Studying

Author’s Note: Elliott and Beckett enjoy an evening on the couch studying their textbooks and …. each other?  As things get more serious between these two coeds, they discuss their insecurities and their relationship.  

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Elliott nestled back into the cushions propped up against the side of the couch, her knees bent and her legs draped across the seats, before glancing up from the book situated on her lap.  Her eyes trailed over the form sitting across from her on the couch, taking a moment to admire the masculine work of art gracing her dorm room tonight. Beckett was sitting upright at the far end of the sofa, his brows furrowed and neck craned as he alternated between the textbook laid across his thighs and the notepad he was writing in.  She couldn’t help the small smile that found her lips as she observed him unknowingly, the warmth and affection radiating from her chest outwards to her limbs.

The pair had fallen into a comfortable rhythm over the past few weeks, spending almost every evening together engaged in some routine activity.  Eating with their friends in the dining hall, studying in the library together, or curled up on one of their sofas reading or talking … even the most mundane activities had become something to look forward to in each other’s company.  Elliott loved seeing Beckett in his more natural state, less uptight and more lighthearted than his serious in-class persona. The nightly goodnight kisses-turned-heated-makeouts helped as well, but neither one had attempted to push their relationship to the next level.  

Elliott lifted her foot to trail a toe playfully along the seams of Beckett’s jeans on his thigh, mentally noting how attractive he looked in his casual attire of a plain white t-shirt and jeans.  He stirred from his book as she neared his knee, lifting his head to meet her gaze with a cheeky grin. “Do you mind? I’m trying to study here.”

Elliott chuckled, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly with a wide-eyed innocent look on her face.  “Why whatever do you mean? I’m simply stretching my legs a bit.”

“Right …” he muttered, eyes glistening with tenderness as he studied her.  He turned back to the book on his lap, flipping through the pages. “I only have a few more pages of this section to go … then we can do something else.  Deal?”

Elliott huffed, her shoulders dropping defeatedly.  “Fine.” She resigned herself to start reading her Natural Elements textbook again, but her focus was admittedly lacking.  It wasn’t that the contents of the book weren’t interesting, or that she didn’t need to know them for class … but since her arrival at Penderghast she had been astonished at how common-sense the curriculum had been to her, and how easily she retained the new knowledge.  It really made it difficult to pour over all her study materials for hours at a time when she could be doing other more entertaining activities. She glanced up to find Beckett still engrossed in his own textbook, scribbling notes as he went along. Elliott sighed and closed her book, finally giving up on studying for the evening and picking up her phone to scroll through the latest posts on Pictagram while she waited for Beckett to finish.

Ten minutes later, Beckett looked just as enthralled in his studies as he had been at the beginning of the night.  Elliott rolled her eyes internally, growing more and more impatient for his company. He really did look adorable like this, his brows knitted as his eyes flitted over the words on the page, completely oblivious to his study partner watching him.  Too adorable to waste away the rest of their night in a book.

Elliott slid one foot behind him on the couch, casually flicking it up and down against his lower back as she pretended to look at her phone.  Beckett’s head raised at the sensation, turning to look over at her suspiciously. “Elliott …” he grumbled playfully.

“Hmm?”  She questioned, looking up to meet his stare innocently.  “Oh, I’m sorry. Foot cramp. Please proceed.” She turned her attention back to her phone, fighting back a smirk.

Beckett shook his head in exasperation before transitioning back to his book.  “I just need one more minute …” his voice trailed off as he got sucked back in.  Elliott gave him another minute before twitching her foot again, this time allowing her toe to dip under the hem of his t-shirt and tickle the skin just above the waistline of his pants.  “Ugh … Elliott!” Beckett whipped his head in her direction, only to find her still hiding behind her phone screen.

She moved the phone aside, meeting his glare.  “What? Oh, did I do it again? I’m so sorry!” The words came out of her mouth coolly at first, but quickly tumbled out in a fit of laughter at the amused expression spread across Beckett’s face.  “Was I bothering you?” She jested, rubbing her foot on him again.

“Oh now you’re gonna get it!” Beckett snarled mischievously before lunging at her, pressing her into the couch and assaulting her sides with his wiggling fingers.  

Elliott squealed and wriggled against his tickles, laughing loudly as she tried to push him away.  “No, I’ll stop! I promise!” She pleaded Beckett, only causing him to unleash another round of tickles against the bare skin at her waist.  She squirmed and giggled under him until he finally slowed his attack, pulling away with a wide grin across his face as they both caught their breath.  

“You’re obnoxious, you know that right?”  He whispered softly, the soft smile on his face betraying the meaning of his words.  He raised a hand to graze her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before dipping down to meet her lips in a sweet kiss.  Elliott sighed at the contact, her body instantly relaxing as she reached up to lace her fingers through his hair. She loved that he was finally opening up to her, allowing himself to show his affections for her without the nervousness he had been plagued with in the beginning.  And thank goodness he was comfortable enough to initiate now … because she never tired of his kisses.

The kiss started out slow and soft, a gentle greeting of two sets of lips that had been separated for too long.  They explored each other timidly, Beckett running his hands along her sides to rest on her rib cage while Elliott slid her hands from his hair down to press her palms against his chest.  She could feel to taut muscles of his chest and shoulders through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, tensing and releasing slightly under her fingers as the kiss intensified.

Beckett ducked his head, beginning to trail kisses along her jawline down her neck.  Elliott gasped when he found the sensitive spot below her earlobe, her body wiggling against him as the tingling sensation pulsed through her body.  Her body moved instinctively with his, her legs opening wide enough for Beckett to settle between them, the pressure of his rigid excitement evident through their clothing on her belly.  The feel of him sent a pang of desire straight through her, the dampness in her panties evidence of her physical response. She had never in her 18 years wanted anyone this badly, never been so completely intoxicated with anyone both emotionally and physically.  “Mmm Beckett …”’she moaned when he nipped her earlobe, tugging it gently with his teeth. She gripped his face and brought his lips to hers again, crushing them against hers in a heated kiss.

Beckett groaned into her mouth when she slipped her tongue past his lips, swirling against his until he was dizzy from the feel of her.  “Elli …” he rasped, feeling her hands drift to his back then down to his waist, dipping under his t-shirt to dig her fingers into his skin and pulling his hips firmly against her.  From the sound of her moans he hoped she wanted this as badly as he did, wanted to feel him as much as he wanted to … he slid a hand over her torso, lifting his hips enough to cup her mound through the sparse cloth of her leggings.  He could feel the heat from her when she bucked against his hand, eager for more …

Suddenly he stopped, his eyes bursting open and pulling away as his overthinking brain caught up with the hormones raging through his veins.  He pressed up abruptly from on top of her, sitting back on his heels while he steadied his ragged breathing. “I- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to …”

Elliott pushed herself up to sitting, reaching over to grasp his hand reassuringly.  “Hey … hey, look at me.” He tilted his head to meet her gaze, his complexion turned his signature shade of flustered pink.  “You have nothing to be sorry about. In case you didn’t notice, I was enjoying that very much.”

Her confession caused Beckett to grimace further, the realization that he’d just ruined a prime opportunity thanks to his overactive sense of propriety hitting him like a smack in the face.  He ran a hand over his face with a growl, wishing he could take back the last thirty seconds and get on with their previous activities. “I’m sorry, Elliott, it just hit me all at once what was happening.  We hadn’t talked about it, I didn’t know if you really wanted to … ” He paused, allowing himself to settle back on the couch seated beside her, taking both of her hands in his and resting them on his lap. He peered into her hazel eyes, studying her expression for any sign of trepidation.  

She smiled warmly in response, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles reassuringly.  “It’s fine, Beckett, we don’t need to rush anything. I’m by no means an expert at any of this …”

“But you’ve done this before.”  Beckett inserted plainly, half statement and half question. His eyes dropped to their hands intertwined on his lap, suddenly feeling very unprepared and inadequate.

“Well, yes, but … does that bother you?”  Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with concern.

Beckett sighed deeply, raking a hand through his ruffled hair.  “No … yes … I don’t know.” His sapphire eyes flitted back to hers, filled with emotion and contrition.  “I’m just not used to feeling this unprepared. And I really don’t want to disappoint you. I guess I’m still learning how to do this girlfriend thing.”

“I don’t even think it’s possible for you to disappoint me, Beckett.  Besides, we-“ she stopped abruptly, shaking her head as she replayed his last sentence over again in her mind.  “Wait, did you just say girlfriend?!?” She quirked her head to side, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Beckett noted her reaction and gave a low chuckle.  “Well yeah … that’s what this is, right? I mean we hang out every night, and I think about you all the-“

Elliott cut him off mid sentence, crashing her lips onto his in a crushing kiss.  Beckett smiled into her lips, allowing his worries to fade away as they were swept up into each other.  He cupped her face in his hands, his fingertips tangled in her hair as she kissed him fiercely. At that moment he wasn’t scared anymore, his mind a foggy haze of Elliott … her full lips, her breathy moans, her body pressed against him.

Elliott pulled back, pressing her forehead to his and running her fingernails along the nape of his neck as she steadied her breathing.  “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.” Beckett responded tenderly.

“Good.”  Grasping his hand, she brought it to her mouth and ran her lips over his fingertips.  “Do you want to touch me?” She inquired, her voice low and ragged.

Beckett’s breath hitched audibly.  “Yes.” He replied in a breathy whisper.

Elliott leaned back, a soft smile on her lips as she stared intently into his eyes.  Reaching down slowly, she tugged the hem of her sweater up and over her head, tossing it aside on the floor.  Beckett swallowed hard then licked his lips when she reached behind her to unhook her bra, his eyes wide as she shrugged the garment from her shoulders.  He allowed his eyes to trail the length of her before settling on her face. His hungry stare made her quiver inside as she slid closer to him.

Only inches away now, she could hear his breath coming out in deep spurts.  “You’re beautiful …” he murmured softly, his voice tinged with awe.

Elliott took his hand again as she leaned forward with a coy grin.  “Thank you.” She pressed her lips to his tentatively as she guided his hand to cup her bare breast, relishing the sound of a low growl from his throat at the contact.  Gripping his shoulders firmly, she pulled him down with her to lie down on the couch.

Beckett caressed her languidly, holding the weight of her breast in his palm while his thumb glided smoothly across her flesh.  When he slid over her nipple he felt her arch against him, taking the signal to circle the sensitive peak teasingly slow. He could hear Elliott’s breathing speed up as she responded to his touch, her hands roaming the planes of his back and then his chest and then lower …

“Hmmph!” He released a startled moan, his hips thrusting against her hand as she pressed her palm over the hard bulge in his jeans.  She felt sooooo good, her hand on him, her body writhing below his, the smell of her skin.

“Is this okay?”  She whispered from swollen lips between kisses, stroking him through the denim all the while.  Her fingertips grazed the button along the waistband, pausing as she waited for his permission.  Unable to make a coherent sentence, he just nodded and mumbled a soft “Mm hmm”.

Elliott unfastened the button of his pants before sliding the zipper down gently, tugging his pants and his boxer briefs down enough to free his erection from its confines.  She released a surprised gasp when she wrapped her hand around him, pleasantly surprised to find him much larger than she had anticipated. She slid her hand up and down his shaft slowly, pausing at the tip to run her thumb over the moisture beading there, the sounds of Beckett’s excited pants music to her ears.

“Oh my God, Elli …” he moaned, moving his hips in time to her strokes.  “That … feels … a-amazing …” Elliott pulled back to watch him, her body tingling with excitement at the sight of him, eyelids fluttering and jaw dropped as the pleasure overtook him.  Suddenly he released a sharp groan as he thrust into her hand, his body shaking and his cock pulsing with his release.

Beckett dropped his head to her shoulder, chest heaving as he caught his breath.  Elliott just held him against her chest, gently tracing her fingertips along the length of his back as he came down from his high.  Eventually he regained comprehension, placing tender kisses along her shoulders and breasts, up her neck before landing at her lips.  He kissed her softly, humming in satisfied bliss. “Wow, Elli, that was incredible. You are incredible.”  He had a dopey grin on his face as he ran a hand along her side to rest on her hip.  He glanced down to where his hand rested, then lower, and then back to meet her stare.  “Can I …?” He quirked an eyebrow at her playfully.

She giggled at his bold offer, but shook her head no.  “No, not tonight. Tonight was all about you.” She stroked his cheek as he beamed down at her, giving him a sly smirk.  “So are you enjoying this boyfriend thing yet?”

Beckett chuckled, running a hand across his forehead in dismay.  “You’re just loving this, aren’t you?” He shook his head affectionately.  

Elliott laced her fingers through his and pulled him tight, cuddling against his warm body.  “Actually, I am.” Her hazel eyes shone with sincerity as she peered up at him.

Beckett’s lips curled into a warm smile, his expression completely honest and carefree.  No sign of flustered pink to be found. “Me too.”

END