Aria
Seren was looking around the room that Rhys had previously used as 'his' room, for sleep and all. She was smiling a little, remembering all the little events that had occurred in this room... The first time they fell asleep together, awkward though that was... And the second, a much sweeter memory. Hanging out, getting to know each other, bonding and growing.

Sure they were going to be keeping it for the time being, as spare storage, but they weren't going to be spending that much time here. She sighed a little, then turned to her boyfriend. "So. What can I carry, babe?" Her eyes were soft with love.

Pao
It was weird to think that the room that had been "his" was now going to wind up being "their" storage room, and that he would be moving in with his girlfriend upstairs. The closer they got to the moving day the more he would wonder if it was too soon or if they were maybe moving too fast. And then they would snuggle up in her bed at night and those worries were quickly squashed until they finally made it to today.

He hefted the pack he'd carried with him from when he was recruited, glancing around when she asked her question. "Uh...my boards for now?" he replied, nodding at his small collection of five.

Aria
She hadn't been worrying about it, really. Up till the incident, they're been sharing her room, primarily, for awhile, and after straight up living together for that week in Siberia, it just seemed kind the logical next step. She had been feeling happy, really truly happy, for the first time in her life... And she wanted to keep that... As long as he was too.

She glanced at his boards, and nodded. "I'll take them two at a time, then. I don't want to drop them and risk damage." She hefted two of them, one tucked under each arm, then headed for the door.

Pao
Even that small bit of thoughtfulness got a huge smile out of him, and he was reminded of one of the reasons he'd fallen for her in the first place. She put value in the things he cared about, again never judging or berating him for his interests. He picked up a box and walked toward her, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek as soon as he was able to.

"Too ********' thoughtful, damn," he said on a chuckle. "Thank you, babe."

Aria
She smiled up at him when he kissed her, and continued to their room (a phrase she found sounded delightful in her mind) as he spoke. She laughed softly and said "No more thoughtful than you deserve. You're just as, after all."

As she said that, she intentionally have a small toss of her head so that the lovely clips he got her caught the light, glittering on her hair.

She had kept to her goal, too, of putting the necklaces and the photo album into a box to store. She figured she'd bring it back with her on the return trip, since she didn't need to access it. She had found a good photo of Dai at thirteen... The age he was when she left. She might only rarely have seen him at that age, but it was the age she thought of him at... So she'd taken that one out, and would be putting it in the frame she got in London soon.

Pao
He smiled at that, and wider still when he saw the clips, then did his best to get the door open and step aside so she could go ahead. "Honestly gonna be weird thinkin' of that room as storage 'til we actually move and all," he said as he followed her out, glancing back inside the room before closing the door. He figured he could lock it later, once the move was all over.

"So remind me what we're bringing down again?" he asked once they were headed back upstairs.

Aria
"I just have the one box, really..." She said, quietly. It wasn't like she had owned a lot of stuff, previously. She had her bedding, her clothing, and the stuff on the walls. "So other then that, it's just moving you up, and then in the future, the stuff we get for the house." She walked into their room, and gently set the boards on the floor for the moment. "We can work out where you want to display them once we get them all back up here."

She walked over to the kind of small box that had the items she was storing away, and picked it up. She'd taped it closed, so nothing would fall out, and headed back out the door, trying not to think about how little she had. It wasn't like she didn't have room for his stuff, at least.

Pao
He set his stuff down and nodded, glancing around at the room that had officially been theirs for a while now...coordinating their schedules had just been a bit tricky, so officially moving had been delayed. "Okay," he replied before following her to the door. With his hands free he closed the door behind them and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her close as they headed back downstairs.

Her quiet response hadn't gone unnoticed though, so after a few steps he leaned toward her and gave her a kiss to the temple. "What's up?"

Aria
She held the box close as she walked, and was happy to snuggle in against her boyfriend to go put it in the other room. Her head shifted to rest against his shoulder, feeling happier with the contact between them. She gave a soft sigh of content, her eyes focused on making sure she didn't trip, and little else for the moment.

His question got a different sigh, one that held a hint of melancholy. "Just remembering how little I have from before you came into my life that really matters." She said softly. "I mean, I honestly have lots of space for your stuff... because I had so little." She paused, and then added "Which maybe sounds greedy, and I don't mean it that way. Just more... I have so few mementos of the past, and most of them are here." She nodded at her box. "And thus things I want to keep, but don't... want to look at much."

Pao
He listened quietly but intently as she explained, his chest tightening at the loneliness behind her words. Gently he gave her shoulder a squeeze, just for added comfort if it helped at all, and when she finished he gave a little sigh of his own.

"Two years ago, just a few months in, I hardly had any stuff, too. Basically just my pack of clothes, some gym clothes, and one board. My life started here too, and my better life started after I met you. So," he shrugged his free shoulder. "I know what you mean." He kissed her again just as they came to the door. "It isn't greedy to wanna remember good things. But that's why you've got me now, so we can start making those good memories together."

Aria
She smiled up at him, and leaned into the kiss, then slid into the room. She glanced around, and found a spot to put her box on the desk he'd been given. She didn't want it to get confused with the boxes already there, after all. She had gone out of her way to mark it, so she'd be sure it wouldn't get mixed up, but she wasn't going to take that risk.

After she set it down, she turned to face him. "Yeah. I can't argue with the idea that my real life began here, and I got lucky, because I met you so soon after, and my life slowly started improving just by having you in it. I don't think I could ever, even when I signed my life away to come here, imagined something as wonderful would be waiting for me as you." She walked back to him, and pulled him into a proper, loving kiss for a good minute, before breaking it to go get the next two boards, a much happier look on her face now.

Pao
She sometimes just had a way with words that made him flush a faint pink, and his arms went around her when she kissed him. He, of course, happily leaned into the kiss as well, until she pulled away leaving him maybe just a little bit breathless.

He picked up the last of the boards and his own memento box, then glanced around the room one last time. "That's all I'm taking with me," he said with an amused little huff. "Didn't take nearly as long as we thought it would. Unpacking might, though."

Aria
"You got all the clothes in that first pack?" She asked, curiously. She stepped out the door, and waited for him to shut it up, and lock it, then headed up the stairs. She didn't know why, but she sort of expected a lot more stuff coming up with them, but was just as happy that it wasn't... Less trips, more snuggle time once everything was done, after all. Or at least that's how her mind saw it. "Awesome. It wasn't that big, so why it would take very long to unpack confused her.

Unless he'd managed to fit a lot more in there then she thought.

Pao
"Yep." His reply was one of silly pride, because he'd stuffed that pack to the brim, and it was a sizeable pack to begin with so there was more in there than he figured she would think. "Just the pack and my box of shoes. My gym bag and clothes are already up there 'cause we do morning workouts, and then this box," briefly he showed it to her for a second, "with our original photo from Toki and that other thing I mentioned before."

Aria
"Alright. Sounds good." She started heading up to their room, and was, once again, very curious what that other memento was. But she was going to be good, going to wait to find out. They had to get his stuff up there, get it all unpacked, and put away, and then she would give in to the intense curiousness that were threatening to overcome her self control.

Unfortunately for those feelings, her self control was stronger, so when they got up to their room, she set the two boards down besides the first two, and went over to his pack to begin the unpacking and putting away. She unzipped it, and stared, then whistled, impressed. "Well I know who I want to have do the packing if we go on a major clothes shopping haul for anything that I don't have to worry about damaging. I'm impressed, baby."

Pao
When they got to the room her sudden speed-up surprised him, bringing a rather amused expression to his face as he set down his board with the others before putting his box down on the desk. "Yeah, had to try and pack in my clothes all in one bag when I stayed in Mexico for that year and a half. Don't gotta do laundry as often if you got more clothes."

He joined her in starting to unload the bag, and soon enough his clothes were out of the pack and all over the bed. "If there's not enough room we can just leave some in this bag."

Aria
"Mmm... well good. It means we can stock up, and not worry about not getting enough." If he had paid attention when putting his gym stuff in the closet, he might have noticed she had a small collection of her signature skirt and shirt in there, and 3 pairs of her boots at the back. She liked to make sure she had things she loved, because she never knew if she'd get the chance to get them again. She studied his stuff and said "Why don't we start by you sorting out what you are ok with having folded and kept in drawers, and what you want hung up."

She gestured at the set of drawers by the window. "I pulled all my stuff out of that one, so it's all for you."

Pao
He did notice, and he thought it was both reasonable and adorable. At her suggestion he gestured at all of his t-shirts and shorts and jeans. "These can all get folded and put inside a drawer, so can all my socks and underwear," he started, then gestured at his flannels and sweaters and jackets. "These should all get hung up if we can manage that."

And then she mentioned a drawer being all his and he broke out into a smile. "My drawer, huh?" he asked, then leaned over to reach her for a little kiss, smile as bright as ever. "I'll work on the drawer then, you do the hanging?"

Aria
"Drawers, babe." She pointed at the other chest of drawers she had. "You get a whole set to yourself, you gorgeous goof." She leaned into his reach, though, and gave him a kiss, before she began to gather hangers out of her closet, to start hanging things up. "And yeah, I'll take care of all of the hanging."

She did it methodically, sorting things by type, so the sweaters went in first, and if he watched, he might see that she was a little, just a little, neurotic about it, and put the darkest blue ones by her clothing, and then they were in color order from there. Then she put the flannels in, which were in color order, but reverse, and finally the jackets. It was, perhaps, a small thing, but when she was done, she gazed at it in satisfaction.

Pao
The enunciation of it being plural had him laughing lightly, and after the kiss he got to work stuffing those drawers with his clothes. He was maybe only moderately as organized as she was about the whole thing. His bottoms went in one, shirts in another, and the last one was split between socks and underwear. It didn't take him that long, but it was still fairly neat and tidy when he was all done.

He glanced over at Seren and her part of the job, and gave an impressed whistle at what he saw as he made his way over. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer before kissing her cheek. "Looks great, babe. Guess I know who to go to for all things organization?"

Aria
She jumped, a little startled, when he whistled, having been too busy being pleased with how it had all worked out. When he came over, however, she beamed up at him, and leaned back to cuddle into him. His words had her blush and she said "I can get a little neurotic about color order for clothing, especially in my closet... It's a little weird but since I can keep it to here, in a controlled environment, I'm ok with this. And I'm glad you like it."

She leaned there, silently for a long moment, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms, then finally gave in to the urge to ask. "Baby... So what is the other item in your box?"

Pao
He made an "o" with his mouth when she explained, taking in the organizational level of it all and hoping he could stick pretty close to it once he was pulling stuff out and putting stuff back in. Before he could really stress too much about that, though, she asked her question and got his full attention again.

"Hm? Oh...in my little box? Hold up." He let her go and went to grab the box, carrying it over and handing it to her after he had his arms around her again. "It's us," he said quietly, chin resting on her shoulder as he opened the box for her. "And my dad's old watch."

Aria
She took the box, and watched him open it, her head tilting to rest gently against his. She smiled softly at the sight of their photo, and decided silently that they would frame her copy, so that this one could stay here, in his box of important mementos. She liked the idea that a photo of them together, well before they were a couple, was important enough to go in here with the watch.

Her eyes moved to the watch, and she carefully held the box with one hand, her other going to gently lift the watch out for a moment, to look at it. She gave it a gentle caress, because she knew how important this one thing had to be to him, then set it back down, and closed his box, before turning her head enough to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Pao
He clasped his hands around her, watching quietly as she took a closer look at the watch. He loved that she took such care with holding it and all, knowing that she did so because she knew how much it must have meant to him. "It was the only thing of his I managed to keep because she pawned off the rest of his stuff," he quietly explained, eyes closing when she kissed him.

Aria
Her face went blank for a moment as she controlled the urge to find her and kick her a** for doing that to young Rhys. She murmured "That woman was a terrible creature. You deserved so much better. I'm glad you managed to keep the watch, at least." Her voice held a hint of anger at what that woman had done, an a lot of love for him. She gave him another kiss, then gently pulled free, so she could go place the box on the desk, in a place where it could be easily seen.

She picked up the two picture frames they'd gotten, and set them out, then got her copy of the photo, and put it in one of the frames. She set it near the box, then she reached over and got out the photo of Dai. She looked at it, set the frame for it back down, and brought it over to Rhys. "I promised to show you this photo..."

Pao
"No worse than they were to you," he said, a weak smile now taking over his expression. "We both deserved better, I think, but yeah I'm glad I managed to hide this one away." He gently hugged her just a little bit tighter as she kissed him, and then straightened out once she got free to set the box some place. He stood and watched her for a moment, smile turning soft as he saw her frame their first photo together. When she came over with a photo he blinked curiously before taking the photo carefully and giving it a once-over.

"Dai?" he asked, eyes on the image and taking it in. The boy he saw was the beautiful picture of what childhood should be for everyone. He was laughing and playing and very obviously enjoying himself. He looked up and gave Seren a gentle kiss, sighing once he broke it because he wished she could have had as enjoyable a childhood as her baby brother seemed to have. "You took this picture?"

Aria
"No. They did. I was never allowed to touch a camera. They're expensive, I might break it or curse it, after all." Her tone was a little bitter at those words, but she sighed. "So yeah all the photos I have of Dai in that album are ones he must have somehow snuck out of the albums... EIther got copies, or stole the originals, I'm not sure which. But yes, this is Dai."

Her fingers caressed the child's face for a moment, eyes distant, and then she went back to the desk, and put the photo in the frame, then set it near the box. She stared at their small collection of keepsakes, silent for a long minute, then turned back to him, walking up to him with her arms held out.

Pao
His expression deadpanned when she brought up the whole "curse" thing again, though he didn't comment since she let it go with a sigh. "Gotcha...well I mean I'm glad you have something to remember him by. Not sure why my Pops didn't have any pictures of himself, always made me think he was a criminal or someone wanted by the cops." He shrugged and when she held her arms out to him he happily walked straight into them, his own wrapping around he as he pulled her into a warm and loving hug.

"Mm...so that's that then, I'm all moved in?"

Aria
She held him tight, eyes closing for a long moment. "Well, have you tried searching him on Google, see if there's like... any old articles or something about him with photos or something?" She asked as she leaned into him, taking warmth and comfort from the person who never failed to make her feel loved and wonderful, even when she dealt with memories of the past that made her sad. "I mean, if he was, there might be some, and you'd know one way or another..."

She opened her eyes at his question/statement, and smiled up at him. "So you are. It's all officially done, and you don't have to go back and forth anymore."

Pao
He held her close, nuzzling into her shoulder again for a moment. "Mm...think I'd rather remember him as just my Pops rather than whatever he really did for a living. He...kinda had sketchy nights out. If it turns out he was a pimp or a gigolo or somethin', not sure if I could live that down." There was a hint of joking in his tone, but he was very serious about it. "I still remember his face pretty clearly so I'm fine with that and his watch."

As soon as she said it was official he shifted and adjusted his grip before he picked her up, leaning up for a kiss. "Official...I like how that sounds," he said, smiling.

Aria
She leaned her head against his as he nuzzled her, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him. She listened to him and smiled a little, nodding a bit. "Mmm I can see that. I just figured it was an option, and maybe you could find a photo. Whatever makes you happiest, though, is what matters to me, my love." She murmured, though part of her wondered what her boyfriend's father looked like, in a vaguely curious way.

She looked startled, as she often did, when he lifted her, and then smiled into the kiss, her eyes glittering happily. "So do I. Official is a nice sounding word."

Pao
He nodded, his eyes mirroring the happiness in hers. He set her down before kissing her again, hands moving to settle at her waist. Slowly he walked them toward the bed, in the back of his mind very much wishing they could make it even more official, but for now this was more than enough for him.

When he pulled back finally he gave a contented sigh, not sure if words were really needed at the moment.

Aria
She followed him to their bed, quite happily, kissing him back, her eyes closing as she let him guide her. She trusted him with her heart and life, why wouldn't she trust him with a short walk? She loved the feeling of his hands on her, and she would accept what she could take for now. Some time in the future, and she had faith it would not be years, despite his worries, they would get further. This was all she needed for now, to be safe in his arms.

After he broke this kiss, she made a happy sound, and rested her head against him, cuddled in close to her boyfriend, thinking once again how lucky she was.

Pao
And they stood like that for a long moment, just happy to be in each other's company and reveling in the official-ness of living in the same space. Eventually he sat on the bed, and he gently tugged her down onto his lap with a chuckle. "So..." he started, leaning in for another kiss. When their lips met he forgot for a second where he was going with that.

"Any house rules?" he managed to ask after a beat long enough that he was able to gather his thoughts.

Aria
She laughed softly as she landed in his lap, enjoying how comfortable he was with her. She smiled up at him, and then kissed him back, almost melting against him in her simple happiness. She sighed when the kiss was broken, and shifted, carefully, to snuggle in just a little closer, her eyes closing.

His question had her go 'mmmm.' for a moment, then she said "I mean it's our room now, so any rules should be mutual, I would think? But I also think it seems pretty straight forwards... Be neat, don't leave stuff lying around on the floor, ask before messing with each other's stuff... Um." She paused, then said "Can you think of anything else?"

Pao
He let her cuddle in as much as she wanted, smile steady as he considered her words. "No, not really...just wanted to check if there was anything you're kinda picky about."

He adjusted himself a bit to hopefully help her get a little more comfortable and was about to lean in for another kiss before stopping just short of their lips meeting again. "You don't need to ask if you wanna borrow one of my shirts, though," he whispered, smiling, before finally brushing his lips against hers. He brought his hand to her chin, gently drawing her in with the little gesture, while the other wrapped around her, holding her close to him. If she had more to add, he figured maybe she could try to say so in a minute or so...

Aria
She smiled a little and said "I think that's all that matters? If anything comes up, we do what adults do, and talk it out, yeah?" She gave a slight shrug, figuring that the adjustment might take time, but given everything, she was sure they'd manage it just fine.

She tilted her head back, more then ready for him to kiss her again, her eyes focused on his face. His words, however, along with the tickling sensation of his breath across her lips, made her smile brightly up at him. She shivered a little, at the way he drew her into the kiss, a good shiver, and she let her eyes fall closed again, losing herself in the sensation of their lips.

Pao
He willingly got lost in the taste of her and the feel of her lips against his, the sensations causing the world to melt away so his only focus was her. His hands didn't stay still for very long either, though he did his best to be mindful about where they wandered.

Aria
She gave a little sigh into the kiss and, to prevent her own hands from wandering where they might cause problems, she slipped her fingers into his hair again, caressingly, then let her fingers just run through his hair. The feeling of his hands on her made her shiver and she tried not to think about other ways he could be touching her, but it was a little hard.

Pao
Her fingers in his hair caused him to shiver in turn, as it always did, and it made his kisses a little more desperate, made him want her that much more. It was enough to give him pause when they next had to take a breath, his particularly unsteady. He shook his head though, after a moment.

"Not yet..." he whispered, eyes closed. Whether she felt okay to continue he wasn't sure, so he left it up to her this time.
Aria

She had noticed how that was a definite spot for him, and it made her wonder if she needed to do that less often. She wasn't sure where else to put her hands, though, so she had to think about that. But she filed away the knowledge that he liked it that much for later.

When he shook his head, she thought it meant stop, until he spoke. She considered, then whispered "Tell me when, then." And pulled him in for another kiss, slow and loving.

Pao
He smiled, briefly, when she kissed him again, quickly falling into the moment with her all over again. The understanding and support she gave him with this was nothing short of unbelievable to him, and it made him love her all the more for it.

Aria
She held onto him, one arm around his shoulders, the other positioned now so that her hand was cupping his cheek as they kissed. She tried not to get too lost into it, because she didn't want to forget to pay attention.

Pao
It was always in the back of his mind, watching for the warning signs that resounded through the rest of his body whenever he got too close to that line, but today...

He was dangerously close and he knew it but it didn't keep him from returning her kisses. Not even a little.

Aria
She finally broke the kiss, because she was getting to a point where she'd need to find some privacy for a bit, if they didn't stop, and she leaned back, her head resting on his shoulder, taking slow and deep breaths to calm herself. It was hard sometimes to control the urge to just push him gently back onto the bed and start something... But she would not.

Pao
When she broke the kiss this time he took a breath, eyes closed as he tried to calm down as well. He wrapped both arms around her, happy to stick to cuddling given it seemed they had both hit that metaphoric ceiling.

"Sorry," he said quietly after a long moment. "Maybe should've called it sooner."

Aria
"S'okay. Just didn't want to get so far I lost sight of what's important or anything." She wouldn't, and she hoped he knew she wouldn't, by it was an easier way to say it then 'if we didn't stop, I'd need to go find a private place asap' because he didn't need that right now. For him, she'd use every bit of that willpower and determination that had kept her alive all those years of hell to keep herself from hurting him.

Pao
Rhys gave a little smile at her words, knowing full well that she always did her best to keep from hurting him. The guilt still sent a little pang through his chest because he knew he tested her limits with this, but not wanting to worry her over this again he didn't say anything about it. Instead he just held her, savoring their closeness.

"What was your safe word again?" he asked, smile turning a little playful. "Maybe we should start using one for this, at least until we get past it."

Aria
She smiled up at him, lovingly, then began to laugh at his words. "Are you serious? If so, the answer is I chose the word mango, but it's not like I don't feel safe. That's the thing, isn't it? I feel so very safe with you, and so happy and good and in the end, I want you to feel just the same." She shrugged and said "But if you think having a keyword will help, then we will do that."

Pao
He laughed alongside her, eyes full of joy as he looked down at her. "I was kidding," he replied, grinning before leaning down for a little kiss. "I feel safe, too, with you. Always." He watched her for a moment, curious and considering.

"Other than never getting started though, not sure how to make stopping less...challenging, I guess is a good word."

Aria
"Good. I want you to feel safe. You deserve it, love." She gave his cheek a loving kiss and hugged him tight. "I don't know what we can do other than this, but... We're all moved in together. Maybe we should start scheduling regular test days? Via massage, I think, to get you slowly used to it?" She paused, then added "I managed to find some books in the library, and other than professional counseling, the only good option I saw was exposure, basically, over time."

Pao
He hugged her tight as well, for a moment, and nodded. The idea of regular test days intrigues him, and he loosened his grip and looked down at her again, smile gone lopsided. "Yeah, I kinda got the same results with my little bit of research. It sounds fun and stressful at the same time."

He huffed, a mix of amusement and worry. "Making it a regular thing is probably the best thing for it though, so let's do that. Could even start now, work on a schedule later?" The brunette waggled his brows at her, smile once again playful.

Aria
She couldn't help laughing at his response and shook her head. "After dinner. I'll make us something good to eat, and then we can come back here. We should get some old towels or sheets we don't care about and use them to protect the bed in the future. But you should get the oil out. I don't know where you put it when you unpacked."

Pao
He chuckled and nodded, settling for a kiss on her cheek for now. "Okay, dinner first," he conceded, then looked up toward the desk. "I dropped it on the desk when I unpacked, might have gotten whisked in with your bag of lady stuff into the bottom drawer?"

Aria
She blinked and nodded. "I'll check, then, when we get up." She found his term for the items amusing, but she didn't comment, since it worked fine. In the the meantime, it was a little early for dinner. "So what do you want to do now, since we don't want to cross lines?"

Pao
"Movie?" he eventually answered after giving it some thought. "Or Jenga...strip Jenga?" There was a little pause there as he turned a thought around for a moment. "We could also try maybe making those 'tests' games? I dunno, like maybe using Twister or something?"

Aria
She considered his words, thoughtfully, and tapped her fingers in his shoulder a little as she pondered the options. Finally she addressed his last suggestion first. "We could do that, though maybe Twister should be for farther down the testing phases? That gets pretty high contact, and I'm not sure how we'd spin the wheel eventually, but we could do it." She kissed his cheek again, eyes distant, then she grinned. "I can go for the jenga, strip or otherwise. Whichever you prefer, my love."

Pao
"Later works for Twister," he replied, expression still thoughtful. "For right now...you pick, baby. Whatever version of Jenga." He leaned in again for a kiss but stopped short; given their position he had a feeling he would get too into it again, and the goal was to not cross any lines, after all.

Aria
She slipped off his lap, and then leaned to complete the kiss. "I'll go get the jenga set from the lounge. We should get some games of our own at some point, if we're gonna do that, though, so we don't have to worry about borrowing them... And can have them for home too." She straightened up and stretched, then added "I'll figure out which version before I get back." And she sauntered out the door, tossing a warm smile over her shoulder at him.