((R)) ALL SYSTEMS GO - LYSANDER

[joanna ruby reagan]



-- jo had had enough of the horror and drama unfolding in the masquerade building. it was her job, and she knew it all too well, but any human would be truly sickened by the sight of that crime scene. she was used to having everything bagged up and ready for her, and she was fine with reconstructing a crime scene from photographs, but the real deal? it was much more intense than a photo could ever portray. she bit her lip as she hurried down the hallway. as much as jo loved her job, as much as she wanted to do something that would help the world, the fact that violence such as this occurred scared her, and if she ever wanted to get out of the lab and become a medical examiner, she’d have to get past that fear.

the blonde swallowed hard and pushed down that thought, judging it as inappropriate for the moment. she had been sent out by the detective who was dispatched to work on the case, and she didn’t blame him. a semi-hysterical, exhausted forensic scientist caked in blood wasn’t going to be very much good in an investigation. jo stopped and leaned against a wall for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and calming herself down before continuing her way to the bathroom, her intended destination. no one else was there, to her joy, so she peeled off the bloody tights and padded over to the sink, calmly and meticulously washing off her arms and hands of blood until there was no more red on her skin. jo took the time to reapply her makeup, cleaning her face of sweat and blood so she looked composed. the woman looked at herself in the mirror before pulling the mask out of her hair. the elastic band caught on it, and she cursed before tugging it out bit harder than necessary, cringing as she pulled a strand of hair out with it.

”it’ll be fine,” she told herself, steeling her face. ”you’ll be fine.”

jo threw out the ruined tights and marched out of the bathroom, shoes in one hand, looking for lysander. she didn’t think that he’d be lingering near the room any longer than necessary, nor that the detective would let him stay, so he had to be around here somewhere. she could just leave and get a cab home, but she wanted to do him the favor of checking in on him, in the very least, to see how he was holding up. ”lysander!” she spotted him and ran over, using her free hand to hold her dress down. ”lysander- are you- how is your friend?” jo felt self-conscious even though she had cleaned herself up, dropping her shoes unceremoniously by her feet.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. 472
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

lysander felt as if he was drifting through a fog and he had no idea which way was up and which way was down. one moment, he was dancing with jo, and the next moment he was staring at the carnage that was one of his childhood friends. he saw genesis covered in blood, he saw huck freeze up and lose himself. he saw jo take control of the situation. he saw huck punch genesis hard across her cheek. he saw all of them bustling around him as if he was frozen and it was all in slow motion. distantly, his mind registered that he should be upset that huck had hit a woman. that he should be upset that charlotte was laying in a pool of her own blood intermingled with some innocent woman none of them knew. that there was a killer still on the loose.

he should be sick.

he should be something.

but he was nothing.

he calmly called 911, he calmly moved out of the way when they arrived. but when the crowd began clustering in the hallway, it stifled him. he was usually so well-adapted to this sort of thing. he was just a face in the crowd, a calming force for the tempests around him. but huck was gone. charlotte was hurt so bad he didn't know if she would live. genesis wasn't even his friend, but she was gone as well. and jo was preoccupied.

cameras flashed as people took pictures of the gruesome sight with their phones, and the flashes hurt his eyes until he fought back against the people to get away from them. breaking into a run down the hallway, he headed back to the main ballroom where the police had cleared everyone out of the event. they began wrangling people from the hallway as well, and lysander stayed well out of their way as they herded and goaded the onlookers out of the door. his numbness - for he was losing it - made the police overlook him, and he stood alone in his own corner, his shoulders drooped slightly.

it was that moment that an errant paparazzo found him and shoved a microphone in his face, asking him if the murder had any connection to nixon's handing over of the company. that made him snap. he couldn't take it anymore. the engrained grey intensity combined with their characteristic temper showed itself in him as it never had before. without a word, he punched the man in the face, his hand instantly stinging from the impact. shaking his fingers as a cop grabbed him and pushed the press member away, he noticed the dark smile of the reporter as he wiped the blood from his nose. this was going to make the papers, and deep down, he knew it, but on the surface he didn't care. he could feel nothing more than he was already feeling for he was filled to the brim.

suddenly, he heard his name, and he glanced around dazedly. seeing jo materialize, relief flooded through him at the sight of her. her tights were gone and she was cleaned up somewhat from the bloody room. he could still smell the metallic smell of blood on her, but his relief at seeing her overwhelmed him. shaking slightly from the intensity of it all, he realized his hand hurt far worse from punching the press guy than he'd initially expected and he shook it with a wince.

"they'd taking charlotte to the hospital. most of the blood in the room was from... the other woman, but she still lost a lot. she'll probably be there for a while," he commented flatly, his mind too overloaded to show the depth of emotions he was feeling.

impulsively, he reached out and pulled her into his arms, burying his nose in her blond hair as he clung to her. feeling her against him solidfied him, grounded him, even though it was probably innapropriate for him to grab her in such a way. he didn't care. he needed to feel her. he needed to feel something he could physically touch when so many ethereal things were going through his mind.

"jo..." he whispered, unable to voice what he needed to say. he wanted to comment on the blood. he wanted to comment on the insanity that had been the last hour, but he couldn't. he couldn't find the strength although he needed to. the press had gotten the best of him, had photographed him with a crime scene, and now he would be in the limelight more than ever, and not in a good way.

pulling back from her slightly, his eyelids dropped as he looked down into her eyes. as never before, he felt his testosterone filling his veins, burning away the pain and anguish there in a welcomed response. he needed to cope, and his body was doing that for him even if it wasn't exactly the best way of coping. leaning down, he kissed her on her lips for the first time since they'd met, crossing that boundary he never crossed with women. but the stress and emotions of the night were too powerful for him to fight against. his propriety couldn't find a footing amongst it all.

he deepened the kiss as he crushed her to him until he could no longer breathe and he was forced to release her. sighing despondently, his forehead resting against hers, he kept his eyes closed for a moment as he fought to find his bearings. "come with me," he commented urgently, taking her hand and turning to lead her from the mayor's mansion. he couldn't be here any longer, and he didn't want to go home alone.

directing the way outside to the limo reserved for them, he opened the door for her and climbed in after her. the driver was well-trained and ignored them as he pulled the car into traffic, and lysander found himself balanced beside her on the seat as he climbed inside. gently, he took her chin between his fingers and pulled her toward him, kissing her once more until he felt an electrical heat rise in his chest that made his breathing come short. he never gave into his lusts; he wasn't that sort of man. but this night was different. he needed to let go. he already had.

gripping her knee, he pulled her over onto his lap as he kissed her, his hands leaving her hips to run into her blond hair and down her neck until they rested on her waist. his fingers pushed her dress up to her hips as he shifted so he could pull his own jacket off of his shoulders. the heat beneath the wool jacket was stifling, and he was thankful to be free of it. returning to kissing her, he allowed himself to get lost in the feel of her against his lap and the taste of her on his mouth.

NOTES well that escalated quickly...
WORDS 1025
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]



-- lysander just looked overwhelmed by it all, and she stepped closer instinctively, noting with a critical eye the way he was shaking out his hand and the bruising already forming. someone got punched. she wouldn’t have suspected that from someone like lysander, but she supposed that in this situation, she wasn’t the only one who was shaken to the core.

”i’m sorry,” jo said simply to his response, offering him a small smile. ”she seemed to be in good shape before the... attack, and i managed to stop some of the bleeding.” it was true. she could call the hospital later on “official police business”, get an answer fast, and then call him. it wasn’t actually illegal, she would have every intent to report the information to another officer. she was about to open her mouth to offer when lysander pulled her close.

jo was quick to return the embrace, raising herself up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he buried his face into her hair. he really must be freaking out if he was touching her this casually. she let out a soft exhale against his neck and tugged him closer, enjoying the simple contact perhaps a bit too much. she always was a tactile person, and in times of such great shock and mourning, a hug was always welcomed. the fact that it was this man made it even more welcome.

”yeah, ly?” the blonde kept her voice gentle. his voice was raw, and she could barely start to fathom the stress he was going through. he inherited the company he had never wanted or thought he was going to get, he had the vultures and parasites of the press after him, one of his friends was badly wounded and in the hospital, and it was unsure if she would live... these next few weeks, hell, these next few days would be tough on him. jo had her own worries and insecurities, such as the fact there was a murderer on the loose and she was expected to keep calm and composed while she had the pressure of helping find out who it was, but lysander had it worse. that was undisputable.

instead of answering, lysander pulled back and gave her a strangely intense look that she definitely wouldn’t expect from him. this was adrenaline, this wasn’t what he wanted, he’d regret it in the morning- the logical side of her brain flashed a thousand warning lights but the part of her that wanted this ever since he left her at her apartment, always a gentleman, that part muffled out the logic in it. his lips pressed against her lightly, and as she responded, pressed harder as she moved her hand to his face. lysander pulled her closer and kept kissing her until she couldn’t breathe and was so, so glad that she had decided to freshen her makeup because if he was going to kiss her like that, she was going to look like a hot mess before anything even happened.

she opened her eyes and let him rest his forehead against hers, breathing a little hard before kissing him lightly as he pulled away. some media had to have gotten a picture of that, but jo couldn’t bring herself to care as she heeded his command and laced her fingers with his, pausing for a second to scoop up her shoes. her stomach churned with nervous anticipation, the likes of which she hadn’t felt for too long.

jo hadn’t expected this from him. not at all. if someone had asked her how she thought lysander grey would kiss, she would have either said that he didn’t, or he would be more polite and careful. she was wrong.

she got into the limo before him, biting her lip as she settled herself in the seat and felt the car lurch forward into traffic. the paparazzi were too obsessed with the murder to pay much attention to them, to her abject relief. the blonde readily let him pull her closer and kiss her until she was twisting closer herself, a hand on the back of his neck to keep him close and to make sure that he didn’t stop.

jo gasped as he pulled her over so she was straddling his lap and kept greedily kissing him, moving her hand so she was gripping a handful of his hair lightly. he ran his fingers through her own hair, fingers sending blooming warmth down her body and making her shiver. she helped him tug his suit jacket off, smoothing her hands over his shoulders and undoing the first few buttons of his shirt. she knew that they’d have to get out as soon as they got to where he lived, but she let herself sink into his kisses for the meantime.

the limo started to slow down, and jo looked out of the corner of her eyes before pulling away, gasping for breath. ”we’re here,” she said lamely, not moving away, but pressing their foreheads together again, his hands still settled on her waist and her dress still rucked up past her thighs. ”we should...” jo swallowed dryly, not wanting to move but knowing that they should.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. 880
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

her touch in his hair and against his shirt heated him more than he could understand. he was usually successfully aloof from women, keeping his distance so he didn't dishonor them. it was overly chivalrous and proper, but that was his way. he'd been raised to respect women above himself, and he held true to that belief to this day. he was practically a virgin when it came to sex because of how successfully he'd always kept himself at arms' distance from all females. he'd fooled around plenty and even gone all the way, but it wasn't a habit of his, and generally he felt horribly about himself after the fact. he had never been in love, although he honestly cared about the women he'd been with whether it was sex or less. beneath the surface, he felt that sex should be reserved for a special someone, for a situation where two people loved one another. he hated thinking he'd taken advantage of anyone. he wasn't a manwhore, and he would never use a woman in such a way.

this was the excuse for why he hadn't kissed her until now. even a kiss was a sacred thing to him, reserved to the backs of hands and cheeks until it was appropriate and welcomed elsewhere. he was stuffy, as some people called him, but it kept him safe. he didn't get close to people. this behavior stemmed all the way back to his childhood, how he'd been shunned and ostracized as the black sheep, the errant sperm to tarnish the grey family name. he kept no one close so no one could hurt him. it worked well, and it was well-shrouded as politeness instead of being a lone wolf. he was a sociable man, but no one got beneath his shell of propriety and manners.

but jo had breached that wall. through a combination of her beauty and his genuine, growing affection for her, he'd allowed her to get close. he'd allowed himself to imagine kissing her and holding her and doing those things he never did. the paparazzi and his instant fame the moment he'd taken over as ceo of grey enterprises was merely the straw that broke the camel's back. being honestly attracted to her weakened him to his lusts the moment he'd hit the paparazzo and embarrassed himself for all of boston - and probably the east coast and beyond - to see. it was all too much, and he was falling into a dark place formerly out of his reach. it was the same darkness he'd run from for so many years. the same darkness he'd felt beneath the surface of his skin, threatening to free itself at the smallest provocation. now it was in full force, and it was rearing its head, taking him over as he'd always feared it would.

even so, as he pulled her into his lap and saw her react to his touch, he knew this was right. even if the proper side of him was screaming to move her back to her seat, to stop kissing her, to stop wanting her so inappropriately, his body and his mind wanted her now. that darkness would not be denied, and he didn't intend to ignore it.

as the limo slowed to a halt, he growled impatiently but softly as he looked up at her when she pulled away from him. her voice was thick as she informed him they had arrived, and the sound of it made his insides curdled and twist licentiously. he didn't want to wait to go inside, he wanted her here and now.

but it wasn't right.

it wasn't proper.

screw proper. he gently shifted her off of his lap, kissing her quickly on her lips once more as he set her beside him, forsaking his jacket on the seat and pulling her after him out of the limo. once he stepped outside, he gave her enough time to climb out before he scooped her up in his arms, smiling as he carried her into the building, shutting the limo door with his foot. not thinking about his friends and the fact that they could possibly be in his apartment, he carried her through the lobby and into the elevator that rose too slowly up to his floor. they were the only two people in the elevator, and he felt a static charge building between them as he set her on her feet and took hold of her hand once more. his brown eyes trailed to her hand, clasped in his, following the smooth curve of her arm up to her face. when their eyes locked, he felt that charge hit his chest, and he impulsively stepped toward her. cupping her soft face with his free hand, he brought her face up to meet his in a firm, wanting kiss. he didn't care if they were in an elevator that anyone could call to a stop at any moment, he needed to taste her again.

reaching behind him, he hit the emergency stop button with the side of his fist, causing the elevator to lurch to a stop. his eyes opened to look down at her, questioning her. "i want you, and i don't want to wait," he admitted, his voice thick as his hands went to the sides of her face, brushing her blond waves back from her cheeks. he outlined her right ear with his left hand, watching his fingers trace her skin before looking back into her eyes. his manners told him this wasn't the time and place, that he should respect her more and take her into his actual apartment, but his lust didn't give a damn. still, he lost none of his gentlemanly nature as he looked urgently down at her, feeling his body stiffen and tense with anticipation. "what do you want, jo?" he asked, his voice struggling out over the tightness in his throat.

NOTES well that escalated quickly...
WORDS idek
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]



--

jo didn’t have too many reservations. she was loud, she had a temper, she was the polar opposite of what a “prim proper lady” was supposed to be. that wasn’t to say that she didn’t have manners, she could be impeccably polite if she wanted to be, her mother had taught her etiquette, but she felt stifled. she didn’t want to be that quiet, reserved person, she was much too passionate about her life to ever be that person. she was honest with herself about her wants. she liked sex, so why would she abstain just because she could? she was furious with whoever decided to call her easy or a whore, because those weren’t their words to call her. just because she exercised her right to sleep with people who wanted her didn’t mean that she sold herself. she would prefer to have sex with someone where it meant something, as foreign as the thought may have been, but drunken one night stands, if done right, took away the need for any emotional reassurance. they wanted each other, they’d take each other, and then one of them would leave in the morning. jo would admit that it was an empty lifestyle, even if it could be fun, which was why this, what she was starting to have with lysander, scared her.

he treated her with respect and was careful with her. he wanted her, if his kisses and touch said anything, but at the same time, he was a gentleman. it was new, it was infuriating. jo wanted to find all of his buttons and press them, get him to react with something other than the utter control he exhibited, and apparently tonight was the night. lysander’s control was impressive, to say in the slightest. she had been honestly expecting for him to make a move for the entire time they’d known each other, even something as subtle as letting a hand linger for a few seconds too long, but the most intimate he had gone was an arm around her waist, the closest they’d ever been was when they were dancing. jo wanted to laugh at how the scales had tipped. it was refreshing to be treated like lysander treated her, but at the same time, she wanted him to learn that he didn’t have to hold his walls up like he did.

he let out a rough impatient sound when she told them that they had to move, a sound that made her bite her lip as he moved her off his lap. she scooted over, running her hands over her skirt as she pulled it down before letting him tug her out of the car. jo let out a breathless laugh as he scooped her up easily, wrapping an arm around his neck and leaning in to press a kiss under his jawline. this really was getting to be interesting. she remembered that she left her shoes in the car, and couldn’t really bring herself to care. she’d get them in the morning.

jo could sense his impatience as soon as they stepped into the elevator. he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it, posture stiff and his hand wrapped around hers firmly. she was acutely aware of his eyes traveling up her form, and took a shaky breath as their eyes met. she leaned into him as he gave her another one of those intense kisses that she couldn’t have ever expected from him, and he was the one who needed to break away first. a hot feeling rose in her chest, something electric and almost tangible as he finally, finally hit the emergency stop in the elevator.

his admittance and the way his tone dripped his want was enough for her to wait for him to pick her up and they could just have sex in the elevator, for all she cared, but his brown eyes were still serious. he asked her what she wanted. despite the situation, it dragged a laugh out of her, blue eyes creasing in mirth not entirely directed at him. the blonde almost wanted to thank him for thinking about her before himself, because it appeared as though even if he was on the way to his apartment to fuck her, he’d still try to be a gentleman, and that made a warm feeling entirely unlike lust emerge in her chest. before she hurt his pride, she moved one of her hands to his shoulder and the other to the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. ”oh, just come here, you damn gentleman.” she kissed him and then moved to push him back against the wall of the elevator, because she sure as hell wasn’t going to wait if she knew that he didn’t want to. they could use the apartment later, if they wanted. she had to raise herself up on her toes to keep them pressed together, if he didn’t stoop a little, but the strain in the back of her legs meant nothing as the electric feeling passed through her again at his touch.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. 857
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

he smiled as she giggled when he lifted her from the limo. he repressed a delighted shiver as her face pressed against his neck and he felt her lips on his skin. the feeling was delicious, and he barely made it through the lobby and into the elevator with a straight face. his desire was raging out of control, taking him over completely.

even as he dropped into his darkest hour, he had an ardent desire to give her what she wanted. he didn't want to take advantage of her in any way. he wouldn't be a casanova, even if he wanted to have sex with her. as he hit the emergency stop button on the elevator, he had to rein himself in to keep from hoisting her up around his waist and taking her right then. the way she returned his gaze bored into him, inciting his lust and desire. that look communicated messages to him he didn't fully know how to interpret. he wasn't as well-versed in women as a man like huck or his half-brother nixon. he didn't know how to read women. his instincts were the only thing guiding him as he cupped her face and asked her flat-out what she wanted.

when she giggled up at him, he smiled, relaxed further by the alleviation of the stress he felt. if it hadn't served to relieve him, then he probably would have been embarrassed by her reaction, but as it was, he smirked down at her. as her hands gripped his shoulder, pushing him back against the wall as she temporarily wrested control from him, her words hit him like a flame in the pit of his stomach. smiling against her mouth as she kissed him, he found that burning sensation in his chest and summoned it into a flaming passion that overtook him. bending slightly, he hooked his hands behind her knees and lifted her up around his waist, pressing back against her so he drove them both back against the opposite wall of the elevator. holding her easily in his grip, he allowed her to loosen his clothing, his mouth leaving hers only long enough to shed the articles standing between them.

it was all so physical, it sent waves of burning desire through him, heating his scalp until he felt as if his nerve endings might combust. not caring where their clothes fell, the muscles in his arms tightened and tensed as he pulled her tightly around him, his body reacting instantly the moment they connected. a whoosh of air left his lungs and he came close to dropping her, but the pressure between them and the wall was great enough to keep them both upright. his head spun from the sensation of it all, and he moaned into her hair as his body kicked into gear and flew into an ecstatic release.

his hands slipped down her legs, lowering her feet to the floor as he kissed her deeply, not wanting to remove their contact. he felt satiated, but he didn't want her to leave just yet. that wasn't his style. he had no intention to have sex with her and send her away as another man might do. he was a gentleman, but he also knew he never would have gone this far with her if he didn't care about her more than just for the sex. that wasn't in his nature, even if his inhibitions were dropped.

gathering his clothes, he smirked down at her and kissed her chastely before gripping her hand in his and pulling her hand up to his lips to kiss along her knuckles. "stay with me," he urged her, hitting the button to start the elevator so it lurched upward, throwing him temporarily off balance so he had to brace himself against the wall over her head. his eyes sparked with amusement and an emotion that communicated he wasn't done with her yet. leaning in, he kissed her lightly and then with more urgency as the elevator rose and stopped on his floor. as the doors pinged open, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side, leading her to his apartment. unlocking the door, he turned and pushed it open with his back, gripping her hips in his hands and kissing her as he backed into the apartment and waited for her to enter before he shut the door behind them. releasing her long enough to drop his keys in the dish beside the door, he motioned around the apartment.

"make yourself at home," he commented easily, kissing her cheek before he headed toward his bedroom. "you can steal some of my clothes if you want to get out of what you've got on," he mentioned, his eyes lighting up with amusement when he realized she'd technically already been out of what she had on. "come take a look," he offered, smiling adorably as he stood in the doorway to his room and motioned toward his dresser.

NOTES well that escalated quickly...
WORDS idek
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]



--

he lifted her up faster than she expected him to be able to, smirking at her in a way that made her grin back even as he kissed her. it amused her and sent desire through her that he could move her like this, she was used to the men in the science department and in her lab, who rather stereotypically started breathing hard if they had to carry a slide a few feet over to a microscope, and he wasn’t as bulky as a lot of the men she’d hooked up with in bars. jo slid her legs up around his waist, his hands keeping her thighs up even as she tightened them around him. she trusted him to keep her up, even as she tugged at the collar of his shirt blindly, kissing him until she felt drunk with the physicality of it all.

jo leaned against the wall of the elevator, gripping at his shoulders and then wrapping an elbow around the back of his neck, feeling him bow and tremble against her before letting instinct take over. she burned for him as much as he seemed to burn for her, and that was enough for her as she kept him close to her. he ran gentle hands down her thighs, moving down her legs as he helped lower her to the floor. she let out a small, sated sigh and kissed him back, staying close to lysander as he pressed nearer. jo ran a soft hand through his brown hair, feeling more affectionate than she had in a very long time. she knew that normally, she had no time for any cuddling or the emotional afterglow or whatever, either from having consumed too much alcohol or just sheer exhaustion, but this, this was nice. it was new, she wasn’t entirely sure of what she was supposed to be doing, and she didn’t like that, but it came easily, as they were proving now. lysander cared about her more than just the sex, and she also cared about him enough to try and learn a new way that she had resigned herself against.

”‘course,” she murmured, smiling at the way he could still kiss her so carefully, as if he was kissing her goodnight on a first date, even though they’d just had sex. that was definitely new, and that was definitely something that only lysander could do. jo found her smile growing despite herself at the way he then kissed her knuckles. he knew how to make her feel giddy. it was ridiculous. the blonde quirked an eyebrow as he had to catch himself on the wall above her head when the elevator shook, simply swaying with the motion and leaning up, copying his own motion to kiss him back. ”hello, handsome,” she quipped, stroking a hand down his face and snickering a little. she was just as amused as he was. jo leaned her head against his shoulder when he wrapped his arm around her, bumping her hip against his in an easy stride.

a surprised sound left her lips as lysander grabbed her hips and pulled her into his apartment, or what she could only assume to be so, while catching her lips in a sudden heated kiss. she kissed back just as fervently, making a displeased noise when he pulled away to drop the keys. she wanted to keep touching him. jo was appeased by the kiss he planted on her cheek as he announced that she could make herself at home, and she started to look around. it was a nice apartment, something richer than her own, but not snobby or gilded like the manor or what she would expect a rich apartment to look like. it was nice, it was something that she’d expect lysander to own. she realized what he was saying and was quick to move towards his room. jo pulled open a dresser, taking out one of his shirts and slipping it over her bare shoulders. she buttoned three of the buttons and turned around to wink at him. ”new fashion trend,” the blonde announced, moving to sit on his bed. ”i think it’s trendy.”

she let her legs stretch out, rubbing fingers over a scar on the knee and then absentmindedly rubbing the hemline of the shirt between her fingers before looking back up at lysander. ”i feel like i look like a hot mess right now, but i don’t really feel like finding your bathroom or, frankly, moving. we cool?” jo gave him a small smile and gestured for him to join her before thinking that it may have been slightly impetuous. after all, it was his bed, his shirt, and his apartment. no matter, she didn’t think that he’d be particularly offended.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. 807
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

when jo agreed to stay with him, easily communicating that she hadn't planned on doing anything else, lysander smiled at her. he was relieved she wanted to stay. part of him thought she'd leave the first time they had sex, and he was relieved she didn't want to. he didn't want their evening to end on that note, even if it was a good one.

as he lost his balance, he chuckled as she greeted him, and his fingers traced her jawline as she touched his face simultaneously. he smiled and leaned against her touch, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments before flickering open to look at her once more before he kissed her. he accepted her touch as he put his arm around her the led her from the elevator, and he enjoyed the way she melded in to him. for the first time, it was as if they were actually a couple and not just two people going out together. he liked the personal attention she showed him, and he playfully drug her into the apartment, chuckling at her reaction to his playfulness. he was a naturally playful person, but he was usually so former and proper with women that they seldom saw that side of him.

closing the door behind her, he walked toward his room, removing his shirt as he did so. his brown gaze flitted over the now-empty guest room that had until-recently been occupied by his best friend huck. he wondered how huck was after the episode at the masquerade ball, but he would only know when huck was ready to open up to him. he wasn't the sharing type, but perhaps genesis could get something out of him. they seemed to have a connection that lysander didn't entirely understand.

dropping his shirt into the dirty clothes basket, he retrieved a knit long-sleeved gray shirt from one of his drawers as jo entered the room behind him. replacing his dress pants with a loose-fitted pair of sweatpants, his brown eyes moved to her as she spoke to him once more. seeing her standing in nothing but one of his button-up shirts, he choked and swallowed painfully as he gaped at her. she was beautiful with her hair slightly tousled from their trip up in the elevator, and he felt his body react instantly to the sight of her dressed like that. when she excused herself for looking like a hot mess, he shook his head and smirked appreciatively.

"you're beautiful," he argued, moving instinctively toward her. without what instincts he actually had, he would never be able to communicate with her now for he was completely out of his element. "you don't have to move unless you want to," he informed her with a hint of a smile as he walked toward her and lowered himself to the bed beside her. reaching over, his hands slid into her blond hair at the base of her neck, and he gently pulled her lips to meet his in a deep, sweet kiss. his free hand traveled to her knee, sliding up her thigh until his breath came short and ragged from feeling her soft skin against his fingertips.

pulling back from the kiss, he forced himself to remain in control, but that brought back images of the horrendous events at the masquerade, and he couldn't remember those things now. he needed to forget them. "if you don't find some pants to put on, i'm not going to be able to rein myself in a second time, i'm afraid," he commented lightly, his eyes dancing as he watched her round face. his fingers traced up the inside of her thigh, feeling the heat radiating off of her as he watched her face the entire time. "but this time i would want it to be slow," he added, his voice thick and on the verge of breaking from the tension he felt. already, he could feel the hardening in his lap, and a slight wave of embarrassment passed through him at his obvious reaction to her, but he couldn't avoid it. his body would react as it pleased whether he liked it or not: especially tonight.

leaning toward her, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her harder, pushing her down on the bed so he was hovering over her. brushing stray strands of blond hair from her face, he admired her face as he ran his thumb over her mouth, gently playing at her bottom lip. he kissed her again, his hand feeling the curves of her body beneath his shirt which she wore. his fingers traced the curve of her hip and slid between her thighs, gently tugging at her underwear until his hand was admitted inside. the remaining heat felt delicious to his touch, and his tongue slipped into her mouth as his fingers slid where he wanted to go. feeling her heat against the nerve endings on his fingers made him groan softly against her mouth, sucking on her tongue as he withdrew his fingers from her underwear and smiled slightly down at her.

"your body is beautiful, jo," he commented gently, his hand drawing a line over the smooth curve of her thigh and up her belly, drawing a circle around his belly button.

NOTES i'm an idiot and i accidentally moved this thread, thinking it was the last one we did xDD
WORDS idek
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]

--

jo smiled a little, watching him put clothes on again. she wasn’t as subtle as he was about looking at her. she watched him move, muscles of his back working as he twisted, and replacing his suit pants with more casual wear. lysander looked almost stunned when he gazed at her, and she had to admit, that stoked her ego a lot more than it should. because it seemed so much harder to gain, physical reactions to her own actions and her beauty were received eagerly. she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, smile growing a bit larger at his smirk. she laughed a little at his comment, stretching a hand out for him as he started to move over. ”that’s good, i don’t wanna move right now.” jo said lowly. she leaned her head back a fraction of an inch as his gentle hand cupped the back of her neck, fingers sliding through her hair, before he was kissing her. lysander stroked his hand up her thigh. jo leaned closer, mouth moving eagerly against his as his hand lingered on her upper thigh. she wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she was content with kissing him like this for now.

lysander pulled away, eyes heated with lust, but still in control. she snorted at his words, leaning in a little closer. she didn’t want him to reign himself in, the idea was almost comical. lysander’s polite, restrained nature could be the best thing she ever experienced, but it could also be maddeningly frustrating. it wasn’t jo’s element, to be sure, to deal with people who knew how to repress themselves like lysander could. he seemed to be breaking out of his shell, which was a good sign. ”mm, not feeling like pants are a good idea,” she said, sliding her hand down his knee as he leaned closer again. his voice was low and thick enough to make her shiver. the blonde let him push her down against the bed, kissing her deeply.

the man did exactly what he said he was going to do. his hands traveled her body slowly but surely, mapping out the flesh under the shirt. jo kissed his thumb when he ran it over her lips, curving her lips into a smile against the skin as she let her tongue flick against it in a teasing manner. his other hand moved down to her hips and thighs, mouth replacing his hand in their place on her mouth. she let out a quiet moan into his mouth as he moved his hand from her thigh into her underwear. she arched into his touch and he sucked on her tongue, making her wrap a hand around the back of his neck, in the shorter strands of his hair, before he withdrew his hand from her underwear. he stroked up her body and made her giggle at the ticklish sensation. ”thank you,” jo murmured, not quite sure what to say. ”i think you’re pretty handsome, too.” she propped herself up on her elbows, careful to avoid hitting her face into his due to proximity. the blonde ran her hands down his back, slipping her fingers under the waist of his sweatpants and tugging down a little in an unhurried motion, moving her other hand back to unbutton the buttons she had just done up on his shirt that she was half-wearing. she felt heat surge up in her again as she leaned closer to press a few kisses down the column of his throat, sucking just hard enough to leave a temporary red mark that would fade fast.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. idek
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

the way she reacted to him was thrilling. his touch made her press against him and arch her back in reaction, and it stirred a delightfully victorious feeling in his belly. his body ached to touch her all over again, this time slower and more direct instead of the hasty touch in the elevator. the night's events had shaken him, thrown him off his course, and deep down inside he needed her companionship. he needed to know there was still someone sane in the world as he felt he was losing his own mind. as images of the blood, huck's wild eyes, genesis falling as huck hit her, charlotte writhing in pain, all flashed through his mind, his lips met jo's with an intensity that pressed his skin against his teeth in an almost painful way. she matched him, possibly knowing that this was what he needed.

he did want it to be slower, but he had to outrun the torture in his head.

she commented that he was handsome, and he smiled as he continued kissing her. her lips ran down his neck, sucking on his skin, and he growled gently in his throat. his hands slipped down from her belly button, pushing her underwear away from her waist. his eyes were riveted to her fingers as she undid the buttons on the shirt she'd stolen from him.

blood flashed before his eyes, red and pungent, only to be replaced by the semi-darkness of his bedroom and jo at his side. his eyes widened, taking on a wild look, and he shoved her underwear completely off, dropping them to the floor. he allowed her the space to push his sweatpants away until there was nothing between them but the shirt she wore.

too bright light filled his head, a room full of red, a dead body on the floor and charlotte dying beside it. his fingers tore at the final buttons on his shirt, popping them off unintentionally in his haste. as he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood, but no, there was nothing on his fingers. struggling past those thoughts, he tore the shirt backward away from her chest, her upper body now exposed to him. he savored the sight of her, the soft mounds of her breasts alternating between vivid, violent images from hours before. his mouth fell hotly on her, sucking and kneading her until he felt the hardness of her nipple against his tongue. he moved across then, offering her the same satisfaction on the other side, the sweetness of her taste filling his mouth.

his tongue filled with the taste of blood, like iron, but just as quickly as the sensation hit him, it was replaced by the sweet, saltiness of jo. she was his tonight. he was hers. she was everything to remind him of who he was and not what had happened at the masquerade ball.

he shifted, his mouth going to hers and filling her mouth with his tongue that still held the taste of her. his knee slid up between her legs as his fingers played against her, feeling her arch against him. his brow furrowed - flashes of bloody light, knives, bruises, pain - and he kissed her harder as he rose up over her, his body melding with hers as he slid within her.

the sensation was brilliant and the flashes of light returned, violent and demanding, intermingling with the heady horniness in his groin to create a potent mixture. his mind reeled from the feel of her around him, his body danced to the wild cacophony in his head. it was all passion and pain and pleasure and torture within his head. his hands gripped her wrists, bringing her hands up above her head and pinning them beneath his grip so she couldn't touch him. his nerves felt raw and on fire in a way that was so real it felt as if his skin may burst into flame. he craved her touch, but it hurt him at the same time, so his body did the talking for him.

his skin stung wherever their bodies melding together, like thousands of bees filling him with their poison, and his head began spinning as the shifting images from the horror of the night switched back and forth, blocking off his vision. his mouth fell to her throat, and he sucked on her skin as he pushed up within her. he gasped at the feeling, his mind relieved from its macabre path as the pleasure of her body replaced those thoughts. it was like a wash of fresh air, a bucket of water poured over his head. her body, her reactions to him, were the only thing keeping him grounded and within reality.

the touch of her brought him to the present, and his neck and back arched as he looked down at her magnificent body beneath him. his pupils dilated wantonly as he looked at her, a fire dancing in his gaze that she had never seen before. it could be said that he was insane, that he had lost a part of himself, but he hadn't really. he had found a part of himself, a piece he had suppressed for so long that could no longer be reined in.

shifting his weight, he pulled her up with him, his legs sliding beneath her so she was sitting on top of him in his lap. the fullness of the sensation made him smile satisfactorily, and he gripped her hips to lift her off of his lap just to drop her back down again. he groaned at the delicious feeling in his waist. elevated as she was, her breasts were readily available to him, and he partook once more. his mouth smothered them as he filled her until his body tensed and shook and threatened to release.

refusing himself the satisfaction, he shifted her again, laying her on her side and moving behind her, breaking contact only long enough for his chest to press against her back. sliding between her legs, he pulled her thigh up and slightly backward, entering her from behind. "i want to hear you," he whispered hotly into her ear, her hair filling his nose with its tasty scent. he managed to maintain control over himself until it was simply more than he could handle, and he came wildly and passionately, his body rending with ecstasy.

NOTES he lost it bahaha
WORDS idek
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]

--

it was evident that he was eager for her. it wasn’t as if she was going to ever hold it against him, especially seeing as her body was already thrumming with energy and lust for him. she doubted that he would consciously acknowledge it, in fear of being vain and rude, but he was a very handsome man. his body pressed against hers awakened all sorts of urges in her that were old but familiar. even if he said that he wanted this time to be slower, jo knew that it wasn’t going to happen like that. the low, baritone growl in the back of his throat as she sucked another temporary red mark on the sensitive skin told her that much.

it was almost too easy for her to push all of the thoughts of earlier tonight out of her head while she had such a brilliant distraction. lysander and his sudden, much-welcomed forwardness, the pleasure of his body and his attention on her, it was easy to be overwhelmed by the here and now and ignore that sticky red plasma had been running all over her hands, streaks on her face, wash it all away with the heated kisses that she was getting, hands pushing and pulling her body until she cried out with the sensation.

lysander arched up sinuously above her so she could pull down the recently-donned sweatpants, before pressing close to her. she hooked one of her ankles around his calf with a swift motion, keeping herself arched for a second before pulling him more firmly on top of herself just to feel him pushing her into the bed.

jo let out a soft huff of air as his fingers practically tore away at the buttons on the shirt, scrabbling to get the material off. the tension was palpable even he threw it away and she stroked her hands up and down his arms, relishing the feel of muscle.

she let out a harsher sound that was barely quiet enough to not be considered wanton as he moved his mouth to her breasts. the blonde arched her chest up as he sucked on her nipple, teeth barely grazing as the flesh hardened under his wild touches. she ran a hand through the hair on the back of his head, letting her head fall back as she tightened her grip on him with her legs, pressing him ever closer. she wanted to, she needed to lose herself in this. his mouth was hot as it moved across her skin, and jo bit her lip as he dragged his tongue past a sensitive place. they could forget about the horrors of the masquerade, she thought foggily, burning with pleasure.

jo melted into his kiss, tongues sliding together as he moved his body up. she knew this couldn’t possibly be as slow as he had said he wanted, but she’d let him dictate the pace however he wanted as long as he kept touching her like this. she let out a broken little gasp into his mouth as he pushed into her. it was a violent sort of pleasure, like a storm brewing in her nerve endings as he pushed into her greedy and wanting. any train of thought she had was abruptly derailed as she panted, clutching at his shoulders and digging her nails into the rounded place before he pinned her wrists above her head. jo moaned at the tight grip as she rocked her hips into his, shutting her eyes and shuddering at the raw sensation flooding her. lysander was rough with her in a certain way that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, some breathtaking intensity in his movements and how he looked at her, something she knew she hadn’t experienced quite like this. it burned with a pleasure deep enough to almost hurt whenever he touched her.

she tipped her head back, blonde strands sticking to her jaw and pooling around her face as he sucked at her exposed skin, letting out a throaty sound as he pushed against a sensitive place inside her. she opened darkened blue eyes, keeping her lips slightly parted as she breathed hard. he looked just as overwhelmed as she did, a look that she thought suited him. lysander looked just as wrecked as she was. they were both messes, using each other bodies to find some measure of comfort and pleasure, anything to get unwanted memories out of their heads. it was remarkably effective, she had to admit. the best part was that there was still time after this for them to find out about each other’s bodies, how she could touch him and drive him wild and how he could find the places to make her writhe under him because this wouldn’t just be one night. this suited him more than the repression.

jo let out a low oath as he pulled her up, gravity aiding his thrusts. she wrapped her arms around his neck, thighs shaking with raw feeling as his hands moved her hips up and down. the groan that escaped him was joined by a pleasured whine by her. he indulged in sucking at her breasts again, mouth moving fast and hot at damp flesh before slamming up with his hips in a way that took her breath away at the white lights it sent flashing behind her eyes.

lysander moved her again, tugging her thigh up so he could enter her again. she groaned, moving her hand down between her thighs and sucking in a breath at the added pleasure. he whispered that he wanted to hear her, and she let him, letting out a moan that broke off into a few quick pants as he moved. she came a few moments after he did, practically mewling before letting her body relax, sated, in his grip, breathing hard. as soon as she got her breath back, she leaned back into him, enjoying the endorphin high while it lasted. ”that was good,” she heard herself say, voice still a bit breathless and husky. ”really good.” she sounded absurd, she knew, but she felt like she should say something.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. idek
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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[LYSANDER NIKOLAUS GREY]

his mind had been overwhelmed, bombarded, with the images from the evening. those images still threatened to dance in front of his eyes now, but as he heard her voice moan for him, felt her body react to his, it was all washed away. she healed him, brought his mind to a place where it could hide and shrink away from the horrors he had experienced. he had allowed himself to release all of his inhibitions, and it was only because he was comfortable with her, because he felt they had taken the right steps to get to this place.

ultimately, he was still a proper gentleman underneath it all. he couldn't seem to let that go. although that dark side he'd always been afraid of was breaking through the surface, he knew it hadn't fully won. he'd felt the wildness within him as he'd been inside of her, but he knew he was still in control. he hadn't broken, and he was still winning the battle with his darker side. it was a part of him he didn't understand - and was afraid to get comfortable enough with to understand it - and he had avoided it his entire life. there was a darkness in the grey family line that he had clearly inherited. unfortunately, unlike his half-brother who had indulged that darker part of himself his entire life and only just let it go thanks to his girlfriend, lysander was the opposite. he had never indulged the shadows, had always avoided them, and ran from them. that would only end up biting him in the long run, and deep down, he knew it.

his hand trailed down her side as he heard her speak breathlessly to him, and he smiled. leaning forward, he felt her press her back against his chest, and his lips caressed her shoulder gently, tenderly. "yes, it was," he agreed with a pleased smile. untangling himself from her, he scooted back so she could lay back on the bed, and he brushed her hair from her eyes as she turned so he could see her face.

he kissed her then, her full lips against his, but this was a gentler kiss. moreso than the ones in the elevator or from only moments before, this touch was tender and caring. the flashes of horrific sights were out of his mind for now, left behind to plague him in his nightmares or the next day, and all he could see was her. she was illuminated only by the dim light coming through the bedroom window from the light pollution in the city added to the moon. he traced her jaw with his fingers, his hand running down to her collarbone and outlining it with his index finger.

"I'm hoping..." he began, glancing up at her with his brown, puppy dog eyes, "That this means we're officially dating and you'll spend the night with me." He smiled then, his characteristically adorable grin spreading easily over his face. He had permanent smile lines around his eyes because he was known for his smile. He was a happy man considering how he'd grown up and his lot in life before he'd come into his own.

"Since I'm still a gentleman, I should ask you officially," he noted, an amused twinkle in his eye as his fingers traced lightly down her breastbone and between the smooth mounds of her flesh. "Can I call you my girlfriend and will you spend the night with me?" He grinned playfully, drawing a circle around her belly button and kissing her once more. He recognized the irony of asking her such a thing after they'd just had sex, more than once, but he felt obliged to do so.

NOTES i felt the need to change his pic b/c he's not sad anymore lawlz
WORDS idek
TAG jo

[joanna ruby reagan]

--

as nice as it was for her to lie here with lysander, her shoulder was getting kind of sore and it was an uncomfortable position to hold. she could practically feel how pleased he was, which was cute in a way. she smiled a little. the blonde sighed a little as he moved away from her, breath evening out a little bit as she rolled over and pressed a little closer to him, back muscles relaxing into the soft bed. it was certainly more comfortable than her own, some part of her muttered. she didn’t know why she was thinking of her own bed at a time like this, especially seeing as she didn’t want to (ever) go back to her shoddy apartment and her bed after this. jo banished the thought from her mind and focused on the present, turning her head to face lysander instead of getting lost in her thoughts and in the incidents that they’d have to deal with in the morning. it may be her job, but she wasn’t doing her job right now, and lysander was taking up her mind right now.

he kissed her gently, lips brushing against hers in a light caress. he was being gentle with her again. jo leaned into the touch like a plant searching for sunlight, craving the small contact. it was silly, they had been more than touching a few moments ago, but she found herself still wanting to touch him. it would be more sensual than sexual, this time, now that they’d both satisfied their lust for each other and managed to press down the horrors of the hours before for some time, but she just wanted to touch him. she propped herself up a little, noses bumping just a little and making her snicker a little sheepishly. he traced the outline of her face. she hoped he couldn’t tell that she was a little overwhelmed.

his brown eyes were just barely illuminated by the moonlight, giving the entire thing a softer, more ethereal feel than five minutes after hard sex should. his eyes crinkled up as he gave her that hopeful grin that the blonde was sure that by now he knew made her stomach flutter. jo was not a woman who was easily swayed by things like hopeful brown eyes and cute grins, it was usually the opposite, and right now she’d be beating herself up for those warm feelings blooming in her chest because of them, but she could care less. sonnets could be written about his smile. freaking sonnets. that wasn’t even ironic.

jo vowed to destroy the next copy of cosmopolitan that she saw.

”of course,” she said, blue eyes following the path of his fingers down her body lazily. the pads of his fingers were ever so slightly calloused. ”as long as i can call you my boyfriend and we can get breakfast in the morning.” jo kissed him lightly and moved to snuggle into him a little. she figured it wouldn’t hurt. she pressed her face into his neck, stretching an arm over him. she found herself unable to keep herself from stopping the smile that was still spread across her face. lysander’s fingers were still playing over her skin lightly, so she pressed a kiss where she could.

TAGGED. lysander
WORDS. idek
OUTFIT. same as before
LYRICS. titanium - david guetta
TEMPLATE. cranberr23 @ caution 2.0

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