take it how you want it (take on my love) // carmuel one-shots

closer than paradise

A/N: this is completely plotless and has no substance whatsoever, it's literally just five thousand words of smut as requested on tumblr, so do with that what you will. happy new year!

description: carla has been stressed because of work so samuel decides to help her relax

rating: explicit

//

An irritated curse and the unmistakable sound of something being slammed down onto a flat surface comes from the direction of the living room, and Samuel walks out of the kitchen to find Carla hunched over at their dining table, fingers agitatedly massaging her temples. He slowly approaches her, eyeing her phone where it's lying on the tabletop next to her elbow. It's still shaking a bit because of how forcefully she'd set it down. 

It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out what's wrong—the phone call she'd taken a few minutes prior obviously didn't go well—but still, he asks, "Everything okay?"

Carla releases a long sigh, although the stiff tension in her back remains nonetheless. "Just these stupid, old board members fighting me on the brand relaunch. As if it isn't my company."

Samuel settles behind her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. He feels her relax a little underneath his palms, but her muscles remain tightly coiled; undoubtedly, the consequence of being stressed and overworked for nearly the past month.

"Still?" She nods, resting her head against his abdomen with a much softer-sounding sigh as he digs his thumbs into the flesh above her shoulder blades. "They won't budge?"

"No. You know how they are, completely traditionalist. And petty, because I'm their boss now, and not my father." She shakes her head, and her arm shifts as she lifts it to rub between her eyebrows. "They're going to keep being difficult for as long as they can, just because they can.

"I'm sorry, baby. Anything I can do to help?"

She groans softly as he works over a smaller knot in her back, eyes slowly opening to stare up at him. "Directly? No," she murmurs. "But this is helping with my mood."

He smiles and leans over to kiss her upside-down on the lips. "And what about dinner?"

"Couldn't hurt," she replies, and he feels her smile too.

"Wine?"

"Definitely wouldn't hurt."

Samuel straightens, squeezing her shoulders one last time. "Then I'll plate the food, and you can pick the wine because I still have absolutely no idea what pairs well with what."

"Sounds good," she says warmly.

He tries his best to distract Carla all throughout their meal, steering clear of any work-related topics. It works, for the most part; she definitely seems way more relaxed than she had earlier, but Samuel can't help but notice that there's still a part of her that's just... wound tight.

She seems tired, he realizes. Of course, he's not a shitty boyfriend and therefore, he's known about her troubles at work, but this is a different kind of tired. Not just borne from job-related stress, but from being put under an overwhelming amount of pressure. And he's seen this before. He saw it when they were both seventeen and he had to helplessly watch as Carla slowly spiraled and wither away. Obviously, she was completely alone then and she actually has him now, but still.

She needs to fully, completely relax. No, he amends as they lie in bed together a couple hours later and he senses Carla's thoughts drifting back to work, her mind has to be taken off of things. She needs to stop thinking for a while.