Aria
It was a morning where she took longer than normal to properly wake up. She was lost in her dreams, the first good ones she'd had in almost 2 weeks. She was comfortable, and she was safe. All of these things contributed to a deep sleep that left her not wanting to rouse at all. Eventually, however, pressing matters such as hunger and her bladder actually began to intrude on her ability to sleep and she slowly, but surely, was dragged upwards to wakefulness. When she was fully awake, she lay there, eyes still closed, for a minute, before she gave in and opened her eyes.
She found herself gazing at Rhys's chest. She froze for a moment, and then a smile broke across her face as she realized that last night had, in fact, not been a painful but beautiful dream. It was real, it was so real, and he was still here, and she was here, and life was... was wonderful. She pondered the situation, then gently, softly, leaned her head to press a soft, loving kiss to his neck again, just enjoying the feeling of the warmth of his skin against her lips.
It was going to be a good day.
Pao
It was her kiss that woke him, really. Because he could have ignored just about everything else but with her he was just the opposite, very sensitive to and incredibly aware of her presence. Her soft lips against his skin brought a smile to his face and he hugged her a little tighter. And then he sighed, shutting his eyes a little tighter because he really didn't want to get up yet. If they could just lay there all morning he'd be happy, but the side of him that nagged about getting up and getting to work was getting louder and louder. Eventually he groaned and gave in, opening his eyes to just slits and loosening his hold on her just enough that he could lean back and look down.
"Every morning's gonna be just like this one, huh?" he muttered before nuzzling into her hair again, groaning quietly. "Baby can we just stay like this? Five more minutes..." he paused and looked down at her again, blinking. "Ten more minutes?"
Aria
She couldn't help chuckling at his words, the second half anyways. He sounded adorable in his desire to not get up and deal with the world. Then again, she didn't either. After a moment, though, she said "I certainly hope so..." Regarding every morning in the future. That he asked that made her feel incredibly warm inside. She wondered if she should just ask him to move in when they got back, or was it too soon, despite everything last night? But that could be dealt with later. For now, she simply added "Ten minutes, fine... But then we should go eat something. I guess there's one good thing about being here in the Frozen North... Can't really go for our runs so we can sleep in a little more." She would about, if asked, though, that she'd kind of miss their runs nonetheless.
"You want pancakes this morning? I thought I saw the ingredients I'm the cupboard."
Pao
He smiled when she agreed to just lay there for a little while longer, and also because her hopes seemed to match his own about all their future mornings. Ten more minutes didn't feel like enough but if he woke up next to her like this every morning then he could be okay with just ten more minutes this morning. And he was even more okay with just those ten more minutes because she mentioned food...man, he loved this woman.
"Pancakes?" he said, peeking down at her again. "Pancakes sound good, but what are you talking about, missing the morning run? Kinda why I don't wanna get up yet. This bed's warm and you're warm..." He let out a little sigh through another smile. "You're warm."
Aria
She looked at him, confused, and finally said "I have no idea how to run in snow, babe. I've never been near snow. Snow really didn't happen where I lived. I could sometimes see it on the mountains in the distance but..." She closed her eyes, clearly trying to not think too hard about the past. "Trips to the snow were for Dai, not me. So, I've never learned how to move in snow." Her eyes reopened, and she added "I just don't want to get hurt."
"And alright, pancakes it is. I don't know what else we have, but pancakes are easy and filling." She snuggled in just that bit closer when he said she was warm. "So are you. You're also very comfortable to cuddle. Like the world's best Teddy bear but... Better. So much better."
Pao
Her admitting that she couldn't run in snow had him groaning again, because it probably meant that he'd be running on his own. Which would have been fine on any normal morning, but this was the first morning they had together in nearly two weeks, and really the first time in nearly two weeks that they were spending any time together at all and he just didn't want to spend any of it away from her just yet. But he knew what responsibilities were and how they worked and that he couldn't let his fitness lifestyle fall to wayside because he was in love with someone, so he let it go.
"Guess I'm running on my own. Don't want you to hurt yourself, babe." His smile came back when she snuggled in some more. "Teddy bear? Me?" he chuckled and gave her a little squeeze and a kiss on the cheek before finally lettering her go and sliding out of bed. "I'll only take that as a compliment from you."
The cold jolted him a little more awake, and he went and reached for his coat and scarf. "By the way, who's Dai? Friend?"
Aria
She sighed wistfully at the words about him running alone, because it meant she'd be here alone... Wishing to be at his side. But she couldn't risk the injuries that she might have if she tried. "Pity they don't have a treadmill, horrible as they are, here. I could at least do that." She said, in a softly wistful voice.
When he moved away from her, though, she pouted a little, before following him. "Mmm good. I don't want to hear you're cuddling someone else, that they'd think you were like one." She gave him a playful grin, despite not wanting to get out of bed. Finally, though, she moved to join him. "But it is a compliment. I always wanted a teddy bear as a kid, to snuggle and hope it'd protect me from the Shadows."
She sighed and got her shoes, putting them on first. "Dai is... my little brother." She said, softly. "The only member of my immediate family I cared about."
Pao
The coat and scarf did a whole lot less for him than the bed and being next to Seren, but it had to work for now. But he had his eyes on her and caught that pout and what she said next just got him to laugh. "You're the first person I've ever cuddled with and I can't imagine doing that with anyone else, so don't worry about it." He waited at the foot of the bed for her, still smiling. He would draw out this time with her as long as humanly possible, because what was coming next for him was a very intense run in the cold. "And that does kinda sound like me, protecting you from the shadows. Just...promise you won't call me that in public."
And then she mentioned her brother and he blinked. "Oh..." he replied just as softly. It seemed like a sensitive topic, especially since he knew that she had to die to the rest of the world before coming here, and that obviously included Dai. It wasn't something he could related to, so with a lopsided smile he shuffled over and pulled her into a quiet hug., hoping it would help at least a little since it was all he could really do.
Aria
She laughed softly, and grinned up at him. "Glad to hear that. I don't think I'd feel at all good about sharing you." An odd thought, given how she used to think she'd never be comfortable in a couple, just a triad, but one she didn't mind at all. He was what she wanted. "Pass me my coat, please, babe? It's chilly enough in that kitchen, and I'll need it." She blinked up at his words, and added "No worries. It's not likely to become a nickname, Rhys It might be accurate for how good it feels to cuddle you, but I'd never call you that as a name." She slid a hand up to caress his cheek, then finished getting her shoes on.
When he hugged her, she leaned into it, closing her eyes. She tried not to think about how much her 'death' might have hurt her sweet little brother, but it was there, present in her knowledge. "He was... a good kid. I have no idea how he is now. He's the only person I miss from home, but I hope to gods never to see him again, given what that would mean."
Pao
He had a good idea what it meant but he didn't say so, just hugged her a little tighter, before eventually letting go to grab her coat. "I was one of those kids that never wondered what it was like to have a brother or sister," he said as he walked back over and held it out for her so she could slip into it easier. "My life was hell enough I couldn't really think about anyone, so." Truthfully, she'd taken a lot of the meaningful firsts for him, so while he did miss out on those kinds of things out there it didn't bother him so much because it meant that the first connection he had that was more than just distant was with her. First real friend, and he felt better using that term now because she didn't shy away from the worst parts of him, first girlfriend and ultimately first love.
"If I can help at all just let me know?"
Aria
She sighed when he let go, but smiled up at him for helping her with her coat. She stood and slipped her arms into it, glancing over her shoulder as she listened to him speak. "I'm grateful that my parents loved Dai, as they never loved me. He, at least, had a good childhood, for the most part." She knew the beatings she'd endured had always upset him. Their parents had sent him to his room, thinking it would spare him, but she knew better. "I hope that... once I was gone, they realized how much it might hurt him, even if they were glad."
She turned back to her beautiful Rhys and simply said "You help me by being here, you know that, right?" She wondered again in her head if she could safely call him her boyfriend now, and figured they should discuss this later. Maybe over breakfast.
Pao
His chest tightened just a bit when he heard, and he saw a glimpse of the pain she must have been in concerning her brother. It still bothered him that her parents had done that to her, and worse was that just in the next room over it sounded like they treated her brother like he was actually their child. That she had to suffer through that...it hurt him just knowing that. And though she said just being nearby helped her he honestly wished he could do more. "I know," he replied, smile still lopsided, "but if there's anything else."
But he didn't want to press the issue that much, especially because it dredged up a past that she must not have wanted to think about too much, so with that he slipped his hand down her arm and soon linked their hands together before starting to lead her to the door. "So my run is waiting for me," he said, glancing over at her. He wondered if asking if she wanted a warm bath together when he got back because it didn't really involve anything that might set him off would be pushing things too quickly so he saved it for probably later.
"Did you see coffee, too?"
Aria
She let him lead her to the other room, but leaned up to kiss his cheek, not wanting to morning breath him. "I know, babe. But you being here for me... Is more then you can imagine. The fact that I have someone in my life who loves me is... more valuable than anything else in the world to me." She then gave him a sweet smile, full of her love and gratitude for him.
If he asked, she'd tell him whatever he wanted to know, even if it hurt. He'd told her so much, he deserved the same from her. But right now, it was easier to not, so she didn't argue. "Yeah... I know. I wish I could join you..." She gave the snow visible outside a dirty look. She wanted to ask him to join her in the shower when he was done, but... She should shower before he got back, so she could get breakfast going.
"Not sure. I didn't... really do a full search. I was. Um... Not... really in the right headspace for that at the time."
Pao
He caught that smile and every bit of the emotion behind it, and he smiled back in similar fashion. It would take a while for him to just accept the fact that he loved her as much as he did; the thought always made him do a double take. And soon they were out in the main hall and he glanced over at the snow outside and made a face.
"It's fine, babe," he said on a sigh, "I'd rather run alone than you wind up with a messed-up ankle or something, fear shield or not." Finally, as though accepting his fate, he pulled her in for a very quick, very tight hug. "And that's fine about the coffee. I think the cold's gonna do a good enough job waking me up, so."
Once he let her go he stepped back, eyes still on her as he walked backwards to his room because he really didn't want to look away yet. "Back soon." And after another long moment he turned around just in time, opened the door and disappeared behind it to get changed and head out for that run.
Aria
"I know... Still wish I could. I love the runs with you..." She sighed softly, and hugged him back, hard. She had no issues with how much she loved him. She hadn't wanted it, maybe, but she didn't care anymore. What she had with him was far better then what she had expected from her life.
She sighed as he left to change, and walked into the kitchen. She got the batter mixed up, and found some coffee, and even some bacon. She prepped the coffee, and set it up so she could start it when he returned, and set the batter in the fridge, next to the bacon. By the time she was done prepping, it had been about 45 minutes.
She went to her room, got some clean clothes, and towels, then found the bathroom. When she discovered there was an actual bathtub here, she stared at it in stunned joy. A tub, a real TUB. A good five minutes passed before she woke up to the fact that she was just standing there. She considered, then began to set things up for a nice long hot soak. She soon had everything in position, and then took her time to fill the tub up. Finally, she undressed, and slipped in, having no idea how long she'd taken.
Pao
It wasn't the usual distance but it still took just as long because of the snow, much to his annoyance. There was no real way of knowing what exactly was out here, and because there was an outpost he could only assume that bad things were noticed at least once before (and actually now, because they got called out to look at stuff), so on his own and hesitating to summon his weapon in case someone that wasn't a hunter came and saw it only made sense that he cut his run short.
Which was alright, really. It was freezing, even if he was in thermals and double layered everything, and he missed Seren. Once things normalized he was sure that feeling wouldn't have such an effect on his routines, but right now every waking moment with her somehow didn't feel like it wouldn't be enough. So he was a little relieved when he ducked back inside the outpost, his face scrunching up a bit when he didn't smell pancakes cooking or anything like that. Not wanting to slog in too much snow, though, he quickly left his shoes by the door and hurried off to grab some clean clothes and a towel so he could get in a quick shower before figuring out the breakfast situation.
Once he was down to just his pants and shirt, he grabbed his towel and made a mad dash to the bathroom. Heating or not, it was still cold. Of course, what he dashed into was Seren soaking in a hot tub, and he froze and blinked. And stared. And then pointed at the door while he stared. "Door was unlocked, I uh..."
Aria
Seren looked up, startled, when he popped the door open and stared, eyes huge for a moment. Finally, though, she processed what was happening and she blushed a little. "Um... Well, my fault for forgetting. Sorry, babe..." She considered him through half lidded eyes, then finally, cheeks red but a determined look on her face, said "I've only really just gotten in, I was getting things prepped for when you got back... Would... you care to join me?"
She bit her lip after asking, though, worried he might get upset, or it might be too soon, or he'd not be ready for this. She'd keep her hands carefully up but if he wasn't ready, she wasn't going to push.
Pao
He blinked a little more but nodded, showing that he registered what she was saying. "No, I mean..." he said, finally looking away because it really was rude to stare, even if he was staring at his girlfriend. "I should have knocked, I...guess..." and he wondered what else he could say when she suddenly invited him to join her. So he blinked some more and turned to look at her, noting that cute shade of red on her cheeks again.
"Are...are you sure?" He wasn't but he wanted to, he'd thought it earlier so he did wonder for a second if she'd read his mind or something.
Aria
"Very." She might be blushing, which went down her neck and a tad farther, but she also sounded very sure of herself. "I'm always willing to share with you."
His apology was ignored, because she wasn't offended in anyway.
Pao
He nodded, slowly, when she answered, and gave her a warm smile at the last part. "Thanks, babe. Y'know," and then he moved to hang his towel before peeling his shirt off. "I was actually thinking about taking a hot bath earlier. ********' miracle that this place actually has one." He pulled his pants down next, and then paused and glanced over at her before finally taking off his underwear and padding over to the tub. His ears felt a little warm already, because this was the first time she'd see everything.
He tested the water with his hand before eventually slipping into the tub and sitting across from her. The warmth was soothing, made him feel like he was defrosting from his run, but his focus was really on her. There was a little bit of a concern that she wouldn't like what she saw or something along those lines, so he couldn’t think of anything to say for the moment.
Aria
She smiled warmly back at him, listening and watching, a little shyly but at the same time enjoying the view. It wasn't like he'd ever seen her fully naked before either, so it was a first for them both. She continued to admire him as he walked over, her eyes showing nothing but admiration for him, and his body.
He really was a finely tuned man, and she saw nothing to be dissatisfied with. When he slipped into the water, she smiled softly at him, while at the same time nervous about how he felt now that she was nude across from him. "Hope the bath is helping you warm up? I was surprised, and very pleased, to see it myself." She tilted her head back, leaning it against the edge of the tub. "And heh... yeah. I... have been wishing for a hot bath for some time."
Pao
Rhys nodded, a soft smile settling on his face the more relaxed he got. The water helped, so he nodded at her question. "Yeah, it's cold outside. If I could think of the right swear for it I would, but it's just...cold." He blinked over at her, eyes traveling from her still pink cheeks and a little further down to the rest of her body. Though it was obscured a little bit by the water he could still see. And so she'd taken another first for him, and he hoped at least one more along this same vein in the near future once they worked through his issues.
"So..." he said, reaching for her hand. "First time in a bath with someone or nah?"
Aria
She bit her lip when she watched him giving her a full viewing, wondering if he'd say anything, or not. When he didn't react negatively, and instead reached for her hand, the tiny knot in her gut that came from something like this loosened and she took his hand happily. "Mmmm don't want to go out but I guess I'll have to for duty. Snow. Why did it have to be snow?"
Her eyes closed fully now, relaxed and happy once she no longer was concerned about his reactions to her. His question earned him a quirked brow, though she kept her eyes closed. "Mmm no, I've never bathed in any form with anyone before." A first... Maybe he couldn't be her first on somethings, but this one was a very sweet first to share with him.
She wondered if he'd be ready to share his first of a more special nature with her soon. She didn't care how long it took, though. She'd be right there with him for as long as he needed her to be.
Pao
He'd been a little too shy to share his thoughts on her body, which he thought was beautiful despite what the water obscured, so he settled for putting his focus on this instead.
"I like snow," he said as he started massaging her hand, knowing it would help her relax. And him, too, since it gave him something to do with his hands. There were other things he wanted to do with his hands right then that also involved her, but there was a line that he was scared to cross again without being ready, so this had to do for now. "Just...yeah. A week of it is probably the longest I'd go, and then I'd wanna go back home."
And when she said this was a first for her too he couldn't help smiling just a little brighter. "Never wanted to until now?"
Aria
Ohhh the hand massage... Her eyes rolled back in simple pleasure at the relaxation. She fought, though to stay present, to stay a part of the conversation. "Mmm... it's... very pretty... yes..." She managed to respond, slowly, but still thinking. "I just... So cold. Wet... And since I... have no idea... how to move in it..." She sighed and for a moment lost the ability to focus, and didn't respond to the comment about a week.
She managed to refocus for his question, though. "Ahhhh..." She sighed a little, still enjoying the massage, and chose to tell him one of the two possible answers. Both were equally true, so giving him the one that boosted his self-esteem was definitely worth doing. "Never, before you... Trust you like I've never trusted anyone else."
Pao
It was a curious thing, listening to her struggle through an answer. He assumed it was because of the hand massage because of what she said the last time he'd given her one, so he didn't stop even though it meant she wasn't entirely there for the conversation. He was just glad that she was enjoying it. When he was done with the one hand he leaned down and kissed it before moving on to the other one.
She was right about that answer; it did puff him up a little bit on the inside, and he smiled softly at her. "Good," he said, eyes focused on her hand now. "Trust is required in any kind of relationship, right?"
Aria
She gave a soft sound, somewhere between a gasp and a hiss, at the feeling of the kiss after the massage. She was going to have to keep her mind focused, because that was just this shy of something that would get her... revving, so to speak. It was, really, quite interesting to discover how much of an erogenous zone the hands were. She managed to caress his face, though, before he pulled his lips away from her hand.
The feeling of him working on the other hand just about had her totally melting, despite her efforts. She sank down in the water, just a little deeper, so that her chin was pressed against the top of the water. She stayed there, comfortable and relaxed, silent for a moment.
Then his response trickled through, and his question. "Mmm? Ah yes. Yesss very much so.... The more... trust..., generally... the better." Her eyes half opened, gazing across the water at him.
Pao
He wasn't entirely oblivious to the way she was reacting to what he was doing, which was maybe a contributing reason as to why he focused as much as he did. If he had another way of making her feel good then he was happy to use it, especially since for the moment they were a little...stuck. Even if it was temporary, he did feel like it was unfair to make her wait because he knew they both wanted it, and they only had to wait because of something in his past.
When she eventually replied he chuckled and glanced up at her, eyes resting on her sort of dazed expression. With a smile he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly before continuing with the massage.
"You know I trust you, too, right?"
Aria
She mmmm'd softly as he continued to massage her hand, and when he kissed her hand again, while still not done, she gave a full gasp this time, and then bit her lips, her cheeks flaming slightly. What was his goal here? Because he was getting her a little too turned on, and she was pretty damn sure he wasn't going to be ready for... time together, yet.
Her eyes were focused on his face now, because this had the effect of pulling her out of her totally zoned state. Her body was asking for something, and she wasn't going to let it have what it wanted.
His question, though, earned him a bright smile, and a small nod. "I do... I can't imagine you being here otherwise. And I'm glad."
Pao
His goal was really nothing more than wanting to make her feel good, especially in the kind of space they were in now. Though in the back of his mind he knew it was also a little unfair if it made her expect more out of him...though that didn't stop him just yet. He went on with the little massage, working out whatever tension was left, and when he next glanced up she was beaming at him, so he smiled right back.
"Here as in the tub?" He chuckled, obviously joking. "I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else, babe." And then he kissed her hand again, and then once more before finally letting it go. He looked over at her for a second, though, and held her gaze. It was a silent invitation, if she wanted to maneuver herself over and into his arms.
Aria
She sighed softly, and controlled herself fully. No matter what was going on, she would not give in to temptation to do anything. She was more then aware he wasn't ready. If it was just her and, well, her hand for a long time, she'd cope for his sake. He would be worth the wait. She knew that much, no matter what happened.
"Mmm well I mean... yes?" She said, serious to his joke. "Here in the tub with me... Yes, that shows a lot of trust." The double kiss earned another hiss/gasp, and she bit her lip for a long moment, allowing the discomfort to help her control herself.
His invitation made her study him, silently, seriously, for a long moment, her own eyes concerned and weighing the situation. Finally, however, she slowly shifted in the water, moving over to slip into his arms, but ready to pull back if he seemed to be suddenly uncomfortable. This would, after all, be the first time he would be holding her while they were nude.
Pao
In a way he was testing himself, pushing the line that he was fully aware was there, so despite being the one to invite her he did flinch a little when she moved into his arms, only this time there were no bits of cloth that separated them. His breathing shallowed for a moment, and he closed his eyes and tried to get it under control. With a sigh he wrapped his arms loosely around her, and then he opened his eyes and looked into hers, worry mixed in with some level of confidence that he could handle just this much.
"Other than the tub," he said quietly, "what other 'here' did you mean?"
Aria
She heard the breathing, and froze, ready to move back, give him all the space he needed. When he wrapped his arms around her, though, she simply stayed there, smiling quietly, comfortingly at him. It felt good to be against him, clothed or not. She was still ready to move if needed, but as long as he felt he was managing, she would give him the choice to say whether or not he needed her to stop. After all, every little victory over his fears would aid in his fight to take back his head from them.
His question earned a softly raised eyebrow, and she said "Present and in my life, of course." She wasn't a fool, after everything he said last night, letting her in was an incredible piece of trust.
Pao
It took a little while for his breathing to even out, and when it did he sighed deeply and leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Mm..." he mused, rolling her answer around in his head. "Again, really nowhere else I'd rather be." He gave another sigh before planting a soft kiss on her shoulder.
Now that he more or less made it over the mental hurdle he could finally feel what it was like to be fully against her. His eyes wandered down her arms and eventually to what he could see below the water, and his hands followed suit, soon settling around her stomach. It was different, a good different in a way that he couldn't really explain. "Hey, Seren," he started again, kind of quietly. Hesitant. "You know how badly I wanna be with you, right?"
Aria
She relaxed more fully when she felt his breathing even out, and closed her eyes, happy to be there in his arms. "And there is nothing that makes me happier then to know that..." She said softly, and controlled the urge to shiver at the kiss on her skin.
His hands moving down had her brows raising up, just a little, curious of his plan. When they came to a rest, she smiled a little, comfortable, and also hopeful that he was as comfortable with this as she was. He belonged here, in her mind, and it felt right for him to be against her like this. When he spoke, though, her eyes opened again, and she tilted her head, gazing at him to the best of her ability from the corner of her eye.
His question had her brows flying up into the air, and she finally said, after some careful consideration as to why he might need to ask that, "Yes, Rhys... Why?" She murmured, her tone encouraging, loving, supportive.
Pao
He sighed again and shrugged, his hold around her tightening just a bit before he loosened it again. Having her close like this was always comforting and he knew he belonged, but at the same time that thought of the wait being unfair was buzzing in the back of his mind. So it took him a while to answer, it took him a while and a few more absent kisses on her shoulder because it helped him think.
"Because I feel like an a*****e, making you wait. I'd feel like less of one if you were waiting because I'm not ready yet, but I am and I just..."
Aria
Part of her wanted to pull away at the kisses. They felt so good, and it was making it very hard to be good. But she didn't, and wouldn't. She would control herself, completely, for him because she knew it would just hurt him, hurt his confidence, and maybe hurt his recovery. She just stayed there, silently waiting, and letting him kiss her, eyes closing again while she waited, taking slow, calming deep breaths.
She hoped to get a little time alone, later, however, at this point.
When he spoke again, her eyes flew open, and she had to control the urge to frown at him. "Rhys. Stop. You're not an a*****e. You're not making me wait." She turned her head so he could see how serious she was about this. "If I had a problem with waiting for you, do you think I'd stick around? Do you think I'd be worthy of your time?" She shook her head a little, in disbelief that he was thinking that. "No, Rhys. You're worth the wait. You're worth it because I love you. It's not like you're asking me to wait because..."
She paused, trying to think of something ridiculous, and could only come up with "because you wanted to wait for marriage or something equally silly. You're asking me to wait because you need me to. And I'm willing to wait, because I want you, I love you, and I know that when you're ready, whatever it takes to get you, us, there... It'll be worth every moment we spent."
Pao
Again he hugged her just a little bit tighter as she spoke, eyes not quite meeting hers because he knew she was being honest and he trusted her, completely, which was why he felt the way that he did about it. He assumed her questions were rhetorical so he didn't answer and instead managed to really look and see how serious she was when she was saying all of this, and he managed a weak smile. The marriage quip even got an amused huff out of him and he had to fight the urge to smile a bit bigger.
In the end he just gave in to her words, because he needed to and because he knew she meant every single one. "I love you, too," he said as he leaned in to give her a little kiss. "And I love you for waiting," and then another kiss, a little longer this time before he pulled away and sighed.
"But having to wait makes being like this extra hard on you, doesn't it? It's hard for me to keep my hands and lips off of you, so..." and he blinked and darted his eyes away from her again as his cheeks turned a light pink. "I mean, if I'm doin' too much you gotta let me know. Either that or at least let me...y'know...help."
Aria
Her questions had been rhetorical, so she didn't mind that he didn't answer. When he didn't quite meet her eyes, she worried that he wasn't accepting them, but when he smiled, she gave a small sigh of relief. His huff got another. She tilted her head to rest it against his, eyes trying to gaze into his.
When he kissed her, she couldn't help kissing back, but it was a bit... hard not to react to him when he was kissing her. But she couldn't deny the second kiss either. She was both sad and relieved when he broke the kiss, but she continued to listen to his words.
She blinked, and blushed slightly at his words, her head falling back to rest on his shoulder, unintentionally displaying her neck and chest in a curve. "Rhys... I mean. I like it when you touch me but... Yes it does get... my engine revving, if you will, sometimes. At the same time, though... I don't see how... asking you to help would be any more fair to you. Asking you to touch and see, but not... be able to fully touch? That seems cruel and unfair." She blushed a little, and added "I... do know how to... help myself, and I don't want to tease you with what you, because of things that you are not at fault for, can't yet have."
Pao
He leaned his head to rest gently against hers as he listened to her quietly, his eyes following the curve of her body and very much appreciating what he saw. The way she explained it made sense, but in his mind it seemed like just a more intense version of what they were doing now. Touching and seeing but not being able to fully do either. And then she talked about helping herself and he huffed, once again a little amused and surprised by her honesty.
"I guess I'd just feel a little better if I could do something for you when I do 'revv up your engine', even if it's not...that, but I get what you're saying." So with a sigh he let it go, not sure what else could be said about it. They'd wind up going in a circle and rather than wind up in that situation he would rather just enjoy the moment.
Aria
She sighed softly, comfortable in his arms, wishing she could make him feel better about this. She would be ok, she'd managed on her own for the past two years after all. Yes, she hadn't had someone in that time she wanted to be with, but that didn't matter. What mattered was not making his need to wait harder. No pun intended, she found herself thinking.
Finally she said "Maybe... once you're closer... We can see about it. If nothing else, you... would get the chance to learn how I respond to things, which might make things easier on you when we... do get there. But... there's a definite difference between what we've done so far, and... seeing someone else get their pleasure while you can't. Trust me. I do know this."
Pao
He nodded slightly, knowing that there was, at least for the moment, very little he could do about his situation. How they would get past it he really had no idea, but his chest tightened just a bit when he wondered if she'd still feel this way if he was still in this same exact spot a year from now. Or two, or three. His hold on her tightened yet again as he forced that thought away, though not soon enough that it didn't pull his lips down into a frown.
"We should probably grab some soap, though," he said maybe a bit too stiffly, eyes darting around to see if the bar was anywhere nearby. "Water's gonna freeze soon."
Aria
She frowned, hearing the stiffness in his voice. She slowly sat up, hunting for the soap, pondering what might be bothering him, and she looked at him with a serious, but loving face. Finally she found it, and offered it to him, first, while thinking what to say.
Her words coalesced in her mind, as she studied his frown, his body language. He was still so insecure in them, wasn't he? "Babe. I want you to know this, and I want you to know I mean this with everything I have in me." She turned to face him completely, her expression open, and honest. "I do not care how long it takes. I don't care if you needed me to wait a decade, or a hundred years. I love you, and even if it never got to the point you felt safe doing that with me... I would still want to be with you."
Pao
He took the soap and quietly said, "Thanks," before starting to work on his arms first, and he probably would have zoned out, pulled away and likely to go too far with that thought from earlier, if she didn't start talking. He paused what he was doing for a second, trying to really hear her so he could find a bit more strength to push those thoughts away again , and when she was finished he had to close his eyes because for some reason they were welling up again and he didn't want her to see him like that again.
"It just seems really unfair to you is all...and I'm not saying that because I want you to go find someone else. I really ********' want you to stay, and I'm hearing you say that you're gonna, but a decade is a long time and I just..." He took a shaky breath. "I wanna give you all of me, Seren, and I know that that's just one small part of it but it already feels like I'm not good enough."
Aria
She leaned back, listening thoughtfully to his words. "You're good enough. You're more then good enough. You... ********." She lifted her hands for a moment, as her words failed her in trying to tell him how much he meant to her. "You're the only person in the ******** world who has ever made me feel like I'm really truly worth being around. You're the only person who has seen my scars... and not flinched away from them, or tried to pretend they don't exist, when taking what I am and what I mean to them into account." She stared him right in the eyes, almost challenging him to deny what she was saying.
"You make me feel LOVED. You make me want to get up in the morning, because I can see you. Because of you, I don't feel the urge to... to just throw myself between something large and dangerous and a bunch of innocents, because to be quite honest, that was once kind of my goal! You give me a reason to want to keep living, Rhys!"
Pao
For a moment, when she lost her words, he felt himself emotionally start sinking again. And then he met her gaze, his own still a little teary, and he listened, but this time really hearing what she was telling him. Everything else faded in the background as he processed everything, and he blinked the few tears out of his eyes and just leaned toward her, gently resting his forehead on hers. "I swear to whatever ********' gods are out there, if you ever think that way again..."
He said this with a little smile but was very, incredibly serious. "Just 11 days without you, knowing you're around, was hell. A lifetime knowing I'd never see you again, I'd probably just ask to be podded again indefinitely."
There was another pause as he let her words replay in his mind, and then he sighed and locked eyes with her, a small sadness mixed in with all the love he had for her and the joy that she filled him up with because she loved him, too. "After all that, though, the only answer I can think of is that I love you, too." And he gave her a lame little smile.
Aria
She reached up to cup his face in her hands, and she said "I want to live, because you're there for me. You really are a reason for me. So please... No matter how hard things get in a moment, no matter how long we wait before you're ready... Don't doubt us. You really, truly are worth the wait, and yes I love you and I intend to keep on loving you." Her blue eyes were focused, hard, on his green, just filled with how much she loved him and how much she wished she could make him feel better about this situation.
"I promise. I have no desire to think that way again, as long as I have you with me. I can't promise this.. job won’t kill me, just like you can't promise me that... But I'll do everything in my godsdamn power to live, because I want to be there with you. Ok?"
She sighed, then, and pulled away from him, saying "Now finish washing up, before we become human icicles. We need to get clean and dry, and then I need to feed us."
Pao
Her hands on his face made him focus on her words and the depth of emotion in her eyes, and he sighed and nodded, feeling a little better about his situation and a hell of a lot more sure about them. It was amazing how good she was at reassuring him; she'd done it the night before, as well, and it really made him feel like the luckiest person alive that he had someone like her with him. That she chose him at all was still something he couldn't figure out, because everything she saw in him he didn't necessarily see in himself all the time, and those doubts were magnified briefly just moments earlier.
When she pulled away and told him to wash up he blinked and just muttered a quick, "Oh, yeah," before getting to it. He stopped after a second though, and reached for her to just pull her back and give her a kiss as thanks, and to last them however long until they next time they got to cuddle up. Which probably wouldn't be until after they got some work done, because they were here to work. Being able to work through some issues was an extra mega bonus.
Aria
She kissed him back, sweet and loving and supportive too, before breaking the kiss and smiling at him. She hunted out her body wash, and got to work on cleaning her body off, focused now that the water had begun to grow chilly.
She wasn't going to need that private time after all, it seemed.
She managed to stay on task, and got herself fully clean, before she stood, with care for the water, not really thinking about how much he was seeing any more, even though he saw it all clearly for the first time. She grabbed her towel, and stepped onto the mat, before working on drying herself off
Pao
Rhys got to work as well, his focus more motivated by the prospect of food than the water getting cold. That, of course, added to his wanting to get out of the tub, but it wasn't the main thing.
When he was about done he looked up and saw, for the very first time, all of her and he sort of blinked and froze and took a mental snapshot. And then he whistled very appreciatively as he watched her move from the tub to the mat to eventually drying herself off. He followed soon enough, and like her didn't care that she could see everything since she saw it all earlier, and he got to toweling off just enough that his body was dry. The towel eventually went around his waist, and he grabbed his dirty clothes and headed for the door.
"See you for breakfast, love." And he flashed her a smile before ducking out.
THIS IS HALLOWEEN: Deus Ex Machina
Welcome to Deus Ex Machina, a humble training facility located on a remote island.
