You're Here Tonight (Ashton)

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

She had texted him the location the second she had gotten dressed and was on her way out the door. She wasn't quite sure if he was going to show up or not, but she really hoped he would. It was already getting kind of late, but Sophie didn't mind. She just hoped he wouldn't either.

So, here she was, at the pond. The sky was clear and a million stars lit it up with the help of the moon. What looked like thousands of fireflies flew over the lake, creating quite the warm and fuzzy atmosphere. Stark, her snow white ferret was running around trying to catch them. She couldn't help but smile at his cute playfulness. That was one of the reasons he always made her feel better.

She turned her head in the direction of where the faint footsteps was coming from. And as she saw him, looking even more handsome in the moonlight than what she could remember, she almost lost her breath.

Oh, I just want to hold you.
I just want to hold you, oh, yeah.
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
Well, I don't care...
You're here tonight.

[Ashton Harper]

Ashton was a little surprised by her sudden orders, but as soon as the call was ended, he did what she said, got dressed in a pair of jeans and a button-up over his wife beater. He didn’t really understand why she suddenly had the desire to see him, but he wasn’t going to argue it. He was dying to see her and seeing as how she hadn’t freaked out about him being a meta, he was just more excited.

He quickly let Max out to do his business and tucked him in at the apartment, proofing the house so that the pup wouldn’t find something to chew on while he was gone for however long. Max was a great dog, he just got restless really easily and liked to munch on things out of boredom. Sometimes his bones and toys weren’t enough to keep him interested. So Ash gave him an old shoe that he found from storage and left with that.

It hadn’t taken long to walk to the lake and he was glad that it wasn’t extremely hot outside otherwise he’d have been sweating by the time he reached the place of meeting. Ashton took in the sights around him. It was a beautiful night and he couldn’t help but smile. That smile only grew when he looked across the short distance to see a beautiful girl waiting for him. He started walking again with his hands in his pockets until he finally reached her, “Hey there gorgeous. What do I owe the pleasure?” He asked with a wide smile.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

Sophie patted the seat next to her and leaned back. ''Ohai there handsome.'', she tilted her head to the side and grinned. ''Oh, no. The pleasure's all mine.'' She was beyond extatic over the fact that he had decided to show up. She really wanted to clear all the tension out of the air before it became this evil, nagging thing tugging at them. Stark came jumping up into her lap and sniffed Ashton with curiousity. ''Oh yeah, meet Stark.'', she said with a chuckle.

She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his. It was such a perfect, romantic moment it looked like it could have fit right into some chick flick movie. But she didn't complain, he was here and she was more than happy about that. ''I'm really happy that you decided to show up.'' She peeked up at him and smiled. Man, he was looking so incredible adorable. She just felt like reaching up and kiss him.

It didn't take her long before she let her hand drop down to his and intertwine his fingers in hers. She placed their hands in her lap and let the fingertips on her free hand run over his skin. It felt soft and warm under her touch, which brought a smile to her face. It didn't take her long until she leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips.

[Ashton Harper]

Ash plopped down beside her without hesitation and made sure he was pretty close where he ended up. She definitely was just as gorgeous as he could remember. He wondered how he even managed to go so long without seeing her let alone talking to her. It was ridiculous how much he found that he missed her. He smiled as a little flash of white came scurrying up to them and sniffed at him. “Hey there little guy,” He scratched the ferrets head with his finger. “I love these little things. I mean I’m a dog man, but who doesn’t love ferrets?”

She wrapped her arm around his and rested her head against his shoulder. He found his heart speeding up and he rested his cheek against the top of her head. Oh yeah, he definitely recognized this from some ridiculous movie, but it was nice sharing it with her. “Why wouldn’t I show up? I mean if a girl as gorgeous as you text me and says to meet her somewhere, I’m no doubt going to show up,” He said softly.

He felt her hand drop to his and she held it securely in her lip. His breathing hitched and he wiggled his fingers in hers as she started running her fingers against his skin. It felt nice, just sitting with her, at dark with the stars being crazy beautiful and so many lightening bugs surrounding them. She stretched up and kissed the corner of his lips and he squeezed her hand, turning his face to hers. He leaned in and kissed her lips gently, cupping her cheek with his free hand. “I’m glad you dragged me out here for this.”

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

''I swear sometimes I think he believes he's a dog.'', she said with a chuckle as Stark grabbed Ash's finger between his paws. Then he lost interest and crawled up Sophie's arm and curled himself up in between her hair. ''Be glad he didn't see you as food.'' Sophie sure did and it didn't help much when he was sitting so darn close. Teenage hormones on its finest, yep.

''Good thing I beat everyone else to it then.'', she said with a grin. She found herself enjoying his company more and more. He always said such nice things, and he was also both incredible handsome and cute. To top it all off he also made her laugh with his awkward way of being. She had missed that. Having a guy around who made her laugh like that.

Sophie could feel her cheek grow hotter as he kissed her and she looked at him with a smile. ''You better be.'' She placed her hand subconsciously on his thigh to keep herself from falling to the side. Stark stuck his head out from her hair and let out a small squeak before going back to hiding. Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head. She placed her free hand at the back of Ash's neck and kissed his lips again before pulling slightly back again with a smirk on her lips. ''Oh yeah, way better than my wet dream about Thor. Much better.'' Most people would claim that Sophie had a tendency of being too open about things, but she didn't mind. She liked being too honest, it often lead to surprised and funny reactions. If people didn't like it, it was their loss.

[Ashton Harper]

“Nothing wrong with that,” He said with a smile as the little ferret caught at his finger. Ash watched him crawl up and into her hair and he just laughed quietly. Animals were interesting things and he really did enjoy all of them, it was just a matter of preference really. He nodded, “Yeah, that would have kinda sucked if he bit me.” Like a lot. But he wouldn’t have cared too much.

He smiled shyly at her comment and felt her hand against his thigh. It had an uncomfortable effect on him seeing as how, well he didn’t really want to deal with it at the moment. Granted it wouldn’t be too noticeable in the jeans he was wearing. Still, she had to know she had that effect on guys. It was hardly fair. Ashton tried his hardest to ignore it because he definitely didn’t want things to get all awkward like he usually made things.

And as if to make things worse she mentions a wet dream about Thor! Really? He shook his head and laughed, “You’re really killing me here.” He nuzzled her nose with his and pulled back, wrapping his arm around her. “So tell me, what sparked the random urge to see me so bad? I mean not that I’m complaining, but it just was all of a sudden,” He said softly as he played with her hair. It really didn’t bother him that she wanted to spend time with him, it just sparked his interest and when it was sparked he rarely ever ignored it.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

Oh yeah. Boy, did she notice. But that was mostly because she was an expert on the subject. 'Always leave them wanting more'. Though, she hadn't meant for it to happen this time. It wasn't like she minded or anything. If anything, it was more a compliment than an insult. She pretended she didn't notice and shifted her position, so she could move her hand tinsy-winsy bit further up without him noticing she did it all on purpose. At least she hoped he didn't.

''Weird, that was my exact words in the dream too, huh.'' He was making it so easy for her to mess with him, and always gave her the funniest reactions. She could easily grow used to this, there was no doubt about it. ''Well, there was a lot of tension being built up during the phone call, and I didn't wanna leave things like that. And the best way for me to do that is face to face. And hey, probably grow some other form of tension.'' She pressed her face against his neck and chuckled. ''You smell nice.'', she whispered.

[Ashton Harper]

God if Ash knew that it was obvious to her, there was no doubt, he'd probably have died right there. But hey, at least he'd die happy right? (Horrible.) He tried not to notice that her hand only got higher when she shifted positions, but it was kind of h-difficult not to. He was seriously so close to just losing his mind right then and there. It was not easy being a guy. Girls could complain all they wanted about PMS and pregnancy, but they really had no idea how much of a pain it was being a guy when they were with a girl.

"Sophie," He said with a scrunched up face. That was not something he was used to hearing about. His face was burning up and he just wanted to curl up in his awkward turtle shell and disappear from all the awkwardness. But the change in subject (that he had provided) helped a little. He nodded, "I guess. But I wasn't mad or anything, I was just worried, ya know?" Being a meta created a lot of worry and tension between those who were not metas. She pressed her face into his neck and he shivered feeling her breath against his skin.

Ash stroked her hair and bumped his nose against her cheek, "You do, too. And you look really nice tonight." Anything to compliment her.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

She could only laugh at this obvious torture. ''Yes? You wanna hear more? Maybe you'd be more interested in what happened after the dream?'' He was making this too easy for her and she was probably enjoying it a lot more than she should. And at this point she didn't even know how to stop. It was almost addicting, watching him grow all flustered and awkward like that. ''Yeah, me too.'', she whispered and removed her hand from his thigh and wrapped both of them around his waist.

''Why, thank you.'', she replied with a smile. She was pretty sure her cheeks had grown redder already. But, she couldn't complain after all the embarrassment she put him through. It was only fair that he got in a few jabs here and there. She sat back up and shook her head. ''This would totally be the perfect weather for skinny dipping.'' Not that she'd ever go through with it or anything. A guy had never seen her naked before and she wasn't quite sure this was how she wanted her first time being naked in front of someone who wasn't a girl inside a locker room to be.

[Ashton Harper]

Ashton shook his head, “Please, spare me. I can only handle so much.” He smirked at her and poked her side. It was funny for her and as he was always thinking, if she laughed it was worth it. But really, he could only take it so much without wanting to hide. He was one of the most awkward people one would ever meet and the talk about sex (even if he had done it) was still uncomfortable to him because he’d only done it once and that was it. He wasn’t used to discussing things that implied it or innuendos or anything. He was all innocence.

He looked down at her with a surprised expression. Skinny dipping? Was she trying to make him want to curl up in a ball and vanish? Not that he would mind seeing her and all because he was a guy, but it was still not something he was necessarily ready for. A lot of things like that just never crossed his mind, though they seemed to cross hers pretty often. No, it didn’t bother him enough for him to not like her, he was just a little discomforted by it.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

''Alright, alright.'', she said and chuckled. ''I'll stop.'' She sat up and lifted her arms halfway into the air to show him that she was surrendering. ''I'll be good, I promise.'' She stood up and gazed towards the water. It looked really beautiful the way the moon mirrored itself on the surface, and how the fireflies danced around in the air. She closed her eyes and took it all in. Even Stark stuck his head out from underneath her hair and squeaked. ''I was kidding.'', she said and looked at him over her shoulder. ''About the skinny dipping part. Unless you want to, of course. But you're doing it alone.'', she said and laughed. She sat down on her knees and let Stark crawl down her arm and back to the ground.

''Would it surprise you if I told you that I'm still a virgin?'' Sophie was good at pretending to not be one, but in the end, she still was. And below all the teasing and jokes, she was just as insecure as Ash about the subject. She just didn't show it as easily as he did, which was one of the reasons she joked around about it as much as she did.

[Ashton Harper]

His eyes traveled up when she stood and instead of looking out at the scenery, he just watched her. He still couldn’t quite get over that she was here with him and not off with some other guy. Someone as great as her deserved the best and he wasn’t going to argue if she thought he was the best at the moment. Things could change, she could rethink her options and leave, but it would all be worth it for the time they spent together. At least there was that. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked out towards the water again. His mind was running away with him. Ash was terrified of getting attached again. The last thing he needed was another rejection and he was freaking himself out, waiting for it to happen.

When she spoke, he looked up at her and smiled, “Well good because I sure as hell wasn’t doing it.” He was self-conscious enough, that didn’t need to be added to the mix. She sat down on her knees and he turned his head to look at her. Her question made him arch an eyebrow and he thought for a moment. “No, it wouldn’t. Would it surprise you that I’m not?” He asked in return. Most people would automatically say no with the way he acted. No one could ever really be sure about the v-card.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

''No, not really.'', she said with a smile. Someone as great as him was bound to have been snapped up by someone by now. She still couldn't believe someone that looked like that could have such a poor self-esteem. But then again, everyone had their issues, some were just better at masking them than others. She dug her hands into the pockets on her oversized hoodie and chuckled. ''Thanks for not running screaming away when you found out that my parents are part of the PUSE.'' She looked at him over her shoulder again and smiled. She stood back up and turned to him with her hand on her hip.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against his chest. If her parents ever found out about him, they would ruin everything. Hell, he'd even be in trouble because of it. Because of her. It was a wonder he hadn't run away yet, and if he ever did she couldn't really blame him. She narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh. She was growing too attached to him already and she couldn't stop it from happening. This wasn't typical of her, and she had never really liked anyone that way before, so she didn't even know what to make of it all. And the fact that he could easily run away and leave her standing just made it all much worse. And she didn't doubt that someone prettier could come along and snatch him right then and there. Just like that, and he'd be gone.

[Ashton Harper]

He was kind of glad that she didn’t think he was just some immature, child-like guy. Naïve to think that sex was icky and all that. Honestly most people pegged him as that because it was easier to believe than him having slept with someone. If he slept with someone that meant he had to be smooth enough to get her into bed and that in of itself was next to impossible to imagine from a guy like him. He was awkward in his own skin let alone trying to make someone else want him. It had been a complicated thing when it happened and though at the time he thought it was right, he wished he waited until they had been officially married.

She wrapped around him as he sat there and rested her head against his chest. Ash smiled and practically cradled her in his arms, his fingers stroking her hair softly. “You know I’m not going anywhere right? I won’t let this whole PUSE thing bother me if you don’t. I mean sure it could end badly, but that’s if they find out about it. I’m not exactly growing wings out of my back or webbed feet. I think we’ll manage,” He said as he held her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. As long as she wanted him, he would be there.

[Sophie Fitzpatrick]

She let out a sigh and peeked up at him. ''Really?'', she asked, clearly relieved. And it did make sense, what he said. He didn't have any kind of visable power, so hiding it would be easy. Though, there was still the problem of her parents actually accepting him into their little secret circle, seeing as he wasn't rich or from a fancy family. They'd never be happy unless she ended up with some Godly Lord or something. But she wasn't going to press that issue. She wasn't going to worry about that now. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed his lips. ''Thank you. For being you, I mean.'', she said and dropped down to her feet again with a smile on her lips.

God, she must have been the luckiest girl alive to find someone like him.