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 Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:37 pm
For a long, blissful, stomach twisting, mind numbing, wonderful moment they were kissing, and Stormy's fingers were against his neck and her lips were warm and soft beneath his and she tasted like cold and sweet ice cream and mint and it was immensely, completely, delightful. Gale held her tighter, and it was only with great reluctance that he let her move back, their foreheads together.
"I don't even know myself what out of control would look like," he murmured, his face feeling hot, and he was more than a little out of breath, Gale tugging Stormy, if even possible, closer, wanting to kiss her again -
- except he didn't, because this was their first date, in spite of them actually having dated for almost a month now. Instead, he just gave a slight groan and then promptly snorted with laughter, his lips in her hair as he pressed his face into it.
"You're a terrible person, I hope you realize that," he said with amusement, and kissed her cheek affectionately, grinning as he pulled back. "I've got an undershirt on, and besides I'm pretty sure I look...not that great with my shirt off anyway."
Gale shifted entirely, sliding so that his legs were over the side of the bed. "I will, however, finally move to the floor, because if I stay up here any longer, I'm sure we'd see an example of that out of control thing you just mentioned."
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:29 pm
It was hard to hide a disappointed sound in the form of a sigh as another tug only led to a kiss in her hair and cheek. Breathe, she reminded herself, now beginning to grow embarrassed by how quick she had been losing herself in the moment. Nevertheless, she started to laugh softly. "I am terrible," she admitted with a little shake of her head. "Dragging you to my room, making you sit on the bed...Non so cosa stavo pensando." And while she wasn't sorry at all for the impulsive actions, she did hope Gale hadn't been too uncomfortable at any point. It was just more...boundary pushing.
"I don't know, though, I got to catch a glimpse at the swimming competition." Stormy winked, though to be really honest that was almost literal: the moment Gale had taken his shirt off, she'd glued her eyes to his feet (if not somewhere else entirely); the shirtless taunt was all bark for the sake of making him blush. "But fiiiine." She sat up straighter and took a deep breath, busying her hands with undoing her braid so that they wouldn't be tempted to do something else.
"Don't tempt me. Oh, well, it's too late for that: I want to see out of control Gale on another day," she said with a light grin, ruffling her hair so it could breathe, band and flower accents in her palm. "Blankets are in the chest at the foot of the bed, take your pick of the pillows. I could bring out the yoga mat if you don't want to sleep on the floor directly? Oh and, uh, what do you like for breakfast? We have...granola bars, candy, and water. Maybe an apple around here somewhere," she added a little flatly, sighing again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:49 pm
"Terrible," said Gale, leaning back to bump his forehead gently against Stormy's cheek, his fingers going up to the top button of his white dress shirt. "And wonderful, which is a very lovely combination, and quite intriguing, I must say."
His hands moved down the line of his shirt, unbuttoning the rest to reveal a plain gray teeshirt beneath. He tugged off the first, folding it carefully and tucking the sleeves of it together to keep it from wrinkling too badly (though he had already pretty much decided that it was a lost cause). Gale stood, moving across the room to set the shirt neatly on the table. It was followed by his coat and, with a slightly embarrassed backwards glance, his belt as well, since he had the distinct impression it would be very uncomfortable to sleep with it still on.
The chest where she said she kept her blankets was opened, Gale pulling out one of them before walking back over to where Stormy sat on the bed, her hair now adorably ruffled and free over her shoulders.
"One day," he said teasingly, walking back to Stormy and bending over to kiss her forehead. "One day you'll see me out of control, though I do admit that most of the time I manage to keep it together relatively well."
He sat down on the floor and spread out the blanket and sit cross-legged on it. "Granola bars are fine," he said, and smiled a little shyly, his cheeks growing pink. "I'm just happy I get to wake up and have you be the first thing I see."
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:43 pm
"Charmer. Now you're just flattering me~" But she was going to soak it all in if so.
The moment Gale started to unbutton his shirt, she turned around, busying herself with finding pajamas to slip into. It was only then that Stormy realized how limited her closet was, a third of which looked like they ought to be in a five year old's room (she'd known this since the beginning, of course, but now it seemed to actually matter with someone else in the room besides Nevada) . . . Sighing to herself, she grabbed a school shirt (Punt the Pontos! homecoming Game 2009) and dark gym shorts, in time to turn around and get a kiss to the forehead from a now tee-sporting boyfriend.
Sdklfjlsfjsksjs good thing her hands were busy.
"You do," she mumbled, somewhere between awe and frustration if such a place existed as she fought off even a mild blush at the proximity. "I'm trying to take a lesson from you, honestly . . ." Tonight, she had mostly failed, but maybe in the future . . . If she tried really hard, she could be better. But she smiled sweetly at his last response, tilting her head just a little. "Angled like that, though, the first thing you'll probably end up seeing is that sign."
Stormy indicated the plaque on the wall that read Smile, it confuses people.
"Which is just as good a start to the day, I think!" She started to toe around him towards the bathroom, then paused and turned on a heel to face Gale again. "Are you sure you don't need something else, though?" she had to ask. "Like that mat or a glass of water or something? I really do feel bad just leaving you on the floor like that . . ."
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:37 pm
It felt simultaneously peculiar and entirely familiar to sit here on Stormy's floor in his pajamas (such as they were), as though him spending the night was just a simple, normal, every day experience. Gale could feel his chest tightening a little, but he turned around to look up at Stormy, reaching up to catch one of her hands in his.
"I want you," he said seriously. "to do whatever you want to do that makes you feel comfortable, okay? Don't feel like you have to hold back for me, or that you have to overcompensate for me. Just do whatever makes you comfortable, and please tell me if I in any way make you uncomfortable."
Drawing her hand towards his lips, he kissed her fingertips and then let go, noticing the pajamas she held in her hand. The smile on the wall made him smile, Gale shaking his head and shifting a little.
"A glass of water would be lovely," he said lightly. "But really the only other thing I need is you, so I'm good for now."Ol-j-man /THROWS UP HANDS AT INTERNET
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:11 pm
"Mm." A serene smile was her response as Gale took her hand like a gentleman, one that was patient and understanding and that outwardly said yes but inwardly, if his Death eyes and ears were sharp, was restricted like his answer when she had told him to no longer sacrifice his life: yes, except under certain conditions. It seemed easier to simply agree than to start a circular conversation. She had known how to adapt even before Mist training was introduced to her, and if that instinct was needed than she would use it--without hesitation if it was for him, because she was just a sucker.
"Loud and clear, handsome," Stormy answered with two fingers to her temple in her personal salute, trying out Nevada's style of speech. It felt...funny. A little stilted. It wasn't hers after all. "That didn't work. Um...ten-four, Thunder, I read you," she tried again, bustling to and get changed before she did something dumb.
Five minutes later Stormy returned in her selected pajamas, the dress folded and draped over her arm. She walked on the tips of her toes, naturally making as little noise as possible as she set the dress back on a hangar before it wrinkled too much. She was also humming something from Sleeping Beauty, though she didn't remember the title. After grabbing a spare cup from their little cabinet, she filled it with water and tip-toe'd back to Gale, almost seeking in a trance from how languid her movements were.
First the glass was set down safely to the side. Then she sidled around Gale until she squeezed behind him and got on her knees. And then her arms snaked around his torso as she gave him a hug from behind, letting her head rest tilted against his back. "Thank you," she told him softly. "I had a wonderful time. Full marks," she added, trying to mimic his accent with a little smile. "Thank you so much, really. I didn't know how much I needed a break."
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 6:49 am
Gale arched his brows at the handsome, giving Stormy an amused, slightly questioning look before she darted out, and there was a smile on his face, stupid and silly and ridiculous and he was in deep, deep trouble now.
<< You've definitely got it bad. >>
Jinhai, who had remained mercifully silent this entire time, sounded as though he were highly entertained with all of the goings on.
Yes, well... thought Gale. It's not as though this sort of thing has ever happened to me before.
<< That's good, then. >> said Jinhai mildly. << It just means that you'll appreciate it more than others would if it happened to them because you haven't had the opportunity. >>
There was a strange, almost wistful note to his voice. Gale tilted his head, wondering what it was, but the door opened and Stormy came back inside in shorts and a teeshirt. Gale's eyes followed her as she walked around the room, and when she knelt, arms around him from behind, he leaned back a little, giving a little hum of pleasure.
"And thank you," he said, and put a hand over the arms around his torso, squeezing lightly. "I didn't know how much I needed you."
He pulled gently, unraveling her arms, and shifted to turn and face her, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her gently towards him so that their noses brushed together. "I am," he said softly. "very fortunate to have you in my life."
Leaning in, Gale gave her one last kiss, tender and affectionate before he slipped his arms away entirely, jabbing Stormy's side with a finger. "Now get up there," he said, motioning towards the bed with an amused expression. "Before I don't let you go at all."
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:39 am
She wanted to ask exactly what about her he was thankful for, despite having gotten similar questions answered already (she was a glutton for praise if it was easily given), but she kept it behind her tongue; it was self-indulgent and, more importantly, stalling. Which she had told herself while changing not to do any more of tonight. But she reeeeeaaaally wanted to--
< < Enough. > > Thane's one word of the night was waspish enough to make her realize, beneath the haze of happiness, how bored, ill-willed, and contemptuous he was about the whole affair. And Stormy was glad Gale did not seem to remember the dracolich's poisonous words in their only encounter.
She withdrew a little inwardly (instinctive whenever Thane spoke) as Gale turned around and pulled her close, still smiling softly and hoping the rest could be attributed to tiredness. Unsure of how to verbally reply to that, she merely put her hands on his shoulders and returned that sweet kiss as long as she could--to the point that she was still sort of in the same position when he pulled away and poked her. "Okaaaay," Stormy sighed as she slid her hands off and got up, ruffling his hair in parting because she could.
After hitting the light switch and leaving only a small lamp on by her bedside, she flopped onto her bed and crawled under the covers. Brushing time would have to come later. "Don't be surprised if you wake up before me," she said as she fixed her pillows and grabbed Michelangelo. "I sleep like a rock most of the time. If you want, just wake me up whenever you're good; I might be grumbly at first but I won't bite."
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:16 pm
Gale was starting to get used to this whole kissing thing and he really really really liked it.
He loved the way she fit into his arms, and it was only with a great amount of reluctance on both their sides that he let her go, his hand holding onto her arm and sliding down her wrist until they reached her hand and then finally slipping away, fingers brushing hers before they dropped. Gale watched her climb into her bed and he smiled to herself, shifting to lie on his back on the floor. He slipped his hands beneath his head, linking his fingers together and stared up at the ceiling.
"Good to know," he said with a soft laugh, his eyes tracing the lines of the room, the darkened fixtures cast into shadow by the dim light.
"If I wake up before you, I'll just pull a Prince Charming," said Gale lightly, a teasing note to his voice.
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:13 pm
She hummed in thought. "Prince Charming...Hmm." She smiled a little wistfully to herself. "Who's the fairest of them all?" she quoted. "Personally, Snow White is too perfect for me...but she has a nice voice and knows how to sing even animals into her service. Or was that only Cinderella..."
Stormy sat cross-legged , starting to smooth the covers over them idly. She wasn't all that tired yet, but she knew better than to push any more tonight--well beyond still talking. "I would've suggested Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, but that's all Nevada," she added. "Although after all the times I read it to her, she's probably sick of it, hah..." She trailed away, trying to decide whether to keep him from sleeping some more or letting him be.
Better decision: she hugged herself so that she could keep ahold of that warm feeling of his arms. "Sorry, still stalling without thinking. I'll let you get to sleep."
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:36 pm
"I don't think you're either Cinderella or Snow White," said Gale thoughtfully, turning his head to look at Stormy, sitting on the bed. "You don't fit either one of them, not quite."
He really was very content to just sit there and listen to her talk, to be lulled into sleep by the warm and familiar sound of her voice, but at the same time he wanted to be awake and talk to her, he wanted to never go to sleep because sleeping meant waking and waking meant leaving and he didn't want to leave, not now, not ever.
Gale was silent for a long moment. "Is it possible to be your own sort of princess? I think you fit into a very Stormy-sized princess shape of your own that doesn't follow the conventional princess standards, whatever those are."
A slightly teasing smile played on his lips. "Or you can be that girl from Enchanted."
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:54 pm
Oh, was this leading into another attempt to label her as a Disney character? She admitted she was curious to hear Gale's verdict, just as she had been indulging Candace's, much as she would probably disagree with his as she had hers . . . But the silence kept going, and for a moment Stormy was sure he had accidentally fallen asleep--or that she had assumed wrongly, and that it had been his final thought for the night, and maybe she should just duck under the covers and close her eyes and force herself to get some rest.
But Gale piped up again, making her perk with surprise at his choice--or lack thereof; perhaps they had similar thinking after all! "Hmm . . ." She rested her head on a hand and mused. "Hmmmmm . . . maybe I can be my own, if I really wanted. Though princesses have a grace and poise and regal air about them."
. . . Okay not entirely true. Merida was a princess and she was as rowdy as they got, and Mulan had been clumsy before her army training. Still.
"I feel weird thinking of myself as a princess anyway?" Stormy shrugged. "Always have. I dressed up as a few for Halloween, but, you know, kids and all. I'm more a loyal subject in or out of the court--a Kronk to their Yzma or something, but without the evil."
Enchanted . . . Enchanted . . . Why was the only image in her head Ella Enchanted? She frowned a little more before abruptly losing expression on her face and in her voice. "I've never seen that one."
Pause.
"Gale, I haven't seen that one," she said more emphatically, quietly horrified.
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Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 11:22 pm
He was trying very hard not to laugh at this. "Yzma?" he repeated, and, entirely failing his conviction not to laugh, gave a small snort anyway, stifling it with his hand. "Somehow I can't quite...picture you as Yzma," said Gale, and shook his head. "She's a little bit...extravagant for you, and besides, you're much cuter."
If he were looking at her, he might have winked, but instead he just relaxed into the blankets a bit more, idly tugging at a stray thread and letting his gaze roam casually around the room, taking in all of the things that made it Stormy-ish.
Except the Stormy in question was having a Moment. Gale blinked, turned towards her, and then sat up slowly, his eyebrows raising in an expression of mingled amusement and surprise (though it was clear he was trying to hide the amusement).
"You've never seen Enchanted?" he repeated. "You? Seriously?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 12:27 am
"I'm being super serious right now." She scooted a little more towards the foot of her bed so that she could properly give Gale her look of overdramatic horror; it had to be experienced, not insinuated. A hand lightly slapped her cheek to add to the effect. "How could I've forgotten? I remember that name now, and I'd put it on the list to watch . . . Oh, my God, I'm such an airhead."
For shame.
"I've seen Song of the South, Gale, and that's really hard to come by now. How could I not see Enchanted. How." Stormy briefly covered her face in shame, running her hand down her face and letting it snap back into place with a sigh.
"If you could picture me as Yzma, we've already run into a problem," she mumbled with another smaller sigh, flopping onto her side to finish off the melodramatic moment. "Unless you mean the kitten version; even then, I'm still totally cuter. Okay, so . . . I'll add it to the list and just find the dvd later or something. Right. No biggie. More movie time for us, then~"
There wasn't any particular doubt in her mind someone would be watching with her. If not Gale, Nevada. If not Nevada, Ms. Candace. If not Ms. Candace, somebody unfortunate enough to stroll the hallways that day.
She dragged herself back into a sitting position, smoothing her hair out with a hand with a sheepish look. "Right. Rambling. Okay for real this time, I'll let you sleep. It's probably like one o'clock now or something."
She wasn't making an effort to scooch back to her original spot on the bed.
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Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:34 pm
Gale scooted towards the foot of the bed too, getting up on his knees to rest his arms on the end, his chin resting atop of his hands as he gave Stormy a slightly amused look, a grin on his face "That's a first," he said, gently teasing. "I've seen a Disney movie you haven't."
He gave a small snort of laughter. "You're cuter than that kitten," he said, with a serious expression as he could muster - which wasn't that serious to begin with, all things considered. "Seriously."
She was still sitting near the end of the bed instead of actually moving back to where she had been before. Gale reached out and took one of her hands, tugging gently at her fingers.
"I should probably sleep too," he said.
He wasn't moving either. Oops.
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