Gravity

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Yes.

A voice hissed in delight in the rear of her mind, shiver running down her spine as her lips parted, accepting his tongue as it invaded her mouth. Her fingers dug into the brawn of his arms, and her head went craning back as he tilted her. A half stumble of steps were lost, her back hitting the durasteel locker. It gave a slight clunk, body bouncing a bit but the small crash ignored as every second that passed breathed new life into her. Making her forget doubts. Placing everything in a fuzzy haze that wasn’t Asmus himself.

She felt his free hand drag down her side, hooking against the small of her back, another half stumble. There is the taste of grit and metallic tinge of blood, a tiny cut on the inside of her lower lip that had caught there earlier. This time, it was her hair that seemed to get in the way, catching as her face moved in tune to his kiss, wanting him more.

Not imagination. Real.

Hands would wander, sliding and catching against his shirt, feeling the slick of sweat that lingered on his skin. Another voice told her to stop. The first quenched it. Instead her lips are glued to his, drinking him in, pulling him closer, feeling herself die a little each time, but in a good way. In a way she’d wanted to burn for a long time.

Fingertips traced up over shoulders, felt the shuddered flex of muscle there before gliding higher. By the time they sank into dark waves of the short hair at the nape of his neck, Kaile was lost. Much like the kiss in the corridor, she met him with fervor. Only this time she didn’t hold back.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Her hands slid up to explore his shoulders and neck, allowing him to press his chest to hers. As her arms went up, so did his. From her waist to the small of her back, the flats of his palms pressed to her skin firmly beneath her jacket as they ran up and down. As he loomed over her, she tilted her head back to meet him. Unlike the past his hair didn’t flop all over her. So many times in those four days she had complained half-heartedly over that. Her fingers fisting the back of his hair was another strong connection that leapt out to anchor the present in those most cherished memories.

Lost between the past and present he didn’t even noticed his own hands coming back around under her arms and to her shoulders. He held her against that locker as his fingers pushed into the space between her shoulders and the jacket. He pushed it from her shoulders with a slow, gentle press. But there was nothing tender in the way he then pulled it open and yanked down. No one would pass them by here. They were free to make their own mistakes in private and deal with the aftermath alone.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Every graze of his fingers against her was electric. A soft gasp became caught between them, and her back bowed, arching up against the locker onto his body. She barely registered the sudden jerk and yank of the double breasted jacket. Those last few buttons holding fast went scattering everywhere, bouncing down upon the floor, rolling until they clattered onto their side.

Her tongue rolled into his mouth, a low moan humming along his lips. Squirming, Kaile released the temporary hold she had in his soft hair, arms coming down to her sides as Asmus tugged the jacket down. Anxious, Kaile couldn’t wait, struggling along until her arms were freed from the sleeves, the jacket falling onto the ground with a faint thump. Curves swayed under the thin white undershirt tucked into the waist of her slacks. The warmth of his hands returned to their perch, closing around her waist, drawing up, searching for skin to touch. Tugging at fabric to find it, and skimming over her quivering belly when he finally did.

‘Asmus’… Her mind hissed in approval, or maybe she said it in between frantic kisses, trying to pull him as tight as she could against her. Her own hands dove between his arms, sliding over his flank and onto his back, searching for the hem of his shirt. She needed to touch him, feel him under her hands, let her fingers spread over his skin. They found the edge, curling under, palms coming flat against the heat of his flesh only to draw up.

Everything about the way he felt served to remind Kaile that he’s all man now. She couldn't get enough. Even the defined muscles of the small of his back were mapped under her wandering touch, feeling the noticeable changes from the young man he had been before. From the familiar ridges of old scars, to the slight keloid of new. The further up her hands went, the broader he seemed to be compared to memory...

You are so very beautiful.
Just four days and I’ve never stopped thinking about them.
Make love to me
The first and last time I ever made love to someone
I already am…

Past and present melded into a singular image, and Kaile gave another gasp when he drew her hips up against his, her own rolling in response.

Do you ever find yourself going back to those four days?
Love me, Asmus

Kaile was weak. She was a mess and knew she was likely going to regret this hours from now. But she didn’t care.

Asmus was kissing her. Asmus was touching her. Asmus was fanning the embers that had long since burnt out. Every kiss stoked the flame. Every touch set her on fire. Every hoarse murmur of her name made the moisture squeeze out from the corners of her eyes.

Kaile, my Kaile.

Out of everything, that had not been a lie.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Muscle memory was supposed to take time to build, but his hands recalled the contours of Kaile from across the years. Kissing became sporadic, but Asmus never stopped moving. He was all over her, hands ran across her neck, through her hair. Both slid down, nails gently raking across her exposed back before twisting around. Both hands grabbed her rump and lifted her onto tip toes.

He kissed down the side of her cheek, softly moaning into her ear before giving it a gentle nibble. For Asmus, the point of no return was well behind him. There were no words to express the desire that coursed through his veins. Nothing mattered, no thoughts of the questions that had burned so brightly just minutes ago, just her. Holding her, touching her, soaking her in through every sense.

Hands returned to her waist as the trail of kisses turned down, to find that sensitive zone between shoulder and neck. Lips went down, hands went up. He gathered her arms at the shoulders, up and up his hands went until he clasped her wrists and held them above her head. With his cheek he urged her to tilt her head back to give him access to her neck and throat. Exposed. Her hands were always searching, always charting. With those captured and her eyes closed she could focus on nothing but the feel of his lips kissing and nibbling down to her clavicle and across to the base of her throat.

“Oh Kaile,”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The rasp of his stubble scraped across the delicate skin at the curve of her neck, sending the tiny hairs standing on end. Each frantic, fervored kiss sent goosebumps over her skin. His breath would meld with hers, and Kaile breathed him in, lips curling back in her slow moan of pleasure. Eyes would squint shut, feeling the faint callused slide of his hands drift over her form.

He was everywhere, kissing her over and over, nipping at her skin, marking him as her own. Each possessive run of his hands making her swing faster in that regressive orbit of his blazing sun. Her chest would heave against that thin shirt, and just when she was about to tug his own off, he caught her arms for his own. A half whimper of protest would fall from against his lips.

“Please…” only to groan and tremble as he would pin her arms against the cold metal of the locker.

Never in her life did Kaile feel so vulnerable and excited as she did then. He was stronger than in the past, looming over her. Taller. Stronger. Each desperately trying to find a way to get even closer. Close enough to get under the skin; and it felt so damn good.

Touch me.

As if he could read her mind, his palms went sliding from her wrist, still keeping her in place, but their hands spoke a language of their own. The Lorrdian’s fingers would splay wide open, barely curled as Asmus would drag his larger hands over the shell of her palms. There, their hands would give a half tilt, seeking the sensitive valleys between their fingers. Once found, each would fan those digits close, a fierce grip as if to lock this exact moment in place.

With her hands pinned, everything bloomed into stark contrast, and would evoke images of the past. Weaving that time in the cargo hold with the present. When the flat lave of his tongue and the hot trail of his lips met her clavicle, she couldn’t help but arch her back. Lips traversed further south, prompting another wave of shivering from the Lorrdian.

Every second was a new memory seared into her psyche. The scent of his skin, the heat of his breath, the strength of his arms and more importantly, the sound of his voice as he would sigh out her name. The deep, husky desire filled timbre that would evoke images and emotions Kaile had long since reigned in, held back in a padlocked box in her mind where she had fooled herself into believing it was all a fluke.

But it hadn’t been.

He was the first to ever make me feel like this, the thought alone making Kaile press a half bitten smile against his temple. An act so that he wouldn’t see the giddy nostalgia she wore on her face.

This was living history, he and she. A faded memory that would play in real time.

And it made her unreasonably happy.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Everything was spilling out. Memories that had perhaps faded or lost their colour over time. Everything he absorbed now, every experience, every shade was used to colour those memories in again, returning them to the vivid vibrance they had once held.

The anticipation was almost overwhelming. A sudden surge of yearning as he felt every part of her body react to his touch. He physically ached for her. It was like being between a rock and a hard place. The anticipation was almost stifling, yet his need could not be denied. How did she do this to him? The soft skin under his lips and tongue gave up the scent and taste that was unique to her, seared into his memories. Such an intimate and personal thing to offer up.

Asmus was going to take her, make her his again. Whatever followed after that was whatever it would be. His right hand slid down, fingers leaving white marks in their wake on the inside of her forearm. His hand sped up as his nibbles turned to slow laves of the tongue against her neck. He spared no time for decorum; the floor was already littered with buttons.

He looked up at her, eyes wide open blazed a trail over her skin. The anticipation was as real as the first time they had made love, but now there was an urgency to the passion.

Her arms were finally released to roam as they pleased. Two fingers of his right hand hooked into the front of her pants and tugged forwards. Asmus stood back and up, dragging her with him back towards the small, lone bed. His lips said nothing. His eyes spoke volumes.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Kiss drunk, Kaile’s flushed face was half hidden behind the thick veil of dark hair. His tug brought her to him, crashing against him as they backed up onto that tiny bed. His knees hit the edge just as her hands dove into the thick mop of his hair. More, she wanted more.
There is lust. There is desire. That expression that darkens a lover’s eyes when the heat of passion flares into a stifling blaze and awakens a primal state. Where it is all about the act and the end goal, riding that hedonistic wave until one is lost.

Then there was the expression that swirled within the verdant fathoms of Asmus’ heated gaze. The way they gleamed under the shadows of her tiny room. It wasn’t just lust or desire she saw glittering there. It wasn’t just need, or the ache he felt for her. No, when Asmus turned to look at her, his eyes held the depths of the coming night; and it made her bold.

Kaile half wedged herself between his legs when her hands shoved him down. He bounced on the mattress, Kaile following suit as she then brought one knee to dip against against his right hip. The left soon mirrored the other to his left, straddling him on the bed.

“Off.” her husky voice breathed over his face. What she meant was made clear when her hands fell from his hair and went reaching down to tug at his shirt, until his chiseled chest was exposed in her dark cabin. Another memory, as that white fabric went slipping up and covered his face, leaving only his mouth bare for the taking.

Unable to control herself, hands cupped his swarthy jaw and went tilting his head up, latching her mouth to his, kissing him deep.

 

[Asmus Janes]

A soft murmur died on his lips as she kissed him. What followed was an almost hushed silence. The frenetic pace abated as Asmus immersed himself in the moment. Surely this wasn't real. It couldn't be. He'd wanted this to happen again so much over the last few years, fantasised about it so often. In his darkest moments of desperation he told himself firmly to forget the possibility. Yet this moment, another echo from the past. Did that mean this was a dream?

His body melted beneath her, his hands letting go of the shirt and leaving it flopped over his head. In the wake of that kiss was a broad smile. A soft sigh of contentment followed.

“I remember this,” he whispered as the shirt was finally pulled free, inch by inch. His gaze had softened, but that wonder didn't last as his eyes fell upon her. Her chest flushed, those freckles beneath her neck he had mapped out before. That look in her eyes. She wanted him, needed him. The lull was over.

A deft flick of dextrous fingers as she fell upon him anew and another obstacle was on its way. There was so little space between them; their bodies wouldn't permit it. His hands worked in tight spaces as he drank from the offered well and writhed against her. He pulled Kaile to him with a sharp intake of breath at the range of contact, but it wasn't enough. Hands plunged into the line of those first order garments and squeezed her rear as he moved with her. This couldn't be, but every sense was screaming that it was .

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

I remember this.

He wasn’t the only one who did. Kaile recalled each and every single moment with awakening vibrancy. As if they were stepping right into that waltz like before. Lashes fluttered and she shut her eyes. Kaile let her remaining senses take control. The sound of his breath sawed from his chest, matching the quickening of her own. His musk and the growing temperature of their tangled bodies evoking her own.

In turn, he would feast upon her, savoring as the scruff of his jaw would scrape against her in an intoxicating contrast. The softness of his lips. The warmth of his mouth. The rasp of the soft bristles he then would soothe. It was such a new experience compared to the smoothness of his jaw he had before.

“Asmus,” the throaty sigh moaned out his name again. A supplication as well as a demand. Her arms went looping around his shoulders. One hand went raking white lines across his back, the other diving into his hair. They curled anew against those soft locks, guiding the heat of his mouth to her throat. He drank her in, tasted the salt of her flesh with urgent reverence. It was her hair this time that showered around them. A dark veil in mimic of what had once been his years ago. A way, perhaps, to hide them from the ‘verse and whatever judgement lay therein.

More. Kaile wanted more. Craved more. Wanted to feel the full range of his body against hers. To have him as close to her as possible until they were at that place again. That tiny space in time where neither knew where one began and the other ended. To be his, even for a few hours. To saturate his scent on her skin, her hair, in every nook and cranny so she could never forget -- ever.

And keep it safe. Where Kaile could keep him without fear of what consequences would follow.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“I…need you…” he murmured as he charted her skin with his mouth. His lips were trembling as as breathed hard. Goosebumps appeared across her as he rapidly breathed over glistening skin.

This can't be real, the thought struck him again. This was a song and a dance for two and this time they weren't slowly building towards the crescendo. There was an urgency as if perhaps neither could believe this was the truth and wanted to get to that place where they could meld into one before the lucid, visceral dream escaped them.

Anticipation was almost unbearable. It was akin to those times when one reached the precipice of bliss, hypersensitive to the touch. Somewhere between pleasure and pain, needing to stop but being unable to until needs had been sated. It wasn't that though, this wasn't any of the times that had come before or after Kaile. He wanted her, all of her, all she could give. He wanted to lie beside her, spent, and let her doodle across his chest as he watched her slowly drift to sleep. His heart ached so much. It couldn't be real.

His intention was made quite clear a moment later. A soft growl, full of intent, escaped his lips as he shifted position and let his hands convey the message. His head fell back, shaking away the torrent of hair the draped across him, as he looked for eye contact once more.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

I need you.

”Oh stars!” she murmured in a strangled voice, mouth moving in a soft ‘o’. There was no hiding what he did to her. Already she was lost.

Looming over him, her brown eyes open into half glittering slits, watching him watch her. Dark gold flecked green eyes that seemed to watch her as if she’d fade away in an instant. He didn’t take his eyes off of her, making her feel as if he was feasting on every inch of her body. It didn't matter the subtle softening of curves that the years had given her. Or that there were new scars along with the tiny bittersweet marks of a distant past.

When Asmus looked at her as if she were his every fantasy come to life and more, Kaile forgot to breathe. His face was as flushed as hers, all angles and high cheekbones. She stared into the familiar eyes of a stranger, a version of Asmus she had yet to know, and for a moment, Kaile was briefly washed in peace.

Looking into his eyes, Asmus felt like home.

Or maybe this was what closure felt like.

“Kiss me.” Kaile panted out, bending down to take his lips once more. Her hands came up to cup his cheeks, and she gave a sigh. The brunette's heart was hammering in her chest, and Kaile found herself somewhere in between a panic attack and that feeling one gets at the precipice of a free fall. The Lorrdian’s hands went sailing down, releasing his face to travel over his chest. Recharting a path she'd sailed in the past.

So there they were. Watching her. Watching him. None of this would fade from memory.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Kiss me, she told him. They'd been studying each other, both searching for what the other's eyes held. Both were the same, both were different. Some of the differences were more apparent, the smaller ones couldn't stand up to time and melded into the memories of the past. He didn't answer, but offered no protest to the instruction. What was it she had said before?

She fell upon him as if to show that they were not a pair who could gain an understanding of one another at a distance. They had to be close. Asmus needed to be closer still. To feel them move together and lose all semblance of self. To be surrounded by her. At first his lips would feel stiff to Kaile; his mouth had formed a tight smile.

I would do anything as long as you keep lookin’ at me like that.

Was that it? Words to that effect. As true now as they had even been. His breathing became laboured as he felt her hands move over him.

“Take me,” he whispered perhaps a minute later. “I've always been yours.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

I’ve always been yours.

Always been yours.

Yours.

That made Kaile shudder. Not because of what he was doing to her body, but because of the truth she heard in his words. In his voice. It was no hyperbole. No lie. No false pretense made to take this to the next step. The hot sting returned to her eyes, moisture making her vision blurry within the dim lit cabin. He made her heart ache. Made her want more. Tempted her to never let go.

Their lips uncoupled, and she hovered there, staring down at him through blurry eyes. For a moment, she too lost track of the time, and instead hung upon the request that had fallen from Asmus’ lips.

Do you ever find yourself going back to those four days?
Love me, Asmus

Her throat would bob, and her head fell. Drawing her hands from him, she encouraged him to follow suit. Her forehead met his again, an innocent caress amidst the insistent craving of touch. Another shudder would wrack through her, a hiss of cool air filling her lungs through her mouth as she attempted to rein herself in. A lull filled that moment, the slow, quiet draw of breath. The calm of a storm. Dipping her head, she nuzzled her way from his forehead to the side of his face, rubbing his cheek against hers.

“Okay.” A dozen different meanings. Each as meaningful as the last. A memory of the past woven into the present.

Straightening her knees, Kaile hovered high over him, bringing his hands to her hips. The brunette let them perch there, her own coming to cover his. Ever so slowly, she began to push down, guiding his hands to tug down at the fabric of her slacks and that scrap of fabric underneath. They continued the downward path, until the fabric was bunched by her knees and she had to perch her hands against his shoulders for balance to tug the rest down and off.

Her boots easily slipped off. Each giving a small thud as they fell onto the floor, forgotten along with the pair of slacks they’d shoved off the bed a moment later. His own was afforded the same slow tug, his hips rising to help her, half catching and prompting a nervous chuckle. Odd, the switch in speed, as if this moment could fade away at any second. With the last barrier gone, there was nothing left but the slow return of the Lorrdian above her Captain, hovering slightly over him as barely trembling hands came up to rest upon her hips.

Kaile cupped his face again, and brought his lips to hers, relishing his taste.

Love me, Asmus.

But she wasn’t going to tell him she loved him. No need to complicate this any further.

No matter how much she wanted to say it.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Until this moment it was actually the gentle nuzzle that brought his feelings rushing up from that deep well the most. The one he had tried to cover so many times over the past years. That gentle, needy affectionate contact made his vision blurry. He had rubbed the moisture into her hair before it could form tears. It was sorrow and nostalgia, elation and joy, all wrapped up together. A portrait made stronger by the contrasting colours, in no way detracting from its beauty.

His lips froze against hers. Jaw quivering. Soft noises escaped from the back of his throat right into her lips as she she took him. It was as if a fog had been lifted, everything was clear once more. This was no dream, no fantasy.

Kaile, his kaile. Nothing they did physically mattered. Only one thing did: despite her protestations she had accepted him back in the most intimate way possible. She could have made him leave, he would have relented eventually and left her in peace. Kaile had answered his question with one word. “Okay” always held so much more meaning for them than two syllables had a right to carry. It must have been hard for her. That bottle had been opened up and it's contents poured forth. It must have been such a painful act to keep that lid tight in the intervening years.

“Yes,” he whispered softly, as they fell into that blaze once more.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Their passion hung thick in the air of the tiny cabin and he breathed deep from her. The scent of her hair, half masked by the dye, her skin, her sweat, everything mixed together and called up his most fond memories.

Asmus didn't know what to do. What could he say after that? He could keep her up all night until she begged him to stop, at least if she ran again he'd know she wouldn't forget him in a hurry. What a shallow thought. Still a little tempting to his primal side. Thinking back to the sonic, a notion of repeating the act crossed his mind. It was quickly overwhelmed by flood of emotion. As the bliss of their act slowly faded that swell sought to replace it. Such a heady mix he couldn't work out if he was going to cry or hold her tight til she made him let go.

She'd hear and feel the stuttered intake of breath as he tried and failed to make sense of it all. Instead he reached for her shoulders and eased her back so he could see her face. The most honest, heartfelt smile that had ever crossed his face was there.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Breathing was difficult.

Mouth open, her breaths came in short pants, her heart slowly calming as Kaile sank back to reality. Her bones felt as if they were liquid and her muscles couldn’t stop the small twitches and quivers as the vestiges of pleasure went dancing along every nerve cell.

Her heart still thumped by her ears, and she was hot. So hot. Damp from their exertion, she trembled against Asmus’ embrace, sticky and slick from their coupling. He saturated her senses, the musk of their union unmistakable. Leaning against him, Kaile couldn’t help feeling the sense of rightness to the moment. Complete. Whole.

Asmus.

Parts of her were lightly raw from the scrape of his jaw, a bristle burn that provided a tangible evidence of Asmus’ exploration. Her eyes were closed, lids still shut as the blissful waves of euphoria slowly waned. If she had been looking to crash in a fresh bed that night, then she was sorely mistaken.

Half collapsed against Asmus, Kaile exhaled in a shudder. Slowly, they both felt the cold air from the recycled air conditioner. It felt good. But with the chill came another reminder. Awareness. With awareness came the emotions. Not the ones not subject to lust and desire, but the ones that dealt with the fact that she desperately did not want to let Asmus go.

A little voice in the back of her mind shamed her for that thought, reminding her that this was likely not for the best. Another voice tried to support the idea that this was just sex. It was only sex. That it had only been one time. That’s it.

Yet it wasn’t only it. It was much more. Made more apparent seconds later as Asmus gently drew her back against his arms, searching her face. She felt the trace of his regard, and for a moment, Kaile did not want to open her eyes. It was her weakness, when he looked at her. As if there was no filter nor veil for her to hide behind. Merely looking into his eyes was enough to make her weak.

So when Kaile felt the light caress of his hand gently brushing the strands of her inky dark hair away from her flushed cheek, she knew that she was going to crumble. That slow trace was enough to open her eyes, lashes fluttering as the deep chocolate wells drew up.

Their eyes met.

Once again, Kaile found it hard to breathe. Because when she looked into his eyes, she kept seeing him. His soul. Staring at her. Tracing her features with his green eyes, drinking in the tousled hair, her sweaty flushed visage, and the bruised lips. Wonder and joy. Confusion and sorrow. There wasn’t a question in his eyes any more, at least not the ones he had come to her with earlier. Instead what shone within his eyes was the simple joy at her presence.

And it would be a lie if that level of honesty didn’t make Kaile’s eyes sting again.

Her arms began to slip from his shoulders, the fist that had coiled upon his hair relaxing. Slowly, her hands slid down, sliding over his shoulders, palms flat. They barely came to a stop just over his pectoral muscles, where her fingers gave a slight inward curl, making her hands lift as if they were about to pull away.

What could I say? What should I do? Shame would rear its head and ducked her head, hiding behind the fringe of bangs and the shadows of the cabin. Her heart ached. Slowly her jaw worked, the muscles tensing. She flexed her jaw, attempting to try and say something, anything, but finding she couldn’t.

 

[Asmus Janes]

What is she thinking?

His right hand stayed by her face, which she also seemed to be using to try and hide. Feeling the goosebumps on her upper arm with his left, his eyes diverted from her face to scan their surroundings quickly. He'd barely even looked around the cabin since following her in, hadn't even noticed the bed until she threw him back down onto it. A twitch of humour joined his smile for a second.

Was she feeling guilty for her weakness? She was clearly trying to work out what she should be doing now. Truthfully Asmus didn't know if it was a kind act to ease her conscience or a selfish act because he feared she would make him leave that led him to interrupt her.

“Why don't you grab the blanket?” he sighed. “Your arms are getting cold.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Kaile upturned her face to regard Asmus with mild surprise. His plan worked. It threw her off momentarily, and made the Lorrdian glance around and forced her to think of something else. Of course, this also meant that Kaile would peel herself away from the pilot. Not quite the result he may have been looking for, but one where at least her countenance wasn’t saturated with dawning worry.

A small wince curled her upper lip, parts of her protesting. They were also both in need of cleaning up and would need more than a blanket. Shifting up and away, her bare foot came to settle upon the cold floor. It barely missed her forgotten boot. Her hair gave a slight sway along with the rest of her, a fuller picture to behold under the dim cabin lights. There was a small panel beside the bed that would turn them down even further, but that wasn’t really at the forefront of the mind.

The aftermath of coupling could be one of a varied accounts of awkward or nonchalance. Typically, Kaile was rather practical about these matters. The years spent without Asmus didn’t make her a saint. Four days did not make a commitment for two beings such as he and she; such a thing was unknown territory. As much as the subject of love. Love had never before come into the matter of two consenting adults enjoying each others company for the night. Getting a taste of it, however, even during a time where it had not made sense or been at all clear, set all other experiences through a new filtered lens.

All the more for what had happened after...

“There’s a fresh towel and such,” she pointed out by the edge of the bunk, where a drawer that slipped under the bed held all matter of practical items for such an event. Maybe keeping it much like any other connect disconnect would help her. However, as she got up to move towards another drawer that would have a blanket, she caught sight of the man in her bed through the periphery of her eyes. Seeing him there brought a desire welling up in her to crawl right back into bed and curl up against him. To hold him close and feel his arms around her. End up tangling her legs with his and feel the brush of his lips at her temple, much like he had back on the Quintessence long ago.

Only to come crashing down and remind her of a time where she wished he’d been there at her lowest low.
“Idiot.” came the low self inflicted curse as she took out the blanket.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus might have looked quite appealing, dark eyes watching her every move, chest flushed. However, the white socks still half-on his feet went some way to dispel that image. Noticing this he chuckled. He tried to ignore the strife he'd heard in the curse she uttered.

“Not the best look,” he sighed. So he started the first of two fairly awkward acts in front of Kaile in removing them. The scoundrel-turned-resistance-pilot was not the most modest of creatures. Some primal part of him still thought of what had just happened as an almost possessive act.

His lips twisted up as he looked across the floor. Clothes scattered, buttons flung to every corner. It had been so easy, effortless even, to lose himself in her. She’d been fighting at first and he assumed that quiet word to herself was the start of a new battle. This all had been unfair of him. She’d answered his question; it must have been difficult for her to avoid him. There was time on this trip and if he tried to look at their situation from the outside he knew that he should have left her alone. Given time, she probably could have composed herself, might even have sought him out herself to talk things over.

But Asmus wasn’t on the outside. He was right in the middle of the maelstrom. Feelings that he had only experienced faint, sorrowful echoes of for the last few years were back. Like a drug he craved them. But most of all he wanted - needed - her.

Sliding back towards the wall to make space for Kaile, he looked up to meet her eyes. The colour was still fading from his face, every inch of hypersensitive skin still tingled. His expression was calm, almost wistful.

“Come here,” he suggested ever so softly. If he could hold her gently, stroke her hair and whisper in her ear he could calm her down. At least, he had been able to. He saw no reason it wouldn’t work now. He had no idea what he’d put her through, of what she had tried to lock away. For him, Kaile was associated only with fond memories.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

In the past, Kaile would laugh in between the clean up. Maybe even indulge in the smack of an asscheek while she was at it, flung on her back while she took care of things. Trying her best to gather her breath while pillow talk circulated around ‘Oh stars I can’t feel my legs,’ to ‘Well, that was unexpected. New, but didn’t quite mind it!’

Not so much this time around. Rarely did she ever stay behind. Rarer still did she bring back anyone to her bunk. If she could do what she could somewhere else and leave when she wanted to, all the better. Having Asmus here complicated things.

So while Asmus had busied himself with the socks and the rest, so did Kaile. Gravity was an annoying thing once you stood up after a romp. Although if she were being honest with herself, seeing him there made her stomach clench again. Tousled dark hair that begged to be gripped. Bright green eyes framed by a thick fringe of lashes that no man should have. High cheekbones upon an angular face with that new addition of the permanent five o’clock shadow. That wasn’t even including the definition of his body; his time in the Academy, Alliance Navy, and well one gathers the Resistance was visible in the additional bulk and tone. If the back was as good of a view as the front…

Kaile swiveled her head and got back to the clean up. The odd thought struck her as she finished that she had wiped away the traces of Asmus in a literal sense as much as she was trying to do so in her heart and mind. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t quite wipe him as cleanly from her life.

“Come here,” he said, catching her wary gaze once she had finished. The blanket was brought up against her chest, held there perhaps as more of a barrier than for modesty. Two words offered more than what their literal meaning meant. In his eyes, Kaile saw what his intentions were. If she went back into that tiny bed with him, there was no avoiding his embrace. He would wrap his arms around her, draw her against his chest, press against her and hold her close. It would be just like when they lay together on the floor of the Quiescence.

A part of her wanted to. Desperately. Another told her it would be a mistake. A terrible mistake. She bit her lower lip, her hands curling into the fabric of the blanket. Should I? Could I do it? And if I do what then? That wasn’t even including the fact that he likely still had questions. The longer he remained, the higher the likelihood they would return; and and there are some things that I can’t speak.

Yet Kaile was weak. Despite the amount of times she’d tried to wash him away, he just wouldn’t leave.

Haunting me.

“You can’t stay long.”

Just this once. Only once, she told herself, shutting her eyes as she took a deep breath. What she said set the tone for her silent conditions. It was an agreement that he could not extend his stay here. That she could not have him linger and ask her questions. She couldn’t handle those questions. Not now. Even more after this. Things were far too confusing and she was still reeling with the surprise seeing him here, being with him here, had on her.