the difference

stufftippywrote:

For @annundriel​, who is unforgettable.

The difference is immediate. Jack feels it as he parks, pulls the duffel bag out of his car, and mounts the Haus steps. The weight on his shoulder is new, but so is the light in his heart. He’s coming to stay. For the first time, he’s coming to stay overnight with Bitty. And that makes everything different.

Bitty meets him at the door, in oven mitts. “Goodness, Jack,” he says. “You’re early, honey! I’m not done with the mini cakes.”  His hair is ruffled, his grin huge and his eyes full of light. Jack wants to kiss him. He’s used to the feeling – the tugging at his abdomen, the itch in his fingers. The anticipation of Bitty’s sweet mouth, honey and velvet, beneath his own.

The difference is, this time he doesn’t have to restrain it.

He drops his duffel to the floor, steps into the Haus and kicks the door closed behind him. Bitty’s warm in his arms, sweet against his lips. The puff of the oven mitts against his chest is a sensation that’s uniquely Bitty, soft but firm. Jack licks into his mouth, and a taste of chocolate cake batter lingers on his tongue as he pulls away. “You’ve been licking the spoon,” he guesses.

“I’ve been testing the recipe,” Bitty corrects, his eyes sparkling as he leads Jack by the hand into the kitchen. “I saved the spoon for you.”

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