[milliways] Lost for you, I'm so lost for you

[dejah_thoris]

[ cont'd from here ]

'More private' to her right now simply means away from people.  She takes his hand and leads him into the shadows, moving down the beach away from the music and the flickering light of the bonfire.  The white sand beach is flat here, gently sloping down to the waterline.  The quiet envelopes them, the susurration of the waves the only sound save for the occasional distant laughter.

Her blood still sings with the heat of his kiss, her breath ragged and shallow even as she attempts to calm herself.  She can feel him, deeper now than ever before.  If she is like fire to him, then he is red hot metal, radiating strength and something more.  Something raw.  Powerful.  She's almost afraid to look too closely, terrified she'll see what she wants to see and not the truth.

But this doesn't feel like simple lust to her.  They've skirted around that for months now.  But this is different.  This feels real.

"Curtis..."  So many words crowd up behind her teeth, catching in the back of her throat.  She glances at him, watching the distant firelight catch in his eyelashes.  When she speaks, all that comes out is,

"I love you."

Comments

[dejah_thoris]

"Aww," she murmurs, dropping her head to his shoulder. Undiluted joy fills her every word. "Are we sleeping here on the floor? Or do you want to try to make it to the bed?"

[2goodarms]

Curtis beams, sleepily. "'M okay with the floor," he says. "The bed's so soft. But -- you're comfy on the bed, it's probably gonna be better for you. And soft's okay. I can deal with soft."

That seems to be a vote for the bed. Maybe.

[dejah_thoris]

"It's soft and warm," she whispers against the shell of his ear. "And there are pillows and we can draw the shades, so the morning sun doesn't wake us too early."

She backs up her vote by nibbling on his earlobe.

[2goodarms]

Another ghost of a whimper catches in his throat.

Right. Bed. They were talking about beds. Sleeping in beds. Just...sleeping.

"Pillows're nice," he mumbles in contented agreement. "...Help me up?"

[dejah_thoris]

She takes her time, nuzzling his cheek, pulling back enough to give him a soft kiss.

"Come on," she breathes, rising. She moves to sit up, perhaps a bit wobbly still, but trying desperately to move with some semblance of elegance.

She stumbles as she gets to her feet, and lets him catch her, dissolving into a new round of giggles.

[2goodarms]

"Oh shit oh shit -- !"

Curtis can barely stay upright by himself, let alone while he's supporting somebody else. He catches Dejah...for about half a second. Then he's stumbling backward and just barely manages to get them aimed for the couch before he topples over entirely.

They bounce a little as they hit the cushions.

Curtis cracks up. Somewhere under the laughter are a few muffled "sorry!"s.

[dejah_thoris]

She lands with a squawk and another round of giggles takes hold. She's somehow managed to land half in his lap and she can't help herself. This is perfectly ridiculous and ridiculously perfect.

Dejah laughs so hard, tears run down her cheeks. Holding onto him, her head falls back and she gasps for breath, her entire body shaking with it.

[2goodarms]

"Oh my god -- "

The words squeeze out between Curtis's hysterical laughter, pressed so thin they're almost squeaking.

"Oh god I'm so sorry, I'm so drunk -- " He can barely hold onto Dejah, he's laughing so hard. This is terrible. This is great. To no one, he demands, "How'm I this drunk? I only had three glasses of that shit!"

[dejah_thoris]

"I dunno! I dunno!" She can't really speak, each gasp for breath coming between waves of giggles. She shakes her head, hands fumbling to right herself, grabbing fistfuls of his robe. She only had -- she has no idea how much she's had to drink. Worse, she doesn't care.

She tries to wipe her eyes and gives up, just burying her nose against his throat, trying to smother the giggles. "I can't..."

*HICCUP*

"Oh shit."

[2goodarms]

Oh no.

Curtis can hardly catch his breath by now, he's laughing so hard. He can't even hold his head up -- he's leaning it on the back of the couch, cackling uncontrollably.

"You're drunker than I am," he sing-songs.

(Lies. But hilarious lies.)

[dejah_thoris]

*HIC*

"I am not!" She follows him back, helplessly, hopelessly wracked with laughter

*HIC*

"DAMN IT! She balls up her fist and gives him a weak punch in the arm.

*HIC*

[2goodarms]

Curtis drops his metal hand over his eyes, still caught in unstoppable giggles.

But when you can hardly breathe for laughing, you're drunk off your ass for the first time in almost two decades, and you just teased your girlfriend about it --

Hic.

The inevitable happens.

"Fuck!"

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah rears back and crows with laughter. He's never heard her laugh so loud or so long.

"See?!" *HIC*

She covers her mouth with both hands and looks at him with wide eyes.

*mmmk*

[2goodarms]

Uh-oh.

Curtis blinks, with muzzy concern, as some of the laughter finally eases off. "You okay, babe?"

(Hic.)

[dejah_thoris]

"Yes. Just." *hic* "How do you." *hic* "Make them." *hic* "Stop?!"

The laughter is still etched deep into the lines around her eyes, and she doesn't look like she's about to be sick.

[2goodarms]

Okay. Phew. The relief sends a few more giggles out of Curtis.

"Um -- shit, lemme think. I think -- " Hic. "Water? Or holding your breath or some shit. I think. Or just let 'em..."

He waves a hand, loosely. His chest hikes up under the force of another stifled hiccup.

"They'll stop. Sometime. It's okay."

[dejah_thoris]

*hic*

This is so inelegant, so utterly ridiculous, Dejah can't help but laugh.

*hic*

Her eyes light up again. "I know. Here. Quick."

She grasps his face in both hands and kisses him, hard. So many times she's held back, kept herself, her desire for him, in strict check. But not now, not tonight. She would burn down worlds for him. She would write his name in fire in the sky. She would live and die a thousand times for him, and he needs to know that right now. She kisses him like she's always wanted to kiss him and she holds nothing back. Nothing.

[2goodarms]

Oh.

Oh, wow.

If Curtis got overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions before, that was nothing compared to this. He doesn't have time to shy away -- and two seconds into the kiss, he realizes doesn't want to, either. Everything hurts less right now: she is fire, she is the sun, she is everything, and all Curtis can feel is the pure joy of it. Of her love for him.

He kisses her back, just as fierce. Somehow, in the course of it, he ends up listing backward until he's sprawled along the couch, Dejah on top of him.

[dejah_thoris]

He kisses her back, meets her measure for measure, and she feels his joy, his answering warmth, his welcoming heart. She follows him down, and she can't help but notice, it doesn't feel like she's pursuing him.

It feels like coming home. Like this is where she's supposed to be. The kiss goes on for a long while and when it breaks, her hiccups are gone. She hovers over him, resting temple to temple, trying to remember how to breathe again.

She lets out a long, low sigh, every bone in her body relaxed. If he's not getting squashed, she could totally sleep right here.


"This is good. I like this."

[2goodarms]

"Me, too." Dreamily. He curls one arm around her waist, letting the other hang off the side of the couch. As if he could still read her thoughts: "You wanna just sleep here?"

The bed's way too far away, especially considering neither of them can walk too well. And Dejah's here.

(And so are pillows. It's a piece of furniture made of nothing but pillows. Man, couches are a great invention.)

[dejah_thoris]

She tucks her nose under his jaw and snuggles down, nodding, humming her agreement with his most excellent plan. She melts even further into his embrace and her breathing goes steady and even.




"Love you."

[2goodarms]

"Love you, too."

His eyes drift closed.

"Such a great night. 'Nkyou."

[dejah_thoris]

My beloved. May Cluros and Thuria watch over us.

On the edge of sleep and for a fleeting moment, she touches her mind to his. It's unconscious and ephemeral, but still there. Still palpable.

[2goodarms]

You're still here, whispers a thought in reply, too sleepy and contented to be surprised. Oh. Good.

Briefly, it curls around Dejah's thought, as if wrapping her hand in a brief squeeze. Then it lets go and lets her drift away as Curtis sinks further into sleep.

There's nowhere else he'd rather be. He is safe.

He is home.