The Witch and Broom With golden hearts and hearts of lace

[Emily Reyes]

Emily been right to think Max would get her hot under the collar before too long, although she hadn’t expected it to be a matter of seconds. He already had her giddy, and flustered, although part of that was the easy relief of tumbling back into familiar territory.

Reading his face, Emily could tell he liked what he was thinking about, and practically felt his eyes dragging down her body. She’d dressed to show off, so the ogling was more than welcome. If she thought back, she knew there was a short skirt involved. Stockings, too? She had the costume at home, but had chickened out on Halloween much to Max’s disappointment. She hadn’t intended to do anything involved, but it seemed to be building up that way, and she was into it. Being the good little witch to his big bad wolf was awful and porny, making her want to put her hand over his mouth again, while simultaneously sending a shot of hot arousal down between her legs.

“Yeah…” she rasped. Then with a little laugh and a stronger voice, she confirmed again, “Yes- Happy birthday to me.”

[Max Kuryakin]

The giddy panic was almost gone, replaced by a molasses feeling of Emily's arousal, bright and warm. It felt good to feel, alongside Max's attraction and arousal, the doused embers from before stoked just enough to come back, smouldering along his nerves.

Emily's response, her cute little laugh, had Max grinning as he let go of her hand, raising his own to trail his fingertips over her jawline. “Happy birthday,” he murmured, eyes glancing down to look at the bag in her lap, the wolf charm hanging from it. Then he looked up, leaning in to press a peck to her cheek.

[Emily Reyes]

“Thank you,” she replied sweetly, closing her eyes as Max drew his fingers along her jawline and kissed her cheek. She returned the chaste kiss and, with some effort, left it at that. If she kissed him now, she thought the bartender would end up asking if they were going to order something or not. She also kept her hands to herself, clutching Max's gift in both, one hand already habitually curling around the little charm.

Her grin was slightly rueful as she withdrew since she knew she'd rather focus on their building tension. However, delicately pushing a strand of hair out of her face, she asked, “I'll go grab us some menus? Or do you know what you want?”

Without a waiter coming by to keep them on task, Emily rightly assumed it was the sort of establishment where you ordered from the bar.

[Max Kuryakin]

Emily returned the kiss, and they wisely left it at that, Max dropping his hand from her jaw and resting it on the table. The temptation was still there, though, to push for a little more and be greedy again, with his arm still hooked around her waist and pressed close. That wasn't the kind of habit he wanted to encourage from himself, not with Emily.

So when Emily suggested she get menus, pulling away, Max nodded. He'd forgotten to grab a pair before they headed over. He'd been so focused on handing the gift over. “Yeah, uh, I was just thinking of a House Burger with fries. It's the biggest thing on their menu.” He shot her a crooked grin.

[Emily Reyes]

He let her go and she reluctantly disentangled herself, shifting to get up out of the booth. This was better continued in private though. As he mentioned he wanted the biggest thing on their menu, she laughed brightly.

Standing, she leaned in, gripping both sides of the little table as she shared conspiratorially, “I’m glad I didn’t take you to Bun Intended. The serving sizes are this big-” Emily made a ring with her thumb and middle finger about the size of a quarter and peeked at Max through it. Her grin was gleeful despite her apparent thankfulness—part of her liked the werewolf’s outrage at her choice in dining establishments.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max ducked his head, hiding his grin as she mentioned the hipster place she'd suggested they go to before going where they were now. He was trying not to laugh as she confirmed the portions were tiny, looking up at her and biting his bottom lip with a shake of his head.

“I can't believe you wanted me to starve,” he accused lightly, mouth twisting in reluctant amusement as she grinned at him. Happy about the bait and switch, clearly.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily chuckled again, cocking one hip and propping her hand on it while the other splayed on the table. The witch was in high spirits.

“I thought-” she dropped her voice as she teased. “That wolves, being the coolest animals, could go for days without food.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Max's grin turned toothy as Emily uttered the phrase he'd so insistently tried to get out of her, even if it was to tease him for his big appetite. Leaning forward, he braced an elbow on the table and looked up at her where she was standing over the table. He considered snatching her hand, but a sideways look to the bartender told him the guy was probably sick of their fooling around.

“I've got such a ravenous appetite, Emily,” Max said, cocking his head and letting his eyes flick down the length of her body, appreciating how her collar dropped low over her cleavage. The jeans were well-chosen, but Max hadn't gotten a chance to look at the rearview. “Can't go hungry, or I might decide to eat you.”

He met her eyes head-on, giving her a flirtatious look, grin going sly and sultry.

[Emily Reyes]

When Max leaned in, Emily had to resist the urge to bolt, knowing she was within grabbing range while she teased him. She didn’t think he would do anything, but she still grinned a little wildly, body unconsciously tensing like she meant to make a run for it. Instead, he gave her a look that made her feel like he was mentally peeling her clothes off.

Her grin went crooked as he went on, saying the exact sort of double entendres she wanted to hear- Well, Max probably could actually eat her, being a werewolf, but that was just incidental. Emily dismissed the idea in favor of the sexier option.

“Maybe… Maybe that had been the plan, all along,” she lilted flirtatiously, tipping her chin up as she once again owned up to the fact that she’d dressed for his benefit, with a clear objective in mind. But she left it at that, deciding that was a good time to saunter off in search of menus at the bar.

While there, the bartender asked her if she wanted anything to drink and that was a no brainer. It was lunchtime so she ordered the Americano and what she thought Max might like, knowing his usuals by heart. They had time, so she figured there’d be a chance to order another if he wanted something else.

While the bartender worked on their drinks, Emily returned and put the menus down on the table. She slid back into her spot next to Max, although she held back on getting too cozy right away.

[Max Kuryakin]

Emily seemed to be vibrating, skittish but excited, ready to flee at any sudden movement. It was too much like a rabbit frozen in the face of danger before a burst of energy could take them to safety. Of course, this was all in play, but Max knew he framed things in a predatory-prey dynamic sometimes. Emily wasn’t prey, but she ran around and teased him enough that the bit of him that ran on animal instinct paid close attention to her.

Outwardly, it all translated into Max’s gaze sharpening in interest, blue eyes following Emily’s movements as she gave her retort and left. Fled, in a way. Maybe it had been the plan all along. A tease that was serious or not, Max had enough little bits to figure out that Emily’d dressed to catch attention. His attention, since she wouldn’t be making plans for later on if she had another date waiting.

Left to his thoughts, Max watched her, and finally, he got a look at her ass in those jeans, tilting his head as he drank his fill. It didn’t take long for Emily to order, and Max only dragged his eyes up to her face when she turned around to return to the table.

Watching her with a little smile, Max noted her not getting too close and followed in kind, staying where he was, elbow propped on the table.

“What’d you get?” Max asked conversationally, taking the implied wish to leave the flirting behind seriously, even if he wasn’t feeling a shred of guilt about looking his fill.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily knew that the werewolf would never hurt her if he could help it, but the way Max’s eyes sharpened, his gaze narrowing on her, did something to her hindbrain. Made goosebumps trickle down her spine. Fortunately, she didn’t find it scary and she wouldn’t say she was an adrenaline-junkie of any sort, so it wasn’t thrilling in that way. It was just one of those little reminders that he was more than human, and it did make her want to run, but only so he would chase and catch her.

Leaving that behind at the booth was interesting as well. Standing there and knowing that most, if not all, of the humans around them lived their lives in ignorance or near it. Emily didn’t envy them or look down on them for it. Instead she looked at herself, contemplating how much her perspective had changed in the last two years. Deep thoughts while she tried to decide what to drink for lunch time.

When she turned, Max didn’t hide where his eyes were and Emily smirked, enjoying the attention even if it had her flushing lightly. As she sat down next to the werewolf again, bouncing the seat lightly, she slid a menu over to him, before habitually tidying the space. Not that there was much to do; his gift was stashed safely in her purse, and she patted down her hair before scanning the menu.

“Americano for me and I figured you’d like a cider for lunch?” Emily lifted her eyebrows at him, hoping she’d selected the right beverage. She’d feel like a putz if he hadn’t wanted one, but putting their drink orders in at the same time had made polite sense at the time, so she’d done it without a second thought.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max accepted the menu, giving it a vaguely interested once-over before looking back at Emily. He couldn't help the smile as she busily tidied, mostly shifting things around, before she patted down her hair, disrupted during their wrestling. The smile widened, pleased, as she'd made a good drink choice.

“You figured right, a cider will hit the spot right now,” he said, sighing and leaning back in the booth. “It's felt like a long week.”

[Emily Reyes]

Pleased she'd guessed right, Emily leaned back in the booth as well, attention going to the menu. The option that caught her eye was a grilled steak salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, likely all in a bowl bigger than her head. These places tended to be generous with their helpings, much to her werewolf companion's benefit.

Still, she spent a few more seconds browsing until Max pulled her attention again. “Oh no,” she murmured, sympathetic and vaguely wondering if that's what contributed to their earlier conversation. “School? Work?”

Her money was on work. She was not a first responder in the same way Max was and had rarely filled the role when she was a cop. Still, she had plenty of first and second-hand accounts to know that it was not a job for the faint of heart, and the hours weren't forgiving, to boot. Their days off were precious things. And Max was doing school on top of it all. Emily struggled to imagine any week was easy if she thought about it.

[Max Kuryakin]

“Both? In a way. Inter-related,” Max admitted, pushing the menu to the middle of the table after his quick perusal. He drew in a breath, thinking back on the week, running into the guy he knew in the EFD nearly every day he was on campus. “The Easthaven Fire Department have been recruiting on campus, and one guy--I know him from work--has been on my case about getting an associate's degree in fire science. He thinks I'd do well. It's similar hours but better pay.”

He had a single semester left for his part-time Master's, and starting on an associates degree while going into training with the EFD was... tempting, even if it was juggling a lot of balls.

[Emily Reyes]

Practically decided, since the food wasn't as important as the companionship and conversation, Emily followed suit and put her menu down on the table. The bartender was busily making their drinks and would be done soon, considering the lack of patrons in the restaurant, but she stayed put until he called rather than interrupt the flow of their conversation.

Listening to Max's troubles, she couldn't help quirking a fond grin. “You're really allergic to living a quiet life, aren't you?” Maybe the jump from EMT to firefighter wasn't that wide, but rushing into a burning building was still leagues above. It suited Max's temperament though.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max dropped his head and laughed, shaking his head at Emily's words. The guy had said something similar, although more angled towards recruiting Max. Emily's evaluation was possibly more to the point.

“Am I? I don't mean to be,” Max murmured, nudging Emily gently with an elbow, smiling gently. “Do you think I should go for it?”

[Emily Reyes]

Chuckling as well, Emily tilted her head one way, and then the other, considering. Should he go for it? The weight of Max asking her about a career change didn't escape her, but when Emily thought about it, she couldn't think of anyone else she'd ask for advice but him herself. The realization pleased her, but didn't derail her thoughts. From EMT to firefighter would take a bit more schooling, but Max seemed to like going to classes. And it was more of a lateral move than complete turnaround.

“Yeah. It suits you,” she said after a few moments of consideration. Then she bit her lip and admitted ruefully, “I hate the idea of you running into a burning building, though.”

Sure, he could heal a grievous injury within minutes, but she didn't think werewolves were immune to smoke inhalation or lethal temperatures. If a building fell on him... God.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max watched Emily consider the question, wondering what was going on in her head as she tipped her head from side to side. He'd considered the question himself. Should he go for it? Considering his qualifications as a paramedic, he wouldn't need to do anything besides the associate's degree. The hours were the same, similar work but different enough that it wouldn't just feel like doing the same thing. It was attractive, considering the jump in pay.

He'd thought in circles around it, finding the idea of having less direct interaction with victims appealing, where his job would be to make them comfortable until the EMS came. It was more dangerous, though, even with the safety equipment he'd be required to be weighted down with, but it was all things he could handle. A werewolf had less to worry about than humans, but he wasn't invincible.

When Emily finally passed her judgement, her words got a sweet little smile out of him. It suited him? It could mean many things, her saying he was an adrenaline junkie in not so many words for one, but Max decided to take it in its most flattering form. Her worry had his smile softening, and he reached out to take her hand, squeezing it.

“It's not a thrilling concept,” Max said, playfully sarcastic. “But I'd be trained and all wrapped up in safety equipment. You have seen me go up against worst with less, wouldn't you say?”

[Emily Reyes]

“I don't enjoy that either! I don't care if everything'll grow back!” Emily laughed, squeezing Max's hand in return, feeling his callouses on her soft palm. She fluttered her other hand, sighing resignedly, “Don't mind me. You know how I get--if it's more pay and you'd enjoy it, do it. You'd be great at it.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Max didn't laugh, knowing Emily's worry was genuine, but he kept smiling. Cocking his head, he watched her sigh and flutter her hand, his smile broadening just a little as she offered her final judgement. That she thought he'd be good as a firefighter meant a lot. Emily wasn't known for blowing smoke up his ass when things mattered, so he could take her words up front.

“Thanks, that means a lot,” he returned softly, leaning into her shoulder, before he joked, “I might hold out a bit longer, make Will really work for it.”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily grinned down at the table, swaying as he nudged her shoulder. Knowing her word meant a lot to him meant a lot to her. Still, it didn't seem to be an immediate thing, which made sense. It wasn't a career you just fell into. She wondered briefly if she knew anyone in the EFD by that name, but it wasn't exactly a circle she ran in, even if it was adjacent.

“Wow, aren't you a tease,” she chuckled, giving his hand one last squeeze just as the bartender set their drinks down on the bar and caught her eye. It wasn't a long distance between their table and the bar, so as she started shifting out of the booth to fetch the drinks, she asked the next pertinent question on her mind with a sly smirk. “So, do they have a calendar?”

She'd be back in time to hear his reply, a drink in each hand.

[Max Kuryakin]

Emily’s sly question got a bark of a laugh out of Max as she went to grab their drinks, evading an immediate, overly flirty response. The laughter and the impulse to grab at her had died down by the time she was back, both their drinks in hand. Max reached out to accept his, cocking his head and grinning slyly back at her, although he still looked amused.

“He did mention a yearly calendar,” Max said with a grin, lifting his drink to sip it, the sweeter cider hitting the spot. He couldn’t help the little sigh of pleasure, lowering the glass to the table before he looked at Emily from the corner of his eye, his grin turning to a smirk. “Is that something you’d look forward to?”

[Emily Reyes]

Unaware of the grabby, flirty fate she’d narrowly evaded, Emily returned with several napkins, the drinks, and settled in again. In no hurry, she’d left ordering food for later. She took a sip of her bittersweet Americano, although she had to swallow quickly when Max volleyed his question back, calling her out.

“Of course,” Emily said primly, clearing her throat as she set her drink down in the exact center of her napkin. She offered the werewolf an airy smile, playing at innocent. “It’s a good opportunity to donate to charity, Max.”

Her blush gave away her real thoughts—it was easy to imagine Max in the sorts of poses and photo lighting offered in those yearly spreads. With the thoughts of his defined pecs and flat stomach came sense memories of the way his skin felt and his reactions to her touch, so Emily was left a little titillated. In reality, it would probably be the first time she’d be motivated to buy one such calendar, even if he was so free with sending her sexy pictures anyway.

[Max Kuryakin]

Chuckling at Emily's innocent act, Max leaned into her and let out a thoughtful, and yet entirely dubious, “Mhmm,” as he made it clear what he thought about that. “Everything for those animals, right? Cradled in muscular, sweaty, possibly sooty arms.”

He hoped she was imagining what he'd look like spread out like they were in a classic fireman's calendar. But even if she wasn't, he would campaign for a spot on the spread as soon as he locked down a possible position as a fireman. Will had even joked he'd be a shoo-in, but only time would tell.

[Emily Reyes]

As Max painted her a very evocative picture, Emily’s lips pursed into a tiny “o” of interest, betraying her thoughts further. She smoothed the expression away, but had to glance away, smiling at the floor for a moment. With him up against her side again, she leaned in to bump their shoulders together, her flush spreading down beneath her collar.

“So, it’s for animal shelters then? The charity this year?” she asked, still angling for naivety as she leaned forward to rest her elbow on the table, and face Max. She bit her lip, fighting a smile.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max's smirk widened as Emily's expression shifted, catching it even as she tried to wipe it out quickly. Her looking away was as much a telltale sign as anything else because he knew she looked away when she was trying not to give something away or give in.

As her flush spread, Max let his eyes follow it down. “Yep,” he confirmed, popping his p, as his eyes flicked up to her face. “They usually pick animal charities. Tugs on the heartstrings, you know.”

[Emily Reyes]

“Oh yeah,” Emily said agreeably, unable to help her slight grin as Max’s eyes drifted lower. She straightened her back and let her hand drop into her lap, which had the benefit of plumping up her cleavage. As he looked back up at her, she bobbed her eyebrows, and nodded seriously. “Yeah, that’s definitely the set of strings it’s plucking for me.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Max couldn't help biting his lower lip as Emily deliberately adjusted herself and his view, enjoying the view and their silly banter. “Yeah, you're really concerned about the animals,” Max teased, leaning in to nudge his nose against hers. “Want me to pose with Dulce for you? To tug on those heartstrings.”

[Emily Reyes]

They were talking circles around how Emily felt about Max modeling for a firefighter's calendar, but the idea of him posing with her beloved familiar actually tugged at her heartstrings. She could easily envision Max, sexy and smoldering for the camera, while Dulce stared adoringly up at him, all pretty and fluffy, and her smile finally broke through. Delighted, Emily grinned as he leaned in to touch their noses together.

“Yeah, you got me,” she said softly, realizing she hadn't kissed the werewolf yet today when she smelled the cider on his mouth. She tipped her head to get her nose out of the way. “Hook, line, and sinker.”

[Max Kuryakin]

With Emily's grin, Max had to let his smirk morph into one as well. Silly banter, maybe, but it was fun banter, which was what mattered. When Emily tipped her head, Max could read what she was fishing for, his grin widening at her words. Rather than replying, Max crossed the short distance between them, kissing her as his hand slipped over to hook her thigh and tug at her, tasting her Americano on her lips.

[Emily Reyes]

Stomach swooping, Emily sighed with pleasure into the kiss, her eyelids drooping. If they'd been in private, she would've let her hands wander, pulled Max closer by his shoulders, and carded her fingers through his hair, finding him irresistible like always.

Instead, Emily just tried to keep herself mindful of their surroundings, even though she really enjoyed kissing Max. As their lips slid together, she pressed the hand in her lap over his on her thigh, curling her fingers around his palm while the other stayed propping up her chin. From the way she intermittently touched her tongue to his lips, she was clearly tempted to deepen it but held firm otherwise, keeping it light—semi-appropriate for a bar.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max didn't miss the little signs that Emily wanted to deepen the kiss and make more out of it, but she held back. He was thinking of the same, squeezing his grip on her thigh and thinking of how he'd let it all spiral out of control if they'd been in private. But they weren't alone, so he pulled back before they could be tempted further and when the kiss hadn't stretched on for too long.

Flicking his tongue out to taste his lips, Max caught the lingering Americano mixing with his cider, grinning at Emily. “Want me to go order our food?” He murmured, deliberately refocusing them even as he looked at her through half-lidded eyes.

[Emily Reyes]

They’d made plans for later, so when Max pulled away, Emily let him go. Cheeks flushed, she grinned at him, looking fond and moony. Biting her lip and squeezing his hand as she slowly disengaged, she nodded to his question.

“Yeah,” she decided, her tone flirtatious. “I think I’m owed a chance to stare at your butt while you’re up there too.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Laughing, Max pulled away further, letting his hand slip out from under hers and away from her thigh, starting to get out of the booth.

“I'll make sure to give you a show,” Max flirted back.