[He takes a deep breath, deep enough that when he exhales she can feel it on her back, swallows, and makes careful, wide-eyed eye contact before shifting his hands to the side and undoing her bra. He doesn't fumble with the clasp; he can disarm bombs and pick locks without looking. But the lack of clumsiness doesn't make it casual.
He can feel his heart pounding, somewhere inside his ears, loud enough that it feels like she ought to be able to hear it, too.]
[ Steph draws in a slow, deep breath - she hadn't been sure he'd actually take the dare and do anything about it. She shrugs her shoulders, letting the bra slide down her arms and drop onto the floor. They're going to be so screwed if anyone walks in on them, but everyone saw them heading toward the showers, so they probably have until the hot water runs out, at least...
She shifts back, pressing deliberately into his touch. ]
[His hands go back to smoothing down her back, , heels of his palms pressing in, trim fingernails scratching here and there where the paint is more stubborn. He's wordless. Words seem too dangerous, too explicit an acknowledgement of what's almost happening. Gradually, he works his way down to the small of her back, and again he hesitates.]
[ After a moment, Steph goes back to rinsing out her hair, trying to make the best use of their limited water supply, but as his hands move down her back, it's very difficult to focus on anything but that. She keeps forgetting to breathe, and she's careful not to move any more than she has to - she's a little afraid if she makes the wrong move, Tim's going to panic and make some excuse to back off. That's the last thing she wants right now.
When he hesitates, so does she for a second before looking back over her shoulder again. ]
Is it out of my hair yet?
[ Quiet, casual, like none of this is a big deal. It is such a big deal. She's standing here topless in the shower and Tim's hands are on her and every part of her is thrumming with how big a deal this is. ]
[He reaches up to comb hands through her hair, carefully, fingertips sliding across her scalp, hands curling, just a little, in her hair, until he's run through all of it twice, and then he swallows and answers.]
It's out. There's just... a little bit that splashed... you know.
[ Steph draws a breath, slowly, trying to slow her racing heartbeat. It doesn't help much. ]
Oh. Um. I could get that myself, probably. [ Pause. ] Or... you could get it for me. If you wanted.
[ No pressure or anything. No matter how much she wants to spin around him and pin him against the wall of the shower and kiss him hard. Another deep breath. Careful, Steph. ]
[Very slowly, his fingers hook through the waistline of her underwear, fingertips curling against her skin, and he tugs down, slowly, not realizing until his fingers are almost at her thighs that his eyes have been staring fixedly at the small of her back, and he hasn't taken a breath since he spoke.]
[ Steph catches Tim's eye over her shoulder. Her face is flushed bright pink, and her voice comes out higher-pitched than she intended, but she thinks she gets the smile just right. ]
[He does, in and out, the breath you take just before the first time you fling yourself off a seventy story building with nothing but a grappling gun to keep you alive, and reaches down to smooth his thumb over the paint smear, just half an inch past the swell of her hip, something he could have easily cleaned by just tugging her underwear down rather than off. This time, his eyes travel lower than the small of her back, cheeks pinking further, gaze lingering, almost more curious than admiring, although there's plainly some of both. Okay. Steph. Naked. Close up. That's... good.
[ The look on his face makes the breath catch in her throat for a second. It's also what convinces her this isn't some dream she's going to wake up from in a minute, frustrated and unable to do anything about it - that look's all Tim, not something spun out of some dream, and even if it makes her feel so much more vulnerable than just stripping down did... she doesn't mind it.
She doesn't mind at all.
Steph twists her hips a little, kicks her leg to let her underwear fall to the floor. Okay. So she's naked and this is happening. The adrenaline singing in her blood feels like stepping off the edge of a rooftop, like the moment before gravity really takes hold. It's a good feeling. ]
[His hand curves on her, fingers pointing down, exploring very, very slowly, shivering as his palm slides down over the curve of her, other hand moving to steady himself on her hip, glancing up to meet her gaze a moment. He's through denying it. They're off the cliff, in free-fall, and he doesn't know what he's doing, or what he wants, or where it's going, except that he wants to follow through, not to stop.]
[ And that's it, she can't stand here any longer and not have anything to do with her hands - his hands on her are wonderful, but she only has so much patience and self-control. She turns around slowly, letting Tim's hands slide around her hips as she moves, and settles her hands on his shoulders once she's properly facing him, a thumb tracing absently over the scars there. ]
[The moment she starts to turn, his eyes are focused on her face again, so even with the two of them facing one another, he still hasn't seen... anything he hasn't before, bare shoulders and the curve of her breasts that would be visible above a bra.]
I don't... have any idea what I'm doing. But I want this. Whatever... you know. Whatever this winds up being.
Maybe... you'd better check my back, first?
[He shifts, then stops, only turning an inch, a few degrees with his shoulders and his feet, and his eyes flick downward in a brief, semi-involuntary glance before finding her eyes again. He doesn't want her to think... one hand comes up, fingers tracing blindly over the scars on her stomach and the smooth skin between them.]
[ She draws in a short breath, tensing momentarily as his fingers skim over her stomach - there's not much sensation in the larger raised scars, but there definitely is in the skin around them, and having anyone's fingers there makes her heart flutter in a way that could be excitement or the edge of panic. He's not pulling away, though. That's nice.
She shivers, even under the hot water, and tap's Tim's shoulder. ]
[He turns, slowly, hands leaving her, fingers flexing in the air, reluctantly, and he stands ramrod-straight facing the wall to let her inspect his back. It's a kind of surrender, a loss of control, now that they;re in this deep, but it isn't as if he doesn't trust her. He's come a long way to get to the point where he does. Still, under the circumstances, he can't make the tension in his shoulders relax.]
[ She huffs softly, amused, as her fingers smooth over his shoulders, muscles tense under her hands. It doesn't surprise her at all, knowing Tim, but under the circumstances he could afford to unwind a little...
He's been standing in the water long enough that it's no trouble wiping off most of the paint with fingertips and nails. He's clean before long - still partially clothed, which she thinks is a little unfair, but she'll bring it up in time. For the moment, she skims her hands back up and over his shoulders, steps forward a little and presses herself against him. She drops a kiss against his shoulder. ]
[ When she presses against him, it's as if he's suddenly hyper-aware of every goosebump on his skin, every place she's touching him, and he takes in a sudden, deep breath. ]
Okay. Uh... what now?
[One of his hands reaches back to find hers, brush fingers, let her knows that however lost he is, he's still on board with this.]
I guess... at the moment, I have... an unfair advantage?
[ By way of answer, Steph hooks her thumbs through his boxers and tugs them down slowly. She's still standing too close to him to see anything, but her hands slide down the outside edge of his hips, and she forgets to breathe. ]
[Very carefully, he steps out of the boxers as they slide down to his ankles and kicks them aside, keeping his breath very even, leaning against Steph and shivering a little and the hands on his hips, eyes closing. What he says, he barely whispers.]
[ Steph swallows hard, lets out her breath slowly. It's cool. She knows what she's doing here. She has done this, like, twice, and nowhere near this slow and careful and real. Still twice more than Tim, though, so...
She leans in to kiss his shoulder again, and then the back of his neck, breath warm against his skin. She likes that he's not really any taller than her, that they fit together so well - it makes this easy, comfortable, right. She's still nervous as she slips one hand forward over his hip, down along the curve of his hipbone, fluttering over his stomach before her fingertips brush against him. Her touch is light, cautious, waiting for his response before she goes any further. ]
[He sucks in a deep breath, and a little noise, almost a whimper, escapes him. It's the same kind of noise he makes... well, right here usually, when his hand is where hers is now, thinking of her, imagining her... his skin feels burning-hot under her fingers, and he lets his hips rock forward against her hand.]
[ That noise goes straight to her gut, a pleasant burn below her stomach, and she gasps softly against the back of his neck. She runs the pads of her fingers down the length of him, a little less delicate now, hesitates for a second when she reaches the base, and wraps her fingers around him. ]
[He reaches back, blindly, thumb sliding over her hip, fingers searching along her thigh, trying to get an angle to return the favor, back still pressed against her chest, head almost leaning back on her shoulder. He's hard, which hasn't happened before when they've been pressed together making out - or at least, only halfheartedly, not like this - and if she's exploring, she can tell he's circumcised. Not really impressive, not really lacking. And... smooth-shaven, everywhere.]
[ His fingers on her thigh coax a soft, strangled noise of her own out of her. They're going to have trouble finding the room for him to do much else unless they shift positions, and that's probably going to have to be soon because patience has never been Steph's strong suit. But for that particular tone in his voice, for his head against her shoulder and his whole body pressed against hers and having him pliant under her hands, she can wait a little longer.
She tightens her grip a little, slides her hand up a little higher and then back down, looses her grip and stretches out her fingers to explore a bit lower. Her lips curve into a smile against his shoulder. ]
You shave? [ It's soft and a little teasing, but it's not bad. Just a little unexpected. ]
[ She laughs, a little louder than she meant to so the sound bounces back off the shower walls. She bites her lip, still smirking, though now it's more at the noises he's making, and the frustration in his voice. ]
Alright, good point...
[ She runs her fingers upward again, half exploring, half teasing, and kisses the place where his shoulder and neck meet. This time, there's the faintest edge of teeth to it, gently testing. ]
[ She shifts a little, rocking forward into his hand without much conscious thought. ]
Right. Yeah.
[ She runs her hand up over him again, teasing, before letting go and pulling back enough for him to turn around. The second he's facing her, she steps forward again, tangles her fingers in her hair and kisses him hard. Don't ask her how long she's been waiting for this moment. Forever, basically. ]
[he kisses back, pressing his body against hers, rubbing across her almost without thinking about it, the tip of him just under her belly button, making noises at the fingers in his hair, hands coming up her sides, pausing briefly, careful, and then continuing curiously to trace over the sides of her breasts, which he's still only barely had a glimpse of. He needs to correct that. And he will, just... just not yet. Right now, this is exactly right.]
[ Steph draws in a sharp breath as his fingers skim over the sides of her breasts, followed by a soft, pleased noise in the back of her throat. Her whole body rocks against him, hips to chest, teeth catching his lower lip as her hands slide down to his shoulders. ]
[It's almost like a dance, with her hands on his shoulders, and he's starting to get an idea of the choreography. He continues the kiss for a beat, then pulls back just a few inches, takes a deep breath, and looks at her - really looks, letting his eyes travel down over her, and watching as one of his hands slips forward, over the surface of her breast, thumb rubbing a crescent arc over one aureola. The other hand slips down, grazing the underside of her other breast, following for a moment the slanting path laid out by scar tissue, then continuing down, slowly, over her stomach, before he looks up to meet her in the eyes again and make sure.]
[ It's not easy, being the focus of his attention like this. Before, maybe, she wouldn't have minded, but with all the scars... A part of her wants to look away, kiss him again to distract him, anything. She doesn't, just watches his face as his eyes and hands move lower, silent and intent.
Her eyes shutter closed for a moment as his thumb traces around her nipple, a deep breath pressing her breast a little more into his hand. She opens them again when she feels his other hand pause, meets his eyes and smiles tentatively.
[He murmurs the words, then lets his hand continue tracing downward, fingers slipping between her parted thighs, just exploring, softly, curious, gaze flickering from her face, to his right hand, to his left hand, and back, vigilantly, breathing very shallow, yes very, very wide.]
[ It's soft, slightly breathless, as she shifts her stance to make just a little more room for his hand. One thumb plays absently over his collarbone as his fingers move, fingertips pressing into the back of his shoulder almost unconsciously.
After a moment, she leans forward to kiss him again, softer this time, moving her hips at the same time to get a bit more pressure where she wants it. ]
[The kiss starts, his fingers begin to press deeper, incrementally, testing each millimeter of motion in case there's some boundary he's about to cross -
- and then there's a brief stutter in the water, as the temperature drops from steaming hot to merely tepid.]
[ Steph yelps and jerks back, lunging for the handle to turn the water off. It's not freezing, but it's not exactly pleasant either, and she has no interest in staying in here any longer.
She turns back to Tim, smiling sheepishly. ] Probably should have seen that coming...
She steps forward again to give him another quick kiss, because oh no, she is not letting him get away that easily. ] We could dry off and move to the bunks... [ She thinks they've probably got some time left before anyone else follows them inside. She's willing to risk it. ]
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timeasmymeasure
Tim/Steph; First Breath showers.
Date: 2015-04-29 02:30 pm (UTC)Oh.
[He takes a deep breath, deep enough that when he exhales she can feel it on her back, swallows, and makes careful, wide-eyed eye contact before shifting his hands to the side and undoing her bra. He doesn't fumble with the clasp; he can disarm bombs and pick locks without looking. But the lack of clumsiness doesn't make it casual.
He can feel his heart pounding, somewhere inside his ears, loud enough that it feels like she ought to be able to hear it, too.]
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Date: 2015-04-29 02:59 pm (UTC)She shifts back, pressing deliberately into his touch. ]
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Date: 2015-04-29 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-30 07:21 am (UTC)When he hesitates, so does she for a second before looking back over her shoulder again. ]
Is it out of my hair yet?
[ Quiet, casual, like none of this is a big deal. It is such a big deal. She's standing here topless in the shower and Tim's hands are on her and every part of her is thrumming with how big a deal this is. ]
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Date: 2015-04-30 07:52 am (UTC)It's out. There's just... a little bit that splashed... you know.
Lower.
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Date: 2015-05-02 03:08 am (UTC)Oh. Um. I could get that myself, probably. [ Pause. ] Or... you could get it for me. If you wanted.
[ No pressure or anything. No matter how much she wants to spin around him and pin him against the wall of the shower and kiss him hard. Another deep breath. Careful, Steph. ]
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Date: 2015-05-02 03:51 am (UTC)[Very slowly, his fingers hook through the waistline of her underwear, fingertips curling against her skin, and he tugs down, slowly, not realizing until his fingers are almost at her thighs that his eyes have been staring fixedly at the small of her back, and he hasn't taken a breath since he spoke.]
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Date: 2015-05-02 04:40 am (UTC)Tim. Breathe.
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Date: 2015-05-02 05:40 am (UTC)[He does, in and out, the breath you take just before the first time you fling yourself off a seventy story building with nothing but a grappling gun to keep you alive, and reaches down to smooth his thumb over the paint smear, just half an inch past the swell of her hip, something he could have easily cleaned by just tugging her underwear down rather than off. This time, his eyes travel lower than the small of her back, cheeks pinking further, gaze lingering, almost more curious than admiring, although there's plainly some of both. Okay. Steph. Naked. Close up. That's... good.
He can't believe he's going through with this.]
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Date: 2015-05-02 06:25 am (UTC)She doesn't mind at all.
Steph twists her hips a little, kicks her leg to let her underwear fall to the floor. Okay. So she's naked and this is happening. The adrenaline singing in her blood feels like stepping off the edge of a rooftop, like the moment before gravity really takes hold. It's a good feeling. ]
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Date: 2015-05-02 06:35 am (UTC)[His hand curves on her, fingers pointing down, exploring very, very slowly, shivering as his palm slides down over the curve of her, other hand moving to steady himself on her hip, glancing up to meet her gaze a moment. He's through denying it. They're off the cliff, in free-fall, and he doesn't know what he's doing, or what he wants, or where it's going, except that he wants to follow through, not to stop.]
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Date: 2015-05-02 07:52 am (UTC)Yeah. This is... so okay.
[ And that's it, she can't stand here any longer and not have anything to do with her hands - his hands on her are wonderful, but she only has so much patience and self-control. She turns around slowly, letting Tim's hands slide around her hips as she moves, and settles her hands on his shoulders once she's properly facing him, a thumb tracing absently over the scars there. ]
Are you okay?
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Date: 2015-05-02 07:56 am (UTC)I don't... have any idea what I'm doing. But I want this. Whatever... you know. Whatever this winds up being.
Maybe... you'd better check my back, first?
[He shifts, then stops, only turning an inch, a few degrees with his shoulders and his feet, and his eyes flick downward in a brief, semi-involuntary glance before finding her eyes again. He doesn't want her to think... one hand comes up, fingers tracing blindly over the scars on her stomach and the smooth skin between them.]
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Date: 2015-05-02 10:18 pm (UTC)She shivers, even under the hot water, and tap's Tim's shoulder. ]
Turn around. I'll get your back.
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Date: 2015-05-03 06:54 am (UTC)[He turns, slowly, hands leaving her, fingers flexing in the air, reluctantly, and he stands ramrod-straight facing the wall to let her inspect his back. It's a kind of surrender, a loss of control, now that they;re in this deep, but it isn't as if he doesn't trust her. He's come a long way to get to the point where he does. Still, under the circumstances, he can't make the tension in his shoulders relax.]
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Date: 2015-05-03 09:13 am (UTC)He's been standing in the water long enough that it's no trouble wiping off most of the paint with fingertips and nails. He's clean before long - still partially clothed, which she thinks is a little unfair, but she'll bring it up in time. For the moment, she skims her hands back up and over his shoulders, steps forward a little and presses herself against him. She drops a kiss against his shoulder. ]
You're good.
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Date: 2015-05-03 09:41 am (UTC)Okay. Uh... what now?
[One of his hands reaches back to find hers, brush fingers, let her knows that however lost he is, he's still on board with this.]
I guess... at the moment, I have... an unfair advantage?
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Date: 2015-05-03 09:53 am (UTC)Yeah. You kind of do. Want to even things out a little?
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Date: 2015-05-03 10:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 04:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 01:53 pm (UTC)Go ahead.
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Date: 2015-05-05 06:15 am (UTC)She has done this, like, twice, and nowhere near this slow and careful and real. Still twice more than Tim, though, so...She leans in to kiss his shoulder again, and then the back of his neck, breath warm against his skin. She likes that he's not really any taller than her, that they fit together so well - it makes this easy, comfortable, right. She's still nervous as she slips one hand forward over his hip, down along the curve of his hipbone, fluttering over his stomach before her fingertips brush against him. Her touch is light, cautious, waiting for his response before she goes any further. ]
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Date: 2015-05-05 06:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 02:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 03:07 am (UTC)Mmm. Just - just like that.
[He reaches back, blindly, thumb sliding over her hip, fingers searching along her thigh, trying to get an angle to return the favor, back still pressed against her chest, head almost leaning back on her shoulder. He's hard, which hasn't happened before when they've been pressed together making out - or at least, only halfheartedly, not like this - and if she's exploring, she can tell he's circumcised. Not really impressive, not really lacking. And... smooth-shaven, everywhere.]
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Date: 2015-05-06 07:52 am (UTC)She tightens her grip a little, slides her hand up a little higher and then back down, looses her grip and stretches out her fingers to explore a bit lower. Her lips curve into a smile against his shoulder. ]
You shave? [ It's soft and a little teasing, but it's not bad. Just a little unexpected. ]
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Date: 2015-05-06 07:55 am (UTC)[Breathy, exasperated, a little strangled, making noises in the back of his throat, making a soft oh as her hand slides back down.]
I- yeah. Always have. It's just... neater. And a stray hair caught in an athletic strap when you land-
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Date: 2015-05-06 09:24 am (UTC)Alright, good point...
[ She runs her fingers upward again, half exploring, half teasing, and kisses the place where his shoulder and neck meet. This time, there's the faintest edge of teeth to it, gently testing. ]
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Date: 2015-05-06 09:29 am (UTC)[He asks, gasping,stretching and flexing at that brush of her teeth, just before his fingers finally reach where he can answer his own question.]
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Date: 2015-05-07 06:56 am (UTC)Sometimes. Not-- not since I got here. [ That's not a problem, is it? ]
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Date: 2015-05-07 07:02 am (UTC)Maybe we should...
[Turn around?]
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Date: 2015-05-07 09:28 am (UTC)Right. Yeah.
[ She runs her hand up over him again, teasing, before letting go and pulling back enough for him to turn around. The second he's facing her, she steps forward again, tangles her fingers in her hair and kisses him hard. Don't ask her how long she's been waiting for this moment. Forever, basically. ]
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Date: 2015-05-08 05:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-09 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-09 08:43 am (UTC)[It's almost like a dance, with her hands on his shoulders, and he's starting to get an idea of the choreography. He continues the kiss for a beat, then pulls back just a few inches, takes a deep breath, and looks at her - really looks, letting his eyes travel down over her, and watching as one of his hands slips forward, over the surface of her breast, thumb rubbing a crescent arc over one aureola. The other hand slips down, grazing the underside of her other breast, following for a moment the slanting path laid out by scar tissue, then continuing down, slowly, over her stomach, before he looks up to meet her in the eyes again and make sure.]
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Date: 2015-05-11 09:50 am (UTC)Her eyes shutter closed for a moment as his thumb traces around her nipple, a deep breath pressing her breast a little more into his hand. She opens them again when she feels his other hand pause, meets his eyes and smiles tentatively.
Permission granted, Boy Wonder. ]
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Date: 2015-05-11 11:22 am (UTC)[He murmurs the words, then lets his hand continue tracing downward, fingers slipping between her parted thighs, just exploring, softly, curious, gaze flickering from her face, to his right hand, to his left hand, and back, vigilantly, breathing very shallow, yes very, very wide.]
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Date: 2015-05-13 09:53 am (UTC)[ It's soft, slightly breathless, as she shifts her stance to make just a little more room for his hand. One thumb plays absently over his collarbone as his fingers move, fingertips pressing into the back of his shoulder almost unconsciously.
After a moment, she leans forward to kiss him again, softer this time, moving her hips at the same time to get a bit more pressure where she wants it. ]
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Date: 2015-05-13 06:56 pm (UTC)- and then there's a brief stutter in the water, as the temperature drops from steaming hot to merely tepid.]
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Date: 2015-05-14 09:13 am (UTC)She turns back to Tim, smiling sheepishly. ] Probably should have seen that coming...
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Date: 2015-05-14 09:21 am (UTC)[He laughs, weakly, and steps back, hands sliding off of her, looking uncertain and abashed once more.]
Uh... what happens now?
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Date: 2015-05-14 09:44 am (UTC)She steps forward again to give him another quick kiss, because oh no, she is not letting him get away that easily. ] We could dry off and move to the bunks... [ She thinks they've probably got some time left before anyone else follows them inside. She's willing to risk it. ]
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Date: 2015-05-16 06:15 pm (UTC)I still want to.