paradisalost | (no subject)

[The knock gets no response, nor does it seem like there's any visible reaction on the other side. Just silence.

He could be listening, or hesitating on the other side of the door. Or, he could also be ignoring her. Whatever the case may be, there was nothing that hinted any movement or noise.

... Although, if she listened carefully enough, she might be able to hear running water. :I Because he's taking a shower at the moment and not doing any of the above. So yeah, nice timing, Kallen.]

[Kallen waits a few moments for any sign of a reaction, but she gets nothing, too lost in her own thoughts to notice the running water. It takes her another moment to try knocking again before she just... talks at the door. She should be loud enough that anyone inside should hear.]

Okay, uh, you're either not in, or avoiding me, either of which is pretty awkward, but I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how things ended up last week. It was wrong of me to not talk to you until now. It's been difficult, though, since... [There's a lengthy pause before she just decides to blurt it out.]

I liked what happened, and I won't pretend otherwise. It caught me off guard, and that's why I left like I did. I know you want to keep things how they are, with us as friends, so I won't make it uncomfortable for you or anything. I just wanted to tell you how things were for me. This is the last you'll hear about it, I promise.

[One more pause.] And I understand if you don't show up for our run tomorrow morning. That's really all I came to say, so I'm going to go now before I'm caught by someone wandering the halls.

[She stays by the door for a moment longer before she exhales and turns to walk back down the hall.]

[It's a little hard to hear her voice over pouring water, but then again Rook wasn't really listening for it. Wasn't like he was expecting her to actually come and visit him, much less want to talk when she hadn't shown up for morning runs. So he just... gave her space. At least until he could figure out how to approach her himself. Having come to that conclusion after his visit with York.

But as he turned the water off and stepped out of the bathroom in the process of drying off, he heard her. Or thought he heard her. Which, as one would expect, gave him pause as he turned his attention in the direction of the voice to listen.

"I liked what happened, and I-"

Holy shit, that was her.

... No, wait. What did she say?

Rookie stayed still and listened, not really sure what to do or how to react. It wasn't until he realized that she was about to leave that he decided to move - and move quickly.

So it wasn't long before he was rooting around his room for something to wear - and of course this would be the one time he'd have difficulty in finding a pair of pants and forget that he was in a magic castle to wish up some - before he was rushing for his bedroom's door. In the process tripping over himself as he tugged the clothing on, before he bolted down his hallway.]

Kallen! [A small swear as he stumbled, before he was finally reaching for that door and moving to chase after her.] Wait! Hold on a second!

Edited 2011-12-13 07:52 (UTC)

[Since she's almost back to the top of the stairs at the end of the hallway, she can't hear any of the scrabbling or stumbling coming from inside the room. To her, the yelling's probably a muffled voice from another room of the floor, so she ignores it.

Starting to go downstairs now.]

[Oh gawd damn it.

The instant he opened the door and noticed just how far she was already, he couldn't help but swear lightly as he took off. The door to his room left wide open, since he was in too much of a hurry to really think about closing it.

So when realizing that he had to grab her attention somehow - and do it fast - he did the only thing he could think of. He whistled, clear and sharp.] Hey! Slow down!

Edited 2011-12-13 08:23 (UTC)

[The whistle catches her off guard, so she almost trips on the stairs, managing to grab the railing to keep herself upright. Once her footing's secure again, she looks back to see--

Oh. Well, this is unexpected. All she can do right now is stand there and stare at him as he approaches.]

[... Not exactly what he meant to do, since having her fall down the stairs would have been the worst thing ever, but she did stop. And that was enough for him.

Though what he planned on doing now that he had her attention, however, was another story. One that he was still trying to sort out as he finally came to a stop in front of her and attempted to form words - to say something - but there was nothing. At least, not really.

Just thoughts that he couldn't put into words. Things he wanted to say but not exactly sure how. And because of this Rookie was silent.

But his actions?

His actions showed that he was distressed. And apologetic, and frustrated and conflicted and regretful. The same feelings that he had hidden before, but now something she could see - because he couldn't willingly keep it from her, even if he wanted to. Not when it came to something like this.]

[She waits for him to say something this time, to tell her what's on his mind, why he stopped her. Kallen isn't sure what she's expecting, but for him to have run out of his room half naked and still dripping a little, she figures it has to be important on some level.

But he doesn't speak. Kallen can see he wants to say something, though his actions are telling her more than he verbally was at this point. The thing about feelings, though, is that they can be misinterpreted when there aren't inteligible thoughts to accompany them. Case in point.

Her gaze falls away a little, direct advice from Alleyne and Ino taking a backseat to her assumptions of what she thinks is obvious. Under his stare, she shifts a little before speaking.]

I guess you might not have heard all of what I said. Basically, I'm sorry about how I reacted. I don't want what happened to mess up our friendship. It's really important to me, so you can take all the time you need to make sure things get back to normal, since I know that's what you want. Just let me know when you want to try hanging out or something, okay? I promise I won't be a jerk this time.

[She stops talking for now, despite having more to say. However, she does risk a glance up to see his reaction, if there is one.]

[That just makes him more frustrated, and he furrows a brow. Funny how fighting aliens and going on dangerous missions seemed to be so much easier than doing something like this.

But he'll wait and he'll listen with some reluctance, until he was positive that she was finished. Before finally taking a deep breath to gather what confidence he had and straightening up.]

Kallen. That isn't what I want.

Edited 2011-12-13 19:20 (UTC)

[She looks at him, not entirely sure what he means. Part of her wants to ask, but she's silent, waiting for him to continue.]

[Had Kallen not caught him off guard the way she had, Rookie might have found this easier. All those times he had taken the time to go over what it was he had planned on saying to her, seemed pretty much useless right now.

So after letting the silence draw on for a little while longer, Rookie finally gives in and simply starts talking. The closest thing he's ever come to rambling, and for the most part probably one of the few times she would ever see him do it as he begins pacing back and forth in the middle of the hallway.]

I locked up. I shouldn't have, but I did and I guess that just made things worse, but I didn't know what to do. [There's a pause as he ruffles his hair in irritation, still struggling to find the right things to say that wasn't incoherent babbling in his head.] I couldn't think. I wanted to say something but I still wasn't sure if it was just the castle messing with me or if - [Then he hesitates because oh god god was he really going to say this.]

If it was really because I do have feelings for you.

Edited 2011-12-14 05:22 (UTC)

It happens, especially this time of year, so don't beat yourself up. It's sick and wrong and vile what the castle does to us by playing with our emotions, and it's not your fault in the slightest. Like I said, you're more than welcome to any time you need to sort stuff out with our friendship. I just...

[Kallen sort of falters a bit with her words. She wants to know his conclusion, but she's not going to ask. Not if it means damaging what they already have. He needs to know that, so she waits until he's looking at her. She meets his gaze, trying her absolute best to steady hers before continuing.]

Right now, you're my best friend in this damn place. Your friendship means a lot to me, and you do, too. If I've gone and done something that's fucked things up, I'm not-- I want to know. Just tell me when I mess up, okay? Let me know if you need time now, and we can talk later. I won't walk out again and leave you hanging like that.

[There's another pause in her words. She's obviously fighting with something before she finishes.]

Please tell me we're still okay.

[His face just softens as he listens. Whatever irritation he had disappearing when his eyes met hers, and he waited, quietly, for her to finish as he always did. Partly because he didn't want to interrupt, partly because he wasn't expecting it, but mostly because he wanted to disregard talking completely and just hug her or grab her or do something.

But he held himself back, and gave a gentle smile. One that was genuine in nature, since he wasn't really hiding anything at the moment, having made it this far. The fact that she was so worried about keeping their relationship intact - even if that meant going back to the way things were - was something that both hurt, and made him realize why he was doing this to begin with.

Because he didn't want to see her do that. Not when he knew how he felt.]

Kallen, we'll always be okay. There's nothing you could ever do that would make it where we're not, because you're right. I wouldn't let that happen.

[He'll stop talking only long enough to take a step forwards, before he sort of hesitates and then places a hand lightly against the side of her face.] Not when you mean a lot to me too.

Edited 2011-12-15 07:15 (UTC)

[Well, that last bit's unexpected for the most part, especially the step forward and physical contact there, but it's not unwelcome in the slightest. Kallen can feel something tighten inside her as he speaks and closes the gap between them, something that sort of leaps upward into her throat as his hand rests on her cheek, causing her to simply stare at him at a loss for words. In fact, she can't think of anything to say anyway. The only thing she can think to do...

Screw it. Lack of shirt and dampness be damned, the redhead eliminates the space between them by all but slamming against him and wrapping her arms around his torso, turning it into a tight hug. Her forehead rests against his collarbone, top of her head just under his chin. Personally, she thinks it's a pretty nice fit like this.

At least she understands things now.]

[That sudden impact gets an 'oof' from Rookie as he staggers back a little, but it wasn't long before he was laughing and returning that hug with an even tighter one. His chin resting contently on the top of her head as he did so, and because he hadn't been expecting this, noticed that he was far more happy with having her this close.

But there was still something that he wanted to do. Something that he knew would finally set his mind at ease about this whole thing, so he's going to pull back just enough to smile down at her.]

Hey. Think you can look up for a second?

[When he tightly hugs her back, she visibly relaxes and smiles to herself upon feeling his laughter and increased heartbeat. With his chin on her head, Kallen can't help but give off a small, happy noise. She's content with staying like this, but as he pulls back, she has no choice but to look up like he asks.]

What?

Thanks.

[Then he's leaning forwards to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Far less imposing and aggressive than the other one, but it was also because it wasn't something that was being influenced by anything other than his own feelings.

So there. Take that you stupid fairies.]

[As much as Kallen liked the first kiss (fairies aside), this one is something different, and she can tell. She gladly returns it, standing on her toes to deepen it and to keep him from leaning down too far. Her arms move from around him to up around his neck, and they stay there for a few moments until he pulls away. She lets them fall back to her sides now, and Kallen drops back to the flats of her feet, looking at him, blinking and turning slightly red.]

... you're welcome.

[Though there were still some doubts floating around in his mind, they were all but ignored once he finally glanced back down towards her with a tiny chuckle. That faint tinge of red showing on his face as well, but he didn't seem all that bothered by it. Not when she was the reasoning behind it.

But it took him a couple of seconds to think of what to say, before a thought crossed his mind and caused him to give a playful smirk.]

So... do you like cookies?

[She hears his question, sees the red on his face, too, and she can't help but grin stupidly at that before the space between them is gone once again due to another hug. This one has less clinging, but the feelings behind it are the same and are still very much present. He might be able to feel her mutter something against his chest as she simply stands there. Given a few moments, she looks back up, arms still around him.]

I think I'd like most things at this point.

[It was very hard for him not to return that grin with one of his own as she went for another hug, before he'll finally pull away to give a nod over his shoulder in the direction of his room.]

That's good to hear. Hope you don't mind the lazy route, though. Not much of a cook.

[And then he'll stretch out a hand and wiggle his fingers in silent invitation.]

Edited 2011-12-17 04:58 (UTC)

I'm sure you'd be fine, but yeah, lazy route's good for now.

[Kallen chuckles and eyes his hand in mock debate of whether or not to take it. Of course, in the end, she does, offering a slight squeeze as her fingers interlace with his. She starts down the hall and tugs him along lightly.]

So, cookies?

Edited 2011-12-17 05:06 (UTC)

You're only saying that because you haven't tried my cooking.

[He'll still continue to wiggle those fingers until she does finally decide to grab it, with a sort of 'come on, you know you want to' look. When Kallen makes a point to start pulling him along down the hallway, though, Rookie finds no reason to resist and just obediently follows.]

Yeah. [A beat, because now he sounds a bit embarrassed again.] Had a friend suggest that I should send you some as an apology, but I think I prefer this way more.

[And who doesn't like cookies? :>]

Edited 2011-12-17 08:23 (UTC)

Maybe you're just being modest.

[They reach his room before Kallen glances back at him, a slightly mischievous grin on her face as she they walk in, and she closes the already open door behind them. She drops his hand and turns to face him. Her arms go up and around his neck as she pulls him down and herself up to meet halfway for another kiss, but not before she manages to add in quietly.]

I know I prefer this.

[He smiles lightly.] Maybe, maybe not.

[That grin, though, gets a curious head tilt as he followed her movements carefully around the room. Having little clue as to what it was that she was planning, until he felt those arms around his neck and that tug downwards. Which, at that point, received a tiny, amused noise in response before he was eagerly pressing into that kiss.

Yeah, he had a feeling that he could definitely get use to this.]

[Rookie's amused sound receives one from Kallen in return, hers with an added bit of satisfaction. A few moments pass before she breaks the kiss by lowering herself back down. Her arms remain around his neck, though.]

A friend suggested them, huh?

[There's a murmur of disappointment when he felt her pull away, but that question proves to cause another embarrassed smile as he straightened up again.]

Yeah. York. [Ruffling his hair a little.] He mentioned something about them being inoffensive and seasonal, so...

[Small, expressive half-shrug.]

[Kallen blinks a little, sort of understanding it now.]

You talked to him about what happened, didn't you?

I may have mentioned it. [Y-yes.]

How much did you mention? [She's sort of studying him now.]

[Just an easy look because oh god was he not suppose to.]

Not a lot. Just... a couple things.

[The redhead gives him a LOOK and takes a step forward.]

Stoping being so vague. Tell me something specific, or I'm walking out that door right now. [So much bluffing, but it's worth a shot. She honestly doesn't care if he calls it or not.]

[... As hard as it was to intimidate ODSTs, that look still gets Rookie to take a step back out of reaction. Something he did without even thinking, truth be told, and although he could almost tell that she wasn't being serious, Rookie still didn't want to take that chance.]

I didn't give him any specific details, if that's what you're worried about. [A pause.] Just told him that I messed up, and that there... might have been more to the kiss than just the magic - but other than that, nothing.

[There's a moment where Kallen looks at him as if she's considering something before Rookie will her hands on his shoulders, pushing him against the wall of his hallway. Her blue eyes are suddenly serious, and she doesn't break eye contact when she has him pinned.]

Might have been? I dare you to tell me it was just the magic.

[But before he gets the chance to answer, the redhead's fingers are pressing into his skin as she pulls herself up again for another kiss. This is a lot like the first, castle induced one, except the roles are slightly reversed, and Rookie's the one being taken by surprise. She doesn't hold back, either, letting her feelings express themselves here.]

[Only a surprised lift of an eyebrow in response, especially when he realizing that she was quickly pinning him against the wall and staring him down, before Rook lowered his head just a little to return her gaze with one of silent inquiry.

At least until hearing her question, causing that faint tint of red to appear in his face once more -- and had he been given the chance to respond -- would have turned away to sheepishly give his answer.

But was instead met with another kiss. Something that took the soldier a couple of seconds to react to, before he was happily responding with a mixture between a low laugh and a throaty growl. His hands already moving to instinctively settle on her waist, before shifting forwards to make it a bit easier for her to reach him.]

[She's already prepared to make this a kiss more than able to answer the question of 'might be more'-- despite the fact that he's already made it clear there is more-- but when she receives the response she does, Kallen finds herself a little more motivated.

So now, as one hand grips his shoulder more to keep herself up, the other is moved up the back of his neck and into his hair, where she lets her fingers explore by basically massaging his scalp. At the same time, she leans against him, keeping him against the wall unless he decides otherwise. She won't object either way.]

[There was a shiver, but whether or not it was simply from the fact that he was still standing around without a shirt on or because he was enjoying the way her hand trailed across his skin -- ok, yeah. It was totally because of that, and considering Rookie was on the very edge of purring as he muttered something under his breath, it likely made it even more obvious to Kallen that he was loving ever second of this.

As this continued, though, he grew more energetic. That playful personality becoming more apparent as his hands moved from her waist to the middle of her back and then down - purposely skipping over a certain area with a mildly teasing smirk - before he was lifting her up again. If only to make it easier on the both of them, provided she didn't make a point to protest, since there was still somewhat of a height difference between them.]

[Kallen feels the shiver from him, and she can't help but get a few goosebumps herself, both from the fact that she's enjoying this as well and that her actions are able to elicit such a response from him. Her fingers continue to mess with his hair while her other hand moves around his shoulders, nails lightly grazing along the chosen path.

There is no protesting on her end at all as Rookie lifts her up, much like the first time. In fact, when she realizes what he's going to do, she uses the arm around his shoulders to help pull herself up and level with him. A few moments later, her legs are wrapped around him, and she's smirking into the kiss, only to slowly pull away and leave just enough space between them for her to speak and him to miss the contact.]

Let's try again. [Kallen's voice is soft, teasing and almost baiting him. She places a quick kiss on his jawline before she continues.]

Think there's more to this than magic now?

[The pleased noise he had been making as he shifted into her touch, quickly turned into a somewhat annoyed rumbling when she pulled away. Which was then followed by a look as both his eyebrows furrowed, because he knew she was teasing him, but he couldn't help that almost hidden smile as he tilted his head forwards to lazily trail a couple kisses down along her neck.]

Maybe. [He mumbled softly against her skin, planting one more kiss just under her chin before pulling away with a breathy laugh.] Might need a little more convincing, though.

[Kallen can't help it when she squirms a little in his hold as the kisses begin, and a small moan of pleasure manages to escape her. She's well aware if he lets her down now, it may take her a few moments to remember how to stand properly, and her leverage in the situation would all but vanish. So to keep that from happening she tightens her one arm's hold around his shoulders and nestles her head under his chin when he finishes. He can probably hear the smirk in her voice as she quietly responds.]

You are such a bad liar right now. [And now Rookie should feel a string of light kisses following his exposed collar bone, her hair tickling his chin as her head moves along.]

[Good thing Rookie had no intentions of putting her down, but it does take him a second to gather his senses long enough to form proper words and try to ignore that pleasant, hazy sensation slowly forming in the back of his mind.]

Guess I'll have to work on that.

[The next kiss, however, causes his breath to catch before he was idly letting his head fall back against the wall. Each one following getting a blissful murmur before he realized that it was probably a good idea to go ahead and start heading towards the couch - or somewhere that would give him the ability to sit down. Not because Kallen was heavy - women never wear - but because he wanted the ability of touch, and because he was afraid that any strength he still had in his own legs would disappear the longer this continued.

Meaning it wasn't very long before Rookie finally pushed off the wall with some reluctant, and started carefully making his way towards the living room. Every step he took deliberately slow and careful, but when he was currently burying his face in her hair and placing a light kiss every now and again near the top of her head, it wasn't much of a surprise.]

[His reactions are more than she hoped for, and there's a leap of excitement inside her when his breath catches and the noises begin again. Her hand moves from his hair to rest on his shoulder again as his head hits the wall. Kallen can't help it, this whole situation causes her to give off a slight giggle, both from happiness and from how this is turning out. It was not what she had expected in the slightest when she had come up to talk to him. Thinking about what she had expected causes her to hug Rookie more if it were even possible.

By the time he's pushing off the wall to walk to the living room, she's stopped 'tormenting' him for the moment. Her head is resting against his chest now, and her eyes are closed as she simply enjoys being where she is. Plus, having him so obviously enjoying this too provides her with some reassurance about the whole thing. So she can't help but murmur something under her breath as he takes them to the couch.]

Thanks.