confectionaries | gently posts

Entry tags:

gently posts

[The meeting with the Project Head had turned so quickly wrong. Zelos only wishes he could say he was surprised. He wasn't. All of his bad decisions thrown out and broadcast across the entire ship via the network. Meetings he never knew had been recorded, but hadn't exactly ruled out the possibility... Information shared that he had been so reluctant to give away but still came across quite blunt in text form.

Everything. And yet... not everything. No signs of his motives, no recorded meetings of the Project Head showing him pictures of his sister supposedly safe and sound in some place without him. There was just him as the villain.

Not only did he have that to deal with, but the physical fight between himself and the Head had gone over equally well. That is to say not well at all. No amount of angel skills (which he noticed were a lot more tiring here than normal) or magic or melee could take care of the guy. Made out of water... He was tricky too. Smart.

And Zelos had been forced to visit the clinic afterwards to deal with his own wounds as best as he could. With the message out for all to see, he hardly felt it was necessary to message Jack. ...Maybe Jack was upset after all. Or didn't realize the extent... He knows he got an earful of Sheena earlier, and that was enough to twist his hope into something a little more bitter.

He was just going to finish cleaning off the blood and go find somewhere to sit and think, maybe. Somewhere away from people so he doesn't have to sit through another speech of how could you where he can't defend himself. Where he doesn't want to.]

I really messed up, huh... [Quietly, he mumbles this to himself, pausing from what he's doing to rest his hands on the counter and stare down at it. He's such a mess, really.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hm, that is a different tone, and with that sly smirk to accompany it--some kind of challenge? Maybe. It's a vague idea of one, and that in itself is enough to spark even more curiosity--and something else, though he's not sure what...]

[And really, this is all extremely new ground that still feels bizarre just to look at and consider, let alone tread on...but Jack's already started walking on it for a little while now, hasn't he? Practically since yesterday. So there's really no point in turning back around now, and he doesn't particularly want to anyway, because there's simply something far too interesting about this...]

[Zelos doesn't pull back from the closeness he's already established, and Jack doesn't pull back from the ground he's been holding, either. Holding the gaze that the latter's fixing on him with an intensity rather fascinating in its own right, Jack's own eyebrows arch slightly, head tilting sideways a bit.]

...Yeah, I'd think so. Might as well do that if you're gonna run at all, right? S'long as it isn't in the opposite direction...

[...Oh, he didn't get it yet, did he? That adds a bit of guilt, but more than that, a bit of fear. Hesitance, maybe. But why back down now? He's opened up so much already... The guy hasn't bolted out the door yet.

And believe it or not, those words are being listened to and absorbed. Not only that, but believed in. If he's going to do this... why not go all out?]

Heh... You said it.

[A cross between sporty agreement and a pass of blame, Zelos lifts one hand from his hip and moves it to Jack's chin just as his head tilts like that, leaning in slowly to take Jack's lips in a third stolen kiss.

He's not playing this one short this time. Shoved away or not... This is what he's risking, and as gentle as it is, he has a way of getting his emotions across even with something like this.

He wants this. Maybe admitting it is the first step.]

[Oh, a pass of blame, is it? Something between that and an agreement, but Jack certainly catches that anyway, because he's invested in more than a few of those himself, in his own time, and that usually means that something rather questionable is about to happen--]

[And so, when the kiss does come, with that now-familiar light grasp at his chin to accompany it, Jack's actually more prepared for it this time than he had been the last two. ...More or less. Enough that now he doesn't freeze up in place, at least, without that edge of astonishment to lock him down so much. And somehow that particular brand of heat is a good deal more pleasant now than it had been before, no longer diluted by the shock of the idea, with the gentle press of lips and soft breath, warm breath that isn't his and never will be again, that'd been nothing more than a very vague memory until now.]

[Jack doesn't freeze, this time, but instead leans up into the kiss as well as he can with a soft hum that's out before he realizes it. The movement's tentative, uncertain and intrigued all at once as the contact stretches on longer than the last two had ever been, and there's certainly a part of his head throwing its arms up in the air and despairing of the fact that he really knows nothing about this whatsoever, and is probably doing something wrong--]

[But there isn't any room to think about that, right now. Because this is rather nice, really, almost enjoyable in all its novelty (and warmness...)]

[Maybe it's that this time Zelos is the one to be more shocked. It certainly feels so, what with the response from Jack rather than any stunned freezing or pushing away as expected. There's a crisp chill in kissing him, and it's somehow so inviting-- the perfect counter to his body heating up so much from all of these pesky emotions.

It's fresh feeling. New. And while that's the case, Zelos can still pick up on the hesitance and uncertainty from Jack. Is this right to do? Honestly he'd normally spend forever debating this. Pushing himself away from people and avoiding them as he tried to think it out and reason why he wasn't right for someone, or why they deserved someone better.

But he'd just been told he has a right to chase things he wants. To live... That people want him around for these things.

And he wants to believe it.

There's a slow step closer still as that hand at Jack's chin shifts to slide along his cheek and curl just slightly into his hair behind his ear. An added press into that kiss and a slow but smooth intake of breath from Zelos as he takes the moment for what it is, trying to calm himself all the while. He can be so composed, but some things can test his limits. Things that hit too close...

He doesn't want to worry about anything other than this, right now.]

[With that slow step they're closer now than they'd ever been before, practically pressed together now, and that's pretty new in the sensory aspect for Jack as well--having another body against him like that, almost as warm as the mouth that's still on his with an added press.]

[It's almost funny, really. Warmth had always been a point of avoidance for him, mildly uncomfortable at least and painful at worst, in a way it simply wasn't for other people--but now, here, it's quite tolerable, more than tolerable, so tolerable that he's already wanting more, as if this isn't quite enough already...]

[There's a heated hand passing over his cheek and curling into his hair, in that sensitive spot behind an ear (more sensitive than normal, really, as any physical contact at all still feels pretty acute on a base level), and Jack shivers, with another slight sound that he almost doesn't notice--can't seem to tamp down on any of them anymore, for some reason...]

[One hand's still holding onto his staff, though at least it's set upright on the ground now...but the space taken up that way's still more than a little inconvenient, and there's some odd new part of him that wants to drop the thing and free both his hands (ah, but if he just drops it, it'd be just there, and there's still a certain stability to be gained from it even despite); instead, for now, he settles with using his free hand as he can, raises it from its lax position at his side to pass idly over the clasps of Zelos's shirt between them, before settling for wrapping around one of his arms instead, near the shoulder, fingertips probably more than a little chilly against the bare skin there.]

[And the kiss is still going, and he finds he doesn't really mind that it's still going, but--perhaps it's something about the slow intake of breath on Zelos's part, or perhaps it's his own thoughts simply musing for ways to reciprocate that don't come off awkward or hesitant in the wrong way. But either way--because everything about this is new anyway, and he might as well start experimenting to some degree--Zelos might find an icy, playful nip at his bottom lip, after a moment, alongside eyes flicking upwards to meet his and that hand grasping a bit tighter at his arm, as Jack presses even closer.]

[Something of a reassurance. Because he does want this, even if the thought's somewhat spur-of-the-moment, and might have normally been something for Jack to deliberate over for a long while too--but that would mean thinking about all the issues of this, and he doesn't really want to think about those issues just yet, when it still feels so pleasant, new, different.]

[It had been enjoyable enough at the lack of resistance. The lack of complete shock coupled with hesitance as Jack responded and even made those noises Zelos really enjoyed hearing, but this-- that nip, the icy grip on his arm and the way he presses himself closer. It's enough to cause Zelos' breath to hitch as a shiver shoots down his spine. Damn... this is seriously happening?

There's a noise of his own. A quiet hum on the border of something like a moan, but he's not really focusing on it as his fingers curl more into Jack's hair and his free hand moves to settle at his waist, holding him close against him. ...Those eyes are too much.

He's completely attached. Normally that's a rule enough to not get involved, but here he is-- and would it really be the worst decision he's made in his life? He'd already decided on this. To take this leap of sorts. And so the strange new pangs of worry like what if someone comes in and sees them, or what will people think of this if word gets out, or how will this work and what does Jack think about this-- They're all so present in his mind that he's not sure his face has ever heated so much. Or maybe it's the cold comparison against Jack?

Whatever it is, it feels nice, and none of his worries are enough to break him from this just yet. There's just another drawn in breath to make up for lost air and then a daring swipe of his tongue across Jack's lips, asking and pressing forward with all he has.

Shit, he's so completely into this, so completely caught up by all of this. Where's his usual composition? The cool demeanor and the mindset to know exactly what to do next and the confidence that it would work just right-- it was left with nervousness in its place. But the reassurance Jack had offered, at least, was enough to keep him going. And maybe that was all that mattered right now.]

[This close, Zelos' hum has a certain quality of reverberation that has Jack shivering again in turn, chin tilting up a bit more at the tightening wind of fingertips in his hair and the warm hand at his waist and the steady deepening of the kiss. It's not a sound he'd ever imagined coming from the guy--then again, this isn't a situation he'd ever really imagined the both of them ending up in, if he'd been asked just yesterday--but there's definitely something appealing about it. And sounds aside, the hot swipe of the latter's tongue is unexpected and piquing enough to earn a startled blink and a sharp inhale of breath on Jack's part. But after a moment the message parses--a request of sorts--and as Zelos presses forward Jack acquiescently lets his lips part slightly, with an exchange of hot-and-cold breaths between them.]

[Really, the quantity of warmth on Zelos' part is almost intoxicating by now, pressed close as they are chest to chest; it's the oddest sensation of contrast between sharpened sensitivity of every touch and breath between them, and a certain content lethargy brought on by the proximity of the temperature. It makes proper logical thoughts somewhat difficult to parse through, with so many other stimuli consuming attention at the moment--but at the very least Zelos seems to be relaxing somewhat, which had been the main concern earlier. Whether or not this is a good idea, or the right occasion, are certainly questions drifting about in the corners of his mind, but the worry simply isn't as acute as it ought to be...and besides, the odds of someone walking in and being able to see the both of them were moderately slim at best, with the ratio of believers to nonbelievers on board the ship as it is.]

[The hand on Zelos's arm loosens, drifts downwards, fingertips plucking and skimming along the edges of a wrap of bandages nearer the guy's elbow; a reminder of the injuries he'd just sustained so recently, and the thought that the Project Head had been so close to killing him--but no, now's not the time for thoughts like that. The cool of his hand shifts from the bare skin of Zelos's arm and the bandages there after a moment, drifting back to his shirt, fisting into the fabric at his torso in a needy sort of clutch. And Jack isn't quite sure just what he's doing, anyway--some press of instinct guiding his movements by now, more than anything--but well, it wouldn't be the first time he's had to improvise for something...]

[It's so different kissing Jack. Warmth on warmth is a feeling Zelos has grown quite used to, but this chilling coolness about everything is better than he would have imagined it to be. Perhaps his bias of cool climates plays part in that, seeing as he hadn't exactly pictured himself being able to do this. ...He tries not to think too much on things that aren't likely to come true.

He's completely taken in. The more things go on, the more he heats up, and the more the cold contrasts and he's left with uneven breaths not just from the exhaustion of kissing. The hand at his bandages is worrying at first-- somehow he's wondering if Jack will stop because of it-- but then it grips at his shirt like that. Needy...

His hand resting at Jack's hip moves lightly to thumb at the bottom of his hoodie. Tempted but not quite willing to risk any sort of jump in that direction just yet. Instead, he pulls Jack closer still even as he presses forward, taking a step and pushing him with him, another soft noise escaping between breaths.

It's been this long. This long and great and he could keep going for as long as he had breath, but is it awkward at all, he wonders? How long before someone walks in? He's not one to usually worry, but here they come up when his emotions are attached to the person he's getting involved with. He doesn't want to do too much.

And so as his tongue curls and he takes that kiss for what it's worth, he pulls back just barely an inch to allow for a shaky breath and separation, eyes flicking up immediately to Jack's before moving back down to his lips. His hand only slides partially out from his hair, still cupping at his face and taking in the difference of temperature.

For once he does not feel like the smoothest man alive. But at the very least he can pull off a sentence, uncharacteristically quiet and sincere.]

...Is this still okay?

[The step forward on Zelos' part is a step backwards for Jack, though he hardly notices himself, a soft sound of his own rising up to reciprocate Zelos' noise with something that's almost a whimper. And is that something thumbing at the bottom of his hoodie? For the first time, he finds that he doesn't really care, so long as it's warm and ends up feeling as nice as everything else has so far--]

[--But then the kissing stops, and Zelos pulls back just as inch, and even though the're still close together the feeling's still markedly different, without that warmest press at his mouth to accompany. It has Jack blinking as if he'd just been prodded awake from a deep sleep, his own breath very light but gasping and enough to his have chest heaving slightly, and there's a stricken moment of fear that he might be forgetting the feeling of the kiss already, that maybe that'd be the only time it'd happen and...]

[The hand in his hair loosens, slides out only halfway, still pressed against the side of his face, and the heat from the latter's palm has something of a calming effect, allows the mild illogical panic to drain away. There's a properly visible flush on Jack's pale features by now, of course, splashes of light violet painting cheeks, even his lips tinged slightly blue.]

[Ah, but there'd been a question, and though it takes a few seconds to sink in, the words are enough of an anchor to draw his suspended thoughts back into some semblance of motion. And the earlier astonished look tapers into a slight smile that turns of the corners of his lips--maybe a bit of an uncharacteristically shy one, by his own right.]

...Yeah it's--yeah. Definitely still okay. [He's still got fingers wound into Zelos's shirt, and he finds he's loath to let go yet even despite the halt in the kiss; with the grip he can keep himself drawn close, and it tightens a bit more with the words. Eyes settling into a more inquisitive peer, after a moment:] Are you...I mean. You're not getting too cold yet, or anything, right? You should let me know, if you do--

[That smile and that response elicit a small smile from Zelos, in return. It's so nice, and he's so tempted to just indulge in this and forget about everything else on the ship. Everyone else.

The question pulls him out of his contemplating thoughts, and his smile curves the slightest bit more as he presses forward for a soft kiss at the corner of his lips. The thing about letting Zelos know what you enjoy and don't is that he's shameless enough to expose it like this.]

Nope. Are you too hot? [The response comes so easily and upbeat, and he chuckles lightly under his breath as he shifts over just enough to kiss at just the bottom lip now. And just that's enough to make him want to keep going, press him against a wall and make him feel good in every way he's able--

But right. They're speaking... And this might not be the best scenery or time for it. He'll continue to argue with himself over that but shove it to the back of his mind as he pulls back just enough to get another look at Jack's expression.]

I think it feels pretty damn good.

[Ah, more kisses--he's probably going to develop an inclement fondness for this stuff, though he can't quite remember why that'd be a bad thing at the moment. Either way, for some reason, he doesn't really mind the latter exposing it--yet, at least, with overall proper thoughts still a bit lost in muddle at the moment--and each kiss earns a blink and a tiny shivering shift of its own, the second one tapering off with a slight chuckle of his own as the flush already present on cheeks actually deepens just a bit more.]

Why do I feel like there's a pun in there somewhere? I should be insulted. [He doesn't sound particularly insulted.] Now that you mention it, though, I don't think I've ever--felt this warm before...

[Wow that came out incredibly cheesy in verbal form--ah well. The slight smile is still in place, and has probably grown a bit, as Zelos pulls back a bit...and it's all still very strange and feels kind of abrupt somehow and he's still not sure he entirely understands why this guy would feel--but well.]

[But does that really matter so much? The why's?]

[He still doesn't let go of Zelos's shirt even as the latter moves, and his eyes drift down absently to that errant hand, as if only actually noticing what it's doing for the first time, before his gaze flicks back up to the guy actually wearing said shirt with a questioning, almost sheepish look.]

I was kind of serious about that, though. About you being cold. You're sure? I mean, it's not--you don't think it's too weird?

[And that also doesn't come out quite the way he wants it to...really, words just shouldn't be this difficult, oughtta be illegal--]

Edited (/also applies virtually unnoticeable extra details that only I would probs care about anyway.....) 2013-05-20 04:37 (UTC)

Who, me? Pun?

[Spoken oh-so-innocently as he grins at the way that blush on Jack deepens. The smile growing, too... All of it. It's hard to keep to his decision not to run away even now. All of these nice things-- he couldn't stand the thought of having them while there's a risk of losing them. It's too terrifying. And he feels like the only thing really holding himself on this promise of giving it a shot is Jack here in front of him, looking at him like that and reciprocating and holding onto his shirt.

He considers that last question quietly, and for once he doesn't busy himself with other actions and motions. He just looks at him and lets the smile fade away to a more neutral, thoughtful expression. He's already spoken too much, but if it's to make this point...

He wants to make this point. Let him know what he does appreciate.]

I wasn't born with those wings, you know. [It might seem out of nowhere, the way he starts it, but he only pauses for comprehension and it's clear he's getting on to explaining just what he's talking about.] It's because of my crystal, along with a few other things, but... There was a while when I had to undergo a transformation.

I couldn't feel anything. No hot, no cold, no wind or water or someone's hand... I couldn't taste anything, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't talk. It was just a week, but it drove me nuts.

[Leaning closer, he pulls Jack into something almost like a hug. More like just an embrace of them being close, his face near his neck and his hands at his waist now. Enjoying the cold. Making a point of it...?

He's pretty cheesy himself.

But he got those senses back. At least most of the way. He was lucky enough to. He didn't suffer nearly as much as Colette. Not at all... He never had to be soulless. He never had to go through a journey never knowing what would happen next, experiencing this slowly or reacting with an illness. His was simple, mechanical, plotted.]

I like this cold. It's not... weird, it's just you. [Not the same as someone dead, exactly-- to Zelos it feels more living. Not in the same way as warmth, but very much moving, and crisp and there rather than an absence of heat.] A lot of the time I get tired of everything. I feel like it'd be better to just disappear. ...But things like this remind me I'm still human. I guess I haven't lost everything just yet.

[Now there's a bit of a pause and a breathy laugh as Zelos shifts his arms to flop lazily around Jack's shoulders, more draping himself on him than any real hug or embrace of the moment now. Back to usual, perhaps...]

Oh, man, what am I even saying? That was really corny... [HE NEVER ADMITS THESE THINGS but it just spills out like that. Hm.] Anyway, just don't worry about me, mmkay? I like to think I make it pretty clear what I am or am not okay with.

[It's admittedly a bit startling, when Zelos pulls him into an embrace like that--hugs in general are still things that Jack might never really get used to, he doesn't think. But it's still pleasant, more than pleasant, and as Zelos enjoys the cold Jack's still savoring the warmth, novel and strange as the sensation still is.]

[But even those feelings still fall in a sort of backdrop, in comparison to the attention he has focused on Zelos's words. Words painting a truly mortifying picture indeed...Jack finds that he can't imagine what that might be like at all. Being intangible to the majority of the world's population is one thing, but to be unable to feel anything--]

[It's a slight, stricken sigh, icy breath probably tickling at the latter's own neck, though that bit's unintentional; and by the time Zelos shifts, pulling back enough to allow his arms to resume a much more familiar and normal position draped over his shoulders, Jack's expression's shifted to something a bit more sympathetic and a bit more sad, in equal measures.]

...No, not corny. That's really--'course you're still human. And you couldn't do any good at all if you were gone, so--don't think like that. Stop getting tired. You're barely even thirty yet, save that for the old geezers.

[There, a small fleck of humor, interjected into a tone that's otherwise kind of somber. Jack lets his eyes drop to stare at some point around Zelos's chest after a moment; and the hand that had stubbornly remained fisted in his shirt up to now finally relaxes, shifts to drift under and out of the loose caging of Zelos's right arm to settle lightly on one of the guy's wrists, near his own shoulder. The grip's light--somewhat tentative in itself--bit still definitely there.]

You keep telling me all this stuff. And it's all so--close, and important, and--really wish I could return it better. Guess I'm just not sure how to do it. [A very slight laugh, almost a sigh in itself.] ...I still don't really remember much of it. When I was human. It's all--pieces. Barely remember what being warm is like. But--this is a nice reminder. So...thank you, for that. For all this.

[He leans a bit into Zelos's draping, then, the crown of his hair almost bumping at the latter's shoulder.]

I'm glad you don't mind it. That's...kind of a first.

[This conversation has gone so deeply into territory Zelos usually turns and runs from. Jokes and distracts and teases and anything to get away from the serious and honest feelings of it all, but in this case? He's quiet, and listening, and there's only the smallest frown in response to that sympathetic look on Jack's face.

He never was sure how to react to those sort of things. Usually ended up being a jerk to make it go away...

The thank you he receives is just surprising. As is the way Jack leans forward, even if he'd been accepting of this all along somehow. Curious enough maybe. He glances away simply out of some kind of nervous fear, one that's not usually factored into his moments like this. But here he is letting this happen and... man he feels crazy.]

A first, huh? I never meant to spring all of these surprising things on you. [First seeing him, and now his particular way of thinking and memories that makes him a little more fond of cold than he normally ought to be.]

...Anyway, I'm just saying all of this stuff because I feel like it. You're here, listening to me after I screwed up big time. The truth is... [Trusting him-- that's what it is. And he likes him, admires him, wants to be closer. There are these feelings--

...He curls his fingers at Jack's neck as he lowers his head just enough to position his mouth by Jack's ear.

The truth is, he's just not good at this kind of thing. And so rather than continue and risk the coloring of his own cheeks in an uncharacteristically uncool fashion, his mouth twitches into a smirk as he opens and exhales warmly over Jack's ear. Normally just blowing is fine enough, but now he gets to have fun with temperature and who's going to stop him from that, hm?

...Talking about himself is hard, sure, but he hasn't reached the point of being able to talk about feelings so much. Not enough. And he does feel a bit guilty for that.]

...Maybe surprises aren't always bad things.

[The words are almost more of a quiet hum than anything else, but quite honest enough. First realizing Zelos could see him certainly hadn't been bad in the least, and this--well. This isn't so bad either.]

[He almost thinks he could get used to this, if all the thought involved in the 'before this' and 'after this' bits didn't feel so daunting still.]

[But 'before' and 'after' are still things that remain at a distance in this particular moment, this 'now'. And it just feels--natural, somehow, to lean into Zelos the way he is now. Even a gesture as simple as this is a dabbling in the strange and experimental--contact in all its myriad different forms, and he's had none of it in such a long while, but the vague notion of a memory of this sort of thing is still there, and so--]

[He'd been expecting Zelos to say more, when he lets his last sentence trail off like that. Even as Jack had found warm fingertips curling at his neck, and a mouth drifting to his ear, both things simultaneous and happening in the startling sort of way that's too unexpected to try leaning away again if he'd even wanted to--even then, he'd been expecting words, about a truth of some kind, or whatever it might have been that Zelos had been angling with that...]

[No further words come. But despite the lack of words, there's most definitely breath, hot breath, in that same sensitive spot--]

[The reaction's pretty immediate, and entirely automatic: a sharp inhale, alongside a shiver strong enough to almost pass as a flinch, as that sensation seems to go straight down his spine. A slight sound escapes before he even realizes it, something of a stifled whimper that sounds pretty compromising even to his own ears. Jack's hand tightens reflexively at Zelos's wrist as the brief freezing up comes and passes, over the course of his body still trying to figure what to actually do with all this almost painfully pleasant input.]

[Exhaling properly with a slightly shaky sigh, Jack turns his head just enough to be able to shoot Zelos a glance, the slight frown on his lips almost indignant more than anything else.]

Hey, that's--gotta be cheating somehow, geez...

Hahahaha!

[He can't resist the beaming grin that comes from that reaction, the all too clearly genuine grin that falls across his features as he presses his nose in close to Jack's face. Tauntingly so-- teasingly peering as his fingers at Jack's neck relax the slightest.

He couldn't help himself.]

Cheating, seriously? What, you didn't like it?

[But he knows perfectly well that's not the case. He's not one with a lot of self confidence in most areas, but this? This is one he knows. He can read people, and he can tell, and it's great fun.

And so in timed movements with that breath of his just then, he slips away more completely from Jack, letting his hands trail against whatever they may the entire way until he finally spins and shrugs and takes a step forward with his back to his friend.]

And here I was thinking now was the time I invite you back to my place! I guess things like that don't work so well on a rusty old cargo ship, but still...

[Hitting on him through joke is the best plan.]

[Oh, now that's just rude.]

[Zelos draws back, and every point of contact where his hands seemingly incidentally trail is pretty acute in its own right, by a sensation standpoint; by the end of it Jack finds himself straightening and feeling distinctly flustered in a way that's new, simultaneously frustrating and embarrassing.]

[So he goes for a hearty scowl anyway, even if the flush still on his features probably betrays him at every turn, and he finds himself leaning a bit on his staff on a volition that's only half habit.]

No, not really. Kinda lacks a bit of mystery when we're all stuck in the same place. And if your room's like all the other rooms on here I wouldn't say it's exactly appealing, hate to break it to you...

[Another bit of honesty in itself, actually--but then, he's never liked the rooms in this ship; any objective space in them stifled by general number of inhabitants and beds between. Just generally being indoors is already difficult enough as it is, sometimes...]

[But that's beside the point, and he knows it, and--just look at the guy, spinning off like that--]

[He frowns irritably at Zelos's back. Finds his eyes shifting over to his staff, still in hand.]

[And, a moment later, Zelos would find the chilly, angled crook of a length of wood hooking firmly over one of his shoulders--tugging--]

Where d'you think you're going, anyway?

[Better think fast, Zelos; otherwise, you might just find yourself being mildly forcibly turned around, while Jack uses his end of the tugging leverage to simultaneously pull the guy a bit forward and pace up to him himself until the distance between them is reduced to a couple of inches, eyebrows arched, chin angled upwards and overall expression possibly somewhat dangerous, in a way that's somehow amused and severe at the exact same time.]

I mean seriously, if it wasn't cheating the first time then that's gotta be cheating for sure, don't you think?

[Zelos that was a terrible plan.]

[Well, he hadn't expected that. And the tug spins him around and pulls him forward successfully, with a quick surprised blink. But shock never stays long on Zelos' features, and soon enough he's finding that look of Jack's all too appealing, and a smirk falls right back into place.]

So maybe I'm a cheater. [His tone is light, playful, and still a little deeper than that, but he leans lower and closer so their eye-levels are matching.]

Can't get enough, huh? [He's having so much fun being this horrible too. Pushing every button, seeing how much Jack wants more, how far he can go himself... It's too great. And even now he's moving just one hand to the side of Jack's face, his faint touch trailing over his cheek. It's still all so different... These feelings.]

If you keep making faces like that, I'll just be even more tempted to 'cheat'!

[Honestly, did you really think you'd be getting away that easily, after pulling something like that...! There's something rather satisfying about being able to invoke some form of surprise, from a guy like Zelos, even brief as it might be. And so Jack can't help but smirk back himself, as he lets his staff drop away from the latter's shoulder--the distance between them's already closing quite quickly again, after all, and maybe that had been part of the plan all along, and plan that he hadn't considered enough to really warrant calling it a 'plan' in the least--]

[But he's always been one for taking the more impromptu route. Spur of the moment things. Because keeping yourself from stopping to think about things too much is a habit that's pretty hard to break anyway, after three centuries of stubborn practice...and Zelos's faint touch at his cheek does the rest anyway.]

Well, just couldn't have that, could we?

[Almost a murmur in itself, tinged with amusement, smirk curling up into more of a smile as the words drift out.]

[And he raises a hand, and curls fingertips firmly into the fabric at the collar of Zelos's shirt, and tugs--not necessarily gently but not necessarily forcibly either, just enough in between to leave some room for a delay or objection if it turns out there's one to be had.]

[But if it's something that's alright, and he manages to tug the guy down just so that they're rightly and properly at eye-level, and even closer, close enough--Jack would plant a kiss of his own, then, light and cold an maybe not nearly as well-versed or lazily confident as Zelos's own kisses might have been, but. Might as well start these things somewhere.]

[(It's the decision that he wants to start at all that surprises him most of all, really....)]

[There's no resistance as Zelos is pulled down to eye-level and even closer. And that same flicker of surprise meets his face as it happens, too. Somehow, no matter how much Jack had just accepted his own advancing or claimed to enjoy it or shared feelings or anything of that stuff-- it just didn't compute in his mind that the guy might want to initiate it himself.

And it's that thought that lays the heavy realization on him that this could be something mutual. Hope comes with a large level of uncertainty with Zelos. One that normally doesn't get the chance to show. But here? It's in the way he holds his breath until that small kiss is planted, the way his cheeks are colored the slightest bit for the first time in all of this, and the way his arms are a little slower to reacting than the rest of him is.

He smiles right on into that kiss, pressing back and just as easily slipping into that smooth way of kissing he seems to know. But it's personal and different, too, and he's quicker to run out of breath. His hands are late to fall into place at Jack's waist, but when they finally do, he can't help himself from pushing Jack back gently even more, searching out and taking in the crisp cold feeling of it.

Shit, this is-- Kissing, just kissing. He should be able to stay composed for just this! But he's quickly losing his thoughts of logic and consequence for feelings and hope and... It's a little frightening. Like the rest of this had been, but this time it's enough to catch him a bit off guard as he's guiding Jack back, and he stumbles a bit in his footing. Very un-Zelos in appearance, but he doesn't break the kiss, and while one hand wraps around Jack's waist to hold him close and keep from any tripping incidents, the other arm moves to catch them both on the wall for support even as he presses closer with a low hum.

This might be things heating up too fast, but Jack initiated something and Zelos is so blown away by it that he's kind of a snowball rolling down a mountain at this point. He doesn't... want to think about the possibility of rejection or mind changing or bad ideas or anything else.]

[Oh.]

[Oh, this is actually a rather unexpected shift in events--]

[In all honesty, Jack hadn't intended for the kiss to last very long at all--hadn't thought it would, more than anything else. He's not experienced at all with something like this, for all that he's seen it done over and over countless times before, in all forms and methods, from the shy inexperience of teens to the suave confidence of the well-versed and well-traveled; all the observation in the world just can't compare to the actual experience, and giving instead of receiving is a radically different thing in itself somehow. He knows he's probably not very good at it at all yet. And so he hadn't expected it to last, and he would have been quite happy enough with that--the kiss would have broken off, and he'd let Zelos go on his way properly this time, as the guy had seemed to want to earlier.]

[It'd been a want to...confirm things, in a way that Jack simply can't manage with words yet. To let Zelos know, honestly and earnestly, that he is okay with this and he does appreciate it and maybe he might be brave enough to pursue it--even though it'll probably take awhile, and have a lot of bumps along the way, and as anything so spur of the moment would.]

[And so, with everything combined, he really hadn't expected Zelos to reciprocate quite so...strongly. He returns the kiss and presses back, continues to press back, and it's surprising and pleasant and slightly relieving all at once (surprising that it's continuing, pleasant in sensation, relieving in the sense of being guided and returned to the smooth not-tentativeness that Zelos did seem to be rather expert in); certainly not something to object to, but startled that he is, Jack follows the gentle pushing backwards automatically at first, and doesn't realize what the gesture in itself is doing until Zelos actually stumbles a bit in the process. Then it's a surprised blink--that was very un-Zelos indeed, to say the least--but a moment later Jack finds he has more things to be preoccupied with for the moment anyway, as he finds the wall at his back seconds later.]

[And even despite the company, despite the good feelings to be had all around, there's a very brief flicker of unease at the realization: free-roaming spirit that he is, made for the wide spaces of the sky and the open air, and it's a base-level sort of thing, an instinctual aversion to the concept of being trapped or pinned to things.]

[But the majority rest of him that isn't instinctual, the rest that's aware of what's going on around him, knows full well that he's not going to be trapped or pinned to things--that he's with a friend (something even more than that, now, for all that the term still escapes him), and that the both of them could desist with this whenever he so well chose, if he wanted to.]

[And he doesn't want to anyway, has never wanted to less, still caught up as he is in the forever-novel intoxication of a kiss that's somehow even better than the couple that had come before it. There's a shift, and a clatter, and that's Jack's staff slipping from his grasp at last, sliding on the wall on its way down to the floor. But he doesn't mind the absence, for once--confident as he is, for the first time in awhile on board this ship, that he doesn't have a need for its support in this moment. That it'll be alright to just...relax, even if only for a little bit.]

[Not to mention it actually frees up both his arms, at last. And he uses that to full effect, both hands skimming up Zelos's arms to settle lightly on his shoulders as a means of support. Shifting against the hand around his waist, he finds himself instinctively arching his back slightly with a soft sound, with the wall as additional support behind him, as the latter's low hum parses through every nerve ending and he strives to press back into that kiss, into this contact, with all that he has...]

[This snowball analogy could probably go both ways, really.]

[The sound of that staff leaving and falling to the ground is as loud to Zelos as it could possibly be. He knew what that meant. What even reaching for the staff had caused in reaction from Jack when they first met, what it clearly was for him, and to an extent what it meant. And he was letting go?

Letting go and responding so nicely.

It gives Zelos a boost of familiar confidence and the desire to move on isn't able to be put out by simple worries and hesitation. Instead, there's a warming heat in his stomach as Jack presses into him and he presses back. The hand of his against the wall curls its fingers as the one around Jack slides to the front again. It's not just idle toying with the bottom of his hoodie this time. It's a rather bold slip of his fingers beneath it and anything else in the way as his hand moves up and across the ice cold skin.

It's exciting-- all of it-- and not only does he moan into the next press of kiss, but there's the increasing realization that they're soon going to be reaching a point where Zelos won't really be able to turn back from where his mind is headed. He's already abandoned all thoughts of doubt or hesitation, as they were getting in the way of enjoyment, and now the only thing that could keep him from enjoying this moment was if Jack decided himself it was too fast. It worked out, didn't it...?

~~AS LONG AS NO ONE WALKS IN I GUESS HE'D BE LIKE YOLO~~]

[Oh--]

[It's expected and utterly surprising all at once, somehow, as fingertips slip their way under blue cotton and find frigid skin; there's nothing else under the hoodie, which had always been quite good enough for comfort and ease of movement before. The sensation of it, though, that's the sticking point...because in all his memory he's pretty sure nobody's ever touched--there--like that--against his own cold Zelos's hand might very well have been some kind of searing flow of lava drifting smoothly up and across. --A good sort of searing, very good, and it's a very sharp inhale of breath before a half-sobbing moan of Jack's own follows up Zelos's. His entire frame freezes up abruptly, relaxes again, and he couldn't have stopped the trembling if he tried, jump-started and renewed as it is with every minute brush of hot fingertips. The curve of ribs could probably be felt there, close under skin and casing a narrow chest; eating habits had never been particularly excessive back in colony days, though the hoodie also tended to help with having him look slightly less reedy than he actually was...]

[And really, altogether, it's probably a far more sensitive reaction than ought to have been entirely normal; but general physical contact is still very new indeed, and this sort of physical contact is something else entirely, and his grip tightens on Zelos's shoulders as he presses back into this too, gasping around kisses. It's all going very fast now--it definitely feels that way--but fast isn't necessarily bad, not now, not like this.]

[~~ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A NONBELIEVING WALK-IN. AWKWARDEST WALK-IN EVER. DOUBLE YOLOS ALL ACROSS THE SKY.....]~~

[The touch is just a taste of the feel of their skin against each other's, and Zelos can't help his own shiver of enjoyment from it. Especially with those reactions. It's pretty clear to him by now that this isn't familiar territory for Jack, whether he had admitted it earlier or not, and this was the point where that just added to the fun.

Each of his kisses is a pointed attempt to steal Jack's breath away-- if he had any to steal anyway-- and the hand that had been resting on the wall moves between them to pull up slowly at the hoodie as his other splays fingers across his cold chest.

And he knew this was going incredibly fast, and that this next move accented that even further, and that's precisely why he shifted so his next kiss was more at the corner of Jack's mouth, humming as he presses his whole body closer. Working up his hoodie and shamelessly taking in the feel of what lay underneath, he kissed near his ear next, a familiar exhale of hot breath following it.]

Still cool? [Low and seductive in tone it's pretty hideous if anyone happens to be in the area, but with said yolos across the sky who even cares right. Zelos wants to hear him speak, or try to, and the reactions to his touch and the lifting of his hoodie and the pressing of himself into Jack, more of a pin against the wall than even before.

The pun was just for fun.]

[By all technical means Jack shouldn't have any breath to steal, really. But breathing, while not a necessity, is a comfortable habit by default anyway--and in the endless preoccupying process of trying to figure out how to deal with this veritable wave of sensation and feeling that's already almost overwhelming, his body's currently qualifying breathing as a good way of venting responses; breathlessness could be a response too, and the impression's more than enough to suit Jack for the moment.]

[There's a sense of shifting fabric, and then open air on skin, and that's a kind of vulnerability he hasn't felt in a very long time. And maybe it should have been frightening--in any other company there would have been a twinge of alarm to go with it, maybe--but for now he couldn't have considered this a bad thing if he tried, because it's progression, more room and exposure for the hand drifting maddeningly along skin. Pulling in haphazard bursts of air between kisses, another gasp ends up being substituted for a high, wanton whimper that Jack might have been rather embarrassed by with a clearer head. Zelos's clothing shifts and brushes against his bare chest and abdomen as he presses close like that, so ridiculously warm and solid, and Jack's grip loosens from his shoulders, fingertips shifting to ghost over his collar and the sides of his throat before brushing past red hair to settle at the nape of his neck, brushing absently over the skin there. The gesture has his arms folding around the man in something of a hug of his own, the better to pull him closer; a low voice hums at his ear, passing with heated breath, and every muscle tenses, shivers.]

[Geez, talking--] Oh, you suck-- [Words strained with the effort of trying not to come out in a moan (it's not very successful); he couldn't have sounded less vindictive if he tried, though even in this state he can pick up on that pun there. The feel of being so thoroughly pinned to a wall like this is crowding and exciting all at once, the latter quite a bit more than the former, and he writhes a bit under the press of it even as he speaks, back arching again.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

JACK YOU UNLEASHED FEELINGS now look what happens

SCREAMS YES WELL Zelos you've unleashed an awful wave of tl;dr SO THAT EVENS THINGS I SUPPOSE.....

OH BOY

oh god and now we're in full-out hideous territory I suppose ENDLESS SILENT SHRIEKING......

SO HIDEOUS BUT SO PERFECT oh my god and just thinking a nonbeliever I CAN'T FDJLSGDFLSGdfsg

"uh zelos pls stop making out with the wall....." also THAT ICON FFFF