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 Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 5:54 pm
Her hand felt warm against his chest. He was all too aware of it, of the silence of the room except for their breathing, of the way his own heart was beating so loudly it felt audible to his own ears. Stormy was looking at him - looking at him - not just averting her eyes, not looking past him, drinking him in.
It felt electric and alive.
The split second warning was enough. Gale's hands gripped her waist as she moved, Stormy propelling herself upwards, and he caught her as she did, her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. The heat of her, the realization of her presence, the mingled startled surprise and need and adoration etched across his face. Her hair was a tumble of curls that brushed his flushed cheeks; her hands were hot against his neck.
It's more than I can say.
Stormy's voice was low. Gale's eyes kept hers, and the world around him had shrunk, had stopped rotating. It was madness and chaos and it was Stormy, right here in his arms, where he always wanted her to be.
Gale's fingers clenched in the fabric at her waist, and then he'd leaned forward and kissed her again, hungrily, because she couldn't figure out the words and neither could he, and he was starving for it. He took several steps back until his legs hit the bed.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 6:49 pm
Somewhere in the midst of her haze she remembered: Oh, right. My coat. And it was awkward attempting to get it off and still stay on Gale, enhanced strength or not, and she swayed just a little too much, and his legs hit the bed at the wrong time, and then they were teetering, falling, landing, and she attempted to stop herself, but an arm was still stuck in the sleeve, and she was landing on both Gale and the bed, and her other arm had smacked him in an attempt to free itself, and what about her skirt, and what about her top, and--
Stormy rolled off of Gale and began to laugh, at first noiselessly and then in small bursts that shook her. She finally freed her other arm and let it fall across her face, as if she was trying to hide behind it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 7:21 pm
They were both entangled in clothing, trying too much all at once, or not enough at the same time, or something, and then they were falling, and Gale was aware of too many limbs and how they were now a mess of things on the bed and clearly he'd messed up somehow, clearly he'd done something wrong -
She was laughing. He could hear it. She was laughing.
Gale took a moment to drag air into his lungs, sweeping a hand through his hair. He was half underneath Stormy; her arm had swung into him as they'd fallen, and now they were both breathless and flushed and a little disoriented and Stormy was laughing.
When was the last time he had heard her laugh?
Gale half rolled, reaching out, his arms wrapping around her waist, and he buried his face into Stormy's hair, inhaling deeply and then a laugh escaped his throat too, helpless to stop it. His fingers found Stormy's arm to tug it away from her face, his lips pressing against her warm cheek.
"Well, that didn't go as planned," he said breathlessly, but there was a smile in his voice.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:51 am
Whatever seamless transition from wanting oblivion to this should have exhausted her. Hadn't she ticked off all the basic emotions at this point? It would probably hit her later; maybe this too was a sign she had been out-of-body. (Out of her mind, more like.)
Her laughter died down, but another pleasant noise left her as Gale kissed her cheek, as her hair was buried in. "There's something wrong with me, Gale," she said, her still reddened eyes focused on the ceiling. In his grip, her arm flopped. "There's always something wrong, but..." How she experienced and felt and thought was too extreme. Maybe the hunter life was finally getting to her. Or maybe this was what she got for trying to distance herself from her emotions in the first place.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 6:25 am
He smoothed fingers up and down her arm, Gale's face still buried in her hair, because he still wanted to be close to her, and that hadn't changed. He could feel the laughter dying down now; she'd stopped shaking with it, but she wasn't as lost as she had been before.
Or maybe he was overthinking it. Gale's hand found hers, laced their fingers together.
He couldn't say no, there's nothing wrong, because that would have been an insulting lie; there had been something wrong for a long time now, but trying to figure out how to fix it was the real question. Gale's grasp tightened, just a little, then loosened, his fingers smoothing over hers in idle gestures.
"What do you want to do?" he asked softly.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:27 am
Stormy made a small sound, like Gale had told a bad joke. After all of that, she wasn't fit to be making decisions.
"I want to forget myself for a while," she answered. "Doesn't matter how as long as you're there. Just...Not remember where and what I am and why." She squeezed his hand. "You?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:44 pm
His fingers wouldn't stop, gently sliding up and down Stormy's arm.
"I want to help you forget yourself for a little while, however I can," said Gale quietly. "If that's what you need right now, then I understand."
He didn't want her to lose herself. He didn't want to lose her. But he knew what it felt like to not want to think, to not want to be lost to everything you were buried beneath.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 11:05 pm
"Wanting what I want doesn't answer the question."
I understand didn't feel good to her. It was too polite, too neutral. Stormy didn't want a negotiation. She turned and laid on her side, looking at him.
"In this moment, what do you want?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:30 am
He closed his eyes.
Too much. He wanted too much. He wanted her safety, wanted her happiness, all of the cliched answers that felt too saccharine and yet were still true. He wanted her to like herself, to remember that she was loved, to know that he wasn't giving up on her anytime soon. He wanted Thane to not be a continued, obtrusive, controlling presence.
He wanted to know how to put things into words that made sense, that weren't a jumbled mess of chaos inside of his head; longing mixed with need mixed with affection mixed with love mixed with frustration.
He just - wanted.
Gale's eyes opened again.
"You," he said.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:28 am
She felt an urge to laugh again. Of course he would say something like that. "Okay." She hoped one day she could declutter his thoughts and see what went on in that head of his; more than likely, the feeling was mutual.
Stormy rolled back over and sat up, properly took her coat off, and soon after her floral top went with it. It was strangely liberating and not at all a self-conscious moment, like baring herself emotionally had numbed her to the idea of Gale looking at her body. She had muscle and scars as most any hunter did in some combination or other, and she still appeared gaunt in aspects, but the physical dimension had never been an obstacle to Stormy. It had always been about the intent behind actions, the abstract concepts and wordless meanings, symbology, quiet communication, the mental and emotional and spiritual. And if Gale could handle her as she was in that regard, what did she have to fear anywhere else?
(Maybe she had exhausted herself too much to be afraid anymore.)
Even now, she saw this less as the beginnings of a physical act and more the acceptance of something new. That it was the hardest thing for someone like her to do: move forward. Anything else was just a bonus.
She leaned back on her hands and began to toe off her shoes. The bra and her skirt, well...She'd leave those to Gale. "I'll follow your lead," she told him, and a childish smile slowly brightened her face.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 1:32 pm
He wondered if he had said the wrong thing, a momentary expression of panic crossing Gale's face as Stormy eased away from him. He pushed himself up onto his forearms, half sitting up - but she had not gone far, and she was -
Oh.
Gale's lips parted, silent, wordless surprise, and then he closed them again, expression melting into the one he'd had before, adoration and hunger and praise all at the same time. His gaze moved from her face, to the scar on her shoulder that twisted down her arm, lightning strikes on her dark skin, then elsewhere as the shirt was discarded, his throat feeling dry.
She was almost smiling at him, and then she was. There was a look in her eyes that made his heart beat faster, that made everything worth it, Gale sitting up fully, slowly.
His hands went to Stormy's waist; her bare skin against his palms felt different, warm, heated. Gale drew her close to him, sliding arms around her, his face close to hers, and for a moment, he just breathed her in, his eyes almost closed. Very gently, he nuzzled her face, a kiss brushed to her forehead, and then her nose, and then, lightly, to her lips, in an imitation of their routine, matching hers.
"Okay," he said softly, without pulling back, and his smile touched hers. "Come here."
His mouth covered hers without any more hesitation.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 5:28 pm
This time, as Gale preformed the little ritual, a little laugh did escape her. It was going to be the first of many.
- - -
It was inexpert and earnest and short, in the manner of two people who had never tried before but knew how it was supposed to work--mostly--and loved each other. Stormy certainly loved it regardless for the experience; she hadn't thought it was possible to feel more vulnerable or more excited at the same time, in spite of the results.
Later, at some point, she had stolen his shirt, a small feat given that she didn't want to leave the bed or his side, and flopped back next to Gale, not bothering to button it back up. "You still think too much," she teased him, like she hadn't gotten lost in her head a few times herself. "We'll work on it." The mistakes, the pain--inconsequential.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:17 pm
In spite of the obvious not-quite-expected results, Gale still felt a little breathless with wonder and happiness about the entirety of it. True, it hadn't exactly gone to plan, but Stormy's laughter and the way she had kissed him, and the way the anticipation had felt were enough for right now.
Plus, Stormy in his shirt was unbelievably charming on a level he hadn't quite come to terms with yet.
Gale, his cheeks still a little flushed and sans the shirt, reached out and looped an arm around her waist so that he could lean over and press a kiss to her warm cheek. Her teasing was infectious; he felt the silly pleasure of it sweep through him.
"I can't help it," he said, and laughed into her hair, exhaling a breath. "I overthink everything."
Including - especially - this. Gale felt his heart jolt a little at the promise of more.
"We will, will we?" he murmured, with some amusement, sweeping fingers across Stormy's temple to brush the hair back away from her face. "I'd like that."
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 11:20 pm
Of course they would. She had a new personal goal to put on the list: she wanted to see the lengths of that hungry gaze. And if it meant chipping away at it little by little, all the better; she did always like a good mystery. Most importantly, she'd have to make sure Gale never found out.
Stormy hummed her agreement (to which statement? probably both), eyes closing as she soaked in the present. It was uncharacteristic of her: normally she was in past present, in thoughts rather than the immediate ongoings. Instead, curiously, she could let that go for the moment and just float in the sensation that was...well, Gale. It wasn't the first time Stormy had worn one of his shirts, but it felt more intimate now; she considered it as something of a prize or medal rather than something she could swipe if she was being lazy.
She leaned into and against him, needy for more contact as a plant was for sunlight. "How long were you waiting for me to say yes?" she asked, now curious.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:54 am
He liked the way this felt; Stormy in his arms, not lost in her own thoughts, not trying to avoid his gaze or shy away. She was relaxed and comfortable against him, nestling into his side in a way that had his heart beating a little faster.
He kept going back to the fact that she was wearing his shirt - unbuttoned - and nothing else.
Gale brushed a kiss to her forehead, letting his fingers drift lower, toying with the hem of said shirt in an absentminded sort of way, his gaze moving across her face with tender affection. A slow flush started to cross his cheeks at the question, spreading quietly across his face.
How long had he been waiting? It felt strange to try and calculate it now; he had just come to accept that it would happen when Stormy was ready, and the waiting had turned into a simple fact of life after a certain point. But it wasn't like he hadn't thought of it.
"...a while, probably," he said, the blush deepening, damn it. "But I didn't - I never wanted you to say yes unless you wanted it, too."
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