Chapter Text
Obviously I am not the creator of these characters/worlds!
All credit and major thank you to Lilydusk.
Please enjoy, and let me know what you think! I will post the second half soon!
Tora was surprised when Poppy invited him to dinner a second time. They were supposed to be out of each other’s lives, but she’d texted “I said I’d make something else for you, didn’t I?” and he’d been powerless to turn her down.
When he arrived at her apartment, he flipped down the sun visor in his car and checked himself in the mirror. A second later he grimaced and flipped it back up. What was he doing? Whatever this was, it wasn’t a date. He shouldn’t even be there. No matter how cute she was when she looked at him, how hard his heart beat when she hugged him or when he took her hand… no. He wasn’t supposed to be in her life. That was why he was nervous. That was the only reason.
Sure, idiot. Keep lyin’ to yerself, his inner voice said sarcastically.
“Fuck,” Tora said out loud, getting out of the car and slamming the door harder than strictly necessary.
As he climbed the stairs his heart raced faster, until he was sure he could hear it. He took a moment to compose himself at her door before he knocked. She opened the door fast, like she’d been waiting, said “hey,” and smiled at him.
His inner voice went silent. It should’ve been illegal to be so cute, not that Tora cared what was and wasn’t against the law. She wasn’t even dressed up; she was in sweats and an old tee. The fabric was so soft and worn it draped over the curves of her breasts and the swell of her hips more alluringly than something skin-tight would have. Her hair fell in waves over her shoulders; her eyes lit with a sparkle as she grinned at him.
“Cat got your tongue?” Poppy asked.
“I… what?”
“Don’t just stand there, come in!” She laughed, and tugged his hand inside.
The inside of her apartment was as warm and comfortable as he remembered. He sent his glance around the room, taking in the plants, the painting, the balcony. Better not to look at her again, or he’d be staring. He tried to remember the last time he’d felt so shy around a girl—what, when he’d just hit puberty or something? But it was a useless exercise.
“Are you ready to eat?” she asked.
“You don’t waste time, Bobby, do ya?”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s ready if you are.”
“Sure.”
She indicated the low table where they’d sat last time. He settled himself on the floor as she disappeared into the kitchen, then returned with two bowls of seafood and rice.
“Since you didn’t really get what you wanted, last time,” she said.
That statement was truer than she knew.
“Damn, Bobby. You outdid yourself.” The food was beautiful.
“I wasn’t sure if you took pictures of all your food,” she admitted. “Not… I mean, not to say you should take a picture of this, just…”
“I don’t,” said Tora. “Couldn’t resist last time. It was… fuckin’ adorable.” He gripped the edge of the table, staring at the meal she’d made him, trying not to stare at her.
What was this? He’d had plenty of women throw themselves at him. He’d never cared. But this one girl invited him over, just to eat, and he couldn’t even look her in the eyes without blushing and feeling his insides turn to mush? The hell was that? Was it really so hard to look at her?
He tested that, glancing up to meet her gaze. She looked concerned, her eyebrows furrowed. He gulped.
“Shit, what? Did I say somethin’ wrong?”
“Um, no. But you don’t seem like yourself. Are… is everything okay?”
“Sweet of ya to worry, Pops. I’m fine. And starving. Let’s eat.”
They took the first bites. It was delicious, and he told her as much. A moment of silence followed before he set down his chopsticks.
“Hey, Bobby?”
“Huh?” Her eyes were wide and innocent.
“Why’d ya invite me over? Not that I’m complaining.”
“I dunno. Do I need a reason?” She blushed scarlet red. That was interesting. He knew he’d flustered her in the past, and had fun doing so, but that was before his own feelings had… well. That was before he felt as flustered as a goddamned teenager, himself. To see her blush now did things to him.
“I guess not. Just wondered. I thought ya’d be happy to get me out of ya life,” he said, forcing a grin so she’d know not to take it too seriously.
“I guess I like having you around,” she admitted.
Their eyes met again. Hers were soft, and kind. She was smiling, and the feeling reached her gaze. Tora knew his own expression was not so gentle. He felt like he was on fire. The hunger he felt was not in his stomach. It was lower.
“Well, shit,” he said. He looked back down at the food. He didn’t really want to eat anymore, even as good a cook as she was. He wanted to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom. But that wouldn’t do. He still was supposed to be getting out of her life. And even if he didn’t have the strength to do that, he could at least stop from getting deeper involved in it. Even if he wanted to grab her and take her like the god-damned animal he was. It was better to focus on the food.
They finished the meal, Tora managing—barely—to steer the conversation in a safer direction, asking Poppy about her art and her day and her work and stuffing his own feelings down as far as he could.
“I’ll wash,” he said when they were done eating, grabbing the bowls and standing.
“No, you did last time!” said Poppy.
“Ya cooked. Sit ya ass down,” he said.
“Absolutely not. I’ll at least dry.”
That wasn’t really necessary with her dish rack, but he wasn’t going to argue. They stood by the sink in silence. Poppy was too close to him as she dried each dish. He could practically feel the heat radiating off her. He was sure every hair on his body was standing at attention as she reached an arm out to grab the next dish. That dry, she moved to put it away, giving him a second of respite before she was back.
Fuck, Tora thought as his dick throbbed. He bore down on a pan she’d used for cooking, flexing his muscles and scrubbing hard, trying to banish the filthy thoughts from his mind with soap and sponge. We can’t. We shouldn’t. There’s a million other girls I could have. Why her?
But at last, there were no more dishes, and he felt no less calm.
“Thanks,” Poppy said, and handed him a towel for his hands. He took it, his eyes fixing on her. He dried his hands without looking away. She didn’t look away, either.
Then he lost control. Without really thinking about it—and hadn’t he done enough thinking, that whole night?—Tora grabbed her and pulled her to him, leaning down and fixing his mouth against hers. With one hand cupping her head and another on the small of the back, he pressed her body gently but firmly against his and kissed her, long and soft.
For a moment Poppy was still, shocked. But then she molded against him, her palms coming to rest against his chest and her head tilting back. She lifted up on her tip toes to reach his mouth, and they kissed again, harder. Tora leaned back against the kitchen counter, pulling Poppy against him even tighter. His dick throbbed harder, more urgently. She could probably feel it, he was holding her so tight. He didn’t care anymore. He had to have her.
His hands dropped lower, following the curve of her waist, lingering on her hips—pulling them into him again, harder—slipping back to her ass, where he grabbed and squeezed. Poppy pulled her mouth away, breathing heavily. She pushed her hands against his chest, fighting to get room.
Tora relaxed his grip instantly. She was so weak compared to him, but he couldn’t have used force against her even if he wanted to. He wasn’t one to bully a woman, if he didn’t have to for clan business, but this went even deeper—she was far too precious for him to even think about hurting. Even kissing her like this felt like crossing a line, like he was defiling something sacred and beautiful, but that much he couldn’t stop himself from doing. He wanted her too badly. Still, she was pushing away.
“Too much?” he asked, voice deep and gravelly.
“N…no,” Poppy said, her voice a squeak, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry. I just need a moment.”
He gave her the moment. She didn’t walk away, but stayed with her hand against his chest and his arms draped loosely against her, not holding her in place but unable to let go of her if she wasn’t about to walk away. Poppy looked down at the floor, then curled her fingers into his shirt and looked up at him. God. Those eyes, that mess of hair, those soft lips.
“I can leave,” Tora offered, not really meaning it but feeling like it needed to be said.
“I don’t want you to,” Poppy said. “Sorry, am I being forward? I just wanted to have you for dinner…”
“You can have me, alright,” Tora rumbled with a smirk.
“I didn’t mean like that!” Poppy fell against him, burying her face into his chest. His eyes widened in surprise before he tightened his arms around her again, just holding her.
“Sure ya didn’t, Bobby. I’m just teasin’. We don’t have ta kiss anymore if it’s too much for ya.”
She stayed against him for a moment before straightening, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Um, Tora, do… do you…” she mumbled something, and looked down.
“What?”
“Nothing. Nevermind.”
“Tell me.” He put a hand beneath her chin and gently tilted her face up to him.
“Do you… wanna… go to the bedroom?”
He didn’t need to use words to answer. He hoisted her by the waist, then adjusted his hands to support her legs as she wrapped them around her. Seconds later, she was on her bed. The room was dim, illuminated by the light that spilled through the half-open doorway.
Tora paused.
“Ya don’t have cameras running this time, do ya?”
“No! I wouldn’t!”
“Alright then,” he said.
He tried not to crush her, conscious of how tiny she was compared to him, even as curvy and thick as she was. Supporting his weight with one hand, he ran the other down her leg, traced the inside of one thigh, brought it back up…underneath the old tee-shirt, he slowly tugged down the cup of her bra and moaned as his fingers found her nipple. His mouth was locked on her lips again. Her hands twined around his neck, holding his head in place.
All thought was gone from his head; there was no blood there, anyways. He squeezed and caressed her breasts, then made his way back down to her hips. Lifting his mouth away from hers, he tugged down her sweatpants to reveal panties that were frilly and polka-dotted. He smiled despite himself. How could someone so sexy be so goddamned cute at the same time? He wasn’t used to cute women, not in his line of work. Sexy, he could brush off. But this? This grabbed him by the heart. Excited, he ran his fingers over her crotch and rumbled with pleasure at how wet she felt, and began to kiss the side of her neck.
Something was wrong. Her hands were still locked behind his neck, but she wasn’t moving, wasn’t responding to his soft touches on her thighs and against her panties. Was that a tremor? Was she shaking, ever so slightly?
With a frown, Tora pushed himself up and off of her. With his body hovering over hers, he looked down at her. Her eyes were big, her lips quivering.
“Poppylan?” Tora whispered.
“I’m fine,” she said. “You don’t have to stop.”
That wasn’t right. The caveman part of his brain screamed and fought as he raised himself up and twisted to sit upright beside her on the bed: ya idiot! She said ya didn’t have to stop! That means fuck her! But whatever gentle part of Tora that few ever got to see was governing now, his heart rapidly beating with concern and fear. Was it something he had done? Something in her past, maybe?
“Sorry,” Poppy said to the silence as Tora tried to formulate a sentence in his head.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “It’s fine. But ya weren’t enjoying it?”
“No, it felt good. Exciting. Um, I’m just nervous.”
“Nervous? Did I make ya nervous?” It should have been obvious, shouldn’t it? Of course a big brute like him would make a little thing like her nervous, even as headstrong and brave as she was. Sure, she might’ve thought he was handsome—he wasn’t blind to the way she looked at him—but that didn’t mean she wanted him pawing at her. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Tora looked away, into the darkest corner of the room, and shut his eyes. Like she’d want ya. Stupid.
“Well, I… that’s…” her voice shrunk to a whisper. “Um. It’s my first time.”
His head whipped around to stare at her.
“What?”
Poppy sat up.
“I’ve never done this before. I’m sorry. I know I’m no good at it. I understand if you want to stop.”
“Fuck, Poppy.” Tora’s hands shook. “I need some air.”
He got up and went to the balcony, leaving her on the bed. It took him three tries to light his cigarette, and he ran a hand through his hair while he drew on it. So she was even more innocent than he’d thought. He really had no business being here, did he? He couldn’t deny he wanted her. How badly he wanted her. Even if he never saw her again, she was going to be on his mind for weeks. Months. Longer. He’d never felt an attraction like it. But if he already knew he was a monster from a fucked-up world, who had no place in her life, what right did he have to be her first? And why was she willing to do that with him? She hadn’t, with her cheating asshole of an ex-boyfriend?
Maybe she was just trying to get back at that dick. Maybe she didn’t really want Tora in the first place. He tried to figure out if that made it better or worse. He wanted her to want him. But if she didn’t care about him, would that make it okay for him to sleep with her and then vanish from her life? He snuffed out the cigarette and shoved it into his pocket, rubbed his face, and went back inside.
She was standing in the living room, her arms wrapped around herself, looking like she was going to cry.
“Shit,” Tora said. “I said the wrong thing, didn’t I?”
Poppy swallowed, forced a smile, and shook her head. “Sorry. I should have known you wouldn’t want to be with me. It’s okay, Tora. I’m fine.”
“Not wanna be with you?”
“I’m kinda a freak,” Poppy said, twisting the bottom of her tee-shirt. “Still a virgin at this age. Sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
“Ya aren’t making any sense, Bobby,” he said, his voice breaking. “C’mon. That doesn’t make ya a freak. Jesus.”
“It’s okay,” she said, plastering a big grin on her face. It didn’t meet her eyes. “I know I turned you off and all. You can go if you want. It’s fine.”
He closed the distance between them in three steps and put his hands on her shoulders.
“You’re a damn fool if ya think that turned me off,” Tora said, his voice low.
“Then why’d you leave?” Poppy said, her voice quivering.
“Ya took me by surprise. I thought… with your ex and all… or maybe kissing was fine, but ya weren’t ready for the rest of it.”
Poppy blushed. “It’s not like that. It’s not like I’m, you know, saving myself. It just never felt right, with him. I never wanted to. With you, I… I want to.” She swallowed. He could feel his heart beating hard, could feel blood rushing back down, feel the front of his pants tightening.
“Well shit,” Tora said.
“Does that sound stupid?” Poppy asked.
“Hell no. But you’re sure ya wanna do this? With me? Shit, Bobby, we’re practically strangers.” Internally begging her to say yes, he pulled her up against him, wrapping his arms around her.
“I wouldn’t say strangers,” she blushed. “But I’ve been waiting long enough. I want to know what it feels like, if you’ll show me.”
Tora bent over and kissed her again, this time bringing up a big calloused hand to gently stroke her cheek and to tuck her hair back behind her ear.
“Tora?” she asked, pulling her head back, a few kisses later.
“Mm?”
“Just… be gentle with me, okay?”
A lump in his throat. A hand, tightening around his heart. She, asking him—trusting him--? To be gentle. Right and wrong, out the window. Questions about the future, gone. She said she wanted him. Wanted to.
This time, he didn’t pick her up, but instead led her back into the bedroom. Poppy shut the door, leaving them in darkness.
“Ya sure about this, Bobby?” he whispered, his hands running slowly up and down her body as they stood together in the dark.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice sounding determined. He smiled. He could barely make out her expression, but he knew the look she must have been wearing in his mind.
“If I go too fast, or ya wanna stop, tell me,” he said. “I’m not gonna force things. You can change ya mind.”
“I know. I… I want this, Tora. I’m sure”
Slowly, Tora drew her shirt over her head, and then pulled down her sweatpants, helping her balance while she stepped out of them. He pushed her softly back onto the bed, then undressed himself down to his boxers. Fighting to restrain himself was going to be a challenge, but he would have to.
She was precious, and fragile, and new to it all.
Worse, there was a chance it was the only night he’d ever get to spend with her.
There was no rushing this.