4.1

[sighsheavily]

I can't believe this... I actually like these.

[these being reference to what clothes she's picked at within the room they're holed in for hours indeterminate. she's pulled on a pastel gown and finished fiddling with the fiddlier bits, smoothing out the drapery in front of the floor-length mirror.]

The color is a shame, and I doubt this'd be of use if I get dropped in that bloody maze again, but still...

[it's nice. it feels nice! no more denim and excess buttons...

gads, the rhinestones making cactus blossom patters are kind of tacky, though. she oughtn't complain; it's a step in the right direction.]

Comments

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Then...I guess all we need to do is find something to keep ourselves busy...

[He leans in and kisses her again. Shorter, sweeter, playfully.]

Got any ideas~?

[sighsheavily]

[she manages to reciprocate a bit before he can get away to pose questions, her eyes half closed, expression pensive.]

Nothing innovative. I simply enjoy being close to you, however you please. [and she's still squirrely about insisting on her own behalf.] You...never ask much of me besides being...but you should try. So I know.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

...I think anything I could ask of you right now might make you faint.

[sighsheavily]

[her eyebrow twitches.]

I. I see. And that--that would...lessen your chances of...whatever that may entail.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Well, we want to keep ourselves busy without leaving the room, right?

And I feel like anything else we could do would still be work.

[sighsheavily]

[another eyebrow twitch, now in tandem with an ear. she feels a weird mix of exasperation and impatience and, prompted by that, presses both her hands on the sides of his face.]

Do you mean to make love to me or are you just going to make leading statements in circles some more?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[He's trying not to laugh. He's teasing her. Obviously getting her worked up.]

[He leans in to kiss at her neck.]

I don't think I was leading you on that much...but if you insist...

[He takes a few steps over to the bed and lays her down on her back, pressing his arms to either side of her and hovering over her.]

It'd be a waste not to break this nice bed in. And I definitely don't want your nice, new clothes to get dirty.

[sighsheavily]

Then undo them properly so I don't have to spend time mending them. [she reaches up and picks at a couple of the buttons of his shirt.] These, too...the material is nice. Try not to tear it?

[forgeabettertomorrow]

You won't get impatient if I take my time, then...?

[Said as he slides and arm under her waist and rolls onto the bed, taking her with him so she's on top of him. It's easier for him to get to her back this way, after all. He's just glad she's gotten used to him simply moving her around. And now that she's firmly on his lap, he starts guiding that fabric down her shoulders.]

[sighsheavily]

If it pleases you to do so, then it's fine. [because if she can be anything, she can be stubborn, impatience be damned.

being jostled around horizontally is weirder than being just picked up and set around: it has more hazards. like her hair getting caught somewhere unexpectedly, or her legs not having decent purchase. that said, she avoid accidentally kneeing him in the nads in getting her knees under her, sitting up so she has her hands free to bunch up a clump of her hair and push it to one side and out of his way before getting her arms also out of his way.

if he's going to take his time, she can't guarantee she won't be fidgety about it until told otherwise.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

It's not me I'm looking to please, you know...

[Because now that she's situated, he returns to kissing her neck, all the way down her to her shoulder. As he inches her gown down her arms, his lips trail inward along her collarbone.]

[sighsheavily]

Is-- [she tilts her head up to accommodate him, trying to avoid flustering.] That's getting passed onto me, then? You better...have something to say about that. [before she's reduced to stammering mush, at least.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[He looks up at her while he continues to pepper her exposed skin with kisses and she can literally feel the smirk.]

Don't worry. You've gotten really good at pleasing me too...

[He inches the fabric down more; enough that Cecelia can slip her arms out completely now, if she even has the mind to.]

[sighsheavily]

[she scoffs a little, but there's no real bite to the sound - more impulse than interjection. there's conflicting feelings at play: the sense she is doing too little versus feeling too much to do anything of value; she can't exactly call up years of experience, if there's any to be referenced (and if those posters have any merit, then, maybe...)

carefully, she snakes her arms out of the sleeves one at a time; she's not cold, but all the attention he's giving her skin makes it prickle all the same.

before he can get too carried away, she hooks his chin with a finger and guides him back up to kiss her properly on the mouth more languidly for a bit - time for her to feel around for where she left off with the buttons of his shirt.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[It's kisses like that that make him practically melt against her. Kisses like that which make him shut off his brain and let him just...be loved. It's such a foreign concept to him; something baked in that transcends his memories. Hours later after they've finished, he always wonders how hard his life was. Had he been so touch-starved that his entire body felt like it was on fire from her kiss?]

[But those thoughts are always reserved for later. Maybe tonight he'll share them with her...open up another wound for her to suture it with her lips.]

[His patience is on full display while he lets her play with and undo the buttons of his tunic. He's learned the art of layering and as she undoes that, she'll find that black undershirt clinging to his muscled torso. But he's got to find something to do with his own hands in the meantime, so while he drowns himself in the touch of her lips, his hands snake around to her backside to give her an encouraging squeeze.]

[sighsheavily]

[the squeeze elicits a little squeak and a soft huff against his mouth. again: all bluster, no bite. she turns her head a bit to break the kiss and spare a glance down at what she's doing - this isn't a stupid cowboy shirt, so she has to get acquainted with this.]

Hmh. Do you pull this one over first? Orrr...

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Do you want me to do it so you can watch?

Or...maybe...

[The idea strikes him before he even finishes that first thought. With a sultry smile, he takes her hands and guides them to the last few buttons and the tie keeping the fabric tied tight around his broad chest.]

You undo the buttons...and untie this...

[Then, he guides her hands to his chest and moves her hands across his pecs to slide the tunic open and down his shoulders. Only then does he guide her hands to his waist where she can gather up the hem of his shirt and start to lift it.]

[He spares her a look before he starts to guide her hands up with his shirt in tow.]

[sighsheavily]

[her mouth twitches out of its thoughtful pucker into a small smile, both embarrassed and endeared to be guided through as she is. meeting his eyes with that look makes her face flush and her smile spread - something concealed both by the ducking of her head and the abrupt interruption of pulling clothes up and over.

the bashfulness ebbs to something more considerate while, as she's bundling up the shirt and tunic to be set aside, her eyes linger on his bare skin all marked up with countless scars. her chest tightens a bit with the mix of feelings it stirs before her eyes flick up and she's prompted to smile a bit warmer.]

Thank you. [she'll set those things aside.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[He places his hands on the sides of her thighs and pets them affectionately. He can't help but let out a small laugh.]

For what? Was it that gratifying to undress me?

[sighsheavily]

For the assistance, you dolt. [she pouts a little, starting to get fussy.] Shall I not be polite anymore?!

[forgeabettertomorrow]

In the bedroom? I figured pleasantries came before and after, not during.

[He leans in to kiss her again, trying to send that pout and that fussiness away for the time being. She really is like a cat...]

[Which is fine by him. If she's going to act like a cat, he'll pet her like one.]

[As he kisses her, his hands slide up her sides to gather at the hem of her dress so he can pull it down to pool at her waist. From there, his hands slide up her back, calloused hands on her skin while he leans in to pepper her chest with kisses.]

[sighsheavily]

[the complaint is smothered, but not entirely stifled, as she still has mind to utter a fussy sound even as she's squirming under the tingling effect his fingers have on her bare back.

breathless:] That, that doesn't make sense-- [the kisses are super effective at muddling her argumentative state, but she's nothing if not persistent when it comes to making a point.] You mean for me to be unkind in the, mnh, midst of this? Or shall I not talk at all-- [HONESTLY PROBABLY A GOOD CALL, she thinks, feeling a hot rush of embarrassment mixed in with arousal. weird mix. probably normal for her, though.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Oh, you can talk all you want during. But I think the only words out of your mouth are going to be praises and constant affirmations.

[While he was responding, his hands slid down her back and under the gown to give her backside a much more insistent squeeze to punctuate his comment.]

Lots of 'yes's followed by a few, breathless gads...

[He takes a moment to watch her reaction before his lips find their way to her breasts while simultaneously pulling her hips slowly into his.]

[sighsheavily]

[she shudders and bites back a sharp inhale in the midst of all that tactile information hitting her at once. and, yes, there was a gads on the tip of her tongue, stifled at the gh-- sound.

with nothing left to unbutton or wrap, Cecelia's hands had been held out, forgotten, until being pulled close brings them something to hold onto. she grips one shoulder while the other hand slips around his neck, remembering decent results from a previous encounter.]

Ss, so long as it please you, then...

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[He smiles against her skin. Always with 'So long as it please you.' It was cute how she could be so strong-willed one moment and melt into a complete puddle the next.]

[For now, though, he wanted to drag this out a bit. He wanted to kiss every freckle on her body, suck gently on the skin where he knew her new dress would hide the mark. They'd both been through hell; both known the touch of far sharper instruments and their bodies bore similar scars, both internal and external. Their nights together, while satisfying, always had that air lingering about them. The knowledge that, tomorrow, they had work to do. They had a task or something needed to be studied or investigated. They couldn't just enjoy the intimacy. It was release more than relief. And since they made their promise...he wanted to change that. One evening, one full night spent truly basking in each other. And what better a backdrop than this lavish room? Time will likely tell that this room isn't what it seems but for now it's all they need.]

[His lips find a nipple and his tongue flicks at it teasingly while her hand traces the enormous scar across his back. Her sensitive ears are probably drowning in the sound of his kisses and barely perceptible moans; sounds he makes only so that she can hear them. And when he feels he's kissed her body enough, he rolls her to the bed so he can properly pull that gown off completely.]