enough to trick her into forgetting that he always beat her in Mario Kart. Whether it was Moo Moo Meadows or Rainbow Road, Gavin never failed to win. But she would bask in her victories nonetheless, even if he had handed them to her.

They cycled through nearly every game in the arcade, taking a break every now and then to replay some of Rowan’s favourites. Dance Dance Revolution of course was a must, and she couldn’t stop giggling as Gavin danced next to her.

There was a VR game they wanted to try too, a rhythm game that they could play together. But the line to try the game had been way longer than they’d been willing to wait, and instead they had tried the other games in the arcade, attempting nearly all of them at least once. But as the minutes slowly ticked into hours and the hazy evening light melted into the indigo of night, the crowds slowly dispersed until it was only the two of them and a few other couples milling around.

“Do you want to try the VR one?” Rowan asked, tugging on Gavin’s arm as he checked his points again.

He looked up, blinking at the now nonexistent line for the game that had piqued their interest earlier. “What time is it?”

Rowan checked her phone, wincing at the bright flare of her screen. “It’s just after midnight.”

“We can do that one, and then maybe we’ll call it a day?”

“Do we have enough points for the otter?” She looped her arm through his as they made their way to the game, a bright melody filtering from speakers she couldn’t see surrounding the machine and the VR headsets.

“Just about.” He grinned, looking more than a little smug.

Rowan gaped, amazed. She hadn’t done nearly as well as Gavin had, and was still a thousand points short. “You’re really amazing, babey.”

He chuckled, leaning his head close. “It’s only because you’re here.”

Rowan couldn’t help giggling, fatigue and the alcohol from her mai tai blending together, making her feel lightheaded and ditzy. “What? Like a rabbit’s foot?”

“Much more precious than that.” His lips brushed against her ear, making her shiver. “Everything is perfect when you’re beside me.”

Rowan wanted to point out that things hadn’t exactly been perfect when he’d been trying his hand with the claw machine, but swallowed the words instead. Gavin’s voice was warm and sweet as honey, and it was making her feel like she was melting beneath a summer’s sun. She didn’t want him to stop, felt like she would fall into the comforting warmth of his embrace if he continued.

But Gavin pulled away, a rush of cool air spilling over her in his wake. She pouted, although it was short lived as he brushed his mouth to the corner of her lips.

“I love your smile more,” he breathed. “And if you pout more I’ll have to do something about it.”

“Like what?” She felt like pushing her luck a little, wondering how far she could get before he retaliated. Wondered how much he would retaliate in public before dragging her home to finish the job.

“Do you really want to find out?” He asked. His breath ghosted against her throat, gooseflesh rising in its wake. “Keep pouting and you will.”

She shivered again. Part of her wanted to keep her bottom lip out, wanted to see exactly what he meant. But she was quickly distracted by the flashing lights and dancing figures wielding silver swords on the screen before her, prompting them to put on the VR helmets.

Setting the helmet on her head, Rowan was met with a wave of dizziness as she seemed to be plunged into a world of bright colours and sounds that assaulted her tired mind.

There was bright, cheerful digital music playing as fuschia and azure stars flashed around her, the corona of their light slowly growing into a grid that surrounded her. She knew Gavin was beside her, although she could no longer see his features, only the shape of him wrought in violet and aquamarine.

She lifted one hand to see that she too, was little more than a brightly coloured figure in the game, her hand painted in bubblegum pink and gold.

“This is kind of freaky,” she said, raising her arm to get a better look at her in-game avatar, watching as the colours roiled over the length of her arm like ocean waves. “I feel like I’m on acid or something.”

Gavin chuckled, and she imagined the wry smile playing on his lips. “It reminds me a little of a training simulator at the STF.”

“Okay but. Did the STF training simulator also have a rhythm game in it?” She reached her hand out in thin air, even as her avatar in the game scrolled through different song options to play to.

Another chuckle. “No, it didn’t.”

“Well then they should add one, because rhythm games make everything better.”

A beat as he sucked in a breath. “Rowan, are you still mad I didn’t let you buy that Vocaloid rhythm game?”

“Of course I’m still mad!” She whirled to the side, imagining the amused glint that would be in his eyes. “It was on sale! It looked like so much fun!”

“But you haven’t even finished the last game you bought.”

“But that one is different,” she whined. “That’s an RPG. Rhythm games are different.”

He lifted his hands, conceding. “Alright. Next time we go out I’ll buy it for you.”

“And there’s a new romance sim I want that comes out next week too.”

Gavin heaved a long-suffering sigh, shaking his head.

“You said anything for me!” She waved her arms, her earlier brain haze giving way to the desire to be ridiculously dramatic. “For me! The love of your life! Your everything! Your sweet pumpkin pie!”

Gavin’s hands reached for hers, clasping them between his palms. She could feel the tremors of his laughter through his hands, his whole body shaking like an earthquake had rent the deep, boisterous laughter from deep in his soul.

“You are my everything,” he promised, his words lilting as his laughter slowly began to subside. “And you are my sweet pumpkin pie.”

Her legs wobbled a little, as though they were made of jelly, when he said it. Something about the utter dorkiness of the affectionate nickname he’d bestowed on her that always made her feel a little weak, a little like she were no more substantial than seafoam and summer clouds.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want.” He brushed a kiss to her knuckles, the sensation strange since she could not see his face, only the blue and purple avatar the game had conjured for him. “But first, let’s try this game.”

Rowan beamed, her focus diverted as it was once again turned to the VR game. “Alright. But I’m picking the music.”

“As you wish,” was his response, and she could see the arc of his smile in her mind.

“And I’m not going easy on you!”

Gavin’s laughter threaded with the opening strains of the music as the game began, their VR avatars wielding massive silver swords that flashed as they sliced into the projectiles the game tossed at them.

Rowan was pleased to find that she was actually quite good at the game, quickly syncing her movements to the beat of the song. Beside her, Gavin was seeming to do quite well too, although Rowan felt a surge of smug satisfaction as she realized her score was higher than his.

“I think the STF should get one of these!” She sang, starbursts exploding across her screen as she swiped at the in-game projectiles. “I think it could be good training!”

“Good training for what?” Gavin sounded incredulous, even as he successfully sliced through a string of projectiles as the tempo picked up.

“Well what if you have to go undercover during a fancy ball? And you need to dance with someone?” She gasped, clapping her hands as the round ended and she was declared the winner. “Or what if you have to fight in the middle of a ball or a party and you can only attack on beat to whatever song is playing?”

She imagined the amusement in his expression, the incredulity at the edges. “That’s never happened before.”

“But what if it does.”

He laughed, warm and bright, surely reaching towards the stars. His laughter turning to bright lights among the velvet darkness of the night. “I’ll make sure to add it to the agenda.”

“Oh good,” she said, feigning relief. “I was so worried.”

“The last thing I want to do is worry you.”

“While you’re at it, we should take dance classes again,” she continued, starting up a new round. “I think that would be fun.”

Gavin paused for a beat before responding, and for a moment Rowan thought maybe he hadn’t heard her, the music blasting in his ears drowning out his senses. But then he did respond, his voice soft. Like the moments between sleep and awakening. “I would love that.”

Rowan wanted to question if he was feeling alright, but the tempo picked up in the game and she had to turn and focus, intent on beating Gavin yet again.

They ended up playing for quite a few rounds, the arcade near deserted now but for them and a few couples crowded around the retro-inspired games. Rowan felt like she might have been on her third or fourth wind, more energy flowing through her in a moment than an entire week.

Not that the sudden burst of energy lasted particularly long, with her legs suddenly turning to jelly and her bones to lead.

She whined as Gavin helped her to remove the VR helmet, nearly toppling against his chest once they were both free.

“Why don’t we collect our prizes and head home?” He suggested, arm wrapped around her waist as he led the way to the prize counter.

The employee standing at the counter looked beyond bored, not even bothering to try and hide their phone as they idly flicked their thumb across the screen.

“Cards please,” they said, their tone dull as they held their hand out.

Gavin had never looked more smug as he handed his card over, waiting for the employee to let him know what prizes he could choose from.

Rowan’s eyes bulged as she listened to the employee list the points Gavin had wracked up, pointing to all of the items he could redeem.

He didn’t hesitate as he selected the teal otter. He cradled it in his arms for a moment, his expression softening as he turned to Rowan.

“For you.”

She clutched it to her chest, beaming so wide her cheeks hurt. “Thank you, babey.”

His smile turned mischievous. “Don’t thank me yet, I still have points leftover.”

She was astonished that he had any points left after the otter. She hadn’t thought the VR game had given them that many points, had it?

Gavin quickly redeemed the rest of his points for a finger trap, a handful of candy, and a blind box from a series she loved.

Rowan clutched her otter as she redeemed her own points, choosing another two blind boxes and a goofy plastic crown.

“For you, my king,” she announced, settling it on Gavin’s head. “For defeating all the enemies in the arcade.”

The employee rolled their eyes as the two of them walked away, but Rowan didn’t care. She was tired, still a little drunk, and so overwhelmingly happy she thought she might explode into stardust. It had been so long since she’d tasted such joy, and she wasn’t going to let a grouchy teenager ruin it because they were being silly.

She loved Gavin, loved being silly around him.

“Why did you get that?” She asked, pointing to the finger trap as he tucked it into his pocket.

He shrugged. “I’m going to use it to keep you close.”

“Keep me close?”

He lifted her hand, sliding it easily onto her index finger. “Exactly. Just like this.” Then he slid his finger into the other end, joining the two of them together.

Rowan laughed, delighted by the silliness of it. “You could always just hold my hand.”

“But what if you let go?”

“I mean…” She trailed off, cheeks burning even as they stepped out into the crisp night. “You could always use your handcuffs.”

Gavin smirked, looking far too pleased for her liking. “I was planning on saving those for something else. But I can cuff you if you want.”

She looked away as quickly as she could, blinking as the world spun. Maybe she’d drank too much. “It was only a suggestion.”

He dropped his head close to hers, lips ghosting against the curve of her jaw. “It’s one I plan to take you up on.”

Sighing, Rowan flopped against Gavin’s side, too tired to joke around. “You can do whatever you want to me,” she said, sighing again. “But tomorrow, once I’ve gotten some sleep.”

“Are you tired?” His voice softened.

“I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“Alright, pumpkin,” he murmured, drawing her to his chest as they walked. “Let’s go home.”

***

Her memories of the rest of the night were hazy. Gavin coaxing her into the shower, helping her to wash the sweat from her body before wrapping her up in a soft towel and helping her into her favourite pajamas. Gavin tucking her beneath their blankets before cuddling up beside her, tucking her head beneath his chest.

Even her dreams were hazy, little more than splashes of colour melting together. The echo of a soft hum that warmed her heart dancing in the wind. Ocean waves lapping against the shore, reaching for her from where she stood.

Rowan awoke, her mind still hazy, to Gavin’s teeth nibbling her ear.

“Good morning,” he breathed, hands wrapping around her waist, his voice heady and warm.

“G’morning,” she mumbled, barely able to keep her eyes open.

“Sleep well?”

“Mmmm…”

She felt herself slipping into unconsciousness again, the draw of the blurry ocean and melting colours in her mind like a siren’s song.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he teased, running his hands along her sides. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sleeby,” she whined.

But she was starting to awaken more, becoming more and more aware of his hands on her sides. His hands at the waistband of her sleep shorts, toying with it idly.

“Rowan,” he breathed, drawing her focus.

“Hmm?” She peered up, catching his eyes as the shone gold. Her stomach twisted, heat pooling in her core. He looked so handsome; beautiful with his disheveled hair and his bright eyes.

“Do you remember what you promised last night?” He teased, slipping his hands up beneath her shirt.

She worried the inside of her cheek, heart lurching as the memory surfaced. “Yes.”

“That I can do whatever I want?”

She nodded, feeling breathless. “Yes.”

His hands trailed higher, stroking her sides. “I know what I want to do.”

“Then do it.”

She threaded her fingers in his hair as he gently pushed her onto her back, hands making quick work of her pajamas until she was bare beneath him.

“I love you,” you groaned, pressing fiery kisses to her throat. “I love you so much.”

She held him tighter, too distracted by his lips and his teeth and his hands to think of much else.

But as Gavin’s lips found hers, his hands tenderly spreading her thighs apart, a moment of clarity found her. A moment where she realized her heart no longer felt entirely empty.

She could still feel the cracks, feel where the shining joy still dripped through. And she could still feel the leaden fatigue in her body, craving nothing but the peace of oblivion.

But it wasn’t as heavy, and the cracks in her heart weren’t as big. Like all of Gavin’s efforts had helped her to heal, a salve to the wounds in her heart. A tonic to hasten her recovery.

She broke from his lips, her head falling back as she cupped his face. “Thank you.”

Gavin blinked, bemused. He chuckled awkwardly, raking a hand through his already mussed hair. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For helping me,” she said, voice soft as she stroked his cheeks. “For staying with me. For helping when I didn’t know what would work. For loving me.”

His expression softened, no longer shadowed by his desire as he leaned down to brush a chaste kiss to her lips. “I will always love you, Rowan. And I’ll always do everything I can to help you. To make you happy.”

“Being with you makes me happy.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, but it didn’t need to be. Her words weren’t for the wind to sweep away, they were for Gavin alone.

He chuckled, nuzzling against her cheek, his laughter ringing through her like song. “You might regret that by this evening.”

She frowned. “Why?”

He peeled away, sitting back on his legs as he stretched his arms skyward. “Because we’re still going to the gym tonight.”

“Oh Gavin no,” she whined, squirming from beneath him. “Can’t we do something else?”

“Nope,” he beamed, far too pleased with himself. “If yesterday helped, then going to the gym regularly will definitely help.”

She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I don’t want to!”

He tsked, taking her hands and prying them from her chest, lifting them above her head and pressing them to the pillows. “You said I could do anything I wanted.”

“Well- I didn’t mean- I meant more like-” She stumbled over her words, wriggling helplessly. “I meant like…”

He arched a brow. “Like what?”

He held her arms in one hand, reaching for something on the side-table that she couldn’t see. He made sure to keep whatever it was from her line of sight, although the telltale clink of metal as the cool cuffs were clasped around her wrists gave it away.

“Like this, maybe?” He teased, releasing her wrists.

She huffed, rolling her eyes. “Maybe.”

“Well you said I could do anything,” he continued, lowering his head to drag his teeth over where her pulse fluttered in her throat. “So I’m going to do this. And then we’re going to the gym tonight.”

“Fine,” Rowan conceded, feigning annoyance even as her toes curled from his ministrations.

“But if you’re very good I’ll go easy on you tonight.” His breath was hot as he trailed kisses below her collarbone. “And I’ll even give a treat.”

“Will it be something like this?” Her voice hitched as he dropped his mouth lower, writhing beneath his touch.

She could feel his smile against her skin. “Something very much like this.”

“Alright,” she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Do your worst, officer.”

His head rose, his smile verging on wicked. “I will.”

And Rowan laughed, his eyes and his smile and his teasing voice a melody in her heart. And she could feel the wounds that remained heal a little more, her heart a little more whole with every moment she shared with him.

#mlqc #gavin mlqc #bai qi #mlqc bai qi #gavin x mc #bai qi x mc #bai qi x reader #mlqc gavin bai #gavin x oc #star kissed winds

[chuverall]

Congratulations to handsome men born in April, June, and July!

#love and producer #mr. love queen's choice #mlqc #mlqc fanart #kiro #mlqc shaw #mlqc gavin #주기락 #연시호 #백기

[ivyginkgo]

I know that there's a lot of video that post the translation from Mandarin to English already, but if someone interest for read the story at post rather than video, I will help to put the translation.

#gavin mlqc #mlqc bai qi #mr love queen's choice #mlqc translations #mlqc fluff #mlqc cn #mlqc haku #mlqc gavin #mlqc #translation