Kids In Trouble

"These are the best pancakes I've ever had." AJ moaned, sitting up in bed with a plate of pancakes with syrup and strawberries on her lap.

"Bold statement." Punk said, sitting beside her, having already ate his breakfast, "Have you always had such a sweet tooth?" He smiled.

"Always." AJ nodded, "If my aunt gave me lunch money to get food at school, I'd save it and buy a chocolate bar on the way home instead." She smiled to him as he chuckled.

"I was never a big chocolate kid growing up. Give me a pack of sour patch kids, though." Punk whistled as AJ chuckled, cutting another triangle of pancakes off and eating them with happiness. She was sat in the bath robe which the hotel had given them, whilst Punk sat in his boxers.

They'd only fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning, having been far too busy with each other's bodies. They'd made love, sweet and soft, and they'd fucked, hard against the closest piece of furniture. Nothing was off limits.

"What do you think I should do about Lyla?" AJ asked suddenly.

"About the guy she likes?" Punk clarified.

"Yeah." AJ said.

"I don't think there's anything you can do." Punk shook his head, "I think it should be her situation to sort out." He advised.

"But maybe there's something I could do." AJ wondered, "Maybe I could get in contact with him and invite him to the town for a few days." She shrugged.

"I don't know." Punk said sceptically, "Do you really want to involve yourself with it?"

"Given the fact I feel responsible for them not being together. Yes." AJ huffed.

"You're not responsible." Punk made clear.

"I want her to be happy." AJ sighed, "I mean… all this time, why have I never questioned why she didn't have any kind of boyfriend? I just didn't take notice because I wasn't interested in boys. But I should have taken notice."

"April, you were dealing with your own shit. I don't think Lyla holds that against you. You did nothing wrong." Punk shook his head. He knew her worries came from the fact she cared so much for her best friend, but he just wished she didn't put so much blame or pressure on herself.

"If she wanted to move back to New Jersey I'd be devastated." AJ nodded, "I mean… I'd be a mess without getting to see her every day. But… if it's going to make her happy, if this guy is still on her mind, even after all this time… I'd want her to go. To follow her heart." AJ said.

"Yeah, but it has to be her decision." Punk reminded her as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know that." She said, "But I don't want her to feel like she has to stay here for me. Or for the coffee shop. Because that's not fair."

"You think you could run it without her?" Punk asked curiously, "And with Shiv going to college… it'd basically just be you and Becca." He reminded her.

"We'd make it work." AJ nodded, "And I'd hire someone else for the weekends if we needed it."

"Don't go stressing about anything just yet. Lyla will make her decision. At least now she's told you about him." He said.

"Yeah, after six years." AJ scoffed, "Was I that hard to talk to?"

"It's like she said… she didn't want you blaming yourself." Punk said, "Which let's face it, you are."

"Can't help how I feel." She said.

"I know." Punk said, "I wonder how the kids are getting on."

"Look at you… all worried about your boys." AJ smiled, popping a strawberry into her mouth.

"I know. I don't know what's happened to me." Punk shook his head.

"I think I know what you need." She smirked, sitting her basically empty plate on the bedside table.

"Mhm? And what's that?" Punk smirked, watching her climb over him, straddling his hips and slowly untying her bath robe, which she had nothing on underneath.

"A really big bubble bath." She grinned, placing her hands on his shoulders, slowly rolling her hips back and forth against him as he chuckled.

"Honestly? I don't think I've had a bath since I was like… seven." He admitted.

"I've not convinced you to take one with me?" She smiled, slowly opening her robe to reveal her breasts as he watched with pure focus.

"I think you could convince me to do just about anything, April." Punk admitted quietly as she grinned.

"I take that as a very serious challenge." She whispered, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his as he took her robe down, grazing his fingertips down her arms.

AJ suddenly squealed and giggled as she felt him sit up off the bed with her, carrying her through to the bathroom and closing the door over behind them.

"I need those two bacon sandwiches like… ten minutes ago." Daryl said, sticking his head into the back of the coffee shop where Finn was doing the breakfast sandwiches in the kitchen.

"I only got two hands, man." Finn snapped.

It was safe to say they both underestimated just how much Punk helped the running's of the coffee shop every day. They were happy to see their usual number of customers, but it just meant they had to work a little bit harder.

"You need me to help? I got a free two minutes." Daryl said, having got all his coffee orders done.

"No, they're coming." Finn said, wrapping the sandwiches up and passing them to Daryl.

"Thanks." Daryl nodded, heading back over to the front counter and handing the sandwiches to the waiting customers.

They were just about finishing up from the busy morning rush of people coming into order coffee and breakfast before heading to work. Now it was mostly elderly people sitting in for coffees and the occasional mother and baby.

"Anything I can do out here?" Finn asked, coming in from the kitchen after finally finishing off the breakfast sandwiches he'd been racing through.

"Could you clear those couple of tables?" Daryl asked whilst taking cash from a customer.

"Sure." Finn nodded, grabbing a tray and heading out to the front of the shop to clear and clean some used and vacated tables.

The dynamic between the boys had definitely gotten better. Perhaps it was because Finn and Shiv had broken up, or because they had gotten used to working with each other, and realised there was just no point in arguing or miscommunicating. In fact, they worked rather well together now.

"Daryl, my love." Linda said, making her way to the counter, arriving for her usual morning coffee and pastry.

"There's the most beautiful woman in all the land." Daryl smiled.

"Where is Phil? Is he sick?" Linda asked, looking around the coffee shop for Punk.

"No, he's fine. He's on a little romantic getaway with AJ. They'll be back later." Daryl nodded.

"I see." Linda said, "He's very serious about her." She stated.

"Looks like it." Daryl nodded, "They seem pretty happy. It's nice."

"It is nice." Linda agreed, "So you boys are in charge for the day? He must trust you."

"Yeah, so far we haven't fucked up anything too bad." Daryl nodded happily, "Your usual coffee and pastry?" He asked her.

"Indeed." Linda smiled, "It's very good to see you turning your life around." She added, watching Daryl sit a mug under the coffee machine.

"Yeah?" Daryl smiled.

"Yes." Linda nodded, "Your mother was so worried about you. After losing your dad and then your horrible injury. She was worried sick." She shook her head, "And now look at you. She must be very proud."

"I'm sure she would have been prouder if I went to college." Daryl said.

"Nonsense." Linda said, "Do you enjoy working here?" She asked him with force.

"Yeah. I do." Daryl told her.

"Then that's all that matters. And it's all that will matter to your mother." Linda assured him as Daryl just smiled.

"You go take a seat. I'll bring your coffee over to you." He told her as she nodded, just as the door to the shop opened with another customer coming through.

Finn immediately turned to Daryl with concern, whilst Daryl stared across at Luke who had just appeared in the shop, with a very bruised face.

"Go take a seat, Linda." Daryl nodded calmly as Linda turned around, noticing Luke walking towards the counter.

"I think I'll stay." Linda said, watching Luke carefully.

Meanwhile Finn had come back from clearing the tables and headed back behind the counter to stand behind Daryl.

"I'll have an Americano." Luke nodded to Daryl.

"You're barred." Daryl said bluntly.

"What?" Luke laughed.

"You heard me." Daryl nodded, "You're not going to get any coffee from here."

"Let me get this straight… your boss beats me up in front of the whole town and yet… I'm the bad guy?" Luke shook his head.

"He beat you up because you were harassing AJ. You got what you deserved." Daryl said, trying his best to keep his cool. To keep professional the way Punk would expect him to.

"Jesus… I couldn't care less about that stupid bitch." Luke shook his head.

"The leave her alone." Finn suggested just as the door to the shop opened again, with Shiv walking through and heading down to the counter.

"Do you have any flour we could borrow?" Shiv asked, not realising she was interrupting anything, only realising when she got to the counter that it was Luke who was standing, clearly in some sort of dispute with Daryl and Finn.

"In the back." Daryl nodded to Shiv briefly.

"Everything ok here?" Shiv asked cautiously.

"Do you think you could get me a coffee, sweetheart?" Luke turned to Shiv, "I've apparently been barred from this place."

"You're not getting coffee from across the road either." Daryl made clear, "You need to leave. Now."

"Make me, tough guy." Luke nodded, "I know you. I know your story. How's that leg doing?" He tormented.

"Get out." Finn nodded, "Last time we're going to say it."

"Make me." Luke challenged again as Daryl walked out from behind the counter, squaring up to Luke who wasn't all that much taller or bigger than him.

"Daryl." Shiv said worriedly, taking a few steps to the side beside Linda who was watching carefully.

"You don't wanna get your ass handed to you again, so soon, do you?" Daryl shook his head.

"You might have overdone it with the bubbles." Punk nodded, sitting at one end of the large bathtub whilst AJ was at the other end.

"I don't think so." AJ disagreed, "You look very manly sitting there." She smirked.

"I feel it." He nodded as she chuckled.

"Why do you keep your hair long? Have you ever had it short?" She asked curiously.

"I had it long as a teenager and into my early twenties. I just… preferred it." Punk shrugged, "Started slicking it back when I became a lawyer. Figured the long hair was a bit unprofessional, maybe."

"I just have to see pictures of you blonde. I can't imagine it." She smiled.

"A sight to behold." Punk nodded, "Pain in the ass to bleach all the time, though."

"I bet." She smiled, gliding her foot up his leg under the water as he chuckled.

So far, they'd managed to stay in the bath, relaxing and talking, without the other trying to conjure up some salacious activities.

"I can't remember the last time I took a spontaneous day off and didn't feel guilty." She admitted, leaning her head back against the edge of the tub. She'd enjoyed every single second of their little getaway. Although she had definitely missed out on the physical touch from a man these past six years, she'd also just missed the act of getting close to a man, of talking and sharing intimate moments like this.

"You should do it more often. I know you love the coffee shop, but you don't wanna burn out." Punk said.

"You're just saying that so you can kidnap me for the night again." She smiled.

"Would you object?" He smiled as she shook her head, making her way over to him, straddling his thighs under the water and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"It might be pretty obvious but… I'm really wet right now." She whispered in his ear, kissing under it and around his pulse point as he chuckled and nodded.

He then watched as she pulled away, climbing out the bathtub elegantly, droplets of water running down her body whilst Punk climbed out after her, lifting her up and sitting her on the counter beside the sink.

He pulled her hips towards him, lifting her a little so he could push his hard length inside of her, burying himself all the way as she leaned back against the mirror and moaned.

"Fuck." AJ gasped, grabbing a hold of the tap beside her to keep her steady as he began thrusting inside of her.

"I love these." Punk murmured, squeezing her breasts as she smirked, "And this." He gripped her chin and kissed her roughly as she moaned into the kiss.

"Fuck." AJ cried out with bliss.

"And this." Punk moaned, reaching his hand down between them and stroking her clit as she rolled her eyes, loving nothing more than having his hands all over her, squeezing and stimulating every single nerve hanging on a thread, "Look down. Watch me fuck you." He panted breathlessly as she looked down between their bodies, watching his large length disappearing inside of her and coming back out quickly, his thrusts wild and animalistic.

"Fuck, I'm going to come." AJ moaned desperately, feeling every sense in her body heighten to its peak as she came hard, locking her legs around him.

"Fuck." Punk moaned, feeling her insides clenching him as she came, provoking his own orgasm as he came inside of her, leaning his head on her shoulder as she held him close to her body, their breathing loud and harsh as they basked in all the pleasure.