~Author's Note~

Hey everyone! So this is another story written from a while ago that I'm gonna stick here because it's been awhile since the last update and because apparently this was already 4k on my computer? So why not lol, but anyway, this was originally going to be posted as just a separate one shot, but it never got finished so I threw some words together for a quick little ending and here we are. Enjoy!


Prompt:
None.
Notes:
Lifeguard!au

Genre: Romance, Humor
Rating: T

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21
i've got a candy crush on you


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It starts like this:

The locker room is humid and the floor is slick with water from the pool and there's a lone shower head left on in the back. His hands are holding onto her bare hips, his thumbs hooked in the tied strings of her bright red bikini, his lips hot and sticky against her own. She can taste the remains of mango popsicle on his tongue, and her hands land somewhere between his shoulder blades and his bare chest before dragging down, down, down—

His hand catches her own before she goes too far, and she smiles against his lips, sliding her hand back up so she can cup his neck and pull him closer. She laughs when he accidentally catches her lip, and she can feel his lips quirk up as she deepens the kiss for him, his chest touching her front. There's something intoxicating about him, something that keeps making her want more and more, so when he pulls back and moves his lips to her neck, she misses them instantly.

His hands end up moving to the middle of her back, lying flat and keeping her back from digging into the locker she's pressed against, and just as she pulls at his hair to bring his lips back up to her own, chatter from the doorway startles them apart. They look at each for a long second before he clasps her hand in his own and drags her towards the showers.

It's frowned upon for couples to make-out in the locker room, so getting caught by an obnoxious, uptight Seabrook family wasn't on their to-do list. There were, however, other things on their to-do list, and as he tugs her into the farthest shower stall and pulls the curtain across, they hear footsteps follow and pass by, and the two grin at each other once they know they're safely tucked away.

They don't share any words before their lips are attached once again, and he's careful as he lifts her up and presses her against the wall, but he starts to lose his balance halfway there. She reaches a hand out – intending to grab the wall to steady them both – but instead her hand accidentally knocks the knob that turns the shower on, and the two are sprayed by a stream of cold water. They gasp and laugh as the water runs down their cheeks, and he does his best to wipe away the water dripping from her hair so that it doesn't run down her forehead and into her eyes. He thinks she's the most beautiful person alive at that moment, laughing and happy and soaked in her sexy bikini, and the words just blurt from his lips before he can stop them.

"I really like you."

She's already smiling when she says, "I really like you too," and then she's the one kissing him senseless, and the running water melts into the background.

But what story starts with that?


It really, truly, begins like this:

She's carrying two fast-melting ice-cream bars back from the snack stand while dodging screeching kids running across the wet cement, their faces bright red and their hair still dripping. A whistle screams from somewhere to her right and she exhales as she sidesteps an overweight man who refuses to move out of her way, the slick feeling of melted ice-cream sliding down the top of her thumb. She glances down to see just how melted the sandwiches were – Bree's wasn't looking too good – and then her foot catches on a pair of left behind goggles.

She begins to fall forwards, preparing herself for the smack of her nose against the concrete, but then a pair of tanned arms gently wrap around her stomach just in time. She's pulled backwards, and her back ends up flush against her savior's front, and a shiver runs down her spine even though the weather hasn't dipped below ninety-eight for a good five days straight.

"I got you," a voice rumbles from above her head as she struggles to find words. Usually she'd be up in arms about a stranger, let alone a strange guy, getting this close to her but—

His arms disappear from around her waist once she's steady on her feet again and as she turns to face him, she doesn't know what to expect.

She definitely doesn't expect an extremely hot pool lifeguard.

He's got black hair cut short and styled nice, and there's a few strands that are wet and a few that are sticking up in the back. There's a pair of green aviators – Ray Bands, of course – covering his eyes and a whistle looped around his neck along with a short gold chain that shines in the sunlight. His shoulders are tanned nicely, along with the rest of his slimly muscular chest, Addison notices as she quickly glances down and then back up, because she's already distracted by the vanilla ice-cream dripping down her hand and if she looks at his abs for too long she's afraid she'll never be able to focus again.

"Sorry for the early morning grope," he jokes easily; Addison's mouth runs dry. There's an apologetic smile over his lips as he says it but Addison is having trouble finding any words. He nods his head towards her hand, "That ice-cream needs twenty CCs of ice, stat."

A giggle bubbles out of her mouth, to her utmost horror, but he just laughs, pleased that she found some humor in his words. Addison stumbles over her words a bit but then she's finally able to get out something that sounds like a thank you. "Thanks for catching me," she says, sincere, and he just shakes his head.

"That's my job, saving pretty ladies right before they hit rock bottom."

Addison's lips lift into a bright smile, but before either can say anymore, their moment is disrupted by an argument between two kids a little ways down the patio. He shakes his head and laughs again, this time quieter as he takes a step back, lifting his whistle to his forehead in a mock salute. "Be careful out there," he says before making his way over to the two bickering children, and Addison can't help but watch him as he walks away.


She runs into him again the next week, this time when she's with Bucky.

They play rock-paper-scissors for who has to go and hunt down some chairs to sit in; Bucky loses. "You cheated," he grumbles as he slips his shirt back on and tucks his phone into the front pocket.

Addison rolls her eyes, "I did not. Stop complaining and go find us somewhere to sit."

Bucky flips her off as he leaves her alone under the shade of the canopy that says Seabrook Community Pool in big pink lettering and Addison busies herself with watching some of the people enjoying their Saturday. There's a family of four walking past her with sunscreen smeared under their eyes like war paint and a young teenage couple kissing in the deep end. Two girls with pretty little pigtails are playing patty-cake in the shallow end of the pool, their mothers chatting with each other with their bright blue toenails swaying back and forth in the warm water. There's a lifeguard chair not too far away, but it's a girl with red hair instead of a guy with black, and she can't help that her heart drops just a little when she doesn't see who she's looking for.

She sighs, deciding to play a round of Candy Crush on her phone to pass the time, and she's stumped on Level 334 with two purple candies needed and one move left when someone appears at her shoulder and slides one red candy over, winning her the level.

She turns around and there he is, grinning proudly.

"You're farther than me but apparently not as good," he says with a chuckle, and Addison's eyes drop to his chest for barely a second before returning to his face.

He raises an eyebrow in inquiry, and only after realizing that his face is just as attractive as the rest of him does she notice he's not wearing any sunglasses. She appreciates that fact greatly as she takes in his kind eyes and the sharp curve of his jaw. There's sunscreen on the top of his nose that's not rubbed in all the way and she hates that she even pays attention to such a tiny detail.

He crosses his arms and his lips quirk upwards when Addison's eyes flicker to his biceps.

"You're not very subtle," he says teasingly, a blush lighting up her cheeks.

"Neither are you," she fires right back, but she's teasing too. "Is helping girls out with their Candy Crush levels your go-to move?"

He shrugs, muscles flexing. He's grinning when he says, "Just yours." He laughs, and Addison's really starting to love the sound of his laugh. It's so happy, so full of life. She loves how he talks and jokes, even though this is only their second interaction. She's never been smitten with someone so quickly in her lifetime. "I mean getting you to Level 335 almost tops what I did last time."

"I don't know," Addison wonders aloud, "I think I kind of liked my early morning grope from the strange lifeguard." He nods, failing to hide his coy smile as he leans back against the brick wall behind him, uncrossing his arms and stuffing his hands into his shorts pockets.

"I like the bikini. It's cute."

His words are quieter and she's caught off-guard by the earnest look in his eyes. He's saying it because he's a natural flirt, obviously, but there's something else there too. Some kind of way that she feels too.

She takes a step towards him, leaving only a few inches between them. She catches his eyes drifting down and then back up just as fast, his cheeks dusted slightly pink, and she's suddenly thankful that Bree and Bucky had convinced her to buy this bikini – she had argued with them at first, saying that it was showed too much skin, but then they had both rolled their eyes and said she needed to find a guy anyway.

What had really won Addison over was that the two-piece was on clearance.

(She didn't need a guy. The last guy she had dated was Jonah Steinberg in tenth grade and he was the biggest dork on the planet. She had broken up with him a week after they had started dating, and she had been flying solo since. She didn't need a guy.)

The bikini is dark green and contrasts well with her blonde hair, thin ties roped into a small bow on the front of the top piece and spaghetti straps over her shoulders. The most revealing thing about it is that it cuts off a little close, but that's about it. Apparently, it's the perfect amount of distraction for her lifeguard, who seems frozen in place, trapped by her even though there's still a good amount of room between them.

Addison doesn't know what comes over her as they stare at each other – if it's because she feels bad about not complimenting him yet, or just because she really truly thinks it because he is cute, but the words come stumbling out. "You're cute."

He smirks but it doesn't have as much as an impact because his cheeks are slowly turning from pink to red. "Just cute?" He questions lowly, and something tells Addison to take another step forward.

She tilts her head, but her own lips betray her as a playful smile takes over. "Just cute," she confirms, even though a million other words are rushing through her brain. He nods, and waits a moment before pushing himself off the wall and suddenly there's no longer a bunch of room between them, and his chest is awfully close to hers. She feels her heart flutter and her stomach do that drop it does when you get on a rollercoaster that's just a little faster than you were expecting.

"Before we get any closer, and I mean that figuratively and literally, I would love to know your name. It'd make me the happiest zombie alive."

Addison's eyebrows crinkle in confusion, "Zombie?"

He smiles. She doesn't think she'll ever get tired of his smiles. They're so bright, and always so happy, even when he's teasing. "It was my nickname in high school," he supplies, "still slip back to it sometimes. I've always liked it."

Addison would hold out her hand for a proper introduction, but there's not enough space to do so, so instead she just reaches forward and grabs his whistle, tugging gently on the rope as she talks.

"I'm Addison. I don't do nicknames, and I just finished my second year of college."

His breathing is slow, but she swears she can hear his panicked heartbeat from where she stands. He hasn't moved an inch from the moment she'd pulled on his whistle, and the whole time she messed with it, he had stayed that way, her eyes watching the orange rope pull at his skin, his eyes watching her.

"No nickname Addison, huh? Pretty name," he chimes after she's finished speaking and dropped the whistle back to his chest, and he runs a hand through his hair before revealing his own name. "The name's Zed. I just finished my third year of college and I'm volunteering at the community pool this summer to pick up some girls and watch bratty kids cannonball."

Addison can't help but laugh and he doesn't know how she knows, but she just knows he's lying. He seemed like the volunteering type, but more so for good causes. Not to say that lifeguarding wasn't a good cause – though it wasn't – but lifeguarding was definitely a job you'd need to get paid for.

"Liar," she snorts, enjoying the bewildered expression that crosses his face, "you're getting paid to do this, at least eight-fifty an hour, and I also know for a fact that you haven't 'picked up' anybody."

"Okay fine, you caught me, but to be clear I'm only getting paid eight-thirty an hour, and I've – I've picked up a good few fish from the uh – sea, I just had to – throw them back because they were . . . uh—"

Addison scoffs, but not unkindly. "So, Zed the Zombie, what kind of fish am I?"

His eyes, which had been previously avoiding looking directly at her as he had flubbed for words, lock back onto hers. He looks serious, that good kind of serious, where it means something. Something good. "One worth keeping, No Nickname Addison."


"Did you guys know that Addison's been chatting up a lifeguard at the community pool for almost four weeks now?"

Addison blushes beet red and tosses a pillow at Bucky's big head as Bree and Eliza gasp dramatically, and yup, she feels mortified. Bucky ducks and dodges the pillow, smiling smugly. They're spread out across Addison's bedroom – her laying on her stomach on her bed, Bucky sitting on the bean-bag chair in the middle of the floor, Eliza sitting in her desk chair and Bree sitting on the other bean-bag chair by the window. Addison was peacefully scrolling through her Instagram feed until Bucky had dropped the bombshell that he had sworn he wouldn't talk about, and now she was seriously going to kill him.

"You've been talking to a guy?" Bree asks curiously, setting her phone down on the carpet.

Addison groans loudly as Bucky answers for her, "She's been flirting with him for weeks. Do you know when we went to the pool yesterday he went out of his way to find her? Walked right over and went behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist."

Zed was very physical with his affection.

It had started after their flirtatious second meeting, and every time his hands slid across her stomach or his arms wrapped around her shoulders, her heartbeat would grow ten times faster. He never crossed any boundaries with her either, always double-checking if it was okay to put his hands here or to give her a hug there, and telling her that if he was ever being overbearing she could just tell him to knock it off and he'd stop immediately.

It was that part of him, the part of him that always made sure she was comfortable and okay and complimented her just because he wanted to and sent her genuine smiles that made her heart flutter, that part of him was what really made her enjoy his company.

That part of him she really, really liked.

"It's just casual flirting," Addison tries to defend weakly, making Eliza full-out cackle.

"Casual flirting is a hand on the arm, not his entire body pressed up against yours," she says pointedly and Bree quietly agrees.

Addison rolls her eyes, "We don't see it like that. We're just friends who flirt, and he's a very hands-on kinda guy." Addison can tell by the look on Bucky's face that he's about to say something inappropriate so she turns her attention to him, giving him her best glare. "And you on the other hand, promised not to say anything to anyone!"

She tried to hide Zed from Bucky for as long as she could, but that plan had gone up in smoke after Zed had winked at her from behind the snack bar one time, and she was forced to tell Bucky everything.

He shrugs, struggling to hide his smile, "C'mon, Bree would've found out eventually, and you know she tells Eliza everything, so I just saved you some time, cuz. You're welcome."

Addison turns around and grabs another pillow and this time it hits its intended target as Bucky mumbles an ow and rubs at his forehead. Eliza chuckles, "I can't believe you thought you weren't going to get hurt for spilling Addison's business when she specifically asked you not too. I mean I'm all for making fun of her horrible life decisions but—"

"Hey this is not a—you know what, he's a really good guy!"

Bree smiles, "Do you like him?"

Eliza glances up from the magazine she's reading and Bucky stops moving around on the bean-bag chair, causing the room to go completely silent. Addison looks at each of her friends, her heart suddenly racing, and it feels like her cheeks are on fire. "Of course I do. I like him as a friend. He's really nice, caring, and he always looks out for the little guy."

Eliza looks like she doesn't believe her, her eyebrows raised high, and Bree kind of has that same look on her face too. Bucky's always been hard to read so she doesn't know what he thinks, but for some reason Addison feels uneasy all of a sudden, like she's lying to herself. (Even though she isn't because what she has with Zed is good, great even. It's—it's really great but that's not the point. The point is that they're just friends who flirt and that's all.)

"So what's his name?" Eliza asks as she directs her attention back to her magazine, flipping to the next page absently.

"Zed—"

"Oh my god," Eliza interrupts, unable to hold back a smile, "Zed? As in my best friend Zed?"

"I thought I was your best friend," Bucky says from the ground, sounding hurt, and Eliza tosses her magazine at him as she stands and walks over to Addison's bed so she can take a seat next to her. "No, you never were, shut up. Zed and I have been friends for years." She turns to Addison and rolls her eyes, "He's such a flirt when in reality he's the biggest softie around. You could kiss him and he'd gush about it for weeks."

"I'm not going to kiss—"

"Wait, I'm going to ask the important question here," Bucky says, looking confused, "how have you been friends with him for years and we've never realized?"

Eliza waves a hand, "Because I only mention him here and there or in passing. We don't post on social media when we hang out because we just want it to be just us and blah blah blah." She pauses, and then says in disbelief, "I can't believe you like Zed," which causes Addison to flop over on her back and then fall backwards and bury her head under one of her pillows.

"I don't like him," she mumbles, "and he doesn't like me."

Eliza crawls over and lifts up the pillow by the corner. "Oh trust me. He's probably already in love with you by now. Head over heels, in love."


"Hey my candy crush babe," Zed says with a grin as Addison approaches him, lifting his arms and mushing her in a hug. She chuckles and wraps her own arms around him, closing her eyes for just a second and enjoying the moment.

Six weeks of them knowing each other is running on seven, and things between them are still amazing, even after Eliza shook down Zed for all the details about his and Addison's relationship five seconds after leaving Addison's house that day, and has been doing so every night since. To make sure he doesn't screw things up, she had said, and Zed had actually seen her point.

A screaming kid running past shatters the moment, and as Addison goes to pull back, Zed holds her there, and she can feel his smile in her hair. "Just a little longer," he mumbles, his voice quiet but pitched playfully. Addison can't help but laugh. When she slides her hands up to his shoulder blades she feels too much heat radiating from his skin.

"I think you got burnt," she mumbles into his chest, and though his skin is sweaty and he smells strongly of chlorine, his arms still bring her a comfort she's never known before. She pulls back but his arms stay loosely looped around her waist, and their faces are close, but not close enough because he's so damn tall.

"I put on sunscreen this morning," he says defensively, scrunching up his nose like a child.

"Sure you did," she replies, but her tone is teasing, as always. "Come on," she says, taking him by the hand, "let's go make sure you're protected." She can hear him snicker as she pulls him towards the locker rooms, and he doesn't protest.

Since it's Seabrook, the Community Pool is huge and big enough to house both a girls locker room and boys locker room, and both come equipped with medium-sized lockers in the front and shower rooms in the back. The pool's pretty empty today so Addison doesn't think twice as she pushes open the door labeled ladies with a backwards S – damn teenagers – and guides him to the bench.

"Sit." Addison instructs before heading over to her usual locker. Zed does as he's told and takes a seat on the bench, turning and watching as Addison rummages through her messy locker.

"Yes ma'am."

"And don't call me ma'am." She finds Bucky's half-used bottle of sunscreen towards the back of the locker and tosses it over. "It makes me sound old." Zed catches the bottle with ease and shoots her a smile.

"Sure thing babe," he replies easily, and she hears the pop of the cap as she digs through her locker for something else. It takes her a minute, but she smiles triumphantly once she finds it, slamming her locker shut behind her as she walks over and takes a seat beside him.

He's rubbing a bit of sunscreen onto his left shoulder when she holds the bracelet out to him, his movements slowing to a stop as he looks down at it. It looks like it was knitted with care, pastel pink and blue overlapping one another seamlessly before coming to a stop underneath a jeweled pair of cheer pom-poms, which shine under the room's fluorescent lights.

He quickly wipes the remaining sunscreen on his shorts so that he can take it from her and admire it up close, and something flutters in both of their chests.

"I went to a craft show over the weekend, and a lady had a bunch of these with different jewels, and after meeting your sister the other day, and hearing about how much she liked cheer, I just thought—"

The smile that blooms is brighter than she's ever seen it before.

"She'll love it, Addy," he promises, and stares at it a moment more before looking at the girl beside him. "Are you sure you don't want to give it to her yourself?"

"No, you go ahead. Surprise her."

Zed's quiet for a long moment, and Addison can't quite pin what he's thinking about. And then, before she can ask, he's slipping the band onto his wrist so he won't lose it, and turning toward her, reaching out. His fingers slip around hers, and her heart skips a beat.

"Thank you," he whispers. His eyes flicker down to her lips. Her breath catches. Everything in her stutters.

"Of course," she says, and then before she can say anything else, he's kissing her, and everything else is forgotten as one slow kiss turns into a deeper one, and then even more as her back presses against the front of her locker.

After all, it's much more fitting when a story ends with that instead.