Title: Dog Tags
Author: SneetchesToo
Rating: Explicit
Pairing: Ethan/Rox
Summary: Rox was slightly obsessed with the silliest little thing about Ethan.
Author's Note: These two, that's all. Thanks to Violet for letting me throw this idea at you.
—
Rox was slightly obsessed with the silliest little thing about Ethan.
And she knew that she totally shouldn't be.
But she just couldn't help herself.
She couldn't get enough of his dog tags. And as much as she tried to forget about their existence, she couldn't.
They had become not only an obsession, but also an object of comfort, and she felt like she had to always be touching them.
She understood why he kept them hidden under his clothes.
Why he never wore them on-top of his shirts, regardless if they were at work or not.
But she hated that she didn't have instant access to them like he did to her hair.
She knew that her obsession wasn't quite as bad as his, but it was definitely nearing it.
"Roxane…" Ethan's voice was soft as it echoed through the quiet space of his living room.
They had settled on the couch about an hour ago, him with a book in his hands and her with a magazine she had snagged from Emo's coffee table.
Something about gardens and landscapes.
She didn't really know why she was reading it, she had the blackest thumb of anyone she knew.
But there was something about the picture on the front that had grabbed her attention.
However, her attention had wandered about ten pages into the gloss covered book when she caught sight of the chain of Ethan's dog tags glistening in the soft light of the room.
"Yes?" She answered him softly, her eyes shifting upward to give him a soft look.
He was staring at her curiously and that's when she realized that she had tugged his dog tags loose from his t-shirt and that she was currently fiddling with them.
"Whatcha doing?" He looked so young and innocent and pure and she was taken aback once more at the fact that he was hers.
"Nothing." She whispered. She dropped the chain from her hands and let them fall into her lap as she settled against his side once more.
He let out a quiet sigh as he placed his book on the end table and tugged her into his lap.
"Doesn't look like nothing." He pressed his lips to her ear and she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her body.
The temperature at night had started to drop dramatically and she still wasn't used to how chilly it sometimes got inside the house.
Ethan preferred to keep it cooler, which was fine, but at times, she would catch herself getting the smallest of chills.
"Something about those dog tags huh?" He nudged his nose against hers, doing his best to get her attention.
She tried to avoid him, mostly out of embarrassment, but she was failing.
"Guess so." She whispered back.
He leaned down then and kissed her softly.
"Kinda like me and your hair?" He let his fingers tangle in her curls as he spoke and she let out a soft sigh at the feeling.
"Kind of." She wouldn't say she was quite as bad as him.
She never would have let her fingers run over his tags in public.
Not like he was apt to do with her hair sometimes.
She got ready to respond when he kissed her deeply, his tongue tangling with hers as he moved to lay her back against the couch cushions.
She said a silent prayer that his father didn't come over and walk in on them again.
He had picked the prime moment of Ethan dropping his head between her breasts to enter the house a few days ago.
Needless to say, he hadn't returned to the scene of the crime since then.
"Love you." Ethan's voice was soft as he pressed his lips against her neck.
She felt his fingers push at the hem of her shirt and she shifted so that he could pull it over her head.
"I know." She wasn't nearly as prone to telling him that she loved him.
At first she thought it would be an issue, but it turns out he didn't seem to mind.
She said it often enough that she supposed it was good enough for him.
"Promise?" He nuzzled his nose against her shoulder blade as he dropped a kiss to her bare chest, his hands pushing gently at the material of her yoga pants.
"Promise." She whispered back.
She let her hands tug on his shirt then, pulling it over his head effortlessly as he let his fingers wander under the waistband of her underwear.
She felt another shiver come over her as he pulled back just enough to push her bottoms down.
"Your dad's not gonna walk in again is he?" She really, really hoped not.
"We had a chat." He pressed his lips against her right breast as he let his hand settle between her legs.
He slid a finger into her effortlessly and she let out a moan as he let his tongue run along her nipple.
"Good." She breathed out, her eyes slamming shut as he slid another finger inside her.
She let her hands wander down his back and she shoved at the material of his sweatpants, hoping she had the strength to push them downward enough.
She was successful enough for him to shimmy the rest of the way out of them and she let her fingers trail over his erection as he let his lips kiss a trail across her stomach.
He inhaled deeply at the contact and she couldn't help but chuckle.
She knew just how to drive him crazy and she was thankful for it.
"You're beautiful." He whispered against her stomach.
"Shut up Ethan." She growled back.
She let out a whimper when he withdrew his fingers from inside her and she threw her head back when he let his lips ghost over her curls.
"Make me." His voice was lustful and she felt herself snap at his tone.
She wrapped her hand gently around his dog tag chain and yanked just hard enough to get his attention.
"Shut, up, Ethan." She gave him a look that must have sent him over the edge because the next thing she knew he was pushing himself upward and toward her and the look in his eyes was dark and hungry.
"Make me." He dragged out, his fingers settling on her hips as he slowly pushed himself into her.
She let out a soft whimper with the contact and she had to force her eyes to stay open.
The things he was able to do to her with such simple movements should be outlawed.
"Is that a challenge?" She kept her fingers wrapped around the chain around his neck tightly as she shot him a dirty look.
"It sure is." He pulled back from her ever so slightly before pushing himself into her once more.
She couldn't help the moan of pleasure that left her lips and she rolled her eyes at the cocky smile on his face.
"Challenge accepted." She whispered.
And then she tugged on his dog tags just hard enough to bring his lips crashing down against hers.
And the rest was history.
—
When she awoke a little while later Ethan was snoring softly, his arm having settled over her shoulders as he slept soundly.
He had tucked her against his side after having brought her over the edge multiple times and while she had wanted to retreat upstairs to the much bigger bed, her legs were shaking so badly that she doubted she would make it.
Instead they had settled on the plush couch and he had thrown a blanket over their bare bodies before dozing off to sleep.
She had fallen asleep a few minutes after him and she was surprised to see that she was awake before him.
But then she remembered that he had just pulled an almost 48 hour shift between the hospital and riding around with her in the ambulance all that morning.
He was probably way more exhausted than he let on.
Letting out a soft sigh she let her fingers dance over his bare chest, seeking out the metal objects she knew were situated somewhere against his cool skin.
She found them and couldn't help but smile.
She didn't know why she was feeling particularly antsy in that moment, but she was.
And she could feel her anxiety creeping in ever so slowly.
So she sought out the one thing that seemed to calm her nerves these days.
His dog tags.
She let them lay flat in the palm of her hand for a few minutes before she felt her fingers itching to run across the raised lettering.
She traced her index finger over his name, Willis, Ethan J. and she couldn't help but smile at the fact.
She didn't know why she loved his name so much. It wasn't really unique or special, but it was uniquely him, and he was special, and that was all that mattered to her.
She let her finger wander over his social security number and his blood type next, pausing to try and memorize the information that she hoped she never needed to know.
She prayed that nothing ever happened to him that resulted in her needing to share that kind of information with anyone.
Ever.
The simple thought made her heart start to race.
She felt him stir beneath her arm and she held her breath, waiting to see if he would wake up or not.
He let out a huff as his arm tightened around her shoulders and then his left hand was laying itself on top of her right, his fingers tangling with hers on top of the metal.
"Can't get enough of them can you?" She could hear the humor in his soft question and she closed her eyes as she tried to snuggle closer to him.
"Just trying to memorize everything I can about you." She whispered softly.
That part was partially true.
In reality she was just trying to ground herself.
But she didn't want him to know that she was feeling that way because she knew that he would panic and then smother her with kisses.
Right now she just wanted to relax and be a normal couple for once.
Not a couple that felt like one or both members was falling apart at any given moment.
"Hm… not much to memorize love." His voice was so sleepy and beautiful and she couldn't help but smile as he nuzzled his face against the top of her head.
"Just in case I ever need it, ya know?" She prayed that he knew what she was talking about.
She really didn't want to have to go into detail.
"Pray that you never do." He whispered.
He dropped a soft kiss to her hair before settling back against the pillow once more.
"I hope not." She whispered back.
She let her fingers drop the metal tags back against his skin as she let out a soft sigh.
"Something's bothering you?" She didn't expect his question and it startled her.
She still wasn't used to someone caring so much about her and her well-being.
No one had ever cared about her thoughts and feelings so much before.
After three months she really shouldn't be so surprised though.
"My mind's going to that place again." She didn't really even know where that place was but she knew that he knew exactly what she was talking about.
They had been down this road many times in the past 100 days.
It didn't always end well for either one of them.
"Don't let it." He dropped another kiss to her head as he squeezed her shoulders tightly. "I'm here, and I've got you, and everything is okay."
She let out a shaky breath as she nodded her head against his shoulder.
She knew that she was being ridiculous. She knew that she was safe and that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
But ever since the accident. Ever since she had woken up in that hospital room completely alone and begging for him, she had had this dark place in her head.
A dark place that drew her in and did it's best to destroy her.
"I know you're still healing Rox. And I know you're still tired." Another kiss and another squeeze and she let out a soft whimper at his gentleness. "But you're okay and I'm okay. Just try and relax some."
She nodded her head once more as she closed her eyes and settled against his side with a soft sob.
She felt pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
"I love you Roxane." He pressed his lips against her forehead and she tried to get herself as close to him as humanly possibly. "I love you more today than I did yesterday and I'll love you more tomorrow than I do right now."
She didn't know why her heart skipped a beat every time he said those words to her, but it did.
It had become their thing. Their saying. He would tell her that almost every night before they went to bed. And he would text it to her during the day.
He always knew when she needed to hear those words and it shocked her how well he seemed to know her.
"I love you too Ethan." She pressed her lips against his bare shoulder as she let her fingers search out the metal objects she so desperately needed to touch.
She let the chain tangle around her fingers as she ran her thumb along the raised words once more.
She felt him chuckle softly as he pressed another kiss to her forehead and then he was dozing back off to sleep.
She willed herself to sleep then, snuggling closer to his warm body as she let the coolness of the metal beneath her fingertips calm her raging nerves.
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