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Aria -
Seren was setting up the bed with some old towels she'd rescued from a rag bag, because tonight was going to be a test night. They'd made some progress, and she was curious how far Rhys would be able to push things tonight... She really looked forwards to the day that she could do things like grab his a**, and not worry he'll freak out, or even other things.
In the meantime, however, they would work together on these tests, and it would come as it did. She had gone down to the Life Labs and gotten a new bottle of massage oil, in exchange for some cookies. This was a blend... It had Ylang-Ylang, Vetiver, Rose, and Bergamot, all of which supposedly helped with calming. She'd extracted a promise that this was not at all tampered with, the only additive was the base to dilute the essential oils. She had even managed to get a small candle and a warming dish set up, to pour some in to help spread the scent.
Pao -
He was honestly a little nervous, though he hoped it didn't show too much on his face. They'd tried and tested and pushed that boundary bit by bit, but this was the first time they would outright test the issue again on its own. He slipped into their room, toweling off his hair as he eyed his girlfriend as she set things up.
It smelled crazy good in there, so he smiled softly in her direction.
"Did you go off on leave to buy some new oils or something?" he asked while approaching, careful to adjust the towel around his waist so it didn't slip down too far. Not that he had anything to hide, but tonight wasn't about that at all. "Smells good, babe."
Aria -
She looked up when he spoke, having been lost in thought. She blinked, and laughed. "No, love. I used some of my skills to bargain for it from someone over at Life. I made cookies, they made me an oil blend, and got me the candle and warming dish." She gave him a warm look, her eyes filled with love and comfort. She had changed into a simple pair of old leggings, and an old shirt, so if she got oil stains on anything, she wouldn't care.
"You ready, though? Or you want a few minutes of like... pre-massage cuddles?" She was happy to do whatever she needed to, if it would help him relax more. The more relaxed he was, the easier she thought it might be for him. She couldn't relax him in certain ways, but she would do the things she COULD do. She stood up and walked over to him, her eyes focused on his face so that she could be sure of his responses.
Pao -
At her answer he could only make an 'o' shape with his mouth, not at all surprised that someone was willing to trade something for her cooking of some kind. "Good use of skills," he chuckled, arms soon slipping around her as she moved to stand just in front of him, and he locked his hands together.
"Think I'm about as ready as I'll ever be until this gets cleared up," he said softly, eyes focused on her face as well. "My gorgeous lover is gonna be giving me a full on massage. You'd think I'd be more at ease, huh?"
Aria -
"Figured it was worth it. It smells nice, and these are all scents that are supposed to promote relaxation or calming." She smiled up at him when he wrapped his arms slipped around her, and leaned up to give him a gentle kiss, full of love and support for her handsome man. Her hands lifted to hold his face gently.
"Mmm I agree that most might think it would be logical, but most people are not me, nor you." She caressed his cheeks, lovingly, her eyes soft. "I, on the other hand, expect you only to tell me true if you are having issues, darling." She kept her hands on his face, and began to back up slowly, gently trying to guide him to their bed.
Pao -
He smiled, her touch giving him warmth and comfort. "It's kinda working, the relaxation and calming part," he grinned, oh so tempted to lean down for a kiss but fighting down the urge for the sake of hopefully overcoming this one last physical obstacle. "Only kinda, though. You're doin' most of the heavy lifting..."
He stopped moving when they were right at the edge of the bed, smile going lopsided at her request. Still, he nodded. "I know, I will. Don't worry..." Finally he leaned down for a little kiss because he suddenly felt like he needed a little added comfort. "With any luck I'll be over this bullshit and you won't have any off-limit spots to worry about..."
Aria -
"Every little bit that helps you relax matters, babe." She grinned back up at him, amusement and adoration equally visible in her blue eyes. She studied him for a long moment, and then said "I'm doing the physical labor, but... well. I won't argue. You will be doing your own lifting, though."
She slid her thumb to caress his lip softly when his smile got lopsided, her expression going soft with her concern. "I know you will, love. I trust you, because it's for both of us." She kissed him back, and then gently dropped her hands, moving out of the way so that he could get on the bed. "If not tonight, then soon. You're progressing every day, love." She said, genuine warmth and support in her words and voice.
Pao -
He always appreciated the way she softly, very quietly yet still so strongly supported him without fail at times like this, and his love for her shined in his eyes as he watched her step aside. "Little by little, huh?" he confirmed with a little nod as he finally slipped out of his towel and got on the bed.
Despite the way he agreed and all, though, he still felt the nerves spike as he lay down on his stomach, arms folded and tucked under his chin once he got himself in a comfortable spot. "Still, would be great if we got this outta the way tonight, right?"
Aria -
"Little by little, yeah." She watched him get comfortable, and smiled. "It would be. If we don't, though, it's not a failure. It's just another step on the way to success." She considered him for a long moment, admiring how, even when nervous and stressed and worried, beautiful her lover was.
After a moment, she leaned down, kissed his forehead lovingly, then moved to gently straddle his back. "All right... we can do this, love." She leaned over and poured some of the oil into her hands, and rubbed them together to warm it and coat her fingers properly, then leaned forwards to begin massaging his upper back in slow, comforting motions.
Pao -
The kiss helped to sooth him, bringing the smallest of smiles to his lips. He shivered then, when she straddled him, if only because of the point of contact between their bodies. "We can, I know," he whispered, eyes closing and a quiet sigh escaping him when she finally got started.
Her touch spread warmth through the whole of his body despite only being focused on his upper back. It was a good start as he already started relaxing, almost melting under her hands. "So pretty soon this kinda thing's gonna be more foreplay than 'exam day' for us, huh?" he chuckled.
Aria -
She smiled softly at his whisper, pleased at how confident he sounded. Her fingers began to work down, pausing at a knot she found. She focused on that, working it out carefully, her expression one of concentration, though not her special concentration face. When she got it out, she gave a pleased 'ahhh...', always happy to help him get his muscles to relax.
His question had her brows lifting, and a smile slipping onto her face. "Certainly some of the time, love..." She murmured, her expression happy at that thought. His comment about it being soon once again had her feeling pleased in his confidence in them getting there soon. "And also just to help each other relax after a hard workout, without worries. It'll be that too."
Pao -
The only reason he had any level of confidence at all was because she was with him, working with him, never rushing him...always supportive. Even if this didn't work out he knew she would still be there. That she'd still love him and keep working with him to finally get him over this last hurdle.
He continued to relax further, muscles responding as ever to the way she kneaded out the knots. Occasionally he would sigh or give a quiet little groan--nothing like when he was eating, though, but just enough that she'd be able to hear it as she worked on his back. "That, too," he eventually replied, glimpsing her from over his shoulder, out the corner of his eye.
Aria -
She smiled at him, and then continued to work her way down. She was calm, and gentle, and as thorough as she could be when it came to finding the knots and tense spots on his back... This might be a test, but it did not mean she was going to neglect the fact that it was also a massage. He deserved better than that, after all.
As she got lower, her attention split a little, between what she was doing, and how he was reacting. Her focus was most divided when she reached the place that was the farthest she'd ever gotten to until this point. She was prepared to pull back at need, but her eyes were filled with hope, for him, that this time... This time they'd make it.
Pao -
He relaxed and felt more or less like puddy under her with the way she gently but still firmly worked out all the tension in his muscles, the various knots and little kinks going away one by one. The lower she got, though, the shallower his breathing got. Not too shallow, but it was clear that the nerves were gradually starting to come back.
Still, she got to their farthest point so far and he didn't feel that prickling that he normally felt. Nor did he feel like his head was about to explode. Nor did any memories start trickling through as they usually did. If anything he just tensed a bit the further down she went, but there was no flinching or trembling…
Aria -
Her brows rose hopefully as he did not seem to be having as many negative responses as usual. The shallow breathing, and the hint of tension was to be expected, he was almost certainly nervous and feeling internal stress over the possibility of things going badly again, but he wasn't showing any of the serious signs of stress he'd had in the past.
She considered, and her hands gently drifted lower as they worked, brushing where his waist and the curve of his fine a** met, her brows lifted quite high. Would this be too much? Or would he be able to handle it?
Pao -
The breathing stayed shallow, even upped in pace a bit, and he tensed just a little bit more as she worked her way down, but again nothing too serious. There were no overwhelming memories starting to take over...it was like his sense memory had gradually shifted to focusing on her rather than on his past. Slowly but surely, the more time they spent together...and incidentally how much more intimate their relationship had gotten since the first time this issue came up.
He wasn't really sure what to say at that point, though, when he finally took a deep and calming breath so he could better assess the situation for himself. It was hard to wrap his head around, that maybe, just maybe, he was finally...officially...past that part of his life.
Aria -
She wasn't sure if she should let her hands keep working their way down. She was very tempted, but unless and until he gave her the go-ahead, even now she played by the 'his body, his rules' game. She wanted him to always feel safe and comfortable with her. The best way to always assure that was to have him make the decisions.
She also wondered if this would run true for his front, too. If she could get this far on his back, where the worst violations happened, would she be able to... go all the way, with touching, on the front? She hoped so, she really did.
Pao -
He'd been lost in his own thoughts for a moment, but when he finally came to he glanced over his shoulder and blinked at his lover, the love of his life...the woman who helped him become as strong as he was now because of her love and her support.
"I'm still fine, baby," he murmured, his love and adoration for her very clear in his eyes. "A little tense, maybe, but I'm alright..."
Aria -
"Should I keep going? See how far I can go?" She asked, her eyes filled with equal love and adoration. No matter how fine he was, he had to decide if she should do this.
Pao -
He chuckled, amused and appreciative of the fact that she still asked despite him saying that he was still feeling alright. "Yeah," he chuckled, smiling at her from over his shoulder. "Take our best shot while we're at it..."
Aria -
She smiled at him, bright and loving and full of her admiration for his strength in working on this. "Your body, your rules, always, love." She said, firmly, and then began to massage lower, her eyes slightly wide as her hands began to touch places she had been avoiding out of worry for him.
Part of her was very excited. Part of her worried.
Pao -
The brunette couldn't help but chuckle as he settled his chin on his arms again when she got started moving down even further. The sensations were new and different and welcome, for once, and while he was still a little bit tense he felt more and more confident in believing that he was finally free of that past.
Finally.
Aria -
She shivered some in her excitement, though it wasn't that kind of shiver, or excitement. It was purely from her joy for him that they had conquered this, and he really did seem to be ok with her touching him in this most risky of ways... for him.
Her hands kept massaging, kept working, until they got to the very bottom of the curve, and his upper thighs... and almost to where she had been able to reach when she massaged his legs.
Pao -
When she finally made it to his legs he had his face down, excitement and just a general feeling of being overwhelmed by the realization settling in, permanently. There weren't any tears or trembling from the joy or anything like that, but he kept his head down mostly to keep that under control.
"Made it," he murmured to himself, so very tempted to sit up and pull her into his arms. Not to start anything, but more to really thank her and to express his love and his joy for her being there with him the entire time. Because that made all the difference in the world to him.
Aria -
"Yes, you did. I knew you could do it, baby. I knew you were this strong." She said, as she carefully slipped off of him, and pondered testing the front later... Right now, she was just too caught up in her joy to consider doing it now. Instead, she used a spare towel to wipe her hands off.
Once her hands were clean, she moved to where she could face him, and waited until he looked up again. Once he did, she leaned down and gave him a warm kiss full of her love and happiness, her hands sliding to hold his cheeks.
Pao -
He kissed her back, a hand reaching up to rest on one of hers as they lingered like that for a moment. Once he broke the kiss, all smiles, he pulled away from her touch and moved to sit up, stretching a little bit to really feel the extent of her work. "Couldn't have done it without you, love," he said when he finally settled down, hands reaching for hers so he could tug her closer to him.
He brought her hands to his lips, lavishing them with kisses for a moment before his eyes met hers again, love and gratitude shining in his. "So thank you...for everything, I mean that."
Aria -
She gave him a bright smile for his first words, always happy to know she was able to help him, and the idea that she was uniquely able to do so was amazing and wonderful. She let him pull her close, sliding up onto the bed to settle on it, facing him with her eyes focused on his, glittering brightly with love for her handsome boyfriend.
The kisses made her shiver all over, and her cheeks go pink at the way he always seemed to find different ways to make her feel good. "You are, as ever, welcome, Rhys. I love you, and will do everything I can for you."
Pao -
Her words touched him though he'd heard them said in similar fashion so many times already...but he could never get tired of hearing her say them. "Love you, too," he replied, softly as he leaned in for a real kiss, long and slow and loving as he tried to express exactly how he felt about her through the kiss.
It was a while before he pulled away for more than just a little bit of air, still bordering on breathless as he asked in a teasing tone, "Now we do the front or...?"
Aria -
She smiled, and then kissed him back, her fingers twined with his, gripping just a little as she lost herself into the kiss, and how it made her feel. She tried to return the emotions, too, so he could feel how much love and happiness she held inside of her for him, and how good he always made her feel, too.
She was catching her breath, and then his words made her brows go up, and she studied him, then said in a warm voice "You wanna?"
Pao -
He blinked at her question at first, his thumb caressing the backs of her hands as he nodded, slowly. "Tonight seems like a good night to keep pushing the limit," he eventually said, moving in for a quick little kiss. "Unless you don't want to?"
Aria -
"With you? Of course I want to." She laughed softly at his question, in a way that sounded as if she could not believe he had to ask. "I want to, and have done, for some time... If you can do this..." Her eyes glittered a little behind her glasses. "Well... I am probably almost as eager as you for this barrier to be gone."
Pao -
"We're probably about on the same page for that reason," he chuckled, giving her hands gentle little squeezes as he spoke. "But I guess I'm more eager for it to just be gone, period." He noted the way her eyes shined and couldn't help but smile lovingly at her. "We can give it a shot...and I'm sorry you had to wait so long. I know you said you were fine, but...y'know what I mean, right?"
Aria -
She pulled him carefully towards her as he spoke, her lips curved in a bright, loving smile. "Babe, I'm pretty sure you've apologized a hundred times, and I know you do it cause you love me and you feel guilty that I wait. But as I've said before... I love you, and it's worth the wait. When we finally were able to..." She considered her word choices for a moment, then decided on the gentlest euphemism. "Make love, it was worth it. This will be, too, even if it doesn't come today."
Pao -
He moved toward her, happily following her lead, a smile small on his face as she spoke and he nodded along. "Love you, too. And it was worth it," he echoed, her choice of phrase brightening his expression quite a bit. Of all the options available, he was glad she picked that one to describe their first time together.
"We can hope for today, though?" he added after a beat, wondering how she wanted to do this given the way they were sitting.
Aria -
She shifted onto her knees, and leaned in to kiss him, softly and slowly, her eyes closing for a long moment. Her hands slowly dropped from his, and she broke the kiss to murmur "We can always hope for today..." before recapturing his lips. Her fingers worked their way slowly, caressingly, down his chest, letting him decide when or even if he needed to interrupt things.
Pao -
He couldn't help but smile at that, happy to just get lost in the kiss that followed, as well as the way her touch trailed down his chest. Interrupting her was the furthest thing from his mind at that point, and to urge her along he brought a hand up to her cheek before parting his lips against hers.
Aria -
She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying how his hand felt against her face, as her fingers continued, lower and lower. She took the invitation his parted lips presented, and gently slid her tongue along his lip, and into his mouth, shivering a little in anticipation and hope.
When her fingers brushed his waist, she broke the kiss again, and gently pulled her head back, tilting her neck so that she could watch, see how far they managed to get together.
Pao -
He circled her tongue with his own as she slipped hers inside his mouth, trying his best to focus on the sensations her kiss brought along as her hand trekked along, further down. When she broke the kiss he just watched her curiously, taking deep calming breaths. His cheeks were warm, flushed a very visible shade of pink as he looked on at his beautiful girlfriend.
Aria -
She glanced up, and gave him a bright smile, enjoying the way his cheeks were tinged right now. It was a lovely look on her beautiful, wonderful man, and she reveled in it whenever she got to see it. She leaned up and kissed his cheeks, once each, before refocusing on what she was doing. Her hand kept going, and when it finally reached its destination, it was trembling a little, again, because this... was quite the breakthrough for him.
Pao -
Her kisses only served to warm his cheeks all the more, and he reached over to caress one of her cheeks lovingly as she turned her attention away from his face and back to the task at hand. He had tensed quite a bit but, much like earlier, no traumatic memories came floating abruptly to the surface as she continued to travel down...
His breath eventually caught when she held him there for the first time, the sensation new but definitely more than welcome. Gently he rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed as he reveled in the new way she was making him feel.
Aria -
Her eyes lifted to gaze up at him, her lips curled up into a bright smile. She saw the way his eyes were closed, and her smile softened, glad to see he was allowing himself to just enjoy this moment. After a minute or so, she whispered "And now we are fully free to explore all the things we couldn't before..." before pulling him into another kiss.
Later, she lay besides him, the sheets tangled a bit around them, her smile once again bright, feeling sated, and full of joy. This had been almost as wonderful, in her mind, as their first time together, and now the restrictions were lifted... well, she had plans to show him all the things he might want to learn. For now... She simply whispered "I love you, Rhys."
Pao -
He had his eyes closed when her words filled the brief silence after, and he smiled rather brightly as he turned his head to face her. "Love you, too, Seren," he murmured, that smile getting just a little bit wider as he admired her for a longs second, once again feeling like the luckiest man in the world.
He was feeling particularly drained this time around though, so after that second was over he lay back again, head sinking into the pillow as his eyes drifted closed. Still, he searched out her hand and took hold of it as he lay there, just to keep that contact there, however small. "Did we do somethin' different this time?" he asked, brows furrowing. "Kinda tired, more than usual..."
Aria -
She blushed at his admiring expression, because it always felt good to know the love of her life thought her beautiful. She admired him in turn, taking in the details of how he looked in this moment, the traces of sweat that in no way detracted from him, and the way his hair was messed up, in that classic 'sexy bedhead' sort of way.
His words had her brows lifting, as her fingers twined in his, mildly concerned. "Maybe... it was just because you were nervous and a bit stressed during the massage, so that even though you were relaxed by it, you still had a lot of energy running because of the sustained nerves?" Her hand gently squeezed his. "And then we succeeded, and then.. well, yes... and between all of that, it was probably a large energy release?"
Pao -
He listened and nodded lightly at the offered explanation. "Makes sense," he murmured again, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in return, caressing the back of it with his thumb as he took a few deep breaths. "Or you're just really good at tiring me out in the best way possible."
Rhys gave a little chuckle as he looked over at her again, eyes teasing and a bit playful. A look which quickly turned into a loving gaze the longer he watched her. And then he squinted for all of a second as a thought came to him.
Aria -
She laughed softly and lifted their joined hands so she could kiss the back of his lovingly. "Or a combination of both, perhaps. Either way, you will sleep well tonight, I should hope?" She said, lightly teasing in that loving way she did with him, her eyes bright as she focused on him.
Seren lay there, watching him and enjoying the way he looked at her, every time. It made her feel warm and comfortable, and she gazed back, love shining out from her own expression. The squint, however, had her tilting her head, her lips turning into a slight frown of concern and confusion. "What's up, babe?"
Pao -
"Hm?" he blinked, the concern in her expression confusing him for a second. "Oh, nothing. Not...really, anyway?" Gently he pulled her hand over to his side, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand in turn. "Was just thinking. 'Rhys' is a nickname of mine, but I've always just called you Seren."
It wasn't a huge deal, learning a nickname of hers. Half the time he didn't even use her name, but it was just something that randomly came to him.
Aria -
She blinked, and gave a soft smile at the kiss to her hand, before sliding closer, wanting to be against him. His words made her blink some more, curiously, then she said "Well... I mean, I... did have some. Mostly things Dai called me, when we were young. Other then that... I mean, Seren isn't exactly a long name to begin with?"
She paused, then said "The main one was Star, really. Sometimes, when he was really little, he'd call me Reni. The... only other one was something my exes called me, Sera, so... yeah." Which was awkward but he wanted to know.
Pao -
As she slid over he let her hand go in favor of wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and softly kissing her forehead once she was resting against him. "Gotcha." His smile faltered for a second when she mentioned her exes--he thought it was pretty awkward, too, but he was the one who asked in the first place.
"It isn't a long name," he went on after a beat, "kinda just noticed, is all."
Aria -
Seren cuddled into Rhys, her arms sliding around him. Part of her found herself thinking how nice it was that they did not have to sleep in a more dressed state, because they didn't have to worry about her accidentally touching him wrong while out like a light. Her hands slid to rest on his back, having a moment of reveling in the freedom to do so.
She did notice the way his smile faltered but... Well, it was what it was. "If you want to call me a nickname, I don't mind, so long as it's nice." She said, the last bit in a silly-teasing tone, since she knew he would never use an unkind name for her.
Pao -
He paused for a moment, the feel of her hand on his back still somehow a new sensation, and one that he found he rather enjoyed so it curled the corners of his lips up into a smile.
"Careful what you wish for," he chuckled, "Google has a lot of weird nicknames couples use for each other." Not that he'd ever actually done that search, but Google had everything so he didn't doubt that it could find him a list of the cheesiest couple nicknames known to man.
Aria -
She watched his face as her hands settled, her eyes curious as to his responses. The smile, however, had her relaxing fully and she lay there against her man, calm and full of quiet happiness.
His comment had her brows lifting up very high. "I did say nice, my dear. Cheesy, weird, etc... Not nice. Nice is a key word in this discussion." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "And besides, on the level of couple nicknames, we already have 'babe' and 'baby'."
Pao -
He laughed, soft and light, as she corrected him, curiously enough with a kiss that he more than welcome. He even added a few little kisses of his own before she could pull back too far, just as a show of his agreement. "And 'love' and 'lover'," he added to her little list. Their little list.
"Like I said, I just noticed, baby. And I was mostly kidding about the nicknames. Other than your name and the nicknames we already use I don't think I'd wanna call you anything else."
Aria -
She enjoyed each little kiss, her smile bright, and then said "And on occasion, I call you my dear or darling, yeah." Her fingers were idly caressing his back as they talked, because for the first time since they became even a confused and uncertain things, she was free to just touch him, so she let herself do so without thinking about it.
She chuckled softly and nodded. "I'm fine with what we have, too. If something came about naturally, then that's fine, but beyond that, I'm not going to seek out nicknames." A momentary expression of memory crossed her face, as she remembered the first time he called her babe, and how good it had felt.
Pao -
Her caresses didn't go unnoticed, of course, and he in turn reached up to run his fingers gentle through her hair, brushing aside any loose locks or strands in the process. "Oh, and sometimes we go with 'gorgeous' or 'beautiful'," he piled on, smile soft. "And you sometimes call me a goof."
He chuckled at that before noting the subtle change in her expression, however brief. It made him a little curious but he didn't ask, figuring she would share if she was in a sharing mood.
Aria -
She laughed gently, her eyes crinkled in the corners from her mirth. "All good names, yes." She sighed softly at his handling her hair, a smile on her face, happy to be here in this wonderful moment of peace and love with him. "And goof has been something I can call you from unexpectedly early on."
She saw the curiousness in his face, and tilted her head. "Something on your mind, babe?" She asked, interested.
Pao -
His hand eventually left her hair and moved to rest on her cheek, settling there and softly caressing even as she tilted her head. "Just wondering what you were thinking about a second ago," he replied. "You had a different look on your face that made me wonder."
Aria -
She tilted her head to kiss Rhys' palm for a moment, then turned her eyes back to face him. She blinked, pondering, then smiled as she realized what had probably caused that. "Yeah. I had a moment of remembering the first time I ever heard you call me babe... It felt hella good, to be honest."
Pao -
The kiss sent a little shiver up his arm, and her words widened his smile just a bit as he thought back to that moment. "Came naturally," he murmured, leaning in for a brief but still very loving kiss. "Felt right as soon as I said it."
Aria -
She kissed him back, her cheeks getting that ting of pink that only he ever managed to trigger in her, though sometimes he did it without even being there or actually doing anything to cause it. She sighed happily, though, at his words. "It felt right to hear you say it, and you surprised me with it, in a very good way."
Pao -
He grinned at that. "We've come pretty far since then," he thought, "still cuddled up like this but..." He gestured at their lack of clothes in contrast to that night of cuddling and movies. And pajeon. Which he hadn't had in a while, he just realized though didn't feel the need to comment about.
"Oh, and as for that list...I think I've called you 'sexy' at least once or twice."
Aria -
She chuckled softly and nodded, amused and happy. "Such a comparatively short time, but such distance we've come, yes." She was controlling the urge to be naughty again, for the time being, but it was tempting... After all, they'd had a major success tonight, and it seemed an achievement worthy of much celebration.
"Mmm so you have. I think I have called you sexy as well." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "Because you are very sexy."
Pao -
He kissed her back, smiling at her words as she pulled away. He followed after her and caught her lips again and gently brought her back to him as he lay back, because tonight was a major success and he didn't think he needed to fight down any kind of urges so they could celebrate as much as they both wanted.
Aria -
She smiled and more then happily let him pull her in. She kissed him, soft and slow, her eyes glittering with her love for him. After a long kiss, she began to kiss her way down him, because she had been wanting to return the... favor from their first night. She loved that she finally had the chance to do so.
Pao -
He watched her slowly make her way down, smile soft and loving as he slowly came to realize what she was doing. Her kisses sent a pleasant thrill down his spine and naturally led to so much more.
It was quite a bit later that he was leaning over the bed and making a grab for the sheets. He bundled her up first, lips curling into the most loving of smiles when he caught her eye. "Still okay, baby?" he asked softly, leaning down for a kiss.
Aria -
She smiled sweetly at the way he, once again, showed his loving care for her. She kissed him back, using it to give him a silent answer in the kiss, at first, then when she broke it, she murmured up at him "Why on earth would I not be, love of my life?" She pulled him against her, wanting to just hold him close again.
Tonight was almost as wonderful as their first time together, and she, once again, wanted to have him as close as possible as much as possible.
Pao -
He chuckled as she pulled him close, carefully getting himself settled beside her before pulling the sheets to loosely cover him as well. "Love of my life," he murmured as he cuddled in as close as was comfortable for the both of them, gently pressing a kiss to her head. Tonight did, indeed, remind him of their first night...and it was practically on par with how great that night had been for them.
"Just checkin', mostly, if you're a little too tired or something' like that." Though it wasn't like they'd done anything insane so it a lot of it was just his natural pull to being concerned about her. "You're not hungry or anything? I can make us a little something if you want."
Aria -
She cuddled in close, and smiled at his words, chuckling at how he said that. "Good to know." It was so nice to lay here in his arms, where she belonged every night. She watched him settle, just enjoying the sight of him. He was so lovely, in so many ways, and most of them invisible to the eye who did not seek them out. She was so glad he gave her the chance to do so.
His comment made her lips curve up into a slight smile. "Beloved, I think it would take a lot more than that to truly wear me out... You have me working out far harder at the gym." Her tone was loving, and slightly teasing, but not judging. After all, this was supposed to be enjoyed, not something that would make her tired or physically achey. "But food would be lovely, darling..."
Pao -
He couldn't disagree with that, thinking a moment on the various workout regimens he's put her on since they first met and she asked him to help her out in the gym. "Fair point," he grinned, finding her tone adorable and leaning down to give her a little kiss on the cheek for it. "Speaking of, we gotta change things up a little to adjust for the changes in Diwata."
He kissed her again and mentally readied himself to get up and dressed so he could go get them some food. "What'd you wanna eat, love?"
Aria -
She kissed him on the lips, softly, then nodded. "Yeah, probably a good plan. Holy hell, do you think she'll keep getting bigger as I learn and grow as a hunter, babe?" She said, sounding mildly interested and also mildly concerned. "The idea of her getting bigger is a touch intimidating, to be honest." She shook her head, and sighs softly.
She blinked at the question, and got lost in thought for a long moment. "Mmm something sweet? Not sure what, honestly. I mean... I'd love ice cream, but I know we don't have that option, so I have no idea."
Pao -
"Not impossible," he did his best to sound reassuring while still being honest. "I mean, would make a lot of sense if she suddenly shrank after you ranked up." He kissed her again, soft and comforting before settling back again. "You'll be more than ready when you go full Hunter, though, don't worry too much about it."
He waited, absently caressing her shoulder as he watched her contemplate for a moment. "French toast? Or I could do those silver dollar pancakes again?" he suggested, then blinked. "Or see if there's ice cream in the freezer that I could nick, though not sure that's a great idea. Could turn out like those cookies you accidentally drugged me with." He was teasing, of course, given his tone and his little smile.
Aria -
She kissed him back, and laughed, then sighed. "I suppose. I just wonder how big she will end up being, in the long run. She's already taller than I am, after all." Her hands caressed him, then dropped to the bed between them, to let him go as he liked.
"Mmmm... no, let's not risk the dangers of things we don't know the origins of, that sounds like a terrible plan." She sighed at the mention of the cookies. Despite everything, she still kind of had guilty feelings over them, and having drugged him with them. "French toast, I guess... I can't think of anything better, anyways."
Pao -
His smile softened when she sighed, and before he got up he leaned in for another kiss, sweet and very loving just to reassure her that he'd long since let that go. It was an accident, after all. "French toast, then," he said, finally scooting off of the bed. He grabbed a towel first to clean himself up a little before slipping into some clothes.
"No powdered sugar in the room, so...butter and syrup alright with you?"
Aria -
She kissed him back, glad for the reassurance, and then watched him get up, admiring every inch of him. "Sounds good. I can't wait until we have our own kitchen, so that we can keep things on hand like ice cream and not worry about assholes stealing it or spiking it with something."
She sat up, keeping the sheets wrapped around her so that nothing important was visible, for when he opened the doors, and considered him as he wiped off. "Maybe we should get some of those 'after gym' body wipes, for nights like these." She said, a smile on her face. "And yeah... that sounds fine. Or whipped cream, and fruit, if they have any."
Pao -
"Our own kitchen," he echoed, glancing over at her and smiling as he nodded. "Soon, hopefully. I know the second floor rooms are nicer, maybe it'll have at least a little kitchen set-up, kinda like a breakfast nook?"
He finished getting dressed, considering her words a moment before nodding. "Not sure those'll be at Costco, so maybe Amazon?" he suggested, moving back toward the bed once he got his socks on. "That's a good idea though, baby." With a grin he leaned down to kiss her head before finally heading to the door. "Whipped cream and fruit, I'll see what they've got. I'll be back in a bit."
And with that he was out the door.