[SE] and again for good luck

FOX

"I wish I could say the same." Fox smiles about Longnight. "I do my best, but people always seem to need help." And he's heedless to say no to them, as Kiada might have already guessed. "Besides, when you live alone, even prospective Longnight monsters can feel like pretty good company after a while."

His laughter rings quietly throughout the room, fading away as her hands cup his cheeks and caress through his hair, and by the time Kiada nestles back down atop him, Fox's arms are curling around her and he has to persuade himself that he isn't tired. "We could learn to play an instrument. Or paint, or bring a deck of cards and tell everyone it's cursed," he says; just a few suggestions, of course.

"Either that or we start less conversations." And he can't tell if that's good or not.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

She shifts slightly where she lays atop him, arms tucked in now so she can draw those idle little designs into his chest, over scars and muscle like while she nods her head gently. “It’s lonely.” She agrees softly, before heaving a gentle sigh. “Did you know my first boyfriend got turned into a LongNight monster?” And she had tried to save him, only to come up short. The deal with Ludo falling through and nothing but taunting monsters every year to remind her of her failures.

She doesn’t let it bother her, though, as she jests over what kind of conversations they’d have, melting into him the second his arms wrap around her in turn. “Ah yes, I’m going to learn to be a magician.” She teases, tilting her head up to where her nose brushes against the underside of his jaw. “I don’t have to talk if I can distract you when I pull a rabbit from a hat.” The smile in her voice is reflected in the way he probably feels it from where her cheek rests against his collarbone now, but it doesn’t stop the soft laugh from leaving her lips.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

The carefree affection is something Fox has to almost hold himself back from; to say it's been a long time is a huge understatement, and having Kiada so close even now that they've extracted pleasure from one another is nearly overwhelming. (Nearly. He certainly doesn't want it to stop). His smile is a little sad at her agreement - it's one thing for him to feel it, but another entirely to know she suffers with it too - only for the expression to melt into surprise.

"Gods," he mutters. "No, I didn't know. I wasn't aware that people could be turned into them... I'm so sorry." Especially now that the monsters aren't a problem any more (as far as he's aware, fingers and toes crossed), so any hope of reversal or salvation is likely dashed.

"A magician, huh?" He's hesitant, aware that the change of subject is the equivalent of some conversational whiplash, his hand reaching up to gently smooth through her dark hair. "You say that, but I certainly have questions about where you were keeping the rabbit."

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

His apology sparks the shaking of her head, tilting so that she can peer up at him with those bright blue eyes again. “I think it was rare. But don’t be sorry. Isn’t your fault.” She flashes a softer smile toward him as if it might alleviate everything. It doesn’t, really, but it’s been so long now that she almost feels numb the more she thinks about it. Which, perhaps, is for the best at the end of the day.

The conversation shift is a better one, and it has that more amused smile fixing itself to her face – at least, until his hand starts smoothing through her hair and she presses into the touch like a cat starved of attention, a soft hum slipping from her throat as nonchalant as possible, eyes slipping shut for the moment. “A magician never reveals their secrets, you know.” She hums matter-of-factly, before her eyes slip open just a fraction, dark brow raising.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

"Mm, but that's just what people say, isn't it," Fox says with a sad smile. He's not immune to the way she leans into his touch, more open and honest about the craving for physical affection than he dares to be. Still, the hunter is good at following Kiada's lead, at least, and as she quips about her magician's secrets, he concedes the point with a gentle laugh and a warm thumb brushing across her cheek.

"...Do you want me to stay?" he asks quietly after a few moments, the question hesitant but nonetheless giving her the option to be left to her own company, if that's what she wants. Granted, if she does want him to stick around, they probably ought to lay down in bed properly. Or maybe have sex again. Shut up, Fox.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

It is what people say, though she can’t blame them. What else would anyone be able to say when faced with other people’s grief? So she lets it pass with a low hum of agreement, unable to add anything else. It helps when he runs his hand through her hair and she leans into it like a cat, shifting the subject to the playful comments of magicians and using that as a leeway to let the sadder part of the conversation shift. And it works, at least, until his question surprises her and she peers down at him with curious iceberg blues.

She’d thought it was a given that she wanted him to stay, but the fact he asks is sweet enough that she lets a gentler and somewhat playful smile cross her face, shifting slightly atop him in a way that does spark a sharp inhale of breath when she props herself up with her hands on either side of his head. “I do want you to stay. Do you want to stay?” She asks, tilting her head slightly. If she's being honest, she'd not complain with a round two.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

Feeling his own breath stutter in his chest as she shifts and moves atop him, Fox is left drowning in ice blue eyes and fae beauty, his hands automatically drifting down her back to settle against her hips. Her response and the question she quips in return does nothing to help him stay focused, and the hunter has to give himself permission to want to stay before he responds.

"I'd like that," he manages eventually, leaning in to brush his lips against Kiada's in a kiss that feels much more tender than it has any right to be. If he were more charming he might have added it beats going home or some other line, but there's only the gentle press of his hands and the song being written on his lips.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

His hands start to drift down her back toward her hips again and she curls herself into the touch with a slight arch of her back, only causing another little sharp sound to pass her lips in a breathy exhale. She doesn’t have time to add anything else, either, because his lips meet hers in quite a tender touch and her heart swells with the appreciation of it all the same.

Perhaps it was far too tender for two people that have just met, but Kiada has been missing out on it for so long now that she can’t help her appreciation as she presses back into the kiss, hands still braced on either side of his head as she keeps herself arched just enough to remain draped over him with a fraction of space between her torso and his in that dangerous space where each and every little movement sparks that needy sensation back in her gut, flushing her cheeks and neck more and more as she pushes back into the kiss, letting it guide her away from her typical brash and quick reactions. Sometimes taking it slow was necessary, and Kiada needed to remind herself that she did in fact have all the time in the world now.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

Unsure what he's expecting, as Kiada melts and arches into him, Fox is adrift in the sensations such that any common sense is forced to take a backseat. Leaning up further as if to chase the sweetness of her lips, his arms tighten around her so he might surge into a sitting position. "I'm not a magician, but I have a couple of tricks of my own," he mumbles, and he's far too lost in the moment to consider whether or not he sounds lame as all fuck.

Regardless, his quick manoeuvring will have him rising to his feet with Kiada in his arms so he might turn to set her down properly on the bed, effectively reversing their positions. Then his lips are back against her own, Fox holding himself over the harpy with an arm braced above her head, the other teasing across her curves.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

He leans up further and she presses against him even as his arms tighten until she’s settled back into his lap easily, humming little soft sounds of approval as an initial response to what he says. She’s caught up in the moment, too, so much that she thinks nothing of what he says other than a gentle little hum of curiosity, followed by the little “do show,” that purrs from her lips precisely at the time he lifts her and she clings to him initially, wondering where he’s taking her.

Not far, at least, and as her back hits the soft covers of the bed she stretches out, arms looped around his neck so that she can drag her hands down his shoulders, spreading her legs further to accommodate his closeness as she arches up into his touches and his lips, as if she’s reminding herself to not completely devour him.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

Luckily, as Kiada will soon find out, Fox is much better at showing than telling, and it's with a smile against her lips that he reluctantly sits back for a moment. It's only because he's suddenly aware he's still wearing his (albeit unbuttoned) pants, the hunter spending a few seconds kicking them off before returning to warm curves and possessive hands, losing himself in it for the second time.

And this time he hopes he'll be a little bit less of an embarrassment; there's no doubt that he's up for another tumble in the sheets with Kiada, but he might need a little longer to warm up, so to speak. As it happens, though, Fox knows just how to spend the time. His lips begin to migrate down the length of her body, tasting her collarbones and the swell of her breasts, plunging down towards her navel and lower still, little by little.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

He isn’t alone in the needing a little bit longer to warm up, but her skin flushed with the prospect all the same. Even already so attached that when he pulls away from her to undress himself the rest of the way she can’t help the whine that slips from her throat, the protests locked behind her teeth.

He returns quickly, though, and her hands run along his exposed skin, over scars and muscle, dragging her fingernails along his skin as he breaks the kiss and she takes a sharp inhale of breath as he blazes a path of kisses down her neck and chest, focusing on her sensitivities. Her back arches slightly and her fingertips thread through his crop of hair when he reaches her breasts, and as he starts to dip lower her legs spread further, watching him through a heavy lidded gaze, teeth tugging at her full bottom lip as she waits with a surprising amount of patience, tangling one hand into his hair brushing along the short horn she finds there while her other hand runs along her own skin in a languid touch for his eyes only.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back

FOX

A breath shivers out of him to feel sudden fingers in his hair, Fox smiling against the jut of her hips even as he leans into her caresses. Gods, has it really been this long since he's been touched like this? It feels ridiculous to think, especially given what they've only very recently gotten up to, but that felt rushed, carnal, hungry. Nothing like what's happening now, and Fox forces himself to concentrate so he doesn't end up pausing here for too long.

Humming a note of approval against her skin, the hunter does continue his journey southwards eventually, letting soft kisses drift across her inner thighs. Encouraging one of her legs to drape across his shoulder, it's with a brief pause and mischief in his eyes that he glances up the length of her body. And fuck, even the sight of her has heat kindling low in his belly, Fox smiling against her skin. "You're beautiful," he mumbles.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

KIADA

It’s been a long, long time since Kiada’s had someone to focus her attentions on. It’s been the same amount of time since she’s received it. So it’s headfirst that she dives into running her fingers through his hair, along each and every part of him that she can reach, hands warm and smooth aside from the calluses of using daggers and bows.

His kisses pressed to the inside of her thighs have her spreading more, hooking one leg over his shoulder where her heel can press gently between his shoulder blades. She pauses in the gentle touch on her own skin, still peering down at him with catlike grace, heavy lidded blues as she flushes with his compliment. Her fingertips in his hair tug at rogue dark strays and she lifts her hips slightly as if to gather his attention there as her freehand ghosts along her skin, circling one of her own full, peaked breasts. “Careful with your pretty words, or I’ll have to get used to this view.” She teases him lightly.

i was young and stupid then, always playing for the win
don't know where we got this bad, i just wish i had you back