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40. When You're Ready
Last Updated:
2024-12-30 21:41:51Related chapters
Fluid 41. Make Waves
Quill paced outside the tattoo shop. Hawk was nearby, leaning against the doorframe. “You’re wearing a hole in the sidewalk.”Quill didn’t respond, focusing on the horizon where Hadlin should have appeared by now. “He’s late."“You don’t have to do this, you know.” Hawk stepped away from the doorframe. “You’re working yourself up before he even gets here. What if he shows and you’re already unraveling?”“And what if he doesn’t show up at all?” Quill shot back, finally turning toward Hawk. Quill bristled at how easily Hawk could unsettle him without even trying.“Then we’ll handle it,” Hawk replied. “But he’ll show. You know he will. He showed up to the art show. I just wish you could have met with him then.”Quill opened his mouth to argue when a shadow appeared around the corner. Hadlin’s figure emerged, broad and familiar but carrying a presence that felt too much like a memory and a stranger combined. As he came closer, Quill had to take a deep breath. Hawk moved aside, giving Quil
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Fluid 42. Nice Choice
Hawk leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, watching Quill wrestle with a stubborn IKEA manual. The kitchen smelled faintly of coffee and sawdust from the makeshift furniture projects they’d started but hadn’t finished. Their new place was beginning to feel like home... Kind of. It felt like a chaotic mess more than anything at that moment. “We need bedding,” Quill muttered, tossing the manual onto the table with a resigned groan. His dark hair fell over his eyes, but he didn’t bother pushing it back. Hawk just smiled at how frustrated Quill was over something that small. “Something that doesn’t feel like sandpaper or retains the sweat smell that hovers around you constantly. And plates that match. Or, you know, plates at all. Silverware would be fantastic as well. You know, metal ones, not plastic. I mean, we are adults, right?”Hawk smirked and sipped from his mug. “You planning a dinner party or something?”Quill shot him a look. “I just want to eat off something that i
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Fluid 43. Cancel It
Hawk struggled to keep his grip steady as he carried Quill up the narrow stairwell. Every step felt slower than the last, but stopping wasn’t an option since people seemed to be everywhere. People who didn't need to see Quill in this condition. They were both rogue now. The last thing they needed to display was weakness. Lilly emerged from the second-floor landing and froze. “What happened?” She reached for Quill’s arm to steady him as Hawk's foot caught on the step.“It was his dad. He cornered him in public where he knew we couldn't do much to defend ourselves,” Hawk adjusted Quill’s weight before trying the step again. When he barely managed to step up onto the landing, he sighed loudly. “Just... Just help me get him inside, will you?”Without another word, Lilly slipped under Quill’s other arm, helping Hawk maneuver him through the doorway and onto the couch. She knelt beside him, pulling back his shirt to check the damage. Dark bruises were already forming, and dried blood clung
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Fluid 44. Slip Back
Conversation filled the apartment, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter from Lilly on the speakerphone. It offered no hint of the storm churning beneath Hawk's skin. He tried to focus on the weights he was lifting, but his attention was split. Across the room, Quill sat reclined on the couch, flipping through a sketchbook. Lilly's laugh came through the speakerphone he'd propped on the coffee table. He was describing a project idea with excitement as Lilly cleaned her office downstairs. Hawk adjusted his grip on the barbell. He pressed it upward, his muscles straining under the weight. He'd brought the equipment up from the gym days ago, unwilling to leave Quill alone for long. Each rep felt like a battle against his thoughts, which circled endlessly around the easy camaraderie he heard between Quill and Lilly."You've ruined your entire schedule now," Quill teased.Hawk set the barbell back onto its stand with a sharp clank. "I'll work it out. Sometimes you have to break
Last Updated : 2025-01-01Fluid 45. Show Back Up
Quill quietly ended the call with Lilly as he realized his slip. Hawk stared at him in disbelief. "Herc was there? At Fluid? Watching us? Are you fucking kidding me?" Quill's head lowered. "I didn't know he'd be there. I swear I didn't see his name on the guest list."Hawk's growl reverberated around the sparse apartment as he stepped back, pacing a tight line across the room. "Wow. Fucking wow. You didn't think to tell me? Not once? All this time?""I didn't see him until that night, across the room." Quill wavered slightly, but he stood his ground. "You were riding such a high from the performance, and then..." He gestured vaguely toward his own injured body. "Things got complicated.""Complicated?" Hawk barked out, his footsteps halting abruptly. "You thought hiding this would somehow make that better?""I wasn't trying to hide it," Quill replied quickly, the words tumbling out as he realized that Hawk was insanely pissed about this. "It just never felt like the right time to bri
Last Updated : 2025-01-01Fluid 1. Act Tough
Quill still felt the dull ache in his ribs. It was a lingering reminder of his father's anger. The sad thing? He couldn't even tell you what his Dad was mad about. He couldn't quite tell what hurt more. The bruises, the gashes from his father's claws after he shifted, or the humiliation of being thrown out of the house yet again. He stumbled around until he crossed into neighboring territory. Minutes later, a patrol noticed him and notified the Alpha's son. Like they always did when this happened. Hawk had instructed them to. He also told them to keep it from his father and mother whenever possible. He told them it was to stop unnecessary fighting between the neighboring Alphas. Hawk's Dad already hated Quills. There was no reason to make it worse. Hawk insisted on dragging Quill to his family's house after the latest blow-up. Like he always did. "Let me see the cut," he urged as they walked into the guest bedroom. They should probably just call it Quill's bedroom at this p
Last Updated : 2024-10-26Fluid 2. Control
Hawk leaned against the brick wall outside his gym with his eyes fixed on the U-Haul down the street. Lilly was back. He and Quill had met with her weeks before, allowing her to sign a three-year lease for the unoccupied space between their businesses. They allowed her to sign it without revealing what the business would be. She also signed the lease for the apartment above the business. The empty one between Hawk and Quill's apartments. He watched as she started unloading boxes. He had no idea what she was planning for the storefront, which annoyed him more than he wanted to admit. For someone who prided himself on control, not knowing left a sour taste in his mouth. She intrigued him, though, and that was rare.The heavy thud of weights inside the gym reminded him he'd left his own workout still half-finished. He didn't care. His fixation was on her, studying how she moved and carried herself almost effortlessly. There was a strange confidence in how she went about everything
Last Updated : 2024-10-26Fluid 3. Both Knew It
Hawk stood outside his gym with his arms crossed as he watched Lilly disappear in and out of her new shop. The black paper covering the windows irritated him more than it should have. Blocking his view felt personal. But that wasn't the only thing eating at him. He knew Quill had been watching her just as much.It wasn't just about Lilly anymore. It was about everything between him and Quill. Years of unspoken pressure had resurfaced the moment she moved in. Hell, the moment she signed that damn lease and left with that odd smile on her face. Hawk tried to shake the thought. Quill had always known how to get under his skin, and lately, it was becoming unbearable.Quill walked out to take a break from a long session when Lilly stepped back out of her storefront with her face splattered with paint.She had a bright blue streak drying stubbornly across her nose. She smiled at him as he jogged over."Wearing your art, I see," he teased as he tried to wipe the paint away. He chuckled whe
Last Updated : 2024-10-26
Latest chapter
Fluid 45. Show Back Up
Quill quietly ended the call with Lilly as he realized his slip. Hawk stared at him in disbelief. "Herc was there? At Fluid? Watching us? Are you fucking kidding me?" Quill's head lowered. "I didn't know he'd be there. I swear I didn't see his name on the guest list."Hawk's growl reverberated around the sparse apartment as he stepped back, pacing a tight line across the room. "Wow. Fucking wow. You didn't think to tell me? Not once? All this time?""I didn't see him until that night, across the room." Quill wavered slightly, but he stood his ground. "You were riding such a high from the performance, and then..." He gestured vaguely toward his own injured body. "Things got complicated.""Complicated?" Hawk barked out, his footsteps halting abruptly. "You thought hiding this would somehow make that better?""I wasn't trying to hide it," Quill replied quickly, the words tumbling out as he realized that Hawk was insanely pissed about this. "It just never felt like the right time to bri
Fluid 44. Slip Back
Conversation filled the apartment, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter from Lilly on the speakerphone. It offered no hint of the storm churning beneath Hawk's skin. He tried to focus on the weights he was lifting, but his attention was split. Across the room, Quill sat reclined on the couch, flipping through a sketchbook. Lilly's laugh came through the speakerphone he'd propped on the coffee table. He was describing a project idea with excitement as Lilly cleaned her office downstairs. Hawk adjusted his grip on the barbell. He pressed it upward, his muscles straining under the weight. He'd brought the equipment up from the gym days ago, unwilling to leave Quill alone for long. Each rep felt like a battle against his thoughts, which circled endlessly around the easy camaraderie he heard between Quill and Lilly."You've ruined your entire schedule now," Quill teased.Hawk set the barbell back onto its stand with a sharp clank. "I'll work it out. Sometimes you have to break
Fluid 43. Cancel It
Hawk struggled to keep his grip steady as he carried Quill up the narrow stairwell. Every step felt slower than the last, but stopping wasn’t an option since people seemed to be everywhere. People who didn't need to see Quill in this condition. They were both rogue now. The last thing they needed to display was weakness. Lilly emerged from the second-floor landing and froze. “What happened?” She reached for Quill’s arm to steady him as Hawk's foot caught on the step.“It was his dad. He cornered him in public where he knew we couldn't do much to defend ourselves,” Hawk adjusted Quill’s weight before trying the step again. When he barely managed to step up onto the landing, he sighed loudly. “Just... Just help me get him inside, will you?”Without another word, Lilly slipped under Quill’s other arm, helping Hawk maneuver him through the doorway and onto the couch. She knelt beside him, pulling back his shirt to check the damage. Dark bruises were already forming, and dried blood clung
Fluid 42. Nice Choice
Hawk leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, watching Quill wrestle with a stubborn IKEA manual. The kitchen smelled faintly of coffee and sawdust from the makeshift furniture projects they’d started but hadn’t finished. Their new place was beginning to feel like home... Kind of. It felt like a chaotic mess more than anything at that moment. “We need bedding,” Quill muttered, tossing the manual onto the table with a resigned groan. His dark hair fell over his eyes, but he didn’t bother pushing it back. Hawk just smiled at how frustrated Quill was over something that small. “Something that doesn’t feel like sandpaper or retains the sweat smell that hovers around you constantly. And plates that match. Or, you know, plates at all. Silverware would be fantastic as well. You know, metal ones, not plastic. I mean, we are adults, right?”Hawk smirked and sipped from his mug. “You planning a dinner party or something?”Quill shot him a look. “I just want to eat off something that i
Fluid 41. Make Waves
Quill paced outside the tattoo shop. Hawk was nearby, leaning against the doorframe. “You’re wearing a hole in the sidewalk.”Quill didn’t respond, focusing on the horizon where Hadlin should have appeared by now. “He’s late."“You don’t have to do this, you know.” Hawk stepped away from the doorframe. “You’re working yourself up before he even gets here. What if he shows and you’re already unraveling?”“And what if he doesn’t show up at all?” Quill shot back, finally turning toward Hawk. Quill bristled at how easily Hawk could unsettle him without even trying.“Then we’ll handle it,” Hawk replied. “But he’ll show. You know he will. He showed up to the art show. I just wish you could have met with him then.”Quill opened his mouth to argue when a shadow appeared around the corner. Hadlin’s figure emerged, broad and familiar but carrying a presence that felt too much like a memory and a stranger combined. As he came closer, Quill had to take a deep breath. Hawk moved aside, giving Quil
Fluid 40. When You're Ready
Sunlight spilled into the room, catching on the edges of the sheets tangled from the night before. The warm aroma of coffee mingled with the faint hum of morning life. Hawk shifted in the bed as Quill placed a steaming mug on the nightstand. He stretched slowly before pulling the mug closer, savoring its inviting heat. Across the room, Quill moved with uncontainable energy.Bare feet tapped against the floor, moving with a sense of purpose that seemed to escalate by the second. Drawers opened and cabinets closed in rhythm, filling the small apartment with a gentle chaos. A half-folded blanket was tossed over the arm of the couch, quickly abandoned in favor of a stack of papers needing attention. Quill’s shirt, half-tucked into sweatpants, betrayed the impatience driving him from task to task.Hawk leaned back against the headboard, the cup in hand barely touched. He observed Quill darting between chores, his movements light and full of energy.“What’s gotten into you?” Hawk asked.Qui
Fluid 39. Did I
The backdoor of Fluid slammed shut behind them, the muffled echoes of the crowd barely audible as Hawk dragged Quill upstairs. His grip was firm, his strides relentless, and his presence demanded attention. Quill followed, working hard to keep his breathing steady. Hawk was so charged, so sure, he didn’t want to shatter the moment by mentioning what he’d seen. Herc could wait. This was Hawk’s time.The door to their apartment swung open, and they stumbled inside. Hawk didn’t waste a second, turning and pressing Quill against the nearest wall. He explored Quill’s suit with urgent and searching movements, filled with a raw hunger tempered only by hesitation. Quill felt the uncertainty in Hawk’s actions, his careful intensity as he navigated this new territory. The mix of boldness and hesitance elicited a visceral response from Quill, distracting him from everything else.“Damn... You liked that, didn’t you?” Hawk said, tugging the zipper of Quill’s suit halfway down. He moved his hands
Fluid 38. Living His Art
The music started low and pulsing, its rhythm threading through the room, commanding attention. The white sheet stretched over the bed glowed faintly under the lights, creating a soft, otherworldly stage. Their bodies beneath the fabric became mere impressions, turning every movement into an artful tease. The fabric glided over the others perfectly, like water running over a smooth surface. Quill moved first, his body pressing against the sheet with quiet confidence. Each shift was deliberate, every motion purposeful, as though the music itself flowed through him. He felt it immediately. He was meant for something like this. Meant to express himself in as many creative ways as possible. His father be damned. This was what made him feel alive. This was living his art. And he was lucky enough to be living it with the guy he loved.Hawk followed, slower at first, his hesitance visible in the sharpness of his outline. The tentativeness was perfect for the scene and brought the crowd clo
Fluid 37. Take Control
Lilly strolled into the tattoo shop, her entrance as unhurried as her smile. Quill stood by the workbench, sorting through fresh needles and inks, the machine already prepped for his next client. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching him with that look she always had when she was about to ask for something."Got time for me later?" she asked.Quill paused mid-motion and turned her way. "Depends. What's on your mind?""A tattoo," she said, lifting one foot slightly to point at her ankle. "Right here. Something small.""Now you trust me with permanent marks?" he teased, setting a needle into the machine. "Careful. You might regret it.""Not a chance," she fired back. "Besides, I want to see what you come up with."Hawk chimed in from the doorway as he stepped in from the back steps. "Careful, Lilly. You're inflating his ego.""Hardly," she shot back. "I know how to keep him humble."Quill smirked, tilting his head toward the chair. "Come back later. We'll see if your
