Responsibility

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaileann entered the small sonic, their bodies brushing together as the door snapped shut behind her. The brush of an arm. The bump of a hip. The slight press of the cool wall as they moved in a half turn, eyes locked, like it was an old habit to do so. He still held her hand, fingers intertwined. All it would take would be a slight tug and she'd bounce lightly against him before settling.

Sonic refreshers weren't designed for comfort, but for practicality. They were roomy enough for a single sapient with varying body mass, but when two were in it, it was a little bit tight. Not unpleasantly so, as Kaile found out with Asmus standing before her. He still had his pants on and she still had on his shirt. His Spark Bee line for the sonic wasn't quite planned out. All he had been focused on was on the refresher and keeping a hold of her hand.

It wasn't any trouble. Sonics could very well clean up after the clothing they wore much like a sonic washer would. Although, it didn't stop her mind racing at the renewed closeness and intimacy that the tiny little cubicle of a refresher gave.

"Umm..." a lick of her lower lip came next, sweeping across the fullness of it. " Should probably take the shirt off." she said plainly, but not quite moving yet to do so save fore the slight flex and curl of her fingers against his own.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

It very rapidly occurred to Asmus that he hadn't really thought this through. A reoccurring fantasy was pushed to the back of his mind. A lack of self control was what had put them back here in the first place. Although really the sleep was the blame there, he decided.

"Okay," he agreed with a curt nod. Not a moment wasted before he took the hem of that shirt himself and lifted it up and over her head. He visibly winced. Not now, he reminded himself, though the reaction of his body was in now way under his control. She was all smooth curved and tanned lines. His eyes drew down around her waistline, and the undeniably feminine sight of her left hip where his fingers wanted to take hold.

"Heh."

Asmus closed his eyes, leant his head back and sighed. He could even bring himself to find any small talk.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Well that was one thing done, Kaile mused, her hair falling back down about her shoulders after the shirt ruffled it anew. The shirt was still half curled in Asmus' fingers, barely hanging as Kaile caught him leaning back against the wall. For a moment he said nothing, quietly appraising her. A nerve twitched along his jaw, then he expelled a long sigh, closing his eyes.

At least, they would until Asmus would feel Kaile's fingers gingerly flirt along the waistband of his pants. One finger hooked under the elastic waistband, and she gave it a little jiggle. Were his eyes to snap open, he'd catch the impish glimmer in her chestnut eyes as she drawled out, "That means these too."

A light snap echoed as she released the elastic; mainly because the line of his obliques tempted her to trace the path down. Rocking on her feet, she took a step closer towards the console. Sonic were simple things. Start. Stop. No real complicated nature.

Start. Stop.

No in between.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A little wiggle and they were piled up in the corner beside his shirt. Things had been tense enough without knocking against her as she squeezed over to the controls. He could smell himself on her.

"Alright," he said with a roll of his eyes. "How much are you currently thinking we should have gone in seperate cubicles just to keep this...simple."

As she turned for the controls his eyes flicked open, emerald eyes turning south. Oi you, he reprimanded his hand, diverting it from its current path to rest lightly on her hip. As she turned on the sonic he pulled her hair aside and planted a delicate kiss at the nape of her neck.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The soft pulses floated over their heads, subtle vibrations that were meant to shake off dirt, oil, and sweat. Kaile could spout out the specifics, but Kaile wasn't thinking about how a sonic managed to get one clean.

No, her sole focus was now set upon the feather light touch of Asmus' lips grazing the sensitive valley of the nape of her neck. Their little cubicle seemed to get smaller.

"Umm.." she began, losing her train of thought as the warmth of his breath evoked the tiny rush of goosebumps along her skin. Up she went, lifting an inch higher by the rise of tippy toes, a perk back and the settling of palms against the cool durasteel bulkhead.

"To be truthsome..." she continued, tilting her head under the guidance of his lips, the curtains of her eyes falling shut. "... can't much reason a thought right now."

It's like he manage to steal her senses. Just a few minutes, she told herself. Sonic will be done in just a few. Course that did nothing to quell the awareness of the scoundrel behind her. It only discharged another surge of reckless, uninhibited thoughts concerning the silk of his touch, and the brand of his fingers. Tiny little marks where he'd gripped a bit to tight, a shade pinker than the tan they lay across.

Feth.

Did he say something? Or was that just her mind playing tricks and rewinding the past. Great, now her mind felt like a big, poof of spun sugar. She'd never fallen into such a silly state so fast.

It was official; when it came to Asmus Janes, Kaileanna Lee Vera was the quintessential swooning twit.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]


Unbeknownst to Asmus, Kaile was sensitive to the Force. Perhaps, if she was receptive, she would feel his mind change in a way that mirrored her own. Serenity fell over his mind like a cool blanket. There was no more anxiety, no embarrassment. Even the slow build of desire was a glow in the background. His mind was empty. There was just the slow trail of kisses he left down her right shoulder.

Each patch of moisture left in his wake evaporating a moment after, likely an odd sensation against the skin of the Lorridan. The touch at her waist was delicate, his hand reaching up to her ribs, then down over her hip and back again. His other reached around her waist and came to rest just below her naval.

The pads of his fingers found rough skin where his nails had dug into the surface. “Sorry,” he murmured, not meaning it at all. He pressed closer, she'd feel him in several places with his chest rising and falling against her as he took in deeper breaths.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

A quick ghost of a smile bloomed over Kaile's lips, the combination of the press of Asmus' lips and the ticklish sensation of moisture evaporating sent shivers down her spine. Tingling nerves right down to her fingertips and toes, making them slightly curl. Force or no, taking the lead from the nuances of his movements relayed through his body was intrinsic for the Lorrdian. Her head gave a slight roll to the left, baring the curve of her neck and shoulder as Asmus followed the path down.

"...tickles." she said, only to exhale a sigh of satisfaction at the heat of him molding against her. It was crazy, how he managed to kick-start her heartbeat and at the same time, lull her into a state of contentment. It took no effort to lean against him, to match the rise and fall of his chest as their breaths began to find each others rhythm. The slow draw of air and the soft exhale that followed. While the sonic would attempt to cleanse away his scent upon her, every drift of Asmus' hands made it seem as if he was merely adding it right back. Much like the affectionate nuzzle of a kitten, a slight rub of the self to mark one for their own.

"I ain't mindin', " she answered softly, her chest rising as she inhaled a deep breath. The sonic felt smaller, but at the same time, seem to just fade away. Time seemed insignificant save for the trace of his fingers and the path he moved over her shoulder blade.

"I won't break."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

She wouldn't see the impish little grin as he very nearly told her that he could also be more rough if she'd prefer. Though perhaps she'd feel that little scenario play out from the reaction of his body.

As quick as it came, it was smothered by something overwhelmingly intensive. His mind serene, that slow burning affection building, he nuzzled into the side of her head and whispered quietly. "Always feels like I'm falling weightless."

Right now, if asked, he would say that any constellation was his favourite as long as it was the view shared by her. With a gentle touch, and the odd chuckle, he awkwardly tried to turn her about to face him.

There, he cupped the tip of her chin and turned her up to face him. So much depth in those wide eyes. He'd seen so much in them: pain and stories she refused to tell at the worst. Something entirely different when she'd held her palm over his heart.

Unencumbered for the moment from his anxieties, he spoke without thinking on any consequences. But then, that was how he lived his life most of the time.

"Feels like I've known you a long time, yet it's been no time at all. So why am I falling in love with you so quick?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

There were too many emotions for Kaile to be able to settle on just one at that moment. Maybe it was because the roller-coaster that had become her life had truly managed to get away from her. Or maybe it was the ease that Asmus was able to say such things without forethought. For a few seconds, time slowed. Or at least, it appeared to.

Kaile could feel the warmth of Asmus' fingers along her jaw, the whisper-soft caress of his palm as it went sliding up, cupping her face. Briefly, there was a compelling desire to preserve the moment, as if the final grains of sand were streaming through the neck of an hourglass, and all she wanted to do was tip it onto its side for a few more precious seconds.

Just a few more before the reality of his confession hit.

Ironically, it was the first part of it that struck her to her core. Not to say that the latter was any less important, it was.

Just how can one fall in love with someone they don't know? That was the point you see. Kaile wasn't who Asmus believed her to be. Kaile wouldn't ever really be able to. Not with her profession.

That was the whole point with Kurt, you see. My life is a lie.

As for the latter...Love. Most say it so easily. So quickly. Kaile had served enough tables and seen enough people to hear the word use to describe how much one enjoyed their meal or to use it for any other means. Kaile didn't understand love; or more to the matter, that she'd never really had a chance to truly experience it. Knowingly that is.

At least until Kurt. The hurt, the pain, the wretched way she felt at leaving him and believing that he hated her had torn her to pieces. The affection and care she had for the pilot had grown without her knowing, without her realizing, just what that connection entailed. Kaile understood lust, desire, joy, happiness, and compassion. More recently she learned guilt, shame, fear, and sorrow. With Asmus she'd...

It felt as if there was a knot in her throat. It felt as if her belly had been tied and twisted and a heat flash lanced through her. Not because he said it; there had been an illusion, perhaps, that she could go the next two days as normally as she could. That she could be with Asmus until Denon and enjoy the time they had together. Maybe, because in the back of her mind she had already tried to box in what she felt for the scoundrel; because she couldn't keep it. She couldn't stay. In the end, she would go.

Two days. She'd been here two days and Asmus believed he was falling in love with her. Most girls would be swooning at the confession. Then again, most girls weren't Kaile after walking the gauntlet of emotional turmoil. Too much. Too fast. Too soon.

Too young.

He was too young. Idealistic, a rational part of her mind would try an interject, feeding off the earlier fear that perhaps she had been taking advantage of him. The other part, a smaller voice, attempted to whisper truths. To reminder of the night before. Of what he said and she in turn.

Make love to me.
I already am.
Love me, Asmus...
Love me.

What was love? Kaile certainly didn't know it; and at her age if she didn't then what were the chances Asmus did? Were they all just caught up in the moment. In her desire to not be alone and in his compassion, had not left. Nevermind that hearing him say it sent her heart racing. Never mind that his touch made her melt like a candle put to the flame. Never mind that feeling the beat of his heart under her palm quieted the storm as it sent her spinning.

Before she knew it, a fine trembling took her again. There was a shimmer in her eyes and a deep, poignant spectrum of emotions that was so hard to read as it was easy to get swept away with.

It scared her. It scared her that he could say it so easily as much as it terrified her that a part of her wanted to believe it. Craved it. Responded to it. A part of her that she couldn't allow any measure of fuel stoke the fire. It already hurt too much. It would hurt more when she left.

So what would Kaile do, as Asmus' expression suffered subtle nuances in response to her reaction of shock, confusion, and alarm.

"I..." her voice cracked. His mouth parted as if to say something, but Kaile couldn't have him say anything more. Not now. Not Yet. But she had absolutely no clue what to do.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Calm waters were easily perturbed by her expression. Her bright, large eyes were capable of conveying so much. Yet the messages kept changing, but were always loud and clear.

Asmus broke eye contact and looked down for a moment. He reflected. Asmus never reflected, but now he did. It had been so easy to say those words to her, yet clearly they were not so palatable to Kaile. She'd lost someone she had loved, that was perhaps the only conclusion he could draw. Why his words pained her so. He couldn't know her anxieties on never seeing him again. Perhaps if she hadn't confessed to that his mind would have invented a husband for Kaile and started to imagine he was a dalliance she had become too attached to.

"Okay," he said ever so softly. Barely more than a breath that managed to capture the essence of the word as it crossed his lips. Another new meaning to the word, an attempt at reassurance, that he was aware of her struggle, knew that she wasn't okay.

Emerald green eyes flicked back up to meet hers. The wonder was gone, but the intensity still there. A corner of his lips curled upwards in a half smile. "Just...hold me," he whispered. One hand twisted about to gently brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers, the other slid down towards her waist. It hurt, physically, to see Kaile upset again. Perhaps not upset, confused. People always did make things complicated, Asmus thought. Maybe that was why people thought him simple sometimes. He was a complex person, with a fierce intelligence, but he liked to see the world in simple terms. Kept things easy, kept him from getting lost in his own anxiety.

To be so afraid that one didn't act and experience life. That was the possibility that scared Asmus above all others. He would never wish to go back and pick a different path, especially to overwrite the moments he'd shared with Kaile, the ones that would stay vivid in his mind 'til the day he died. But perhaps, when the pain set in a month from now, he might reconsider his way of life. He'd never been an empathetic individual, but right now when she was sad, agitated or elated, he felt it acutely. He might also feel the pain of her absence just as strongly.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Watching Asmus then made Kaile’s heart ache, as if the organ had become linked to his emotional state, rather than targeting its primary task -- keeping her alive.

Just, hold me, came his request, and the whisper soft caress of the back of his fingers made Kaile’s eyes flutter shut.

“Okay.” another meaning in the strained half whisper, coated in half anxiety and half regret. Not of the time together, not that. No, she would treasure that. Kaile would keep that safe, tucked away in the treasure coves of her mind.

No the regret was at the jumbled mess of a situation she would leave them both in. He was young; and she just a fleeting chapter in the book of his life. He had so much to experience. His momma and everyone in his family had plans for him. Plans to go to the academy and plans to be someone grand. He deserved that. He deserved the truth.

Kaile couldn’t give him that.

A shudder rolled through her, and just like that, her palms went sweeping across the expanse of sinewy lean muscles. They went sliding past the loop of his arms as they brought each other into their embrace, Kaile burying her face against Asmus’ chest, scrunching her eyes shut. Both palms drove up his back, over the lingering red lines she had left in the wake of their passion, knuckles white as she pressed him to her.

Words weighed heavy on the mind. She felt lost, and led only by the stars. She felt everything. The more she held him the more she wanted him, but the more she did it, the more she knew that this would be but a fleeting memory.

“Sorreh” her low, muffled choke breathed against the pulse of his heart, holding him as tight as she could, as if to slip him under her skin. For Asmus, it may seem she was apologizing for being an absolute wreck.

Yet it wasn’t that.

No, she was apologizing for what would come. What would be. What she had to do.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"No, no, I'm sorry," Asmus replied into her hair. As he kissed the crown of her head he relaxed his grip on her. She fit so well against him. Once again his hands charted a path on their own, this time a gentle caress up and down her spine with one, whilst the other squeezed and relaxed around her shoulder over and over. I should have known better, he thought to himself. Despite the fact that he could become so at ease with her, speak his mind all too easily, he had to remember how fragile she was.

After a few moments he felt some of the tension melt from her body. As that happened she seemed to fit even more snug against his chest, even as she finally relaxed her own grip on him. Once again he reflected that he would be perfectly content to spend the entire day back in his dinky little cabin with her. Just the odd foray to fetch food and drink.

With one hand he reached out and switched off the sonic. Very tentatively he leant back just a few inches, but her hold tightened again. He pressed his cheek against her head, rubbing it against her hair so gently.

"I know what you're thinking Kaile. You're thinking Whilst it's well documented that being locked in a small cubicle with your junk pressed awkwardly together is the best place for speaking your mind, I do wish he'd give me some warning before saying something so rash. But I am sorry. For some reason our bodies are just better at talkin' than we are."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Her burst of laughter would resonate throughout the tiny cubicle. Her shoulders shook, a half sputter of a chortle prompting the icebreaker and the cut of any lingering tension with Asmus’ joke. Laughter, after all, was oft the best medicine for such times.

He made her laugh, the chuckles waning as she felt the curve of his relieved smile over her brow, his cheek musing her hair against his. A stain of dark against the light of her own. Slowly, Kaile let out a long sigh, the exhale seemingly draining all the air in her lungs. What thoughts percolated at that moment were hers alone, yet it was evident that the scoundrel had managed to calm her down once more.

He was right, more than he knew. About their bodies talkin’ better than what words could relay. Being a Lorrdian, she knew this better than most.

“It’s okay.” her half whisper broke the silence. Fingers lightly went dribbing over the small of his back and then up his ribcage.

A pause.

“.... just hold me.” she added.

“I’m okay with just that.”

Another pause. A half shake of her shoulders and the upward quirk at the right corner of her lips.

“Junk or not.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"I find myself wondering which I would take if I could only have one," Asmus murmured as he held her tight. After joining her laughter of course. "To hold your gaze, hold you tight, or hear you laugh."

"Shh..." he said to himself. He drew his chin up, rounding her head and dipped down. Bending his knees to bring him down to her level. He'd been planning on using his cheek and nose to playfully coax a kiss from her, but she found him before he could try that game. He actually found himself embarrassed at his physical reaction to the closeness.

He broke apart, the taste of her on his lips once more. A slow nod. A sigh. A sideways glance at the clothing in the corner of the tight booth. Asmus didn't speak, his body language suggested they should probably get moving without his stupid brain interfering.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Okay, they really should get going. The intent was there, it really was. Just that the two were so engrossed with each other that the predicament of picking up their clothing and moving on from the tight booth one at a time didn't quite register. Kaile was too busy feeling the cafune of Asmus' caress and the beat of his heart, while Asmus was quietly renouncing himself that they really should get a move on. Maybe that's why they both decided to duck at the same time to reach for the discarded clothing.

The thunk of both of their foreheads knocking together prompted an immediate, 'ow!' along with a burst of laughter. The sting barely registered, despite a hand coming up to rub her temple. "Sorry..." she apologized again, shoulders have shaking in sheepish merriment. A crooked smile shone up at the scoundrel, and one would be hard pressed to not bend down and kiss her again, not when she carefully rubbed at her forehead, twin spots of pink over her cheeks.

"Take two, I suppose."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“Oof…” he found himself stood back upright, sharing a smile with Kaile as they both rubbed their bumps. His hand traced back from the mild throbbing pain where they’d collided, back through his hair to the lump where the nautalon had struck him. He winced. That one still hurt. If Kaile hadn’t turned her gun on the mercenary Asmus probably would have had his brains dashed all across the floor of that hangar.

His smile faded as he looked to her with a renewed intensity. Leaning in, he planted a gentle kiss on her brow where he’d struck her. “One at a time I think,” he whispered, placing one hand on her shoulder to avoid a repeat and dropping onto his haunches. As he reached for their clothes he looked back up at her. That was a mistake. Eyes followed the curve of her thighs, flicked up to her eyes. Now Asmus had the sheepish grin. He’d intended to be a bit silly, and a touch cute. He made the little ‘raw’ sound he’d made when he’d sunk his teeth into her rump in play earlier that day. But as his hand ran up the back of her smooth leg, the silly nibble turned to a trail of kisses inwards.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

It was cute.

Kaile gave a half chuckle, one that turned into a half giggle at the tiny growl Asmus made. There was a softening of her gaze, that curtain of strawberry blonde flowing forward to flank her face, grazing the tips of her shoulders and just over the curves of her chest. Watching him stare up at her drew an instinctive desire to run her fingers through his hair. It always seemed to go everywhere. At that moment, the dark forelocks half veiled his eyes, giving him a slightly heavy lidded expression that warmed her insides with affection.

It was of no consequence that at the playful growl, those slender digits went sinking into the inky black. They slowly swept the strands away from his face, revealing the brightness of his emerald eyes, highlighting the gold flecks therein. Her breath caught. A warm, moist trail of butterfly kisses gave her shivers. How easy it was to stoke that fire, all that it required was a gentle breeze and heat would spread with a quickening.

It wasn't a good idea. Really, wasn't a good idea. When his hand curled and lightly massaged the back of her thigh, she shut her eyes. The subsequent curl of her fingers amidst the black an unconscious act.

Kaile swallowed hard.

"Asmus...." she began, her voice quivering a bit. What was she going to say? It was hard to think when he -- oh! The skim of fingers at the back of her knee made her start. They should get going. We should get going. Only Kaile wasn't sure if she managed to say that aloud or not.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Her protest was barely even half hearted. Maybe a quarter heart. Perhaps, Asmus thought as he kept kissing, it was even a noise of encouragement. Even if it was a warning, her body seemed to contradict it. As his hand slid up there was a subtle shift that he recognised all too well. The hand in his hair kept taking handfuls and then relaxing again.

Nose to belly button he gave a teasing flick of the tongue. No, we should stop. No, I should carry on. Be responsible. Just one taste. Things to do. You’ve got a few minute. Where are the others? Put a hand over her mouth to moan into.

Did she even realise that her hand had started to apply downwards pressure? Asmus looked up to her as the kisses started to head south.

We should go back to my room again at least, he thought as his lips explored remarkably smooth skin.

But that… lower still

Wouldn’t be… his mouth lingered, warm breath over her.

Fun…

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Stars.

Kaile saw stars. Or at least what she figured they were as lights and colors went flashing behind her eyelids. The senses were curious things. Touch, taste, smell, sight, sound. All came together in such harmony. Yet nothing seemed as erotic as when one of those senses was cut off. Perhaps, due to the mind wanting to compensate and gather as much information as it could to make up for the loss. With her eyes clenched shut, Kailieann everything seemed to hike tenfold -- no a thousand fold. She felt the cool metal of the bulkhead at her back, heard the slight creak of the Quin and the hum of the air recycler. On her feet, her toes curled into the cool, polished diamond grate, slip proof and providing purchase to stand. The silk of his hair, the warmth of breath, the coil of heat that followed, and the echo of muted sighs.

Maybe that's why the Lorrdian wasn't too offput for the use of blindfolds. There was always a guess of where one would go next. With only the guess of breath and warmth of touch as precious, tantalizing clues. The cool rush of air of an inhale of sweet scent, blowing gently as if to show the path one intended to take. In her small hands, his dark hair transformed into something it had never been with them -- reins.

If breath and the slight nudge of the crown of his head was any indication, perhaps it would have translated to, lead me, Kaile. Show me where you want me to go.

So she did.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Mai had two feet on the ladder. Her body was only visible in the central room from shin upwards. The cathar had come to an abrupt halt. That strained cry had come through two doors and a long corridor, but she had very sensitive ears.

"Feth that," she grumbled, climbing back up into the galley.




Asmus was breathing hard and fast, but that was nothing compared to the way Kaile’s chest was heaving. As she ran her hand down one side of her face he gently kissed her leg. Very carefully he slid his shoulder out from under her left leg and hoped she had the legs to stand. He doubted she would have stayed upright a few moments ago if she hadn’t had half her weight on his right shoulder.

He looked up, mesmerised by the rise and fall of her flushed chest. A few soft kisses over her navel as he stood a broad smile on his face.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Are you back with me now?” It had seemed as if she had been far away, eyes screwed shut and calling his name as if lost. Oh feth. That hadn’t been quiet. There was a slightly panicked look in his eyes for just a moment before he chuckled. Oh he would do that all over again, or perhaps take a firm hold and lift up…

Crap, focus. Asmus kissed her briefly, smiled warmly and reached for the bundle in the corner of the cubicle. They really needed to get upstairs.