[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This idea popped in my head not too long ago while watching one of my favorite movies, and I've been editing it at least once a day this week. This is an AU fic, and the theme is post-apocalypse/post-nuclear war. It has a PWP feel, and that's okay with me. Just let me know if it's not okay with you. Final disclaimer: I do not own GMW or characters associated with such. Please read and review! Danke Schoen! Yours, Taylor.]
Maya Hunter, an artist of 21 who looked young for her age, had lost her belongings in one of the many fires that burned New York City. Left with an array of ratted clothes and two pairs of tattered high-top walking shoes, she trekked the streets alone during the day to retrieve a pail of water from the well in deserted Manhattan. The first time she returned to the pub on Weehawken Street, she befriended a man she loved to hate and hated to love. His blue eyes and muscular body often distracted Maya. Why?
Josh Matthews spent his days as a bartender, working endlessly to cater to the needy patrons since the NYC Nuclear Disaster. The bar served as a shelter area for Maya whenever she didn't want to spend the night at her mom's apartment, nor did Josh want to sleep over at his older brother's place. A good work day normally lasted from noon to midnight daily. Josh never had time for himself because nobody else in town wanted to work, and that stressed him out. There was only one person whom Josh needed when work eats him alive, and her name was Maya Penelope Hunter.
No matter how much Josh and Maya irritated one another since the disaster, they were always there for each other. Once, they were nobodies who lived on minimum wage in the Greenwich Village apartments. Now, they're best friends living on barfly currency in the studio apartment above the bar. It had taken time for the two to familiarize themselves with each other, but the time was well worth it.
Before closing, Maya walked in with her water pail, full, and noticed two macabre men, engaged in a brawl. Covered in dirt and dust, the patrons fought each other until one passed out from being bloody and blue. Maya stuck her thumb and forefinger in her mouth to whistle loudly to halt the fight. The cheers silenced. The fighters stopped and stared at the blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty. Although Maya looked dog-tired and wore her angry face, she commanded the spotlight to tell everyone to go home.
Maya weaved her way through the leaving crowds to find Josh behind the bar. When everyone left, Maya brought the heavy pail up to her chest, struggling to set it down on the countertop. Josh stepped out of the kitchen, whipping the towel onto his shoulder, and assisted Maya into placing the pail atop the counter. Maya took the towel from Josh's shoulder and wiped her forehead of the sweat.
"Thanks," Maya said, out of breath.
"No problem. It's the least I could do for you," Josh returned as Maya folded and placed the towel back on his shoulder.
"Can you believe this? This is the second night in a row where your bar has closed with a fight, and you didn't call the police. There's only one road from the bar to Manhattan, and it's two hours on foot there, and three hours back to carry the pail of water from the damn wells. I can't do this anymore, Josh," Maya ranted.
"I know. It's the same guys every time, and the only police officer in this deserted borough sucks at his job," Josh groaned.
Maya walked over to lock the entrance door. Josh took the water pail and poured its contents into the tap for the next day's business. As the blonde turned around to join Josh at the bar, she stripped herself of her black leather jacket, baring her shoulders that were caked with dirt and sand. She took a seat on one of the bar stools and propped her elbows on the countertop, giving Josh a certain look while he was cleaning up.
"Did you get the good stuff?" Maya asked.
Josh turned around after wiping down some of the display liquor bottles. His blue eyes met Maya's as he walked toward her. Smirking at her, he pulls a large bottle of cherry brandy from a cupboard below the countertop. Maya's eyes lit up when she saw the brandy, so she took it from Josh's hands and pried the cork from the opening. Successfully popping the cork, Maya quickly avoided spilling and drank the alcohol straight up. She then climbed upon the countertop and offered Josh a drink. He shook his head.
"Oh well. More for me," she said as she took another gulp that turned into chugging.
Josh chuckled to himself before wiping his side of the countertop clean. Soon, Maya fainted from the buzz, leaving a loud thud and face print in the shine. When Josh heard Maya go kerplop, he knew it was her bedtime.
"Oop, okay," Josh said as he dropped his rag to tend to Maya. "It's time for you to get some sleep," he lifted Maya and carried her over his shoulder. "A bottle of brandy can do that to you. That's why I don't drink that much," he ranted. He continued his anecdote walking upstairs, "Yet I'm still a lightweight myself. This is the part where I say, 'that's why God gave our bodies limits,' and you say 'God didn't say that,' but I say, 'God didn't say limits, he gave limits, but then again, we're free range sinners,' and then you say, 'you can't go wrong there, Uncle Boing,' and then we stop talking and go straight to forgetting about it for a while," Josh lamented to himself as he opened the door to the apartment.
As he turned the dim light on, he walked over to the bed to lay Maya down, making sure her head was on the good pillow. His anecdote had come to a pause before the big finish, but he didn't care anymore. He cared more about Maya getting to bed.
"You never let me get to that final part yet because here we are," Josh sighed dejectedly.
The blue-eyed brunet took Maya's walking boots off her feet and let them drop to the floor. He looked at her sleeping body and wondered what God ever did to curse and bless him with the beauty before him. If God didn't do anything, then why Maya? Why not?
"Goodnight, you beautiful little ferret," he murmured.
To clear his mind of the Maya clutter, he walked back downstairs to finish cleaning up the bar. However, cleaning didn't help his desires at all. He was a fool for thinking it would.
With a repeat of the previous night, Maya stopped another fight and kicked everyone out of the bar. After the building emptied, Maya locked the door, placed the water pail upon the counter by herself and went straight upstairs to bed. She didn't care if Josh wanted to talk to her about her day. Josh saw Maya walk past him. He wondered what happened to her that made her shut down. So, he followed her trail. When he saw the open apartment door, he wondered.
"Maya?" Josh asked as he lightly knocked on the door.
Then came a sight for Josh to behold. With her back turned, Maya took off her golden yellow tank adorned with loose-hanging silver ropes on the front, unintentionally giving Josh a show. Josh followed suit and peeled his navy blue polo off his muscular body. Maya tried not to sneak a peek at the vanity mirror reflection of Josh's body that was adorned with scars, bruises, tattoos, and that silver cross necklace which she always loved seeing him wear. She failed, but she didn't care. She pushed her jean capris down to her ankles and stepped out of her beige high tops. Left only in her off-white undergarments, Maya crawled into the bed they shared and covered herself with the blankets.
Maya had ditched the alcohol and small talk for sleep. It was everything Josh had asked for since the nuclear explosion: for Maya not to drink the night away. Josh once told Maya that he would rather talk to a sober Maya than a drunk one. He walked over to the side of the bed where Maya lay, and he kneeled to kiss her goodnight.
"Everything... all right, Maya?" Josh asked, his blue eyes gazing into Maya's.
"I'm okay, just tired," she said, turning around.
Josh knew when Maya hid something. He stood up and walked to the other side to crawl into bed with her. Again, she turned the other way. With a huff, Josh got up out of the bed and walked to the other side to kneel by Maya's side. When she tried to turn around this time, Josh firmly grasped her arm.
"It's just me. Talk to me, Maya. It's just me," he whispered.
"Why am I here?" Maya questioned.
"Well," this was not a question Josh was expecting to answer. But, he did anyway to the best of his knowledge. "You are one of the thousand survivors of the disaster. You lost some of your best friends in the explosion, but you haven't lost me. You and your mom are very lucky to have each other, and I think I'm lucky to have you. And then you'd deny me and doubt why you're always coming to me, even if you're in trouble. I'd tell you, 'You know why you're here,' and you'd say, 'because I need a drink' in that sarcastic tone of yours," he chuckled as he pushed the blankets off her body. "Because... if God had given us a perfect world, it'd be boring. Right now, we have each other. And that's all we'll need. Because you gave me a chance to trust you. You would do anything for me, and that's all I could ask for in a girl: loyalty. Every night before I go to bed, I pray to God that you will tell me that you love me because you know you do. I know I do. If this nuclear explosion had to bring us together for us to realize that we were meant for each other, then so be it."
"Are you done?" Maya sarcastically asked, nearing sleep.
He took a deep breath and answered, "No."
"Then what more do you have to tell me?" she asked curiously.
"Well," Josh answered, crawling onto the bed to hover over Maya. "How about this?"
Josh leaned in to kiss Maya. Maya thought that this was a joke, so she pursed her lips against his for half a second. Josh pulled away, thinking Maya didn't want that.
"Why?" Maya murmured.
"Why what?" Josh's lips brushed against hers.
"Why are you doing this?" Maya asked.
"I don't need a reason," Josh answered. "The question is, why are you doing this?" he followed as he threaded his fingers into her blonde hair, kissing her passionately.
Maya felt an unusual sensation in the pit of her stomach. She tried forcing that feeling to leave, but deep in her mind, she could only do one thing about it. Problem was, she didn't know how. Josh's kissing was too good to be true. When Josh moved his lips to Maya's neck, Maya answered, regaining her senses.
"Because I think you're a special friend, the one who thinks about me before he goes to work, the one who makes sure I'm safe before I go to bed, the one who knows me better than I know myself, and if it weren't for my persistency, who knows where we would be now?" Maya breathed out as Josh finished marking his love in that special spot.
"Are you done?" Josh whispered, pushing the bra strap down Maya's shoulder.
"No," she confirmed. "What... about... you?" Maya questioned Josh now.
"You," he began as he kissed her sternum, "are strong-willed," he murmured, kissing the top of her smooth stomach, "loyal," he kissed above her belly button before dipping his tongue into it, "and selfless," he concluded with a kiss to her hip bones.
"What makes me so selfless that you're doing this now?" Maya asked, feeling the butterflies in her stomach as Josh got up on his knees and lifted Maya's smooth leg upward over his shoulder to trail more kisses, leading to her foot.
"Because the more you think about me, the less you care about yourself. It's called sacrifice. It's love," Josh answered, kissing every part of her tiny foot.
When Maya saw the bulge in Josh's dark denim jeans push into the dampness of her underwear, her breath hitched. It made her crave more of this touch. She reached out her hand. Josh gladly took her hand in his, and he guided it to the buckle of the belt that tightened the low-rise jeans around his hips. She shook her head no once her fingers brushed the metal.
Josh gently took Maya's leg and placed it back onto the bed, so he was between her legs now. He quickly removed his belt and jeans, kicking them off the bed. Maya's eyes widened when she saw that Josh had gone commando, which is something she never knew about him until now. She also noticed his length that had sprung out, and she was mentally preparing herself for the pain.
Maya was unaware of her own following suit when she hooked her thumbs into her underwear, pushing them down until she kicked them off to the side. She also reached behind her own back and unhooked her flimsy underwire brassiere. She then allowed Josh to do the honors and slide the garment off her arms. Josh took in the naked sight before him and wanted to drink her. When they eyed each other, they couldn't speak.
Josh let Maya wrap her arms around him as he kissed her again. His tongue had brushed her bottom lip, begging for entrance, and she accepted. As their tongues danced on end, Josh placed the head of his member upon Maya's arousal and started grinding into her a little. Maya moaned and whimpered, feeling the warmth. This was Maya's first time since the nuclear explosion, and her first time with another man. She was scared that she might regret Josh because he wasn't wearing a condom, but she didn't care anymore.
"I'm going in," Josh broke the kiss as he pushed himself into Maya's entrance.
"Ahh!" Maya let out because, wow, it hurt.
"Oh, god!" Josh grunted gutturally as the tightness of Maya got to him.
Josh filled Maya to the brim. Once he pulled out a little bit, he pushed right back in, repeating the motions until he could see in Maya's face that the pain had subsided. Maya's cries turned to sighs once she felt the pleasure building up in her core.
Maya swallowed the lump in her throat. The tender thrusts from Josh and sticky sweat beads forming on her forehead had astounded her. It didn't take long before Maya pulled the brunet in for a passionate kiss. As the feeling in her lower stomach began bubbling, suddenly, everything made sense to the blonde. There was nobody else in the world who will stand by her side and take care of her when her world shatters. No one can compare to the man who is with her right now. She feels safe, sane, and secure.
When Josh slipped his tongue inside Maya's delicious mouth, he felt fluttering butterflies in his entire body. To Josh, it felt like that random feeling when he shudders out of nowhere. That's what his body would feel like if it were on fire, hot for Maya. It's like he forgot how to breathe. That's why he broke the kiss, needing that fresh air intake. He nuzzled his head into Maya's neck. He wanted her smell, her essence, her radiance. Her.
Maya let her arms fall to either side of her own head, lifting her legs up for Josh. She let him link her legs with his arms, and his hands pinned Maya's wrists down to the bed. Maya thanked the Lord for her flexibility and agility. She also felt grateful for Josh's stamina because she knows she could do this forever if she wanted to. Josh looked at Maya's agonizingly beautiful face and felt her arousal constrict his eight-inch cock.
As the head of Josh's length brushed her hot spot frequently, the elixir in her body accumulated. Maya's eyes widened at the sensation, and she could feel herself getting closer. Josh willed so hard to prevent himself from coming because he would feel better if Maya had peaked first. Then, his mind produced a notion to ride out the shockwaves of pleasure.
Maya's body quaked when her body finally reached its apex. Her eyes tightened shut, producing a single tear. Josh was not far behind as he fired his seed deep inside Maya's womb. The blonde felt a new pooling sensation in her core, but she's clueless about her liking it. Josh slowly pulled out of Maya's small body. He let Maya's legs out of his hold. Once he was out, he caught a glance at Maya's oozing flower, and that sight made his cock twitch just a bit. Maya had eyed the cross on Josh's silver necklace, and she felt a pulsating shock to her core.
"How was that?" Josh asked, pulling the covers over their bodies.
"Amazing," the blonde responded out of breath as she pressed her body into Josh's.
"Better than brandy?"
"I think," Maya began, "that after a bottle of brandy, I'd pass out on the countertop and wake up in bed. After sex, I can fall asleep with the man who lies beside me, and I'm glad it's you, Josh," she whispered on that last part.
"I feel the same way, Ferret," Josh returned in a low tone. "I can't wait to do this again when you skip the booze and head straight for bed."
"You watch yourself, Boing," Maya laughed.
At each other's touch, they relaxed and let sleep overtake them. They weren't ready to "love" yet, but since it was just the two of them, love will come on their accord. Even if New York returned to normalcy, they'll be together forever.