DC: Crystalizing

Adrian leaned back on Maya's worn but stylish couch, the faint smell of incense and faintly burned candles mixing with the sharper scent of alcohol from the open bottle of whiskey between them. The apartment wasn't large, but it had character—eclectic decor, warm lighting, and a giant window overlooking the city's nightscape. Adrian twirled his glass, the amber liquid catching the dim light as he glanced across the room at Maya, who was perched on the armrest of the couch, her legs crossed and her eyes locked onto him.

"You know, you're crazy," Maya said and raised her own glass, downing the last of her whiskey before setting it on the coffee table with a soft clink. "You walk into Lou's office, take out the biggest name in the underground, and then just… walk out like it's a Sunday stroll."

"It wasn't exactly a stroll. More like a very loud goodbye."

Maya laughed. "Loud? You vaporized one of his guys on the way out. You didn't even hesitate."

"They had it coming," Adrian replied as he brought the glass to his lips. "Besides, you like that kind of crazy, don't you?"

Maya arched an eyebrow. "Maybe. Or maybe I just enjoy the show." She gestured toward him with one hand. "You're full of surprises, Ghost."

"Well, get used to it. Surprises are kind of my thing."

For a moment, silence settled between them, the hum of the city outside filling the space. "You do realize what you've started, right? With Lou gone, there's going to be a power vacuum. The underground doesn't just sit still—it'll tear itself apart until someone steps up."

"And you think that someone's going to be Danny."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Maya said. "Danny's the most powerful name left. He's got the reputation, the connections, and the brute force to keep people in line. Hell, people are already chanting his name. They want him to take over."

"Wanting and doing are two different things," Adrian countered. "Danny's strong, but running the underground? That takes more than strength. Lou had control because he knew how to work people, how to manipulate them. Danny's just… fists and bravado."

"You're underestimating him. Danny's not just muscle—he's smart. And with Lou out of the picture, he's going to be more dangerous than ever. You, of all people, should know that."

Adrian's lips twitched into a faint smirk, his voice turning dry. "Dangerous, sure. But I've dealt with danger before."

She opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off with a teasing grin. "Anyway, what about you? You planning on sticking around to see who takes the crown?"

Maya's expression turned more serious. "I know how to play it smart, Adrian. This isn't my first rodeo. If Danny takes over, I'll keep my head down, let him think I'm just another face in the crowd. It's survival 101."

"Smart."

"What about you? What's your next move?"

"I don't know," Adrian admitted, his voice quiet. "I just know I can't stay here. Washington's too hot now."

Maya hesitated. "I've got a brother in Blüdhaven. He runs a gang—nothing major, just a small crew. I could recommend you. It's not the underground fights, but it's a way out. And Blüdhaven's… well, it's a shithole, but at least it's not here."

"Sounds charming."

"It's not, trust me," Maya said with a laugh. "But it's better than sticking around and waiting for Danny to figure out you're the one who took Lou out."

Adrian considered her words, his expression unreadable beneath the mask. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Alright. Blüdhaven it is."

Maya stood, grabbing the whiskey bottle and refilling both their glasses. "You know," she said, her voice light as she handed him his drink, "for a guy who just set the underground on fire, you're remarkably calm."

"What can I say? I'm a man of focus."

"Focus, huh?" Maya smirked, sitting down beside him on the couch, closer this time. "And here I thought you were just reckless."

"Reckless?" Adrian turned to her, his tone teasing. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing," she shot back, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "But… maybe it's also kind of hot."

"Kind of? That's the best I'm getting?"

Maya laughed, shaking her head. "Don't push your luck."

"Too late," Adrian said, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. "Pushing my luck's kind of my thing, remember?"

Maya opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Adrian reached up and pulled her closer, his hand brushing against her cheek as he kissed her deeply. It wasn't gentle—it was intense, raw, and full of everything they weren't saying. For a moment, Maya stiffened in surprise, but then she melted into him, her fingers curling into his shirt as she kissed him back just as fiercely.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them breathless. "You know," she said, her voice low, "I was going to keep bickering with you, but that works too."

Adrian smirked. "I thought so."

The whiskey bottle was forgotten as the mood in the room shifted. They kissed again, slower this time, savoring the moment as the tension between them gave way. Maya's hands slipped under Adrian's shirt, her touch sending a shiver down his spine.

"Stay tonight," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Adrian didn't answer with words. Instead, he pulled her onto his lap, his lips meeting hers again in an unspoken agreement.

Her tongue traced his lower lip, and a low growl rippled through his chest as he cupped the back of her neck with one hand, the other settling at the small of her back, drawing her even closer. He felt her gasp at the contact of the lean lines of his body pressed to hers and he took advantage of the opportunity. Adrain parted his lips, his tongue darting out to tangle with hers.

Maya's heart pounded erratically against her ribcage and her lungs screamed for oxygen, but a part of him did not want to stop. She tore her lips away from his, panting breathlessly, her eyes darting between his lips and the already exposed skin on his chest.

"Let's see if you can keep me chained tonight," Adrian whispered, his breath warm against her ear as his fingertips trailed from her neck down the curve of her spine. 

"Did Maya just manage to make you stay the night?" 

"Maybe," Adrian murmured, pulling back slightly to meet her gaze. "I was going to leave… but you gave me a reason to stay." 

"How romantic," Maya chuckled. "Should I swoon now, or wait until you actually mean it?" 

He smirked, the corner of his lip hitching up slightly as he pressed a kiss to the apple of her cheek, his lips lingering. 

"Your choice."

Softly, he kissed a path across the bridge of her nose to the other cheek and down the side of her jaw. 

She let out a broken sigh, her hands slipping from his unruly locks of hair, nails trailing over the taut skin of his neck, causing him to shudder, and following the seam of his unbuttoned shirt. Nimble fingers fumbled with the fourth button when his lips captured hers again, pulling her closer, unable to keep away. 

He waited, expecting the rush of venom to pool beneath his tongue, but the sensation of her body pressed to his canceled out every other instinct raging inside him. He felt her pushing his shirt off his shoulders, felt it drop from his arms to the floor, but he was powerless to do anything except sweep her up in his arms and move toward the bed.

Their lips never parted as he bent low to lay her on the wrought-iron bed, the gold comforter creasing under her weight. He hesitated at the bedside for a moment, toeing off his shoes, and the pause allowed maya enough time to scramble up to her knees, her fingers slowly trailing down over his chest, the warmth of her skin unbelievably pleasurable.

"Oh, Is ghost scared to continue?"

"I'm not stopping," he vowed softly, his nose nuzzling hers as his fingers traced over the thin spaghetti straps of her nightdress. "Just slowing things down, love."

He knelt on the bed in front of her, hands resting lightly on her hips as he guided her toward the center and down onto the soft mattress. Her eyes found his, even in the dark room, and their gaze held as he settled above her, conscious of how much weight she bore.

Propped up on his elbow, he let his free hand wander from her hip to the smooth expanse of her stomach toward the gentle rise of her breast. His hand trembled, shook with the effort of trying to maintain control, but his fingers tentatively reached out, gently palming the supple flesh. Maya gasped and his eyes darted between his ministrations and her expression. She arched her chest against his hand, her eyes fluttering closed, and her jaw slackened as she breathed heavily.

She tipped her head back and his lips descended on her throat, kissing his way down the smooth skin to her décolletage. He left a wake of soft, open-mouthed kisses down her collarbone toward her breastbone. There was danger behind his lips, but for once, danger was the furthest thing from his mind. He didn't stop when he reached the seam of her chemise.

"Adrian."

His name tumbled from her lips like a prayer as she fisted his hair and draped one leg over his, her heart pounding beneath his lips. His hand moved from her breast to the strap of her chemise, his fingers trembling nervously over her shoulder.

"Yes, please," she whispered, her breath wafting in his face, hot and sweet.

He kissed her quickly, slid the strap off her shoulder. Carefully, so carefully, his mouth found the place his palm had been only moments before. Maya hissed and shivered at the contact, her back arching against his mouth, his breath leaving goose bumps on her skin.

"Do you always take things this slow?" 

"Word is women like it slow," Adrian said, his voice low, teasing. "I want you to enjoy every second." 

"Wow," Maya said with a smirk. "Didn't take you for such a gentleman. I could get used to this side of you."

He took a moment to acknowledge her words, turning his head to kiss her palm. 

He nodded, more to himself than to her, and swiftly rolled over toward the center of the bed, their positions reversing. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sensation, for she now sat astride his hips, his hands resting atop her thighs, the familiar tingling sensation passing from her body to his.

The fabric wrinkled and folded as inch by inch of her skin was revealed: a kidney shaped birthmark stained her skin near her left hip, and the raised skin of an old scar on her right shoulder was obvious under his fingers as she lifted her arms and maneuvered out of the garment.

"Maya," he groaned, eyes closing as she grinded against him again. 

"Now, Ghost. I'm ready," she begged, her hands sliding down his front.

His only answer was a groan but he let her move him off of her, his skin missing the feel of hers the second he pulled away. His own underwear was damp, partly from rubbing against hers and partly because he was leaking too. If she was ready, so was he.

Their underwear came off slowly, both suddenly shy, but as the thin cotton garments fell to the ground they reached a new level of intimacy, taking in each other's nakedness with hungry eyes. Adrian felt a tinge of self-consciousness as she stared down at his erection, shifting a bit. When she opened her mouth, what came out was the last thing he'd been expecting.

"That's… that fits?"

He couldn't hold in a snort of laughter. 

"It's huge," she almost looked worried. 

He felt a glow of pride fill his chest but ignored it to reach up and cup her face in his hand, giving her a soft kiss that was sort of a thank you and hearing that she thought he was "huge" was definitely a nice bump up for his ego. 

"We don't have to if you're scared—"

"I'm not scared," her eyes flashed. 

In response he spread her legs further, pushing her thighs to the side, and then reached down to line himself up. Her hand covered his and he glanced up, their eyes meeting. She nodded, face sure and calm, and together they pushed him in.

Adrian choked.

He slid in easier than he had anticipated, her drenched heat making it easy. She was so tight, her walls squeezing, and he tried to choke the shout that filled his throat, letting out a gurgled groan instead. 

"Don't stop," she whined.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him all the way inside of her.

He moved, shifting back and then forward, his head dropping against her chest as she cried out for him, begging and pleading for him to "go faster" and "never stop". Trying to find a rhythm seemed impossible and he shuffled his hips, figuring it out and thrusting into her at a medium-fast pace, his face still pressed against her throat as he panted.

"Y-You're so b-big, it feels so g-good," she babbled, lost in the feeling, voice stuttering. "You f-feel so good inside of me, Adrian. It's so fucking good."

Adrian reached for her clit, pumping in shallowly and quickly while rubbing the nerve-filled nub. She jolted, her hands clenching his biceps, nails digging in as she moaned. She moaned. Out loud. Just for him.

Her body jolted with each thrust, her breasts bouncing from how hard he was fucking her. It was getting more desperate, the sweetness fading into passion that made him want to close his eyes and lose all control.

"F-Faster!" 

He had pulled back to look down at her but at her plea he tucked his face back into her neck, focusing on moving his hips and not finishing before she had reached her peak. It was going to happen—even if he had to stop every five minutes to calm himself down and then keep going. He didn't think he'd need to, but he was willing to… for her.

"Please, I'm—ah! I-I'm—" Maya choked on her words, moaning loudly again instead.

She could feel something building, something more intense than when he fingered her, something that made her clench her teeth and beg for him to go "harder, harder, harder!", her voice pitching higher at each thrust.

Releasing her grip on his hips, she tightened her grip on him, her legs falling open loosely as she started to come undone, a scream leaving her throat. He was leaning on one elbow, to keep the bulk of his weight off of her, but his other arm went down and he snagged her thigh, tucking his hand under the back of her knee and wedging her leg up against her body. Her hips tilted and he shifted too, listening as she cried out, hands scrabbling against his shoulders.

It was the only thing she could manage as her toes curled and he pounded her, the rhythm punishingly hard like she had wanted, pushing her farther to the edge.

He thrusted even faster, the room filling with the sounds of her cries and his groans and the slap of their skin, their hips crashing together. The bed was shaking and creaked as it jolted, the wooden floor protesting and there were so many sounds but all he could focus on was the sound of her saying his name.

He pressed his face against her chest, his teeth finding the soft flesh on the curve of her breast and biting down in a desperate attempt to keep from cumming right then and there. The shock of pain was what she needed to fall over and he felt her tense, her muscles clamping around him.

There was no holding back and his hips slapped against her twice more and then he was shoving himself into her as far as he could go, bottoming out inside of her, his balls twitching as he came so hard his vision whited out.

"Maya," he growled, eyes clamping shut, his breath shuddering out of him. "Fuck!"

She was still squeezing him, her orgasm blazing through her with an intensity that made her dig her fingernails into his back and curl her toes and roll her eyes back in her head. His face was still shoved against her neck and he kissed her collarbones, trying to be gentle, knowing he'd got a little carried away.

The endorphin rush hit and he grinned, forgetting his burning shoulders and kissing her forehead and cheeks and nose and eyelids and every single part of her he could reach, making her giggle. She caught him by the lips and kissed him so sweetly he sighed against her mouth.

Their fiery blaze of passion had simmered into something quieter, a soft warmth that lingered in the stillness of the room. The faint glow of the city lights filtered through the curtains, brushing against their tangled forms on the bed. Maya's bare skin pressed against Adrian's chest as she nestled closer, her arm draped across his stomach like she belonged there.

"So," Maya murmured, her voice a mix of teasing and tenderness, "how was it?"

Adrian's lips twitched into a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He didn't answer immediately, instead running his fingers lightly along her shoulder, tracing invisible patterns on her skin.

"It was…" he began, searching for the words, before leaning down to kiss the corner of her eye. "Unforgettable."

Maya smiled against his chest. But Adrian's thoughts drifted far from the warmth of her touch. Unforgettable. That much was true. Not because of the connection, or the fire they'd shared—it was unforgettable because he wanted it to be more, to feel more. But he didn't. Not really.

It wasn't Maya. She was beautiful, fierce, everything he used to crave. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the hollow ache inside him, the lingering numbness that Cadmus had left behind.

Maybe it's the experiments, he thought, his fingers pausing on her shoulder. Maybe it's them that made me like this. Or maybe it's me. Maybe the part of me that felt real joy, real connection, got burned away a long time ago.

He remembered a time when nights like this had meant something—when he could lose himself in the heat of the moment, when the rush of passion could drown out the noise in his head. But now, even in this quiet moment of intimacy, he felt like a stranger looking in. He could pretend—he was good at pretending—but deep down, it felt hollow.

Maya tilted her head, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. "You're quiet," she said softly, her brow furrowing.

Adrian forced a small smile, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

He hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the ceiling. "About how much I needed this," he said, and it wasn't a lie. Not completely.

She smiled again, but there was a flicker of something behind her eyes—doubt, maybe, or concern. "Well," she said, her tone turning playful as she moved closer, wrapping her arm tighter around him, "then let's keep the night going. No thinking. Just us."

Adrian smiled faintly, pulling her closer as he ran his hand down her back. "Yeah," he murmured. "Just us."

But even as he held her, her warmth pressing against him, he couldn't shake the cold knot in his chest. It wasn't Maya's fault. She'd given him everything tonight—her fire, her laughter, her touch. But there was a part of him she couldn't reach, a part of him even he couldn't reach anymore.

And that scared him more than anything else.

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support