Walls

Note: Just a fluffy/flirty story where MC (Tamsin) convinces Beckett to take a break from studying. Teasing and sexual innuendo follows.

“You know it’s a Saturday, right?”

Tamsin isn’t really surprised to find Beckett in the library on a Saturday morning, but she’s hoping she can convince him to leave it. His shoulders tighten and there’s an irritated scowl on his face when he turns around. It softens slightly when he sees her, which makes her grin.

Just above her right shoulder, Helios bobs around and trills at her.

“Familiars aren’t allowed in the library,” Beckett reminds her.

She shrugs. “No one’s here to see him. Except you, apparently.”

Beckett sighs. “Do you always refuse to follow the rules?”

“Do you always follow them?” she counters, even though she’s almost positive of the answer.

Sure enough: “They’re there for a reason,” he says.

“Okay, well, I’m making a new rule that says you can’t study this early on a Saturday. Come on.”

Beckett protests and stalls and complains that she’s going to ruin his academic record before he even gets started on it, but eventually he relents and follows her to her dorm.

“What are we doing here?” he asks.

He’s standing stiffly just inside the doorway, looking almost paralyzed with nerves just being in her room.

“Relax,” she laughs. “It’s the weekend. We need to do something fun.”

“In… your dorm?”

A million dirty thoughts enter her head. He makes it too easy.

“Yes, in my dorm. Did you have something in mind to do in my dorm?” she purrs, stepping so close to him that her chest is nearly pressed to his. She bats her eyelashes up at him and lets a smile play over her lips.

His face immediately turns red. “I… that’s not what I…”

Tamsin bites her lip to keep from laughing. “While I would be more than happy to engage in that kind of fun-” (she didn’t think it was possible for him to turn even redder, but somehow he does) “-I was thinking of watching something on QuikFlix and binge eating snack food.”

Beckett visibly relaxes. “Oh. That’s…we can do that.”

She sends Helios to the ether and leads Beckett into her room. He perches on the very edge of her desk chair while she boots QuikFlix up and reclines back on her bed. Beckett remains on her chair. Tamsin grins and pats the spot next to her.

“Come on, Beckett.”

“Is this normally how you watch QuikFlix with other people?” he asks.

“The cute ones that I like,” she replies cheerfully, patting the bed again.

Beckett stands and eases in next to her, stiffening for a moment when she rests her head on her shoulder. He smells good and his shirt is soft under her cheek when she snuggles in closer. Eventually he relaxes when she presses play on the screen.

“What are we watching?”

“The Crown and the Flame,” she replies. “I haven’t watched it in forever.”

“Ah.”

Tamsin glances up. “Please tell me you’ve heard of this.”

“Of course I’ve heard of it,” he scowls.

“Have you watched it?”

There’s a long, drawn out silence before he answers, “…no.”

“Oh god,” she says. “I have so many things to teach you.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m sure you do,” he retorts.

Tamsin sits up so quickly that she nearly smacks her head on his chin. “Beckett Harrington. Did you just make a sexual joke?”

He looks unbelievably pleased with himself, even as his cheeks turn pink. “I might have.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. Say another one.”

“Um…I…” he fumbles around for the words until Tamsin laughs and pats his cheek affectionately.

“I’m kidding.”

His eyes crinkle a little at the corners when he smiles at her. In that moment, he’s too cute not to lean in and kiss. So she does, slipping one hand around his neck and into his hair and bringing her mouth to his. It’s short and sweet and though he seems taken completely off guard, he kisses her back.

“Mmm,” Tamsin sighs when she leans back. “You’re a good kisser.”

Beckett flushes. “I… thank you. So are you.”

She sneaks in another quick kiss, then curls back against him.

“Watch,” she instructs him, turning his face back toward the screen.

“You’re bossy,” he mutters under his breath.

He wraps an arm lightly around her waist and she sighs happily. Her bed and her blankets and Beckett cocoon in her warmth and she finds herself dozing off as the episode plays. She jerks fully awake at a particularly loud sequence.

“Oh,” she yawns, stretching. “The Battle of the Bay.”

Beckett nods, his eyes glued to the screen. He looks absolutely riveted, so she settles back in to watch. They finish the episode in a comfortable silence, his arm tightening almost imperceptibly around her at particularly action-packed parts.

“So what do you think?” Tamsin asks him when the ending credits roll. “Better than studying all day?”

“That’s hardly a fair comparison,” he retorts. “Watching The Crown and the Flame isn’t going to help my academic standing, or improve my chances of-”

She cuts him off with another kiss, a muffled “Mmf” coming out of his lips. She’s a little surprised at how quickly he reciprocates, his hands eager around her waist and bunching the fabric of her shirt.

Beckett groans quietly when she slips her legs over his, straddling him and pressing him against the headboard. His hands slide down to her hips and she rocks into him instinctively. They kiss again and again until she slides her hands under his shirt and trails her lips down to his neck, then back up. He groans again and then wrenches his mouth from hers.

“Tamsin,” he breathes.

“What?”

His pupils are dilated when she opens her eyes, his breathing ragged. She can’t even tease him about that, because so is hers.

“Shouldn’t we…go on a date first?” he manages to get out.

“…do you want to take me on a date?”

“Isn’t that how this works?” he asks, looking flustered. “Or should work? Or…”

He trails off when she cups his cheek in her hand.

She thinks back to the guys she’d gone out with in high school and the ones she’d met at Hartfeld.

“Honestly?” she says. “Not really, in my experience.”

“Oh,” Beckett says slowly, looking almost disappointed.

“But I’d like to. If you’re asking.”

“I did ask,” he says in confusion.

Tamsin shakes her head. “You didn’t technically ask.”

Beckett grumbles half-heartedly. “Fine. Will you…go out with me?”

“I will.”

She kisses him again, smiling at his sharp inhale.

“You’re sweet, you know that?” she murmurs against his lips.

“I thought you said I was an ass.”

Tamsin laughs. “You were, but I know the truth now. You’re a total softie. I’ve knocked your walls down.”

“You absolutely have not knocked my walls down,” he insists.

“I have. Just accept it. They’re crumbling right before your eyes.”

“They are not-”

“Beckett,” she interrupts him.

“What?”

“Quit arguing and kiss me again.”