[ he expects to see her on the couch or even slouched back on the floor next to the bottle he'd left by the front doorway, but when his eyes find her neither place his pulse begins to pick up. where is she? what if-- her voice breaks through the nonsense, and his gaze finally settles on her, palpable relief settling over him like a shield. frank makes his way to her in quick strides, just as astounded by her ability to relax into his space. grateful, too. she looks almost sweet, curled up on his blanket like a lazy cat. ...is that his shirt? frank crouches down next to the mattress, tracing her features with his eyes as if committing them to memory all over again. ]
Time for Nap 2? [ he suggests in a murmur, realizing his mistake almost instantly. hey sleepyhead... there's plenty of time now that you're home. frank swallows, trying to shake himself from the dream, but it's gripping him. it shouldn't have this power over him when he isn't even asleep. he feels hot blood splatter his face and he's reaching out, getting a grip on jessica's arm to prove to himself she's alive. his heart pounds like hoofbeats on pavement as he lays himself down next to her, leaning in until their foreheads press. he doesn't dare shut his eyes for what he'll see behind them. ]
[ she tracks him through the room with just her ears, listening to him step closer and kneel next to her with the soft grind of denim. then she can hear his breath, feel a wisp of it at the tip of her nose. she hears it change, too, and the effortlessness of staying still starts to seep from her. nonetheless, she remains there and he deprives her of the time needed to form any expectations or fret over a dearth thereof by slipping in a second later. ]
Did you even sleep? [ blindly, she reaches forward until she's touching him. his chest. with gentle probing from her fingertips along the crease of muscle at the centre, she hits upon his collar and then his skin, to which heat from the shower still clings. her lips relax into the bed of a smile. he missed her, obviously, so it's not as bad as it could be, admitting to herself that she missed him in kind: too strongly, unjustifiably, and in defiance of all precautions. ]
[ the second she's touching him, things right themselves, his hand running over the fabric of the sleeve of the shirt she stole from him, and leaning in to press their bodies even a little tighter together. her question is a loaded one, for so many reasons, but as ever the words slip out before he decides if he should soften them. ] Not really. [ he doesn't seem to mind much, especially as his other hand shifts to trace her side. ]
[ it helps put her back at ease, too, being accepted into his hands. his answer is what she knew it would be. ]
Guard dog. [ she teases him, stringing a smirk along both words. this can be the one exception to her rejection of his pro-bono protection services. the whole of her hand comes to lie against his throat, her thumb searching in small, sloppy circles for the vein carrying his pulse. when she finds it, she opens her eyes to mark the spot. she wants to kiss him there, when he wants her to. ]
Just this once. [ he lies smoothly, as if reading her thoughts. his breathing stutters when her thumb finds his pulse-point, anticipation building under his skin. frank's eyes flutter open too, long eyelashes kissing her face as he pulls back just far enough to read her expression. ]
[ tired. tired like she always is, lifting her gaze at pace with her hand, lazily pushing over his hair. she lets the tips of it tickle her fingers, looking into his eyes despite a dull thud of dread from behind her heart. he better be content that she doesn't know what to say because for once she doesn't know how far she wants this to go, just that the complete stop got less bearable by the day. to tell him would sound too much like an apology for staying away and Jess can't apologize for behaviour she's likely to repeat sooner or later. he can't promise to tolerate it forever, either. maybe one day, he'll smarten up. she never considers that she might change as anything other than a distant fantasy. normal shit.
Jess wants to kiss him, wherever it leads. he has signs of her intent and chances to stop her, as she lifts her head and reclaims the space between them, nudging his nose, and then brushing her lips across his. ]
[ frank definitely isn't looking for any type of apology, and he's certainly not trying to rush into anything. they're both hopelessly broken, but as he'd said last night, was it really so terrible to seak comfort in someone who understood? someone they didn't have to pretend for. the kiss is more welcome than words could ever be, and he sinks into it like a drowning man, one large hand coming up to cup her face.
just as before, this is the only time where the comparisons float away and he's left with them. he and jess and whatever is between them. it doesn't matter how far they take this, today, now; or even in the long run. as long as frank gets to keep her for as long as he can, he convinces himself he'll be content. maybe even happy again, for a short time. she tastes much less like whiskey and much more like that unidentified seasoning that is only her. he deepens the kiss just to get more of her on his tongue, needing thoughts of her to surround him now to accompany the feelings. ]
[ the coffee flavour in his mouth is just light enough not to make her sick. it were gone entirely, she's sure she would resent its absence. it's a part of him, like the concrete dust under his fingernails before he showers or the effigy hidden among his belongings.
Jess eases him to his back by smothering his chest with hers to lie on top of him. she lets him delve up with his tongue, hers guiding unconcernedly. her arm laid over him and crooked beside his head, she scrapes the flat backs of her nails through the roots of hair at the top of his scalp. his warmth seeps into her all the way down to her bare legs, loosely spread along one of his. the disparity of their dress doesn't bother her; she likes the gritty, functional fabrics he wears. fuck silk and have it tell satin to suck it too. ]
[ he goes easily, proving that he likes this arrangement quite a bit. maybe that's why he'd asked her in that proverbial text that broke the camel's back. not because he thought he'd figured her out, but because this is his own predictable folly. strong, fierce women who might like to push a man like him around now and then. and what's the harm in that really? his fingers dig into her lower back, leg angling up to slot alongside hers and make their lower bodies fit even snugger.
the scrape against his scalp looses a moan into the confines of their joined mouths, his eyes pressed tightly closed now. the snow and his nightmares easily fall away with the promise of more contact, his skin already heating up under her in a telltale sign that this could quickly escalate. but he doesn't want it to, not yet. he loves how easy and perfect this feels, a lazy morning suspended between their lips. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Time for Nap 2? [ he suggests in a murmur, realizing his mistake almost instantly. hey sleepyhead... there's plenty of time now that you're home. frank swallows, trying to shake himself from the dream, but it's gripping him. it shouldn't have this power over him when he isn't even asleep. he feels hot blood splatter his face and he's reaching out, getting a grip on jessica's arm to prove to himself she's alive. his heart pounds like hoofbeats on pavement as he lays himself down next to her, leaning in until their foreheads press. he doesn't dare shut his eyes for what he'll see behind them. ]
no subject
Did you even sleep? [ blindly, she reaches forward until she's touching him. his chest. with gentle probing from her fingertips along the crease of muscle at the centre, she hits upon his collar and then his skin, to which heat from the shower still clings. her lips relax into the bed of a smile. he missed her, obviously, so it's not as bad as it could be, admitting to herself that she missed him in kind: too strongly, unjustifiably, and in defiance of all precautions. ]
no subject
no subject
Guard dog. [ she teases him, stringing a smirk along both words. this can be the one exception to her rejection of his pro-bono protection services. the whole of her hand comes to lie against his throat, her thumb searching in small, sloppy circles for the vein carrying his pulse. when she finds it, she opens her eyes to mark the spot. she wants to kiss him there, when he wants her to. ]
no subject
no subject
Jess wants to kiss him, wherever it leads. he has signs of her intent and chances to stop her, as she lifts her head and reclaims the space between them, nudging his nose, and then brushing her lips across his. ]
no subject
just as before, this is the only time where the comparisons float away and he's left with them. he and jess and whatever is between them. it doesn't matter how far they take this, today, now; or even in the long run. as long as frank gets to keep her for as long as he can, he convinces himself he'll be content. maybe even happy again, for a short time. she tastes much less like whiskey and much more like that unidentified seasoning that is only her. he deepens the kiss just to get more of her on his tongue, needing thoughts of her to surround him now to accompany the feelings. ]
no subject
Jess eases him to his back by smothering his chest with hers to lie on top of him. she lets him delve up with his tongue, hers guiding unconcernedly. her arm laid over him and crooked beside his head, she scrapes the flat backs of her nails through the roots of hair at the top of his scalp. his warmth seeps into her all the way down to her bare legs, loosely spread along one of his. the disparity of their dress doesn't bother her; she likes the gritty, functional fabrics he wears. fuck silk and have it tell satin to suck it too. ]
no subject
the scrape against his scalp looses a moan into the confines of their joined mouths, his eyes pressed tightly closed now. the snow and his nightmares easily fall away with the promise of more contact, his skin already heating up under her in a telltale sign that this could quickly escalate. but he doesn't want it to, not yet. he loves how easy and perfect this feels, a lazy morning suspended between their lips. ]