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"what's this all about?" caleb stares at you, eyes blown wide. he gulps nervously as you straddle him, hovering over his lap with a red ribbon held in the palm of your hand.
"not interested in some fun?" you tease him with a non-answer.
the sweetest shade of pink dusts across his cheeks, his eyebrows raised high onto his forehead, disappearing beneath half-styled bangs. he swallows. "pip…"
caleb doesn't know where to put his hands. he looks so pretty like this, flustered and confused, eyes darting over every inch of your face. his tongue swipes against his bottom lip before his front teeth gently bites down on it.
there's a shift somewhere, somehow.
"i wanna put this over your eyes," you quietly say, lifting the ribbon up into view. "it'll be like those blindfold challenges we used to watch when we were kids."
"those videos were a little weird…" he trails off and sighs.
"but y'know what?" he nods, determined to see this through just for you. "fine."
satisfaction blooms on your face in the form of a big smile.
"good boy."
he inhales sharply at that, but you choose to ignore it for now.
"don't move." you say as you lift yourself up. he can only see half of your face from where he's sitting and he has to will himself to avert his gaze, afraid of what might happen if he kept staring at your soft, kissable lips…
his train of thought is interrupted by a flood of red swallowing him whole, and the world soon disappears behind the cool silk of ribbon.
"how is it?" you ask, your voice amplified by his lack of sight. "is it too tight? or uncomfortable at all?" your fingers mindlessly play with the two ends of the ribbon while you wait for his response.
he shakes his head gently. "nope. i'm all good."
"hmm." is the last thing he hears from you.
you don't say anything and he finds that… weird. he can't exactly see you right now, so he isn't sure what's going through your mind. he's starting to realize just how much he dislikes not seeing you.
are you smiling without him knowing? he would hate to miss that. your silly grins are one of his favorite things about you.
"what…" he pauses momentarily, eyelashes fluttering against the silk ribbon strewn over his eyes. "what are you thinkin' about over there, pipsqueak?"
"nothing special," you respond, firmly planting yourself down on his lap.
his hands twitch by his sides.
your body is soft on his thighs. warmer, in a way. he can't tell if his other senses are heightened thanks to the one he currently lacks. all he knows is that you're still here with him and that he has your full attention. it feels as right as it should be, though he does wish he could see you.
"you look good like this," he hears you whisper, your breath fanning against his cheeks. he didn't realize how close you were until now. it makes every muscle on his body tense up.
much to his dismay, you notice that almost instantly.
you whisper against the side of his face, "relax."
your quiet two syllable word works in reverse. he can't relax one bit. you're too close, too warm. it's hard to think like this.
a shaky exhale passes through his wobbly lips as he tries not to lose his mind.
he really can't imagine which pathetic version of himself is currently on display for you. it's embarrassing just thinking about it— but he knows this is what you want. you always want to see him in ways you shouldn't. who is he to deny you what you so obviously desire?
suddenly, he feels you pick up his hands from where they rest flat on the couch. you settle his palms on your waist not even a second later and he hesitates before properly holding on.
"baby?" he keeps his grip light.
"touch me," you say, a faint but firm command he knows he must yield to.
he's still unsure, somewhat afraid of where and how this will end.
despite that, his hungry hands have a mind of its own, the pair of them tracing up your sides, pausing at the edge of your ribcage. he can feel how your upper body expands and contracts with every breath you take. just beneath his fingertips is the warmth of your life.
he gulps and continues to map out your body.
"i remember you once burned yourself with your hair straightener," he reminisces, a hand trailing downwards. one of his thumbs circles softly against a spot above your bellybutton and he looks down even though he can’t see anything. “you cried like a little baby afterwards."
"mhm." you don't seem to be all here. it's like you're lost in his touch just as much as he is. not that he minds, of course.
he smiles, one hand finding its way to the crook of your neck. "here," he mumbles, his index finger tapping a certain spot on your skin. "you have a birthmark here."
his finger then slides up from under your jaw. "and just right here…" he rubs a knuckle on your chin while he speaks. "you used to have this one acne scar. it was kinda shaped like a heart and it was so so cute," he mumbles.
you open your mouth to respond, but the gesture causes his finger to slip and bump against the bottom of your lip. he inhales quietly, "your lips…"
he knows the shape of your lips like the back of his hand. he's no artist, but he could definitely sketch a near perfect replica of it.
"what's this?" he swipes his thumb against your moist lower lip, getting a feel of the waxy salve you applied earlier. "lip balm?"
you hum. "can you guess what flavor it is?"
"how am i supposed to do that..?" he breathlessly asks.
your reply comes in a giggle too close to his mouth. "figure it out."
he stills, knowing full well that he shouldn't. you don't know what you're saying, he's sure of that. you aren't thinking about what this might mean. you're just playing around, you aren't serious, you don't want this—
"caleb."
that single call of his name is all it takes for his worries to vanish without a trace. without even realizing it himself, he leans in, his pair of lips soon settling on your own. just this once, he foolishly tells himself, only to pull you in by the waist, kissing you again and again.
every time he manages to separate his lips from yours, he swoops back in almost involuntarily. your lips are an inescapable gravitational pull, and he is its willing victim.
"well?" you hold a hand to his chest, preventing his next wave of kisses. "what flavor do you think it is?"
"huh? wha— oh." caleb's tongue slides over his own lips, taking in the taste of you and something fruity. it's a vague flavor he can't quite name.
"watermelon?" he guesses.
"wrong," you laugh, head swaying side to side. your body shakes on his lap and he steadies you by your hips just in case you somehow fall over. "it's green apple."
"green apple? are you sure you're not playin' me for a fool?" he has that dumb lopsided smile on his face while he speaks. from his tone alone, you're certain he has that one playful glint in his eyes. the one so uniquely caleb.
"give me another taste. i need to confirm it for myself," he says, his voice dipping into a low tone you have only ever heard a few times before. that's when you realize you might have pushed him a little too far.
"wait, caleb..!" you squirm on his lap, leaning backwards to make a quick escape.
tightening his grip on your hips, he refuses to let you go."nuh-uh," he breathes out, clothes rustling as he easily maneuvers you around. in one swift motion, he has you pinned to the couch.
hovering over you, the ribbon quickly comes undone and falls from his face, revealing two pools of lavender that seem more dangerous than playful. the ribbon falling appeared too convenient to you, its timing so impeccable you immediately suspect he used his evol to undo the knot.
"caleb, you cheater."
he smiles over you, his face shadowed from the backlight. "hush," he laughs as he bends his neck, lowering himself towards your face.
"now let me get a better taste, pip."
rolling your eyes, you give in and snake your arms around his neck. you hear him sigh through his nose the second you're mouth to mouth. a sweet, warm haze drapes over you and caleb, and your vision soon dims. even in the darkness, the image of caleb persists.
after a few minutes, caleb rests his body on yours, though not entirely. "baby..."
"hmm?"
"you lied t'me," he mumbles through a smile. "your lip balm isn't green apple flavored."
you don't even bother holding back your laughter.
"you were right earlier," you admit. with his flushed face between your hands, you force him to look at you and your big smile. "it's actually watermelon."