[A soft groan escapes into her mouth as she teases him with her tongue, and he gently prods to taste her in turn— this, this is far more intoxicating than even the rich heat of her blood had been, her weight against him serving as proof that this is quite real, not a dream brought on by falling asleep as her scent clung to his pillow and sheets.
That she meets him with such enthusiasm only serves to make him want to drink deeper, swallow down that delicious moan; he threads deft fingers through her hair as he deepens the kiss between them, his hand at her back sliding downwards to tug her flush against him. It's been years since he's allowed anyone to come this close to him, more than just physically, and he could lose himself in sensation all too easily, drown in her if she let him.
Fingers curl against the back of her head; he has no need to break for breath, but lets himself drop back against the mattress, guiding her along with him, feeling the fever burn through the both of them, his bite having formed a link between them, however temporary it may be.]
[He doesn't need to breathe, but she does. She continues to kiss him until he drops back against the mattress which startles her slightly. Her hands move to his shoulders so that she can draw back a few inches. Her breathing is heavy and same with her gaze.]
Gale...
[It's getting too hot. She feels as if she's inhaled her usual concoction of aromatic smoke, but instead of calming her down, she's even more worked up.
(She can't keep this going. Not with all her other thoughts and memories in the back of her mind.)
Swallowing, Amelia closes her eyes and presses her forehead against the vampire's as a small reassurance.]
You know I still need oxygen, right?
[Levity. Yes, she needs to bring it back before she goes too far.]
[Levity is what the moment needs. He's startled for a moment, then lets out a soft, raw-edged laugh in response, his eyes sliding closed as he exhales, his hold on the back of her shirt relaxing so that he can move his hand to rest against her hip.]
I hadn't given it much thought.
[Levity in turn, even if it's more true than not. The press of her forehead against his own tells him that he has not erred quite so badly as he might have, but her gentle interruption does help him to regain some lucidity.]
[Amelia lets out a sigh of disbelief as she draws back and moves so that she's just laying her head against his chest which also serves to avoid looking at him in the eyes.]
That's an understatement.
[She reaches up to muss up his hair as if to get back at him.]
[He's reluctant to let her go, even though she doesn't go far. He turns his gaze to the ceiling as she lays her head against his chest, idly taking the ends of a few locks of brilliant red between his fingers. Her mussing of his hair causes a smile to tug at one corner of his mouth, however briefly.]
No, I suppose it wasn't, though I suspect others have made the assumption.
[Typically, it's what an arrangement like theirs would often imply, but—
He's not so concerned with what other people think at the moment.]
I don't usually... lose control of myself in such a way.
[The half-formed witty reply he might have had to her assessment dies on his tongue, and his fingers still in her hair, casting his gaze down do where she's folded her arms across his chest to look at him directly.
He doesn't know if it's meant to be an accusation; perhaps it's only a guilty conscience that makes him feel suddenly caught, and his eyes look to the ceiling once more.]
... I did. More than once.
[Not intentionally, not really. At the start, it was just because he, too, had a fondness for admiring the night sky from his own roof, but when he noted it was a habit they had in common... he couldn't help but be curious, especially as word had reached him that it was a witch who had moved in to set up shop in the neighborhood.]
I... wasn't used to seeing anyone else on the rooftops at that hour.
[His avoidance of her gaze shouldn't be so cute after calling him out, but it is and she'll keep that to herself. Regardless, he admitted it. Her fingers thoughtfully drum against his collar.]
I must have made you wonder a lot then.
[It was melancholic people who would stand or sit alone on a rooftop staring into space, sometimes accompanied by drink and in her case, plenty of smoke. She might have been pretending to be not alone. The witch with some hidden embarrassment remembers she spoke aloud to the non-existent ghost of Adam, remarking upon her new city life and her complete metropolitan makeover.
God. Amelia hopes the distance between their buildings was far enough that he couldn't make out that.]
...And I guess those long stretches of being alone really did a number on us.
[And that's why, circumstances aside, it wasn't just him who lost control.]
It was by chance, I assure you, but naturally, I was curious— it's not every day that a witch moves in practically next door, or so the rumors said.
[Magickind— his kind, once upon a time. Lifetimes ago, now, though his heart has not changed, nor has his interest waned. His abilities had developed differently after he had given up his mortality, but magic still coursed through his veins, still beat against the inside of his ribcage, and even from the distance between their two rooftops, he had been able to feel it coming from her, as well— a soft current of magic that reached out through the night air to find its like.
There's a lengthy pause before he glances back at her at last, his gaze heavy with the apology that now weighed on him.]
I remember thinking that you... looked as lonely as I felt.
[He hadn't even realized just how deeply he felt that until these last few weeks.]
[He knits his brow, slowly propping himself up with one hand so that he's seated as she shifts, oddly graceful despite the potential awkwardness of how they've found themselves arranged.]
I imagine that's very true. We've not known one another long.
[They've learned some things about one another, certainly, many of which are the sorts of things you can only learn by being in close quarters as much as they've been, but a handful of weeks was hardly enough time to even scratch the surface with most people, let alone those who had lived as long as either of them had.]
I could say the very same to you.
[He doesn't share much of himself with anyone, these days. He had opened up to her in part, but there was far more she didn't know.]
I assumed you came to the city for a reason. To find something, or leave something else behind.
[Two centuries earlier, as a human who very much had put a great premium on his pride, he might have been slightly injured by that response, understandable though it may be— but instead, he lets out a soft noise of assent, averting his gaze as he notes her fidgeting.]
I may know a little something about that.
[That's largely been his experience, as well. This, whatever it was, was an exception— and even then, it had taken a moment of weakness and inability to resist temptation to admit to it.]
[His gaze drifts back to her, one brow lifting curiously as he otherwise strives to remain as neutral as he can manage— challenging, considering what they'd been doing just a few moments earlier.]
Of course. I'm sure it's hardly as embarrassing as you might think.
I was eight-years old when I proposed to my future husband who was sixteen at the time. We lived in the same town and at some point our paths crossed and I got it into my head that he was my ideal partner. The obvious age-difference didn't really register.
[She suppresses a snort, fully aware how outrageous it sounds.]
His reaction was not... Well, no, he was put off and he took the correct course of action and turned me down. I, being a child, and a confident witch child at that, was left with bruised pride and self-righteous anger.
[He chuckles softly, one corner of his mouth twitching into a faint smile. He remembers all too well what it was like to be a precocious child bearing the gift of magic, and it's hardly a stretch for him to imagine Amelia in such a state, angry in the way only a child could be.]
Revenge, you say. Naturally, you've piqued my interest.
I'm glad I made you laugh. That was my goal all along.
[Regardless, she continues.]
It took six more years and a lot of growing up in between before we reached that point. We both needed it.
[Amelia's smile becomes soft as she turns her gaze away from Gale. The faraway look in her eyes emerges again like how she would look at the moon from her rooftop.]
Right when I thought there was nothing to salvage between us, he proposed to me.
[She scoffs though there's no negativity behind it.]
[Another chuckle, followed by a shake of his head.]
After all that, he couldn't even let you have your moment?
[There's not an ounce of criticism in his voice; the attempt to tease is softened by sentimentality. For better or worse, he's always been something of a romantic. It had not served him well in the past, unfortunately, but he'd never quite given it up, even after withdrawing from the world as he had.]
[Instead of an unbearable sting, she's left with mysterious relief. When was the last time she talked so much about Adam without feeling uncomfortable? And when was it she felt like she truly accepted his passing?]
I guess my point is kissing me out of almost nowhere is demonstrably much more pleasant than being rejected twice over a span of a decade. More importantly...
[She reaches over with one hand to gently cup his chin with her fingers.]
I don't think you'll leave me anytime soon, will you?
[For just a moment, he had almost regained himself entirely, almost felt normal, but as she takes hold of his chin, he feels his heart lodge itself in his throat, almost as though it were threatening to beat once more.
Oh.
He clears his throat softly, giving a minute shake of his head so as not to pull away from her gentle hold.]
No, no, I do believe you're right.
[He's not about to go anywhere.]
I made a promise, after all— that you would be safe with me.
[That pointed remark has him suddenly clearing his throat, his neck suddenly flushed with embarrassment as much as anything that had come before, but he quickly composes himself— he is far, far too old to be affected so profoundly by such a comment, he's certain.]
You need your rest, and I ought to reopen the shop.
[He gets to his feet before he can make any other impulsive decisions, the heady rush her blood had provided finally beginning to subside, and he smooths out the front of his shirt with both hands before straightening the way his coat hangs from his shoulders by tugging sharply at the lapels— anything to keep his hands busy.]
You have— everything you need to be comfortable?
[He's encouraged her to make herself at home well before now, but asking just seems like the right thing to do.]
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sunfloras2024-05-18 10:26 pm
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That she meets him with such enthusiasm only serves to make him want to drink deeper, swallow down that delicious moan; he threads deft fingers through her hair as he deepens the kiss between them, his hand at her back sliding downwards to tug her flush against him. It's been years since he's allowed anyone to come this close to him, more than just physically, and he could lose himself in sensation all too easily, drown in her if she let him.
Fingers curl against the back of her head; he has no need to break for breath, but lets himself drop back against the mattress, guiding her along with him, feeling the fever burn through the both of them, his bite having formed a link between them, however temporary it may be.]
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Gale...
[It's getting too hot. She feels as if she's inhaled her usual concoction of aromatic smoke, but instead of calming her down, she's even more worked up.
(She can't keep this going. Not with all her other thoughts and memories in the back of her mind.)
Swallowing, Amelia closes her eyes and presses her forehead against the vampire's as a small reassurance.]
You know I still need oxygen, right?
[Levity. Yes, she needs to bring it back before she goes too far.]
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I hadn't given it much thought.
[Levity in turn, even if it's more true than not. The press of her forehead against his own tells him that he has not erred quite so badly as he might have, but her gentle interruption does help him to regain some lucidity.]
Is it too much?
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[Amelia lets out a sigh of disbelief as she draws back and moves so that she's just laying her head against his chest which also serves to avoid looking at him in the eyes.]
That's an understatement.
[She reaches up to muss up his hair as if to get back at him.]
That wasn't in our initial plan was it?
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No, I suppose it wasn't, though I suspect others have made the assumption.
[Typically, it's what an arrangement like theirs would often imply, but—
He's not so concerned with what other people think at the moment.]
I don't usually... lose control of myself in such a way.
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[Amelia sounds bemused and shifts so that her arms lay across his chest and that she can look at him face forward.]
You're extremely thorough at kissing if you don't mind me saying. That's what one can achieve in 200 years?
[Not her looking thoughtful about that!! But there is something else that occurs to her...]
... Gale? When I first moved in, did you ever see me standing on my roof?
[She had her suspicions when they finally made contact, but decided it didn't matter until now because it would explain why it's lead up to this.]
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He doesn't know if it's meant to be an accusation; perhaps it's only a guilty conscience that makes him feel suddenly caught, and his eyes look to the ceiling once more.]
... I did. More than once.
[Not intentionally, not really. At the start, it was just because he, too, had a fondness for admiring the night sky from his own roof, but when he noted it was a habit they had in common... he couldn't help but be curious, especially as word had reached him that it was a witch who had moved in to set up shop in the neighborhood.]
I... wasn't used to seeing anyone else on the rooftops at that hour.
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[His avoidance of her gaze shouldn't be so cute after calling him out, but it is and she'll keep that to herself. Regardless, he admitted it. Her fingers thoughtfully drum against his collar.]
I must have made you wonder a lot then.
[It was melancholic people who would stand or sit alone on a rooftop staring into space, sometimes accompanied by drink and in her case, plenty of smoke. She might have been pretending to be not alone. The witch with some hidden embarrassment remembers she spoke aloud to the non-existent ghost of Adam, remarking upon her new city life and her complete metropolitan makeover.
God. Amelia hopes the distance between their buildings was far enough that he couldn't make out that.]
...And I guess those long stretches of being alone really did a number on us.
[And that's why, circumstances aside, it wasn't just him who lost control.]
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[Magickind— his kind, once upon a time. Lifetimes ago, now, though his heart has not changed, nor has his interest waned. His abilities had developed differently after he had given up his mortality, but magic still coursed through his veins, still beat against the inside of his ribcage, and even from the distance between their two rooftops, he had been able to feel it coming from her, as well— a soft current of magic that reached out through the night air to find its like.
There's a lengthy pause before he glances back at her at last, his gaze heavy with the apology that now weighed on him.]
I remember thinking that you... looked as lonely as I felt.
[He hadn't even realized just how deeply he felt that until these last few weeks.]
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I left behind a lot when I started being nomadic.
[Her home, her coven, her neighbors, and the memories of Adam that won't ever really disappear because it was all she had left.]
Just me, some, property, and some magic.
[She lets out a huff of breath as she shifts further away from Gale to sit next to him instead of laying across him. Honestly, what was she doing?]
There's still a lot you don't know about me.
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I imagine that's very true. We've not known one another long.
[They've learned some things about one another, certainly, many of which are the sorts of things you can only learn by being in close quarters as much as they've been, but a handful of weeks was hardly enough time to even scratch the surface with most people, let alone those who had lived as long as either of them had.]
I could say the very same to you.
[He doesn't share much of himself with anyone, these days. He had opened up to her in part, but there was far more she didn't know.]
I assumed you came to the city for a reason. To find something, or leave something else behind.
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We'll have plenty of time to learn more, I guess.
[That is, if she lets him and if he does the same in return. After a few seconds of silence, the witch chooses her next words carefully.]
You've basically said that I've been on your mind, but if I were to be starkly honest, I don't know if that's the same for me.
[She almost winces as she says it; it sounds so bad but it feels accurate. Amelia fiddles with her fingers.]
I haven't really, well... You know, let anyone in on the other side so to speak.
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I may know a little something about that.
[That's largely been his experience, as well. This, whatever it was, was an exception— and even then, it had taken a moment of weakness and inability to resist temptation to admit to it.]
That said, I have no— expectations.
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Can I tell you something embarrassing?
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Of course. I'm sure it's hardly as embarrassing as you might think.
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[She suppresses a snort, fully aware how outrageous it sounds.]
His reaction was not... Well, no, he was put off and he took the correct course of action and turned me down. I, being a child, and a confident witch child at that, was left with bruised pride and self-righteous anger.
[A beat. She smiles.]
So I got my revenge. Wanna know how?
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Revenge, you say. Naturally, you've piqued my interest.
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[Amelia sure is painting a picture of herself...]
So I hit eighteen and I made sure he knew it and flaunted myself. I proposed once again
[And with a flat humorous tone:]
I got rejected. Again.
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I can hardly imagine why, with such a foolproof plan.
[There's surely just a trace of sarcasm in his voice, but it's accompanied by genuine sympathy.]
Clearly, it worked out for you eventually, given that you referred to him as your future husband.
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I'm glad I made you laugh. That was my goal all along.
[Regardless, she continues.]
It took six more years and a lot of growing up in between before we reached that point. We both needed it.
[Amelia's smile becomes soft as she turns her gaze away from Gale. The faraway look in her eyes emerges again like how she would look at the moon from her rooftop.]
Right when I thought there was nothing to salvage between us, he proposed to me.
[She scoffs though there's no negativity behind it.]
The nerve of him to show me up like that.
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[Another chuckle, followed by a shake of his head.]
After all that, he couldn't even let you have your moment?
[There's not an ounce of criticism in his voice; the attempt to tease is softened by sentimentality. For better or worse, he's always been something of a romantic. It had not served him well in the past, unfortunately, but he'd never quite given it up, even after withdrawing from the world as he had.]
That's quite a history you two had.
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[Instead of an unbearable sting, she's left with mysterious relief. When was the last time she talked so much about Adam without feeling uncomfortable? And when was it she felt like she truly accepted his passing?]
I guess my point is kissing me out of almost nowhere is demonstrably much more pleasant than being rejected twice over a span of a decade. More importantly...
[She reaches over with one hand to gently cup his chin with her fingers.]
I don't think you'll leave me anytime soon, will you?
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Oh.
He clears his throat softly, giving a minute shake of his head so as not to pull away from her gentle hold.]
No, no, I do believe you're right.
[He's not about to go anywhere.]
I made a promise, after all— that you would be safe with me.
[In every sense of the word.]
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Well... I know you'd like to keep me up, but unfortunately, I'm still on a day and night cycle of sleep.
[This Green Witch, seriously...]
And we got a vampire soiree to worry about so let's chew on that first.
[At least before any of this.]
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You need your rest, and I ought to reopen the shop.
[He gets to his feet before he can make any other impulsive decisions, the heady rush her blood had provided finally beginning to subside, and he smooths out the front of his shirt with both hands before straightening the way his coat hangs from his shoulders by tugging sharply at the lapels— anything to keep his hands busy.]
You have— everything you need to be comfortable?
[He's encouraged her to make herself at home well before now, but asking just seems like the right thing to do.]
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