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“In a moment.”

Marissa dropped her glamour and like him, she stowed her pumpkin in her own small pocket of subspace then redonned her glamour.

“Come here,” Her voice was calm, perhaps even a little downhearted as she laced her fingers through his and gestured with her head to follow. For a few moments she remained quiet as they zigzagged through the maze of parked cars until they got to the outer edge of the tire beaten field to where weather-worn and bug eaten logs were laid so drivers didn’t accidentally pull too far forward and roll into the ditch.

There was a row of about three that were open where someone had likely recently left and it was there that she sat down. It was slightly damp, or perhaps it was so cold that it just felt that way when she sat down. Either way, Marissa turned so her feet were propped up on the log. While her body was turned towards one end she looked up and patted the spot now behind her.

“Sit with me for a few minutes, please?” If he had trouble looking at her when he wanted to ask a question then she wasn’t going to force him to face her but there was definitely an elephant in the room, so to speak, that needed to be addressed. “Just lean your back against mine and lets talk.”

For a moment Marissa sat there collecting her thoughts, trying to put together what she wanted to say in a way that addressed this awkwardness but not make him feel like she was attacking him. This odd air about them really wasn’t either of their faults but they couldn’t keep dancing around the topic and expect anything to change either.

Her voice was calm when she finally began to speak. “I think we can agree that last night was not normal behavior for either of us.” The sleeping part was pretty typical as of late but the sugar rush, high energy playfulness and well… kissing… definitely was not.

“It isn’t a bad thing, at least I don’t believe it was. It did at least allow us an opportunity to talk about things we otherwise wouldn’t have, at least not for a while longer because they’re uncomfortable topics to approach.” Whether it was about past relationships, or in her case lack thereof, or even where things were going with their own ‘friendship’ it seemed like it had almost become a taboo topic to discuss.

Like a delicate china plate spinning atop a thin dowel, one small bump and whatever it was that they had between them was at risk of falling and shattering completely into dozens of small sharp fragments. Why risk breaking something so precariously balanced that was working the way it was?

“You and I… our friendship is not what people would consider to be normal. But we’re not really ‘people’, if you think about it. We’re different. We’re half-youma and I can’t help by wonder if it is our youma nature that dictate some of these almost eccentric behaviors.” Their sleeping together, for one, was unusual in that it was simply that… sleeping. It wasn’t a friends with benefits scenario or anything of the sort. “You once said that youma are simple, they want what they want and they take it. I’m paraphrasing of course.”

If anything it was her annoyingly playful whelpingling nature antagonizing his ornery, yet tolerant, pup. Then again, as a Captain he was hardly a pup either. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t get in a few good nips from time to time.

“But I kind of get the feeling you’re having second thoughts, which is ok… It’s natural.” She admitted. Decisions made in the moment often had a recoil effect full of remorse.

“I don’t want you to feel like you were cornered into making a decision or strong armed into agreeing to a trial relationship with me.” Not even a year had gone by since his marriage had ended, and at the time she hadn’t even considered that this may be too soon or they were moving too quickly for him. “I don’t want you to feel like your back is against the wall, because it isn’t. Just like as we are right now, I’ll still have your back.” Marissa nudged him a bit to emphasize her metaphorical, and literal, point.

“Don’t worry,I’m not going to be upset or angry,” Sad perhaps but that’s an emotion she could deal with on her own time. Her feelings were her own and she wasn’t going to impress them upon him to try to make him feel the same way if he didn’t. “The plans we have won’t change, I promise you that.”

“If you think about it, today is kind of reminiscent of the first time you took me out glamoured, when we went to the bookstore and ate fish tacos under the tree. There was a lot of fumbling then as there is now. Both of us are kind of waiting for the other to make the first move. But where you have history, experience and TV to go off of, all I have are books which are fun to read but impractical and rushed if you really sit and think about it.”

“Heh…” Marissa hung her head forward and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

If you care about someone let them go. If they come back then it was meant to be. At least that was kind of how the saying went but damn it hurt to make that first step.

“I guess what I’m trying to get at is that I don’t want you to be miserable or unhappy. If now is not the right time then I would ask that you be honest with me rather than have you suffer in silence for two months.”

Marissa winced at his last question. She had a feeling he would ask that sooner or later but that didn’t mean that she was prepared for it to be the next topic on hand let alone know how to answer him either.

She raked her nails through her hair while worrying her lower lip as her mind wandered to those romance novels she had recently read. “I...” Her voice cracked causing a deep red blush raced across her cheeks to the tip of her ears and back again.

In truth, she wasn’t really sure what she would be ok with since she’d never kissed anyone before yesterday. “I don’t know,” she admitted quietly yet honestly.

“I’m not interested in being friends with benefits or in an open relationship where I have to wonder where I rank on the list of preferences for the night or worry about you running to someone else’s bed if we get into an argument.” That was the lifestyle he was used to and here she was asking him to change that. She knew for a long while that was how he chose to live his life, he had said as much when they first met.

Whether she was conscious at the time or not, Laven knew his scent and she could tell if he had been with someone, or at least around someone recently, when the smell of almonds was mixed with a spiced scent of aftershave or cologne. But it wasn’t her place to comment or complain. However, now that they were together, she wasn’t inclined to share him with them.

“I know it’s not fair for me to ask you to wait, but it’s going to take me time to figure that out. Part of it will be just testing the waters and seeing but if things start to move too quickly, or I feel uncomfortable, I’d hope you’d be able to slow down or stop.”

“Right now...right now I’m happy enough just holding your hand. I-” Marissa hesitated, her words caught in her throat.

She let out a small sigh and covered her face with both hands in a feeble attempt to gather the courage needed to continue. “I’d like to kiss you again.” Her heart sank and stomach flopped at how stupid that sounded. “On a scale of one to ten, I feel like mine last night were barely above a two.” Clumsy and shy, her own lips barely touched his.

“Can we just… start there for now and maybe see where it goes?” At the very least she would like to graduate from a novice kisser before things got too far or intimate between them.

His words were reassuring and put most of her worries at ease. However, Marissa was no fool and understood going into this that he was as human as she was and that this was no small facet of his life, or personality, she was asking him to change.

For as much as she trusted his desire to do better, she was under no illusion that there was still a significant amount of unknown between them and because of that it would be hard to fault her if a small seed of doubt remained. All she could hope for was that if something like that were to happen, that she could find it in her heart to forgive him.

Leaning her back against his chest Marissa turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. She reached up, carding her cold nipped fingers through his inky black hair she tucked the long strands behind his ear and smiled. The way he raised his hand in tribute, offering himself as a guinea pig for these test kisses, was adorable and in a way made her heart melt more than just a little.

“Alright.” She glanced down the row of parked cars to see if anyone was around to spy on, or bare witness to, their small bout of PDA.

While glamoured it was harder for her to hear if someone was near but at least she didn’t really have to worry about anyone powered sneaking up on them, it was too light out for them to be out and about in uniform just yet.

When it seemed nobody else was around she turned her attention back to Winter and turned around so she could face him. The expression she wore when looked him straight in the eyes was oddly serious, “Your mission, should you choose to accept-” she began speaking in even tones but became obvious by the way she struggled to keep the straight face that she was trying to have a little fun with it.

“Is to teach me how you like to be kissed.” She already knew from before hand that he wasn’t overly fond of someone being too forward as it came off as a challenge to him.

“I-” Before she could so much as finish her sentence, let alone thought, his lips was upon hers. More insistent and sure of himself than last night but still somewhat gentle at the same time.

For a moment, her mind went completely blank and body became rigid in surprise. Unable, yet oddly unwilling, to pull away she blinked slowly.

Marissa knew him to be a selfish creature, to take what he wanted when he wanted it as his youma nature demanded, but she didn’t really peg him for doing something so carefree. If anything she expected him to act somewhat similar as to when the jogger had found them on the trail and opt to wait until they got back to the barracks.

Inside, she could feel her youma side grin in amusement a bubble of laughter rumbling inside its scale plated chest.

It took a second, or more, for her to finally close her eyes and follow his lead by relaxing and molding her body against his. Marissa felt oddly self-conscious about what she was doing and had actually hesitated for a moment when she brought her free hand up to rest upon his shoulder, her thumb lightly brushing against his jaw, as her other hand curled around his.

“I-um.” She stammered.

Unable to look him in the eyes she bowed her head in embarrassment and nearly knocking her forehead against his nose or chin in the process of hiding her face. “You’re horrible,” even though there was nobody around to see them, it still felt like they were being watched or judged for their public display of affection.

A secret smile pulled the corners of her lips as she gingerly touched them with her fingertips. Beneath them was there was still a light tingling sensation which, to be honest, she actually kind of enjoyed.

Her heart hummed nervously against her chest as she struggled to gather the courage needed to raised her gaze to meet his. But when she finally did manage to look up what she saw in Winter’s expression was enough to probably permanently stain her ears a dark red hue. He seemed satisfied, if not proud, as he looked down at her with an amused look in his emerald green eyes.

“Maybe just one more. Then we will go do the maze, ok?” She asked almost sheepishly. “We can practice more when we get back after we carve the pumpkins.” Or before… if he put up enough of an argument.

With his help, Marissa rose to her feet.

“You know,” She paused, smiling as a cool gust of air brushed past them giving his hair an early morning bed-head kid of wind-blown look with how long it was starting to get. “Today has been a pretty amazing day so far.” Marissa gave his hands a reassuring squeeze.

For all their awkward stumbling she felt glad that they could move past that phase and start acting more normal around each other again. Well, as normal as things could go when two half-youma were dating.

“Thank you” She contemplated stealing from him one more brief kiss but knew that if she did then they likely wouldn’t make it to the maze today. And so, Marissa released one of his hands then motioned with her head back the way the came “C’mon,” she gave his arm a light tug before issuing a challenge to him. “I’ll race you,” while in glamour form she might actually be able to keep up.