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While Finn was vain enough to worry over the bruise he was sure was forming across the bridge of his nose to the corner of his eye and below, he was also aware that Ripley had seen him worse, and if the way he reacted to the scarred part of his face was any indicator, the other man certainly didn't care, so niether should Finn.

When the other man stood Finn studied him for a time, just as Ripley did the same. He watched him c**k his head to the side, and his smirk widened at that single word posed as a question, or more likely, a challenge. It wasn't long before he was leaning in for a kiss, something he'd actually been missing the last little while, and it likely showed in the eagerness, the hungry passion placed behind it, his finger unhooking for his hand to slide down over fabric, index finger tracing along buttons before his other hand joined in and made quick work of what they could, gently carassing bare skin once it was revealed, ghosting over areas that were surely still sore.

One kiss, of course, turned to many as he went about his work, though some of those weren't always placed on lips, and he soon moved down Ripley's body as more of him was revealed, always in the back of his head keeping the fact that this could very well be their last time together in mind.

Might as well make it as unforgettable as possible.

-----

At some point he ended up on the bed, though they definitely hadn't started there and getting there had taken time. As usual, the room had begun to swelter with heat caused by both exertion and the islands climate. His breathing was heavy, but slowing, his eye closed, his heart still racing for a few moments longer. Fingers twisted and played with the tips of white hair in a familiar but almost lazy way, and he rolled over enough to place a light kiss on a pale shoulder before a low voice, slightly raspy, uttered out a single word to mirror the last of Ripley's.

"Well?"

Finn smirked, because he almost always smirked, especially when he thought something was amusing, even if only mildly so. He didn't move anymore than he had already done, however, only rolling over onto his side to prop his head up into his hand, to look down at the face of the man that he had not long ago confessed to having some amount of feelings for, not a lot, but enough to maybe cause problems between them, definitely enough that he thought it prudent to fill the other man in so that he could come to that decision himself.

And then he waited while Ripley took yet more time, just that little bit more, before speaking again. Maybe he hadn't had long enough to think it over. Maybe with the sex, he hadn't really been able to think at all. Maybe that had been Finn's intention...or maybe he just wanted one last go at Ripley's body in case it really was the last.

Mentally, he was completely prepared for that to be the case. He would be okay with it. He knew that they could probably go back to just being friends without a hitch. In fact, for the most part, their relationship hadn't changed at all except that well..they had a lot of sex now. Really, it should be easy and it would be easy.

But the longer they continued with this, he knew, the harder it might become. He was taking a chance here, a risk that he would normally never take, by letting Ripley decide the fate of their not-relationship-sortof-still-a-relationship. In a way, he wanted that decision to come now, right now, so that he could process it, and move on in whatever direction he needed to. In another, well....the longer the decision was put off, the more chances he would have for moments like this...

No, better to know now. Ripley had been given enough time. A single cold eye continued to rest on the other man, unblinking, and obviously waiting.

The answer came. Well, not really an answer, but the beginning of one. A single, delayed blink was the only response Ripley would receive for a short time while Finn mulled that particular question over. Of course, his first reaction was to retaliate against the entire idea of it. Can't return the feelings, as if he were completely incapable. How could he possibly know that? If it was true, however, than Finn actually envied him. He wished he could so easily avoid ever having feelings for anybody. He wanted to ask Ripley if he meant that in the never ever sort of sense, but he swallowed the question, clenched his teeth against it, his lips pursed as he continued to consider the question.

Finally he replied. "Do I strike you as somebody who requires you to feel something for me?" He asked, an eyebrow arching, his lips finally pulling up into a smirk again. "If you're worried that I'm going to push for you to..., I don't ******** know, be more attentive, care about me or my feelings, be somebody you're not, than you're a ******** idiot." Because Finn liked him how he was, plain and simple. He liked things how they were.

"I told you. I don't want anything to change....that included you as well as the arrangement." A half shrug of his shoulders accompanied the words.

"I'm not looking to add any new clauses for romantic gestures."

"I would notice if a lot of people were gone, and you likely would too." He pointed out, still amused enough to continue smirking. Noticing and caring were two different things. Finn noticed many things that he didn't give any shits about whatsoever.

Ripley's next words caught his attention then and held it. It was an interesting start to whatever was coming, that if full of multiple possibilities but only one that stood out among the rest, and it was the one that he had bargained for but hadn't placed his own bets on, and when the sentence continued, Finn blinked again, his hand sliding down to the bed as he leaned back, taken by surprise though it didn't really register beyond those subtle movements.

But it seemed, that day, that Ripley was full of surprises. From the punch, to not turning him down immediately and consenting to more vigorous activity, to this. At first, Finn didn't know how to feel, because this had, ultimately, been what he'd wanted. This was what he had been thinking about, arguing to himself about, and had decided to go for, if Ripley was still interested after knowing the truth. Yes, this had been what he had wanted, but not what he had expected. He had prepared himself too much for exactly the opposite.

So he needed a moment. A slight frown creased his forehead. "Nothing else will change." He agreed, somewhat distantly, while understanding that something already had, of course. He couldn't drop a bomb like that on Ripley and expect it to be otherwise.

What Ripley said next, however, drug him out of his deep thoughts, and he let out a scoff, his teeth flashing in a cold smile. "I love to ruin good things. It gives me great pleasure and joy to see good things ruined for other people." Other people, but not himself. "But I-" He hesitated for just a breath. "Don't want to ruin this. So I guess you're stuck with me for a while longer, then. You lucky b*****d." He grinned, and finally rolled over to flop onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.

"My nose still hurts, a*****e. I bet a blow job would make it feel better."

And back to normal.

Finn rolled his eye while still staring at the ceiling, "Because, of course, I hadn't already figured that out." He mocked in response to Ripley's comment about ruining things for him ruining things for Finn. "I am well aware. So again, I say, lucky you."

A pause as the bed shifted, and the man beside him began to move, a half smile and a small scoff through his nose (that was a bad idea because ow, his eye closing for a moment as he gave a small shake of his head. He had no expectations at all for that moment, knowing that his hint would undoubtedly be completely ignored. As if to prove him right, Ripley climbed over top of him, and Finn's eye peeked open as his head rolled to the side to look at him.

At least this wasn't a ******** surprise. It felt good for Finn to know that there were at least some things that he could still predict correctly.

"I'm going to go ahead and hazard a guess that if I try to join you, you'll finish what you started on my face." He smirked, and then slowly sat up, propping himself up on his elbows for a moment before finishing the motion and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching his arms as well and letting out a loud, jaw creaking yawn.

"But I do need a shower too." He admitted, because sweat. Reaching up with a free hand, he pressed two fingers gently against the bridge of his nose, feeling for swelling. "And maybe a trip to the infirmary to get more pills, jackass." He grumbled, pushing himself up from the bed and eyeing Ripley before turning to gather up his clothing.

"What are you doing later?"

"Exactly." Though it was still an offer he considered, because he did really need to shower. But then again, showering at the same time as Ripley would likely provide temptations that were too difficult to resist. No, better to just do it on his own time, alone.

"Ah, so you're telling me I should find somebody else to get my shower jollies with. What about Chance? You seemed only too eager to throw him my way once before, which leads me to believe that you must approve." This was all said in a rather calm manner while he gathered up the rest of his things, before taking them all to the bedside where he could sit down and begin pulling things back on. There was a rule, not to tell each other about the people they slept with, but Finn wasn't doing that, not exactly, though it was a thin line he was treading upon now and he knew it.

However, he also firmly believed that Ripley had started it with that "at least not from me" comment.

It didn't mean a damn thing, though. He wasn't going to call Chance up and invite him to the showers to fool around. It was like Finn was bluffing, but more than that, he was actually a tiny bit put off by the use Chance as a distraction thing to begin with. It had been confusing, and weird, and if he was being honest, he really hadn't liked it at all. So maybe that's why he brought it up. Maybe he wanted an explanation, though he somehow doubted he'd get a satisfactory one.

A brief nod was given in thanks for the offer of more pain pills, and he was pulling on his jeans when he answered Ripley's question, gaze turning towards him, and if cold innocence could be pulled off in a look, than Finn was surely doing an amazing job of it at that moment.

"I thought that would could take off together, maybe go on a romantic vacation. A cruise, perhaps, with doubles tennis, candle lit dinners, and couples massages. Wouldn't that just be ******** delightful?" A mocking smile, and he rose to his feet so that he could button and zip up his jeans.

"For ******** sake Ripley, you know why." The other man always had to make things so difficult. Always.

It wasn't so much a fight that he was picking so much as a small push, a comment made entirely to gauge the reaction. He noted the short pause by the closet, and waited for Ripley to continue with whatever he was doing, waited for that amber gaze to meet his own, studied the other mans face intently, searching for...something. Guilt perhaps. Regret? maybe.

But there was, as usual, nothing. The verbal response was just as unhelpful, to start with, though what he had to say next was certainly interesting. He had, in fact, thrown Chance at him. And while he must have wondered if anything had happened...he still didn't want to know.

"Of course." Finn gave his head a small shake, frowning as if Ripley's demand was completely obvious (which it was). "I didn't intend on divulging any of that information anyways." A hand wave, a sign that this part of their conversation was finished with.

Finn glanced at the fresh clothes that Ripley held in his arms, and the dirty ones that were going to be left behind. "I've got laundry to do." Lips pursed for a moment. "I can do yours too, if you want." Almost like a peace offering, something to show that he really didn't mean any harm at that moment, and wasn't looking to start anything.

As for the rock climbing.... "And you're planning on showering before you do that?" He smirked. "Please tell me that means you'll be nice and dirty for me when you get back." Was that enough of an answer about the joining him aspect? He hoped so. Plus the double entendre was rather fun as well.

Still, just in case he found himself with nothing better to do.

"But maybe I will. We'll see. If I don't, definitely find me after." Another smirk, and he stepped towards the other man, still shirtless, tongue running across his bottom lip.

"Are you sure you want to go right now?" He asked, eye flicking down, and then back up.

Ew. Pod duty. Finn almost offered to keep him company, but he had his own things to do. Like laundry, which he had already mentioned, and...actually not a whole lot of anything else. Still, it was good to have some space.

Except for right this very second, of course, as Finn seemed pretty intent on there being no space between them at all. Ripley's question was answered first with a smirk, before he spoke. "First of all, what a ridiculous question. Second, you never know when it might be the last time, so I might as well get it as often as I can, right?" Sound logic, he thought.

Twenty minutes?

Finn grinned briefly before bending down for a deep and lengthy kiss, his hands already going to unwind the towel that Ripley put on.

Twenty minutes was doable.