Day 36: Recreational Field

[thatdamnedninja]

Somehow, talking to Rude had almost managed the impossible; it had almost cheered her up.

Gawd. What was with this? The whole 'amiable relations with Turks' thing was good, but if she thought about it too hard, it was weird. Well, not weird... Maybe they were just falling for her drop-dead gorgeous looks and amazing personality. That wouldn't be

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[ellectriclights]

Elle bit her lip, trying to estimate the number of girls Armand had talked to in his entire life, family not included. She guessed three, but might be persuaded to change that to four, if he suddenly came out with something suave. Not that such a thing was likely - he was all awkward and fussy.

Grinning at him, she swung herself across his lap so her knees were on the ground on either side of his hips. He reminded her of Peter, a bit, when he'd first arrived - quiet and kind and not so interested in her. Well, he'd never really been interested in her, he'd just been messing with her, but... A flash of annoyance crossed Elle's face before she managed to push her memories of Peter aside.

Peter hadn't been socially awkward anyway - not to the extent that Armand was. That made Armand cuter, like an gawky little puppy that hadn't grown into its legs. She touched a finger to the tip of his nose, imagining the look he'd have on his face if she were still able to generate electricity. "Visitors are boring," she told him, a bit breathless over the excitement of having a shiny new toy. "Let's talk about something else."

[secret_orchard]

The number of young ladies in Armand's acquaintance might not be that far off. He'd never properly talked to Angele de St. Cyr before his poem had aroused her father's ire, and Marguerite never let him get in more than a word or two with her pretty little friend, Suzanne. He'd spoken a great deal to Jeanne, even before they were married. If he hadn't, they wouldn't be married, and he might very well be dead.

None of these experiences with pretty young ladies prepared him for such outrageous behavior. "Elle!" he squeaked, forgetting to be polite in his surprise. "Please, I'm married! What if the nurses see?" He didn't want the nurses to see. With his record lately, they'd likely decide this scandalous scene was his fault, or at best, sedate them both. Then he'd be in trouble, and not get to see Marguerite.

He didn't try to push her off, since a struggle would draw the staff's ire immediately if they'd escaped notice so far. "Are-are you always this forward?" Maybe all modern girls were like this, but she shouldn't waste her time on a married man.

[ellectriclights]

Jeez, it wasn't like she was trying to get into his pants! Although watching him squirm if she got even more "forward" could be really funny.

The married part didn't bother her. If she wanted to get technical, she'd gone a lot further with a married man than just straddling him. Well, she wasn't sure how many times Adam had been married or when, but one or two had to have still been legally binding by the time she hit her late teens.

The nurse part, on the other hand.... It bothered her a little, considering Eddie's warning about sedatives, but the only time one had bothered her before the end of a shift was on her very first morning. And even then, she hadn't been sedated.

"It's okay," she said in a very calm, reassuring voice. "The nurses don't care." She pressed her hand against his chest and perused his face, wondering what exactly she wanted to do to him.

[secret_orchard]

"Perhaps they don't." He did though, and couldn't think of a thing to say about it that wouldn't come out as insulting. Anyone, even very forward young women, could be useful to know here. He didn't want to offend her without trying. But it was so hard to talk to someone when all he could think of was how long it had been since anyone had sat on his lap, and why were his cheeks so hot?

Beneath her hand, his heart was racing.

He hoped she'd see his distress in his blue-gray eyes, but he didn't dare voice it. "Are you even comfortable that way? The sun is behind you now."

[ellectriclights]

"I'm fine," she assured him, mistaking his discomfort for gallantry.

His heart was pounding almost out of his chest and his cheeks were bright red. Elle wondered if he got this way around girls all the time, how had he ever managed to get himself a wife? Maybe it was an arranged marriage.

"Why's your hair so long?" she asked, getting distracted. She tugged his ponytail out of its tie and ran her fingers through it. Guys with long hair were unusual to her - she tended to associate them with punk rock and lack of proper hygiene. But Armand definitely didn't seem that type. "I could cut it for you, if you want."

[secret_orchard]

Finally, she'd asked something that might distract him from his uncomfortable position! Armand couldn't help the widening of his eyes in surprise when she freed his hair. It so tangled now! He closed his eyes and bit his lip, hoping she wouldn't notice that he liked having people touch his hair. It was one of the reasons he was finicky about it.

"Careful there. It's none too clean." He had to remind himself she'd asked a question. "It's the style when--I mean where--I'm from. I don't wish it to be cut. The nurses already offered."

[ellectriclights]

Elle kept on playing with his hair, gently untangling a few knots as best she could one-handed. "It'd be a lot easier to take care of. You wouldn't have to worry about it getting greasy or knotted," she urged. Maybe if she could convince him he needed a haircut, she could get him alone at night when her ability would be working. "Trust me," she whispered, leaning closer to him, "I know what I'm doing."

His little slip-up didn't go unnoticed. Another point to the theory that there was a time-traveler working at for the Institute. Considering that the Institute could dampen abilities, make people fall asleep at will, control the flow of time, and was staffed by shape-shifters or illusions, they must have some very powerful specials on their side.

"Sorry, where are you from?" she asked, her fingers straying from his hair to his face and back to his hair again.

[secret_orchard]

Why did young ladies have to smell so good? Armand kept his eyes closed and thought determinedly of Jeanne. His mouth was very dry now. "I don't wish to insult your cutting skills, but I do like my hair the way it is. At night I have a ribbon for it."

"I was born in Paris, France, but before here, I was living in England." This time no mention of embarrassing dates. He didn't want yet another person to declare him insane. The staff already tried hard enough to convince him of that.

[ellectriclights]

The expression on Armand's face was one Elle had gotten used to. She had this effect on guys, and some women, but not usually to this extent. Not this quickly, anyway.

He wasn't being helpful and giving dates, but she was pretty sure men hadn't worn their hair this long in England for a while. Oh well. Time travel was something to think about when she didn't have such an adorable squirmy guy under her.

Just to see how he'd react, she lunged forward and kissed him hard. His lips were awfully dry, so she licked them before trying to force her tongue into his mouth.

[secret_orchard]

Armand whimpered, but he was too startled to fend off her kiss, and too much of a gentleman to imply that it wasn't what he wanted. As for tongues, Armand was French, so if they were kissing at all, tongues weren't any more of an issue. He didn't lack skill in such things, even a few months of married life could help there, but he couldn't dispel his sense of guilt and his fear.

But to keep this from resembling a contest, he put his hands around her back to support her, though in reality, he was the one who needed it. He didn't want to fall backwards. The nurses wouldn't ignore that! One hand moved up to hold the back of her neck, under her hair.

[ellectriclights]

Apparently once he got into it, Armand knew what he was doing. She snaked her arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards her, preventing him from falling backwards and pressing him tightly against her. The dead weight of her other arm, stuck as it was in a sling and unable to move without causing her pain, frustrated her. There were several interesting things her left hand could be doing right now.

She'd only kissed him as a kind of experiment, but now Elle was really starting to enjoy herself. No wonder someone had married this guy - he was a hell of a kisser. The hand on his shoulder slid up to the side of his face as she leaned back and pulled him after her.

[secret_orchard]

It was amazing what pride would drive a man to do! He had to stop this, Armand told himself, but he didn't try. He continued kissing her, his senses flooded with the sun-warmed woman in his lap but his thoughts full of his Jeanne. Elle's lips were as soft and intoxicating as her scent.

He didn't dare open his eyes, but he held her, feeling the warmth of her back through her gray shirt, and the soft skin of her neck with the other hand, and even the warm softness as she pressed against his chest. He knew this couldn't last, so he wasn't at fault. Nothing bad could come of this. No one was being hurt. Something between a moan and a whimper filled his throat. His fingers twined into her hair all by themselves.

[ellectriclights]

Some half-detached part of Elle's mind wondered what would happen if the nurses noticed them and decided it was all Armand's fault. Would they sedate him? Would he fight back? She smiled at the prospect of finding out, and responded to the noises he was making with a moan as his arms encircled her ever tighter.

Of course, if they found her sitting on his lap, it was pretty likely she'd be blamed. A pleasurable whimper forced its way out of her throat as she allowed herself to fall onto the grass, pulling him down on top of her, never once allowing the kiss to break. She wriggled underneath him, accidentally on purpose grinding her hips against his. To him, it would seem like she was really enjoying herself. But from far away, it might look like she was struggling.

[secret_orchard]

That was too much, even if she seemed to want it. Alarm bells went off inside Armand's head, and since he still had the use of both hands, even if they were under her and slightly tangled, he pushed against the ground to raise his body away. But her arms were still around him. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.

He knew she could feel his physical interest, but this was wrong and had to stop. He did break away from her lips to breathe and whisper, "We can't do this."

[ellectriclights]

"No one's stopping us," Elle insisted breathlessly. Her lips crashed into his again, while she wrapped one of her legs around his hips and ground him against her. He wasn't going anywhere. It was obvious that physically, at least, he was having a good time, and she could use that against him. Her hips bucked as she whimpered into the kiss.

Their bodies were pressed flush against each other, but Elle managed to slip her hand between them and under the hem of his shirt. She hesitated briefly, wondering whether she should go up or down, but eventually decided on up. Her hand splayed across his abdomen, brushing through the light trail of hair there.

A groan escaped her as she realized that, totally against her will, she was kinda turned on. Hopefully a nurse would show up soon.

[secret_orchard]

This felt so wrong. "I am... please." He didn't want to be rough with her to push away. That would reflect as badly in the eyes of the nurses as their present position. Armand would have to be made of stone or far older and experienced than he was to resist completely the allure of an apparently willing and very warm, lushly padded young woman under him. His flush wasn't of embarrassment now, though he was embarrassed somewhere under all this.

His fingers were still stuck tangled into her hair. His hair was falling into her face and around his, getting into his mouth and tickling his nose. Then he felt skin against his stomach and groaned, more than half in despair as well as the obvious reaction to her touch. Her leg... With his more or less free hand, he reached for the one she had under his shirt.

"No," he said, trying to sound firm. There was barely any voice behind the word. This was going all wrong!