It was Saturday night. You were almost through the live broadcast of the show when you found yourself wondering where the week had gone. Everything surrounding the night's performances was going off without a hitch. The sketch Jules pitched on Wednesday as a joke in hopes of making you uncomfortable backfired, mostly because the host found it to be hilarious. Needless to say, she was the only one blushing as she soon realized her wish of seeing him shirtless was to be granted.
Charlie was at your place, counting down the minutes until you were off. Still remorseful for causing you so much upset with his joke, he vowed to start staying at your apartment more. You occasionally checked your phone to see what he was up to. He knew you weren't able to reply, but he still wanted to let you know you were on his mind.
Charlie: I know you said you probably wouldn't want to eat when you get in, but I made spinach artichoke dip just in case. There's also a small veggie platter...and I might have cut up some fruit.
Charlie: Before you say anything, yes I went to the store for you. You didn't have anything in your fridge! I had to! Blame the dad in me... who is also in you on occasion. ;)
Charlie: I'm so disappointed in myself for even sending that. Please don't stop talking to me.
Charlie: Jesus Christ. You at work not able to reply makes the silence all the more deafening.
Charlie: In other news, I fixed your sink. No food in your place, but you have a tool kit. Color me impressed. This is also probably a bad time to tell you your apartment is flooded.
Charlie: See, now that's a joke.
Charlie: You can tell me later how you giggled. I can't hear you since you're across town.
Charlie: Why do you like me again? :)
You could picture Charlie there on your couch laughing at his own jokes a little too hard, almost proud of himself. It was one of the things that made you love him most. You adored the way he'd get a twinkle in his eye whenever he laughed.
When you walked in the door later that night, he was listening to some type of Frank Sinatra bossa nova number while washing dishes. Charlie lit up the moment he spied you.
"Hey, you. I thought I heard your key in the door."
You smiled, knowing all too well in that small apartment there was no way you could sneak up on him. "I missed you." He dried his hands on the dishtowel next to him on the sink and came over to wrap his arms around you, his lips capturing yours in a tender kiss.
"Hello to you too." He took your hand in his, encouraging you to let him spin you. You grinned as he pulled you back to his body, swaying slowly in rhythm with the music.
"I hope this won't come as a disappointment to you, but this is as good as my dancing gets," he admitted, teasing all the while.
"At least you won't step on my feet when we dance."
"There is that, you're right. I've gotten pretty far with my swaying."
"Oh?"
"It's a confidence thing. It's all in the hips."
Your looked up at him with interested eyes, your arms coming to rest around his neck. "You're awfully good with those hips too."
He gave you a knowing look. His hand drifted to your ass, pulling you in even closer until your body was flush with his, causing you to gasp.
"And, for what it's worth, you're a better dancer than you think."
"In or out of the bedroom?"
"Both."
You ebbed and flowed, his lips finding yours once more as your bodies moved in tandem to the music.
She'll glitter and gleam so
Make somebody dream so
That someday, someday I may
Buy her a ring-ring-a-ling-a
I have heard that's where it leads
Wearin' baubles, bangles, and beads
All those noisy bangles and beads
The song started over. "Shit. I guess I selected the song instead of the playlist." You stifled a giggle. "Hang on," he said, kissing your forehead before picking up his phone and pressing a few buttons.
You stood there, watching as he fussed with his phone, searching for a new playlist. Soon the sweet vocal stylings of Percy Sledge filled the air. "There we go," he said, making his way back over to you. His hands came to rest on your waist. "Wanna sway some more?" he quipped.
"If I say 'yes', will you tell me what smells so good?"
Charlie kissed your forehead and moved over toward your oven, cracking it open.
"When you told me you were heading home, I put the dip back in to heat up." He looked so cute using your pink heart covered oven mitts, using them to grip the dish rather than wearing them seeing as they were too small for his hands. "It's good cold, but it's much better hot."
Charlie carefully set the baking dish on a trivet, killed the heat to the oven, and placed the oven mitts back in the drawer with the rest of your baking accoutrements. On the other side of the counter were slices of crusty bread perfectly cut on your wooden cutting board. You watched as he picked up a piece of baguette, genuinely wondering how a man so large managed to function in a kitchen so small. He grabbed a utensil from another drawer and gave the dip a stir before spooning a petite dollop onto the bread and holding it up for you to try.
"Remember, it's hot."
You opened up, allowing him to feed you, lightly blowing on the bite as he cautiously put it in your mouth. The flavors were incredible. After a long night, you could see why Charlie thought it would be exactly what you needed. It was all of the things that made late night food great. It was creamy, gooey. It even had vegetables so you could pretend not to feel guilty about having a little too much.
He smiled, taking note of how much you were enjoying it. "Good?" You wiped the corner of your mouth and smiled as you chewed. "Mmhmm."
"Go sit down. I'll bring everything over."
You made yourselves cozy on the couch. Charlie threw something onto the TV and you noshed to your heart's content. You were just about to stand up and get a drink when he a placed can of sparkling water down in front of you. Always thoughtful, he knew you so well. No matter where you were, his place or yours, you always wound up practically in his lap if you were snuggling on the sofa.
Feeling a little self-conscious, you scooted away a little, giving him some space.
"Why'd you move away?"
"I'm trying not to smother you," you said softly.
"You're not smothering me. Get back here," he said reassuringly, pulling you back into his lap. "I like when you're close." You snuggled into his neck. "Are you cold?"
You were quiet, pouty. "No."
"Yes?"
"Yes."
Charlie huffed out a laugh. "Do you want to go crawl in bed? You can get ready to turn in and I can put all this away."
"Let me help you," you said, reaching for some of the dishes. Charlie's hand gently pushed yours out of the way. "Sweetheart, I got it. Get ready for bed and I'll be there in a minute."
You kissed his cheek and turned to get up, but not before his hand gave you a playful pop on the ass.
"Charlie!" you shrieked with a giggle. He smiled, pleased with himself.
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You woke the next morning to the smell of coffee, fully expecting the sheets behind you to be empty. Much to your surprise when you reached out, your hand came in contact with the warmth of Charlie's chest. You quickly turned over and snuggled into his side, the arm tucked behind his head coming down to hold you in place.
"Good morning," he said sleepily before placing a kiss to your forehead. You didn't know how it was possible, but his morning voice was always a little bit deeper than his normal tone. The timbre was rich and sexy and went straight to your insides.
"This is a nice surprise," you said, cuddling close and breathing him. "I thought you'd be up and at 'em like you usually are."
"You're not disappointed you don't have the bed all to yourself?"
You smirked. "Quite the contrary..."
You raised up to hover over his chest and licked one of his nipples, taking Charlie by surprise and causing him to groan.
"Mmm...Don't start anything you don't want to finish."
You sat up fully, resting on your knees as you slipped your t-shirt off over your head. Charlie watched through bleary eyes, his hand moving down to palm himself through his underwear.
"You're so fucking gorgeous." He adjusted himself on the bed until he was propped against the pillows, his hand still working over his hard length, now completely unsheathed. His breathing was heavy, uneven. He wanted you so badly.
"Come here. Let me taste you."
You happily obliged, opting to replace his hand with your own so Charlie could fondle your breasts properly. He hummed with delight at your touch and craned his neck down to pepper wet kisses along your breasts. His tongue swirled around your nipple as his hand kneaded the other soft mound of flesh, teasing and rolling your other nipple between his fingers. You moaned, your empty hand holding onto the back of his head, the other continuing to stroke his heavy cock which was growing harder by the second in your hand. Charlie's teeth grazed your nipple, his lips closing around it as he began to suck. Unable to touch you enough, his hands moved lower until they reached your bare ass. He groaned, pulling off of your breast to move away to let his eyes bask in the sight of you, taking you all in.
"Where the hell are your panties?" he asked, taken aback.
You smiled, not so innocently pushing your tits together. Charlie had been so focused on your breasts earlier that he hadn't even noticed your naked bottom half when you removed your shirt. "I took them off in the middle of the night."
"You're gonna be the death of me." You weren't even on top of him yet and he was breathing harder. You wanted to feel every inch of Charlie's cock filling you up, needed to feel him splitting you open in glorious agony before breakfast.
Charlie moved your hand away and practically yanked off his briefs before making himself comfortable against the headboard in the middle of the bed.
He brought his hand to his mouth, gathering spit, and started lubing himself up."Ride me," he pleaded, through ragged breath and lustful eyes.
You crawled over to straddle his thighs, almost ready to take him in completely, but you weren't finished teasing him just yet. Still stroking himself, Charlie reached a hand between your legs, a low moan escaping his lips as he found your entrance. He dipped his thumb inside, coating his thumb in your juices before dragging it out and rubbing it against your interested center.
Your head fell back, eyes closed as you moaned softly, kneading your own breasts. He rubbed in small circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves, eyes locked on your pussy. Charlie was done waiting. He grabbed you by the hips and pulled you up into his lap, both of you gasping as you came in contact with one another.
Eager to please and to be exquisitely stuffed, you moved into position, sitting with your legs spread wide. Your knees were placed comfortably on either side of his body and you lifted up, grasping his cock with your hand and guiding it toward your entrance. All the while Charlie observed how carefully you moved, never looking away for a second as he watched his cock enter your tight cunt. He groaned as soaking wet heat surrounded the head of his cock. His fingers were digging into your hips as you slowly continued to sink down on his length.
"Fuck, Charlie," you gasped. You took his face in your hands, planting a searing kiss on his lips. One of his hands found your lower back and pulled you in closer, your tongues moving together as you kissed him more ferociously. You started moving on his cock, languidly at first, but with intention. He shifted to give you both a slightly better angle, his hips finding the perfect rhythm, moving to meet yours every time your body would rise and fall. You broke apart only to cry out, but Charlie needed more. His hands tangled in your hair as he lovingly willed your head closer to his, pulling you back, his teeth tugging at your bottom lip.
Your pussy cinched around him every time he'd thrust in and out of you. Charlie moaned into your mouth, relishing how good you felt, how perfectly you fit together. Both of you were taking your time, wanting to make things last as long as you could. There was nowhere to be other than right where you were, totally and blissfully lost in one another. His hand ran up your back as yours wrapped around his body. It was the most sensual fuck either of you had ever had.
You pulled away slowly, Charlie mourning the loss of your lips. "Lay down," you ordered, softly pressing your hands against his chest. Holding you in place, not even considering pulling out, he moved into a better position for what you were asking. Your hands continued pushing him back until he was reclined on the pillows with his feet planted on the bed. Even with you at the reins, Charlie was going to remind you he still had a little control.
You'd be lying if you said you didn't love seeing him like this. You started to moving your hips a little faster, grinding against him every time your bodies met. Charlie was pumping his hips in tandem with yours now, thrusting up into you. You moved together, faster still. Going by your breathing, both of you were in the beginnings of working toward your respective climax. You leaned back slightly, using his knees for support as you were pawing at your own tits, kneading them and pinching your nipples as he filled you up. You wanted to give him a show and a little teasing never hurt. Charlie caught on fast and gathered saliva on his thumb, moving it between your bodies to work on your fragile clit and causing you to moan loudly.
"Oh fuck, don't stop please," you begged. He knew exactly how to touch you every single time.
"You feel so fucking good, baby." Charlie growled, his thrusts becoming even harder. You knew he wanted you to feel him later and the thought made your pussy tremble around his cock. You could feel his hard length battering your cervix again and again. His powerful efforts left you literally bouncing on top of him. Every time your body rose up, his cock would come crashing into you as you came back down. You could feel the warmth inside you building; Charlie's thumb was feverishly moving against your clit. The friction was too much as he pummeled into your sex. He let out a grunt as you squeezed around him. Both of you refused to let up, trying your hardest to make the other come first. You fought so eagerly, all the while chasing after your own release.
You were writhing against his hand when you could feel the beginnings of your own temptation; you wanted to let go, to clench around Charlie's cock and milk him for all he was worth. You were almost at your peak, riding him into the mattress, when you heard your name leave his delectable lips.
"Are you close?" He asked, teasing you, well aware of the fact you were falling apart.
You were panting. Your cheeks were hot and pink and you felt like you couldn't breathe. You could feel your climax coming; your body was more than ready to cum, but you refused to let Charlie win.
"N-no," you moaned, squeezing your eyes closed tight.
"Oh, I think you are," he said, a little too full of himself. To his credit, you were full of him too. He pulled out and flipped you onto your back. You whined in protest, but not for long. Charlie positioned himself at your entrance while on his knees before slipping right back inside, grabbing at your ankles, lifting your legs up, and slamming relentlessly into your throbbing cunt. Over and over and over again.
Your fists were grasping at the sheets. "Oh fuck! Fuck! Charlie!" The repeated hits to your insides hurt so damn good. He wanted to make sure you wouldn't forget--that you knew who you belonged to--and for you to be empty and aching for his cock again later.
"That's it. Cum all over my cock, baby." His hips never ceased, not once, never giving you any relief--his only goal to satisfy you.
Your back arched off the bed as your orgasm hit and you saw black; you cried out, your body shuddering with pleasure as he continued to fuck into your used pussy, letting you ride out the sensation you had tried so hard to keep at bay.
Charlie released your ankles, his hand coming to find your breast, his hips still putting in the work as a moan escaped his lips. Your vision gradually returned, but you were still seeing stars.
"—Can I cum in your mouth?" Without warning he pulled out of you, his hand feverishly stroking over his cock. You smiled up at him, massaging your own tits for his enjoyment; you were utterly well fucked. The wet slap of skin on skin never ceasing as he moved up the bed.
"Please?" He begged. You nodded, humming with contentment as your mouth fell open wide, your tongue sensually coming to rest over your bottom lip.
Charlie's eyes met yours as he moved closer to your face, his hair mixed with sweat falling down over his forehead. You reached your hand between his legs to caress his balls and his orgasm took him over the edge. He moaned loudly, his hand stilling as he firmly held his cock. Hot ropes of cum were spilling into your mouth and you happily received every drop, your hand gently taking over for his. Once he finished, you closed your lips around the head and gently stroked over him to milk out anything he possibly had left inside before he moved away.
"Show me." He said, still panting as he came down. You opened up to give him the full view of the seed he'd emptied into your willing mouth. He traced his thumb over your bottom lip and you pressed a soft kiss to its pad before closing your jaw. Your eyes locked with his as you swallowed everything down. Your lips fell open again to present your clean mouth. He smirked, lovingly stroking the side of your face before letting himself fall breathlessly onto the bed beside you.
_____________________
Walking with Charlie hand in hand at the Chelsea Flea felt like you had done it a million times over. Occasionally you'd stop and look at furniture together. Sometimes Charlie would ask your opinion on something, but you were never quite sure if he genuinely wanted to know or if he was simply gauging to see if you had similar tastes.
"What do you think of this chair?" He asked, walking around to see the back of the wingback chair. "It's cute, mid-century modern." You reached out to feel the material on the arm. "I like the fabric."
"How do you think it would look in the bedroom? Over in the corner. Too big?"
You thought it over, visualizing the space, doing your best to picture what it would look like amongst the other pieces of furniture.
"I think it would be tight fit, but it could be a nice addition," you offered, studying Charlie as he inspected the chair.
Charlie moved to test it out, sitting down and letting his hands run down the arm of the chair before grasping them at the ends. "It's definitely comfortable. I thought it might be good for reading. Truthfully, I have a similar chair in my office, but it's not nearly as nice."
He looked over in the tiny space and spied another piece he liked. "They might have a matching ottoman if the couple over there hasn't swiped it yet."
You moved to look at the price tag. "$550 doesn't seem too bad. You could probably talk them down a bit if you really wanted to."
Charlie stood up and motioned for you to sit down. The chair itself was firm with just a touch of give. It was well made, but needed to a little TLC. Nothing a little polish around the legs couldn't fix.
"What do you really think of the chair?" He asked, coming to stand next to you, both of you taking it in together. "I said I thought it was cute," you said with a chuckle. He reached down and took your hand. It slowly dawned on you what he was asking. You were ashamed you hadn't realized it sooner.
"Why don't we take their card and think about it?" "I like how you think."
As you were walking around, going from vendor to vendor, you caught Charlie laughing to himself.
"What's so funny?" you asked sweetly.
Charlie shook his head and smiled.
"I don't even have a truck. I didn't even think about that. How would we get it back?"
______________________
On the subway ride to Charlie's, he seemed nervous. "You okay, honey?" you asked, gingerly placing you hand on his knee. He turned to you. You could tell by his expression he was miles away. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." You pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.
"Thanks for agreeing to let me make dinner tonight."
Charlie smiled, a little surprised. "You don't have to thank me, sweetheart. If anything I should thank you for offering. Besides, you know my place is essentially yours anyway."
Once you got in the door, Charlie melted into the couch, totally beat. Evidently going on a flea market date after spending the morning madly fucking the woman you love was exhausting. The poor thing had been yawning the whole way home and you were grateful he gave you full control of the kitchen. As much as he loved cooking for you, you also knew part of the joy that came from preparing a meal was the added value of taking care of you. It was for that same reason you were thrilled to have the opportunity to repay him. You offered to cook countless times in the past, but Charlie always insisted on having you relax while he took care of you. You supposed after being married for so long the act to him became second nature.
You walked into the living room to offer him a glass of wine when you found him asleep on the sofa, out like a light. You carefully tugged the blanket out from under his feet as not to wake him and covered him up, vowing to let him sleep until dinner was ready.
__________________
Charlie's hand came to cup your cheek as he kissed you. "Charlie," you giggled. His lips moved lower, tickling your neck. He smiled against the soft skin there. His tongue lightly washed over your pulse point before pressing a soft kiss against the side of your throat. You gasped and he came back up, his eyes meeting yours again.
"I was right. You do taste better." He grinned as he lifted the spoon holding a bite of ice cream to your mouth. You blushed, opening to receive it. Much to your surprise, he set the bowl down on the table and leaned in to kiss you again. You squealed with delight as his lips touched yours, your hand finding his chest as he pecked your lips.
He huffed out a laugh. "Sorry, we didn't talk about that. I just couldn't decide if I wanted to taste the ice cream or you." He shrugged, leaning over to spoon another bite into his own mouth. You loved this man so damn much.
"Can I ask something?"
Charlie was wiping away where the sweet treat had dribbled onto the corner of his mouth. "Anything."
"I hope this won't ruin the mood, but I've always been curious. Other than Henry's art, you don't really have a lot of pictures. Do you not like having your picture taken?"
He shifted in his seat, turning his body more toward yours. "No, I don't mind that at all. It's--well, honestly it's because I don't have many. I have a few with Henry, but the majority of the photos I have with the two of us together have Nicole in them too. I've thought about taking scissors to them, but I don't want Henry to think I hate her. Is that stupid?
You reached out to touch his hand. "It's not stupid. I think it's sweet."
Charlie covered your hand with his own. "If you really want to see some, I have a photo album or two in the bedroom closet. Just, be advised like I said, she's in there too."
You smiled, honored that he even offered. "I'd love to."
You both moved into the bedroom, you settling in on the bed while Charlie rummaged through his things. After avoiding what sounded like a near avalanche, he called out to you.
"Ha! Found it." He crossed over to sit next to you on the edge of the bed. The leather bound memory book was very Charlie. He opened to the first page and handed the book to you and suddenly you were getting to see Charlie's life before you.
"Oh my god! Charlie!" Your heart was about to burst. "Look at your little ears! Such a handsome little man."
"Luckily the hair helps with that now."
"Oh shush, I love your ears--then and now."
You flipped to the next page. Charlie's family. His mom and dad. Grandparents. Aunts and uncles.
He quietly pointed out everyone to you. Knowing what he had shared with you and the change in body language, you gave his hand a loving squeeze and turned the page. You could've sworn you saw the relief wash over him as you turned the page.
Charlie in school throughout the years. Charlie in college.
Another page. Charlie and Nicole. Photos of them you assumed while they were dating and one that looked like it could have been their wedding reception.
"Yeah, we can skip over that one." He reached over and flipped the page for you.
Henry. Charlie's pride and joy. Baby Henry in Charlie's strong arms. First steps. Birthdays and Christmas.
You inspected one photo more closely.
"You had a beard?!"
Charlie chuckled. "Looks terrible, doesn't it? Nicole hated it."
You turned to him. "Quite the opposite. It's actually very sexy." He was genuinely surprised.
"Well, maybe I'll consider letting it make a comeback. If you want. Honestly, I feel like I look better without it, but if you don't mind me eventually shaving it off, I could try it again for a couple of months."
He rose from the bed, moving back over to the closet. "I almost forgot," he said, stepping inside. "I found something in here when I was looking for the album earlier and I'm not quite sure what it is. Can you help me?"
You closed the photo album and sat up straighter, a little confused. "I can try."
Charlie walked over and set a small black box down on the bed in front of you. You looked up at him. "What is this?"
He gave you a half smile. "Open it," he said softly, dropping to his knees beside the bed.
You carefully plucked the box from the spot on the bed and, for whatever reason, your hands were shaking.
"It's not an engagement ring. The box is too big for that anyway." He was smirking now.
"I'm afraid." "It won't bite."
Your fingers gingerly opened the lid of the smooth clamshell. The inside revealed a beautiful diamond pendant necklace. You were awestruck, your hand rushing to your mouth.
"Charlie....Charlie...I..."
"Do you like it?" he asked, earnestly. Your eyes met his. This is why he had been so nervous on the subway. "If you hate it, we can--"
"--I love it." You quickly interjected.
His hands gently took the box from you, his fingers pointing to the pendant. "It's the sun and the moon," he said. Charlie's adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed.
You could see exactly why he chose it for you. It was simple-- tasteful with a subtle nod to what you meant to him. The tiniest touch of avant gard. "It's beautiful."
Charlie began to remove the necklace from it's home in its box. "Can I?" You nodded. He picked up the piece of jewelry with the utmost care, placing the empty box back on the bed. You turned around and moved your hair so he could clasp the chain around your neck.
"If it's too long, we can always go back together." You touched your hand to the cool metal resting against your skin.
"Can I go see?"
Charlie smiled. "Please."
You got up slowly, moving into the bathroom to look at yourself in the mirror. Charlie followed behind you and stood in the doorway. It was stunning.
You sauntered over to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. You could feel yourself tearing up.
"Thank you." He gave you a watery smile. "I'm really glad you like it. You can always tell me if you don't. I'll survive." You craned your neck to look up at him, standing on your tiptoes to meet his lips before he bent down to deepen the kiss, his arms wrapping around you and pulling you close.
You pulled back slightly, breathless.
"It's perfect...and I love you."
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A/N: Happy New Year everybody! I hope you enjoy this little NYE treat! Hopefully this makes up for the bullshit with Alan.
BTW, I'm on social media now so let's be friends!
Twitter/Instagram: @vividlittlevox
Also, in the true spirit of Jules, I've made a discord server to talk about all things Charlie Barber, canon and fic related. Join me, won't you? DM me for a link to my server, Theatre Daddy and Company. :)
BONUS: The songs they're "dancing" to in the kitchen are "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra AND "You Really Got a Hold on Me" by Percy Sledge.
Also if you want to tear up, go back and read the photo album/necklace bit while listening to "Nothing" by Bruno Major