abraxaslogs | [ CATCH-ALL ] the wishes I've made are too vicious to tell

It's flattering when you know that my concentration is rarely broken.

[At least when it comes to fighting, training; one of the very few things he found pleasure in before his arrival in this place. There was very little room for distraction in his mind, but Ciri has wound through his thoughts more often than not, in ways he cannot help but indulge himself in.

Sephiroth helps himself to a bit of freshly baked bread, still warm.]

No, it wasn't ideal, but I feel the same way.

[Though perhaps if they had waited for an "ideal" time, it never would have come. Given the state of the world, even a small moment of peace like this one hardly feels guaranteed.]

But maybe this time, we can try it without crossing blades first.

[ She pushes the butter dish toward his side of the table automatically, the little jar of spices to flavor it if he wants. This feels so... relaxing, somehow. Comforting. Sharing a meal with someone whose company she enjoys, the light buzz of the wine, the soft crackling of the fireplace. It all feels very homey in a way she's long resigned herself to knowing isn't something she'll have -- and now, here she is, and she has all that and more.

This place, for all its frustrations and uncertainties, still feels more like home than anything she's experienced in a very long time. ]

...hah. [ A soft laugh escapes her. Ciri reaches over to break off her own piece of bread to nibble on. ]

We can try it. If it's no fun, we'll just bring the swords out again.

[ Her lips quirk, clearly teasing. But there's something more to it too, her attempts at being snide not entirely covering the shy eagerness, or the want in her eyes. ]

You know... we have the place to ourselves tonight. Don't think anyone will be home until morning.

[Sephiroth could say the same. This place is the closest to "home" he's ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It's not only safe, for Shinra provided him safety amid its steel walls, but it is grounding. His existence does not feel like a job, like a mission to be fulfilled; it simply feels like he might be appreciated for living, not working.

He picks up the little jar of spices, turning it over in his hand, the coziness of the whole exchange imbuing itself even in Sephiroth's mind.]

No fun? [He does laugh at that. Adds a little bit of the spice to his meal.] If we label it "no fun", then we've truly failed in some aspect.

[Green eyes lift to meet her. That hint of eagerness is reflected back, subtly, in kind.]

So you want to take advantage of the time to ourselves. I suppose we should see... whether or not we can make it "fun" or otherwise.

I think it's worth trying out. Just to make sure.

[ She tries not to blush when his eyes meet hers, and doesn't really succeed, though she does manage to keep her voice light despite the way her heart rate is picking up already. ]

Actually, I remembered recently... I won a prize, many months ago, at the peace talks summit. [ That ultimately went nowhere, but she's not keen on lingering upon that subject. She presses on, despite the heat deepening the red in her cheeks. ] A potion meant to be used... for fun. Supposed to make everything feel a little better.

We could share it. If you want.

[ By this point, her facade at playing all this cool is totally shattered. She has to look away, fidgeting with her cup. ]

[A potion used for... fun? Can you hear the gears straining in his head?]

...An aphrodisiac? [He blurts it out, surprised that such a thing would be given away at the peace talks, and only belatedly realizes her look turning embarrassed, skewing away from him.

He suddenly feels it, too, feeling warm across his cheekbones.

Sephiroth clears his throat.]

I don't know what kind of message that sends, given out as a prize by officials. [It's weirdly amusing. He looks down at his food.] But it would be thoughtless to waste it.

[ At least she's not the only one feeling awkward. She spots that blush, and feels a bit more comfortable about her own. ]

...hm. I hadn't considered that.

[ About whatever message they were sending. Probably none. Just showing off some sort of alchemy. It probably says something that it hadn't really made an impression on Ciri -- and that she'd kept it, though she hadn't really had any occasion to use it. In fact, she'd largely forgotten about it, until the prospect of sharing it with Sephiroth suddenly hit her recently. ]

O-only if you want to. I just thought of it.

[ She shrugs, trying too hard to be casual about it.

In truth, she's still a little anxious, and had considered it would probably help. It's why she's had some to drink already too. ]

[The small tinge of pink does not leave his cheekbones, but Sephiroth does finally meet her eyes again.]

Of course I want to.

[It’s a little bit of a breathless admission, hindered by, yes, embarrassment— But there is no hesitation.

They only have to get past this hurdle of feeling awkward about broaching the subject, it would seem. This thought impels something else to strike him.]

If you think it will help you— If it will help both of us be braver than we are, then I’m interested. In trying it.

[ She looks a little relieved when he corrects himself. Smiles, just a touch shyly still. ]

Well, then. Perhaps we could both use a bit of additional liquid courage.

[ She assures him there's no hurry, though, insists they should both finish up with the food if they so wish. She feels in turn both anxious to get started and wanting to linger out here, increasingly overthinking it, then noticing she's doing that and taking another drink, the cycle repeating -- at least until she's a little drunk, warm and less nervous.

At some point, Ciri gets up from the table to go grab the little vial she had stowed away in her room and start dividing it between their cups. ]

[Sephiroth, as usual, never quite reaches the point of drunk, or even a little tipsy, but liquid courage is unneeded when—after she pours it into their drinks—he downs it in one go. Apprehension or excitement? It could be a bit of both, but in the end, the result is the same.

Once it hits, he is not so much overcome as he is— Well, eager. And it doesn’t take long, to feel a warmth start to flush him, to look at Ciri and remember in clearer detail the night they did spend together, struck keenly by the want to lose himself in her again. He moves before he realizes it, really; standing and crossing over to wherever she has found herself in the room, pausing just long enough to become cognizant of what he wants — like it should be a surprise to either of them.

Still, he tries—]

Ciri—

[But gives up on trying to say anything at all, instead reaching out to grasp at her chin with two fingers, lifting her face up to meet his lips as he chases after a kiss, first and foremost.]

[ She is far too giddy to sit still. They toast, a wordless clink of glasses, and drink. But when she stands to clear the table a bit before anything more happens -- the room swaying at the edges, pleasantly -- Ciri notices Sephiroth standing to follow her. ]

I'll just drop these off. [ she promises not to take long, doing just as she said and leaving the plates in the kitchen for later.

He pauses just beyond the counter to the sink, presumably waiting for her, an expression on his features that Ciri can't quite place when she turns back. ]

What--?

[ She doesn't get to finish. Sephiroth closes the distance with a conviction at once exciting and somehow comforting, with the certainty of the waiting being over, and none of the in-between awkwardness of trying to figure out how to begin. She's never been so good at that part, anyway.

Ciri doesn't kiss him so much as allow him to kiss her, reciprocating when he leads, surrendering when he pushes. Her hands drop to her sides, face lifting. Her mouth opens, and her eyes slide shut. ]

[It seems to be a trend that, when the initial awkwardness and self-consciousness between them is no longer an issue, it is so easy for Sephiroth to work on instinct. To listen to what his body wants in tandem with hers, and act accordingly, with such an ease that it’s sure to surprise him when he thinks back on such moments.

It was similar when they spent their last night together. Similar, but not the same, exactly — no unknown, outside influence shearing away at their inhibitions, but instead a real choice on their part. No run-down, abandoned home belonging to a stranger, but the safety of a place known, warm and inviting. In a way, it’s as though they have all the time in the world.

Even if Sephiroth, after letting the warmth of that kiss bloom all along the planes of his body, coiling heatedly just below his belly, isn’t sure how much time he really wishes to take. Already, his lips part and he presses into hers harder, teases with his tongue; already, his hand drops just to place against her hip, pushing back just enough to make her bump against the counter behind her.]

What if I— [He finally breathes out, just barely enough space between their parted lips to form words.] —just took you right here.

[Bold indeed.]

[ Any misgivings she might've had are entirely drowned out by the tingling warmth in her limbs, the heat of his mouth on hers. Any higher logic pushing her to consider it would probably be technically a better and more comfortable idea to insist on the bedroom has fled by now, replaced by the urgency of desire, and the pleasant unreality of this moment as it seems to separate from the confines of the physical room and the concept of time -- it's just them, just him and the press of the counter's edge at the small of her back, and the pounding of her own heart in her temples.

Ciri's lips are wet with his tongue. She breathes out, air mingling with his, eyes soft and hazy, watching him with pupils nearly eclipsing the green. It isn't shyness this time, but she blushes all the same. ]

We won't be interrupted. [ She promises, voice barely above a whisper. It's not a no. ]

[It's not a no, and though practicality would also do them well in this moment—after all, the bedroom would be more comfortable—it seems such a faraway concept. So much more overrides it, bolstered by the way she’s looking at him, the way her cheeks are tinging pink. The thrum of his own heartbeat in his chest, ratcheting up a few notches at the growing reality of the idea, images already threatening to form in his head.]

Good.

[Then maybe that’s what they’ll do. Maybe they’ll let desire and impatience reign so much that every second feels like a wasted moment.

His hands move from her hips to the hem of her top, fingers gripping at the fabric, tugging upwards, as his own hips knock into hers amid the effort, causing him to hiss out a little in impatience.]

[ There is a very practical reason she wore a dress (though she wasn't quite bold enough to go without underwear despite her plans or hopes for the evening, so he'll have to contend with that; still, it's not much of a barrier).

A breathless giggle spills out, possibly prompted by his noise or maybe just her own giddiness. She wraps her arms around his neck, standing up on tiptoes in her bare feet. ]

Good. [ she echoes, and kisses him again, enthusiastically. ]

[Well, a dress is certainly more material to bunch up in his fingers, when he'd rather use his hands to feel her skin, instead. But that's fine, too; let it ruck up while he smooths over the lines of her waist. Again, he hitches his hips against the thin fabric of her underwear as she catches him in another kiss, her arms looped around his neck.

Sephiroth indulges in it, but it's clear that standing, a height difference might come into play as a slight issue. Still, for now, he's more concerned about that dress:]

This is in the way.

[Where his fingers bunch in the cloth, now they tug. Let him help you with that, perhaps, Ciri. Does it untie in the back?]

Then get rid of it.

[ She replies simply, with a coy smile warm against his lips. Ciri pulls back enough only to let him do so, and if he wants to ruck up the dress and get under it, he's perfectly welcome.

If he chooses instead to try to remove it entirely, she'll help him out. There are no buttons or laces to mess around with this time, not even a clasp. The thing is as as flimsy as they come, with only elastic keeping it up (what a fantastic invention). ]

[Elastic, an amazing and highly convenient material for moments like these especially. With that kind of leeway given to him, Sephiroth won't just ruck up her dress; he'll remove it entirely, easing it up and over her head, until every curve of her beneath is revealed to him. After that, he merely lets it crumple to the ground, discarded for now.

And then, he leans in, and presses a heated kiss to the nape of her neck, his hands sliding down to hitch his thumbs along the band of her underwear and pull that down, too. Patience is a novel thing -- but with his heart thudding in his chest the way it is, it's becoming clear that Sephiroth doesn't care to rely on much of it here and now.]

[ She shimmies out of the dress, arms up as Sephiroth pulls it off her, up and somewhere off to the side to be dropped out of the way. Already, Ciri's breathless and pink-faced, the blush spreading down her throat, scattered over the flat of her chest above her breasts. She was not wearing a bra.

Yes, it's embarrassingly clear she planned this. And yet, it still manages to startle her when he starts impatiently pulling down her panties next. Ciri lets out a small squeak, and then her hands follow, pushing the material down her thighs enough to kick it off.

Leaving her completely nude, hair down, the small of her back pressed into the counter as she stands up on her toes.

Just standing there for a long moment, heart pounding. Not entirely sure what to do next. ]

[But it’s exciting, knowing that she was anticipating this, that she planned it. That she stands completely nude after he’s slipped off her dress is proof of that.

He only appreciates the view when he straightens again, a hand idly sweeping back a stray lock of hair past the curve of her neck. And— Gaia, she’s beautiful like this, flushed and eager, if not awkward in not knowing how to proceed. (Something they both share in varying degrees, apparently.)

Sephiroth has her at an advantage, though; he’s far more dressed than she is, but he doesn’t seem to be keen on evening the field anytime soon. Instead, his hands sweep down at to her hips, and he lifts her up to seat her on the kitchen counter. At least she needn’t stand on her tip-toes any more.]

[ There's something about the way he moves her about so easily, sweeps her off her feet like she weighs nothing, that makes Ciri's heart catch in her throat like a fluttering bird. Something deep inside her base instinct still becomes just the slightest bit alarmed-- or maybe it's thrilled, instead, walking that line between excitement and trepidation that makes her blood pound in her ears.

She grips him with her knees, and seems to realize belatedly he's full dressed, towering over her. Her stomach clenches up, mouth falling open.

She drags him down by the hair for another heated, forceful kiss. ]

[That little surge of a thrill is shared, though maybe in a slightly different degree, when she tugs him down by the hair so their lips crash together. That impatience, bordering on forcefulness, is not something Sephiroth experiences often or ever — the fact that he enjoys it from her is a new nugget of information about himself that he can turn over in his mind more later.

For now, her knees bracket around him, an act that just keeps on piling on the anticipation, and suddenly these clothes are far too cumbersome for his liking, and his hands are flying up to undo the buttons of his dark shirt, working down, down.

He severs the kiss, though it lingers on her lower lip, just the faintest sensation of teeth, before he pulls away by mere inches. His hands move fast; he’s already trying to shrug off his shirt, while still remaining as slotted against her as possible. An awkward affair.]

Ciri. Will you touch me?

[ He barely has to ask; her hands slide under his shirt before the sentence even completely leaves his mouth. Her body moves forward instinctively, using the grip of her legs to anchor herself, and she helps to pull at his shirt and presses her palms to her shoulders, down his chest and ribs, fingertips grazing down the center of his stomach--

Hesitating a little at his belt.

Her eyes flick up again, seeking out his gaze for permission, or maybe just encouragement. ]

How... do you want me to touch you?

[Nerves alighting under her touch, every single place her fingers trail. Across shoulders and chest, his sides, down the plane of his stomach, and pausing just above the belt line.

She barely needs permission. And she will certainly win a fair share of encouragement; that is exactly the sort of touching that Sephiroth’s body has begun to ache for the most. It’s not hard to guess at, given how he’s begun to tent beneath the fabric of his trousers, suddenly feeling all-too constrained.

As quickly as he had tended to the buttons of his shirt, his hands move to unfasten his belt. The top button of his pants follow, to leave no room for doubt.]

I want to feel your hand wrapped around me.

[ Her hand shies away when his replaces it, letting him at the belt buckle. But she is curious, and while he moves to undress himself, her fingers slide lower, hovering just over the shape of him bulging in his trousers.

Before he can unbutton the trousers completely, she closes the distance, palm cupping him through the fabric so gently it's barely a touch, aware of the heat radiating beneath.

She draws her lower lip between her teeth, exhaling sharply. Not sure when to tell him-- or if she's too embarrassed to say it at all.

Ciri just nods, pulls her hand away enough to let him open his pants the rest of the way, and watches. ]

[His throat bobs, swallowing, when her hand just barely moves to cup him. It takes all manner of self-control not to hitch his hips further into her touch like some desperate teenager. The aphrodisiac certainly doesn’t make it easy.

But he manages, and she pulls away soon enough, allowing him to loosen his trousers properly and shirk them off, pushing the material down along with his undergarments, just enough to reveal his arousal, flushed and warm.

His cock’s more than just a little hard at this point. Again, the aphrodisiac has left his body particularly desperate for stimulation, and this is certainly no exception. Sephiroth feels Ciri’s eyes on him; exposed like this, that’s nearly titillating on its own, and he reaches out to run his hands down the sides of her thighs, happy to let her approach this unhurried.]

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kneeslides back in here

yoooo

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