wotanon | dreampost: even more after dark edition

[She sits back on her heels, not straightening the wrinkle left behind near his ankle but finding its presence fairly distracting. Looks at him, though not quite managing to meet his gaze]

You'd rather they didn't...? Could try different ones, if you wanted.

[He pauses, at that. Actually thinks about it. Gets about as far as weighing the pros and cons of having her hands on him again versus he may actually die, before his brain catches up to the rest of him and reminds him that she's only doing this for the square, and it's not fair to make it anything more than that - to ask for a do-over just because he wants another thirty seconds of this.]

N-no, uh. No, they're good.

Thanks, dude.

[Cocks her head, then leans in, folds her arms on his knees, rests against them with a sigh]

...You don’t gotta thank me for something you aren’t that into. ‘S not like I did anything.

I mean...

[It is very hard not to squirm, with her arms there, and the proximity, and how warm he still feels. He doesn't quite manage it.]

You kinda did everything?

I haven't even got you dressed yet, and you already seem kinda anxious...

[She looks up at him from between his knees, picks at the satiny fabric covering them, a little]

I know you still aren't all that comfortable with this... And I get it, trust me. And even though I like messing with you, I don't wanna do anything that'd actually make you feel bad. So if I'm ever hassling you too much...I want you to tell me.

But...if there's something that makes you feel good, no point in holding back, right? Why not own it and pursue it and enjoy it?

's not, like. Anxious.

It's more like -

[He tries real hard not to shiver again when she picks at the fabric, and doesn't quite manage that, either.]

- a lot? But it's not... bad.

[He swallows - won't quite look at her face.]

It - it definitely doesn't feel bad.

[The last part he just doesn't answer, because he has about twenty answers, and every one of them loops back around to not wanting to ruin things between them.]

[Nods into her arms, and lets them cradle her head for a bit. Is quiet, weighing what he's said, and what he might actually mean.]

...Okay. Guess we can just...take it slow, play it by ear. Check in along the way. You...think that would work?

...yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.

If that's cool with you, I mean.

Wouldn't have said it if it wasn't. I don't like lying, to you.

Okay. Okay, then.

Let's do that.

Okay.

[Looks down, then up at him, careful, through her lashes]

Then...you wanna keep going? Or...?

[His face goes dark at the way the "or" trails off; he ducks his head, and glances away, trying not to fill in that blank with things she definitely doesn't mean.]

Yeah. Can we, uh. Can we keep going...?

[Hums, and gets her feet under her--slowly pushes up to standing, hands on his knees for balance. Then she offers him a hand as well, to pull him up, perhaps, though her stance isn't quite as stable as it could be]

[He ducks his head a little, aware of the lingering warmth from where her touch had been, on his knees - reaches out to take her hand.]

[Squeezes his hand, and tugs him to his feet]

Time for the main event. I think you'll like this one.

Yeah?

[He gives her hand a squeeze back - tries on a soft smile.]

Let's see what you got, dude.

[Smiles back, crooked, then digs in her bag, pulling out a length of purple gauzy material.]

I mean--no point in talking it up. It's just a dress. But the goal was 'pretty,' right? And it reminded me of you, kinda... Anyways, arms up, okay?

[He glances it over - takes it in, and notes the color, and flushes a little.]

[He puts his arms up, a touch self-conscious.]

Go for it, dude.

There's a green one, too, that probably would've been fine, but...

[She chatters as she works, gently tugging the rounded neckline over his already messy hair--though not hard enough, as it gets caught at the crown--not enough clearance for his head. Perhaps she should have opened the single loop button ahead of time, but the more one knows.

Of course she leaves him stuck for now, instead pulling his arms through the capped sleeves and getting distracted at how the muscles of his chest and his shoulders while in this awkward position--

--Clears her throat, and reaches for the button to free him from his cloth prison]

[He stays still for her while she's fussing with his arms and the sleeves - waits for her to undo the button and free him. From inside, his voice is a little muffled by the fabric:]

No, uh. Purple's good, I - it's nice, you picked a good one.

[When she finally gets to the button and the dress comes down the rest of the way, he glances down at it, biting at his lip.]

[In the end, it looks not unlike this--a simple silhouette, gathered at the waist, the fabric a gradient from fuchsia to indigo, speckled with gauze stars. With his silver slip showing through from underneath, the gauze stars seem to shimmer, while thee night sky takes on some of the sheen of the fabric below, eye-catching but not gaudily so.

Nemesis steps back a little to see her handiwork--tugs it here and there on the sides, remembers to redo the button at his collarbone, fingers a little shaky (at least on one hand), and her knuckles slip to brush against him, light]

I thought, 'cause that white outfit we got, with the star field? And then, that time on Rainbow Bridge...it just reminded me of that, kinda...

[He shivers again, just a little, at the brush of her knuckles against his collar bone - stares down at the dress, and the way the stars catch the silver, and the place where the colors fade from one into the other, passing through her shade somewhere in the middle.]

[His expression gets softer, at the explanation; he ducks his head, almost shy.]

It's good. For real, it's - you picked good.

Oh yeah?

[This comes out more hopeful than she'd hoped for, but she's obviously pleased nevertheless...a little self-conscious, maybe]

Looks nice against your skin tone, I think. It's a good color.

Yeah, I noticed. I mean - how good it is. The color.

Kinda - yours in the middle there, y'know?

That's why it's so good. Glad to see you're finally appreciating my good taste.

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