Rodney allowed himself to be pulled down again, and the look of surprise that registered flickered across his features. She likes me! His smile lengthened and went a bit on the lopsided side as he looked at her again, blue eyes wide open, and... very relaxed. Comfortable. He got a soft hint of a swagger in his tones as he looked up again, this time at the starry night even as his arm was looped.
Daring a little more, he shifted such that he could put his arm around her, wanting to hold the doctor close. With his free hand, he could point at the stars as he mentioned them. "With the Hubble telescope, we can find tens of thousands of galaxies and never even begin to scratch the surface of the vastness of space. In our own galaxy, I was amazed to find that there are... humans everywhere. People picked up in various times along our timeline and put on another world to serve as slaves for the go-- for snake aliens." Rodney chuckled and looked back. "We had help, though, even when we didn't know it. The Asgard... they're real, but they don't look like Norsemen. They look more like.... those aliens that woman had described back in the 1950s. Small, grey-green, big eyes... and no sense of humour. Really arrogant, too." Just because their society was hundreds of millions of years old...
Rodney jumped slightly and glanced sideways again, his voice lowering, "Promise me you'll sign a non-disclosure form? I know, I feel like an idiot asking now, but..." He tenses his arm, giving her a soft squeeze. "I'll probably get yelled at later by my bosses, but I feel comfortable talking to you... you know? You... minding your own business at work. Me, well... I was hired out of university, but I think they'd been watching me since I was in grade 6." When he built a model of The Bomb. "All I wanted to do when I was a kid was to be a concert pianist. Now? I'm a theoretical astrophysicist with more knowledge than I can even begin to explain... or even share, because I couldn't explain how I got it."
"I think that a lot of advanced alien civilizations are a bit arrogant," Martha replied. She giggled a bit and leaned against him. "Some advanced aliens by themselves as well."
Martha started to tell him that non-disclosure agreements wouldn't be a problem because she wasn't really from his burrough, but then thought better of it. How do I know that the Doctor and I won't be here for a good long while? Even after, if there's an island rescue, The Doctor and I still have to find a way home. It was a sobering thought and one that Martha didn't want to dwell on. She'd been having fun, enjoying Rodney's company and she wasn't about to get maudlin.
"I'll sign, I promise." Martha shifted and rested her hand lightly on his knee. "A concert pianist? Do you still play? Mum made me take up flute. I'm a flutist, can you believe it, and not a very good one at that. It always made sense to me, the rhythms and beat, but my heart just wasn't in it. I was the one patching up the squirrels and birds in the back garden, and wrapping up my brother and sister in plastics and splints when other girls were having tea parties with their dollies."
She'd known Rodney was a genius. Everyone knew Rodney was a genius and from what she understood, he never let anyone forget it. But hearing that he'd had skills and intellect to attract notice at such a young age was new.
"Not all theoretical though, is it?" Martha asked. "Only because no one knows that it's all ... it's all so very real and happening right here and right now. When I first met the Doctor, I couldn't tell my Mum what was going on, where I was running off to or any of it. It was so hard because it was so marvelous and I couldn't share it."
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her voice low, "It's all still so very, very amazing."
"You figure, what... they've been around tens of millions of years to our 10,000 of basic civilization and we still give them a run for their money." And with Rodney being the brilliant scientist he is, one of the best Earth has to offer, it's not necessarily a bad claim to fame. "I think they just don't like to be shown up."
Rodney sighed and placed his cheek against Martha, the smell of her causing him to pause briefly. "Hmmmm? Oh... no. I haven't played since I was 12. My teacher told me to give it up. I could play technically, but he said I wouldn't ever be any good because I didn't have 'feeling'. After that, I went into science. Made a working model of The Bomb for my science fair project. I was interviewed for 6 hours by the US to be sure I wasn't some terrorist, and I still didn't get first place in the show." He smiled against her and shook his head. "Not everyone is cut out for it. I learned that a long time ago. I thought that maybe I wasn't cut out for my job with the Air Force, but... after you do good a couple of times, and it counters the stupid stuff... you figure that maybe it'll be okay." Homesick... but that is countered, surprisingly enough for McKay, with Martha's presence.
"It's not all theoretical. Since coming here, the leaps and strides in power conversions, temporal physics with frequency arrays and-and-and--" Rodney sighed again, and apologized quickly, "I'm sorry. Yes, I could say that almost everything that I'd thought was purely theoretical has so many concrete applications... from string theory proving teleportation, to-- oh, I don't know... temporal displacement in alternate universes and slips of the timestream... it's just amazing. And there isn't a person, other than maybe the Doctor, Romana, or Zelenka, but even then... who could even begin to comprehend the potential uses, the applications, the ramification of every bit of knowledge gained. I could write paper after paper on the subject, and anyone reading it would only scratch their heads and look at it blankly."
As Martha relaxed her head against his shoulder, Rodney used his free hand to gently stroke her cheek. "Some of it is terrifying. But, yes... some of it is still very, very amazing." Like you. Smitten!
Martha couldn't remember a time when she'd been this relaxed and comfortable - aside from when she was snuggled in her pyjamas, at home in her room in the TARDIS. It wasn't that she was comfortable with The Doctor, they had a certain camaraderie and understanding, but being with him was - well, was never particularly calm. Always fun, and there was nothing like an adrenaline rush when he stirred up trouble or wandered into it as he so often did, but it was never like this.
Maybe it was because right now with Rodney, Martha didn't feel as though she were in competition with a ghost - or in the case of the island, a living, breathing memory of the past. She wasn't Rose's replacement or the girl trying to get the Time Lord to notice her as more than his loyal friend and companion. She was comfortable, confident, satisfied and a little bit excited. She had only gone over to talk to Rodney, to pull him out of his shell in the middle of the celebration, but now that she had time to sit and talk to him, Martha thought that she might have done a bit more than that.
She was glad of it.
His fingers on her cheek drew an unsteady breath from her lungs. His hand was warm, his fingertips soft, and his growing confidence and comfort with her was flattering. Encouraging. Intriguing. Exciting.
Turning her head to respond to what he said, the words caught in Martha's throat. Their faces were so close together, another few centimeters and their eyes would cross if they tried to look at one another. The music and laughter of the luau behind them, the steady crash and thrum of the waves against the beach faded to nothing. It was muted by the sound of her rapidly pounding heart, the quick breaths she drew in, the blood rushing in her ears.
She could kiss him now, she could. Martha wasn't shy about such things, but she also didn't want to spook Rodney and send him running in the opposite direction. She wasn't a cheap and easy doxy, and she wasn't out to trap a pissed man for a quick shag and -
Stop. Over. Thinking. Martha scolded herself.
Martha's gaze flickered down to his lips, a hint of warning of what was to come. Then her eyes fluttered close and she leaned in, pressing her mouth ever so softly against his. . .
Rodney really hadn't realized that he'd moved, and he was suddenly looking at Martha's dark eyes, seeing both his reflection and... deeper in. His hand remained on her cheek, fingers just brushing against the high cheekbones, giving her, if only briefly, a more 'exotic' look. Still, the more he looked, the more he--
!!
How'd he get here? How'd he manage-- His mind's engine revved just short of the red line, his entire body tensing briefly, very ready to give her an out. To explain, to apologize that perhaps it was a mistake, and perhaps she'd rather be back at the party with everyone--
His world went upside down, however, in the instant that he kissed her... she kissed him? They kissed. His hand remained where it was, a light tough, and only migrated a short distance to the side of her face as he responded gently, tentatively, his own heart pounding in his chest as if he was about ready to suffer from a massive heart attack. If this was the way he was going to go, then so be it. The light show behind his eyes was amazing, something he hadn't seen for, well... since his first kiss, and even then, stolen in a dark theatre when one was a teenager really didn't count.
Rodney didn't want it to stop, didn't want it to end, and for a long few moments, the warmth of her skin against his, her breath, those eyes shut to him, it was his world. He could swear he could feel her heart beating in rhythm with his as he savoured the first kiss. He was... sorely disappointed when it came to an end; fleeting as a puff of wind, there and gone.. and he opened his mouth immediately to apologize. There was no way that he meant-- that he'd expected-- that-that-that...
Rodney's mouth was soft, warm, tender beneath her lips. There was the briefest of moments, a mere flash of a partial second really when Martha worried that she might have overstepped and scared him anyway. Then the hesitating pause was gone and his lips yielded to hers.
It was wonderful and sweet, a slow touching and melding, touching and melding, savoring the moment and drawing it out for a several heartbeats. Martha's heart sped up, his hand on her cheek like a brand on her skin.
She kept her eyes closed for a few beats after they parted, licking her lips and filing the sweetness of the moment away in her memory. It wasn't normally like that, those first kisses, and Martha wanted to hang on it.
Rodney's soft, "Wow," reached her ears and Martha's eyes fluttered open.
A soft, hazy smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Her face felt warm and her body had that tingly-anticipation-something-is-going-to-happen feeling. "Yeah," Martha whispered in return. "Wow."
Now she reached up to trace his lips with her fingertips, "Thing about first kisses, they're always awkward like. Good thing that we got that out of the way, then?"
Martha wanted to kiss him again, but restrained herself. This wasn't a chat up and meet at a pub, and a quick shag-dress-fast-and-leave-in-the-morning. This, she wanted to take her time with.
She leaned back, but not too far, and not far enough to be discouraging. A delighted giggle the likes of which she hadn't heard from herself since her school days bubbled up in her throat. "I'm sorry, Rodney, but 'm 'fraid I don't quite recall what were talking about."
Rodney was reeling, the rush of the kiss was keeping him on dizzying heights and he really didn't want to come down if this is what it felt like. His heart was racing, and he couldn't help but stare at her, blue eyes just drinking her in, as if he'd never had such a tall glass of...
The tracing of his lips with her fingers elicited a soft groan as he stared, the moment apart allowing time for all the alarm bells to start sounding. It's been, what, a day, since Martha'd arrived. He wasn't like -that-... as much as every guy in the world would like to posture and swagger about it. He was screwed up, but not -that- much. There was a need for some connection, some belief that as things progressed that he wouldn't be laughed at, or rebuffed... too badly, at least.
He shifted, the action more than a little awkward as there were certain physical considerations that had to be worked with *cough*, but never enough to get out of direct contact with Martha. He smiled at the giggle, the sound was encouraging, certainly, and he shook his head ever so slightly. His voice was soft and hoarse in the night's sky, and he found he had to clear it a couple of times before he could get something out that was more than a squeak. He wasn't in grade school anymore!
"I don't know." This didn't mean she wanted to go back, did it?
His arm was still around her, but his hand dropped back into his lap. This was the moment when the doubts crept back; was it the alcohol? Was it the fact that everyone was 'pairing off', and he was just desperate for something, any connection? But-but-but... she was patient, and he had no doubt that she could be quite the scrapper should anything happen. After all, she was on the moon, helping fight off aliens!
"I don't want to go back yet." How's that for stream of consciousness. "E-e-even if it means just sitting here for a few more minutes?" Rodney didn't mean to make that sound quite as much of a plead as it did, and he was finally able to tear his gaze away to look at the water, or rather, the reflections of the camps fires off the water. It was only briefly, however, as he returned his attention to his companion. "Yeah... first kisses... never really know if they lead to a second, or if it's some sort of test that you never really know how well you did... or how the other person grades."
He leaned in, though he didn't have too far, and his hand raised once more to caress the side of her face, the warm softness under his fingers just... amazing to him. A random thought assailed him, the voice of Sheppard telling him to 'give her time, she'll run'... and he'll end up some sort of weird stalker... "Even worse, I never know if it's posted somewhere where I can't get to anyway."
Martha bumped him with her shoulder. "You managed to get top marks, you did."
She leaned into him, happy to sit away from the fire and the party for a bit longer. Slipping her arm around his waist, Martha dropped her head to Rodney's shoulder. "I'd like to stay a bit longer, too. It's nice out here, and I'm quite enjoying the company."
Rodney grinned lopsidedly and turned his head to look at her, and got lost once more, which made his question, "Really?" sound a little more cracked than he wanted it. His hand stroked the warm, soft flesh of her cheek, tracing feather-light lines with his fingers. There was that moment in time where he went from tentative to a great deal more confident, and the compliment was that -real- turning point. "So do I..." Pulling a person from a shell was one thing; Dr. Rodney McKay won't ever be a social butterfly and had no real desire to be one. Didn't mean he didn't watch, however. He was painfully aware of the forces that kept him a perpetual outsider, and, for the most part, accepted them.
What Martha had accomplished was something completely different. She'd managed to make him feel wanted, that the world could wait and that she thought he was 'worth' the time, the energy; she was attracted to him... and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol with no food or the fact she really didn't know much about him (having only been on the island for a day and change) and so didn't have the time to either treat him with contempt or simply ignore him. Regardless of the reason, Rodney was, for the moment, happy. His head was reeling, his heart was pumping, keeping him on a dizzying high.
Of course, with the new information, his thoughts were racing, and he began to over analyze everything. Should he take her for a walk, show her the stars, tell her more stories about them? Go for a walk in the surf and-and-and...
Everything in the meeting of her eyes, and for a heartbeat, all forgotten before he leaned again and shifted to press a kiss against her lips. The hand that played with her warm cheek ran fingers along the side of her head, wanting this one to last 'forever', or at least longer than the first.
Just remember, Martha knows all about dealing with big-headed genuises who think that it's all about them, have honed rudeness to an art and often lack social niceties ;)
There was a pause for all of a heartbeat when Rodney's lips touched hers. A pleasant shock charged through Martha's body; he suprised her by taking the iniatiative like that, but it was a good surprise. She closed her eyes and responded, leaning into the kiss as she slid one hand up his arm, to his shoulder, and then to wrap around his neck, fingers curling in the soft hair at the base of his skull.
Martha didn't suffer from any overwhelming doubt or conflicting thoughts. She identified this as what it was. Not the loose and relaxed effects of alcohol, although she was certain the beverages helped Rodney relax a mite; this was the craving and fulfillment of contact, the need for connection between two people, not in a desperate, clingy way, but a natural coming together of two people who stumbled onto something they didn't realize they wanted or was within reach.
This wouldn't be anymore than a snog. Anything else would have been wrong; anything else would feel wrong. Besides, Rodney didn't seem the type and Martha had a few one-off experiences with things that went beyond a snog, too far, too fast and left off to a lot of embarrassment, discomfort and avoidance the next morning. Martha wanted to take her time, to feel this out and see where it went.
There wasn't any need to rush.
Still, that didn't stop her from venturing further forward, because Martha Jones was nothing if not an explorer. If she wasn't willing to take risks, then she never would have traveled with the Doctor and experienced all the things that she had experienced thus far.
Without breaking the soft, gentle exploration of their mouths, Martha shifted to her knees. Better to bring her free arm and hand about to wind up Rodney's other arm and then into his hair. Her lips parted slightly, her tongue darting out to flick lightly against his lips in quiet, muted entreaty.
It was true. Rodney really wasn't like that, and there had been times when he really wished he was, honestly. He knew about the three-somes, the girls... he wasn't stupid, and more than a few times, he'd wished he was part of it. However, he was raised in a strict house in one of the 'politest' countries of the world, or so some referred to Canada as such, and there really were some things that stayed with the man well into adulthood. Couple that with a overwhelming sense of personal privacy, and one got a man who didn't see much 'action'. Still, it assured that whomever was with him, there'd be little or no competition, and Dr. Rodney McKay considered himself a pretty damned good catch.
Lack of experience notwithstanding, of course.
The thought that perhaps he was reading all 'this' wrong passed, that awkward moment after the first kiss and it's acknowledgement really did mean that he was welcome to kiss her again, and as Martha responded, he rallied. Her fingers playing in the back of his neck caused a tensing, then a shudder as the warm, tingly feeling surged through his body. His own kiss became deeper, searching the reaches ever so gently in response to her own, his arms enwrapping her as she, too, shifted to find a more comfortable position for the pair. He groaned as he released the kiss, an involuntary noise, really, reflecting the impulses coursing through his body. His hands remained in that 'safety zone', an effort really for the scientist... Here, Rodney was with a very attractive woman, someone who possibly could understand, if not his work, then his devotion to it-- the passion for science, knowledge and exploration of the farthest reaches of what is humanly known, and push further, and she liked him. While the scientist had been guilty of some pretty epic screw-ups, Rodney really didn't want this to be one of them. As a result, 'tread lightly' was the mantra.
There had to be a downside to this?
If there was, Rodney didn't want to know or even consider looking for it. He couldn't, lost as he was in the moment, the warmth, the softness of her lips on his, the feel of being with Martha sending small shocks all through his body, from his toes to the top of his head. He held her as he'd held the kiss, and breaking it momentarily, he suppressed another groan as he tried to focus through the haze of arousal to look at her. Of course his body responded to everything that was happening. After all, she was beautiful, and he wasn't dead-- Not by a long shot. It did make things a little uncomfortable, however, and a little awkward, if only for him. His flushed skin tingled, and as he stared, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that this was actually happening to him.
Martha opened her eyes slowly, when they came up for air, her lips tingling with the after echoes of their kiss. She stared into his eyes, dark pupils swallowing up soft blue irises. His ever so quiet groan and his awed look, elicited a small smile from Martha. She raked her hands through his hair, trailing down to trace his jaw. His hands warmed her back, heat detectable through her shirt. Martha breathed more heavily than usual, her blood racing. She was vaguely reminded of being sixteen again and getting off in the lounge of Edward Corner's while his parents were out, with the hormones and the thrill and the anticipation, except that this was so much better. Giddiness flooded her and a happy giggle bubbled up and escaped.
Before Rodney could misinterpret her mirth as something other than the giddy happiness of the moment, Martha ducked her head and kissed him again quite soundly. Unfortunately, she over compensated for her shift in position and in a flailing of arms and legs, they toppled backward, Martha landing squarely on top of Rodney.
For a moment they lay there in shock and surprise, gazes locked.
Then Martha broke into laughter. "Brilliant that was!" She shifted to disentangle herself, the motion making her very aware of Rodney's growing awareness of her, and to cover her flattered surprise, she focused on scrambling to the side, her laughter following her. "Can't say that I've ever literally bowled a bloke over before. Didn't hurt anything, did I?"
Daring a little more, he shifted such that he could put his arm around her, wanting to hold the doctor close. With his free hand, he could point at the stars as he mentioned them. "With the Hubble telescope, we can find tens of thousands of galaxies and never even begin to scratch the surface of the vastness of space. In our own galaxy, I was amazed to find that there are... humans everywhere. People picked up in various times along our timeline and put on another world to serve as slaves for the go-- for snake aliens." Rodney chuckled and looked back. "We had help, though, even when we didn't know it. The Asgard... they're real, but they don't look like Norsemen. They look more like.... those aliens that woman had described back in the 1950s. Small, grey-green, big eyes... and no sense of humour. Really arrogant, too." Just because their society was hundreds of millions of years old...
Rodney jumped slightly and glanced sideways again, his voice lowering, "Promise me you'll sign a non-disclosure form? I know, I feel like an idiot asking now, but..." He tenses his arm, giving her a soft squeeze. "I'll probably get yelled at later by my bosses, but I feel comfortable talking to you... you know? You... minding your own business at work. Me, well... I was hired out of university, but I think they'd been watching me since I was in grade 6." When he built a model of The Bomb. "All I wanted to do when I was a kid was to be a concert pianist. Now? I'm a theoretical astrophysicist with more knowledge than I can even begin to explain... or even share, because I couldn't explain how I got it."
Reply
Martha started to tell him that non-disclosure agreements wouldn't be a problem because she wasn't really from his burrough, but then thought better of it. How do I know that the Doctor and I won't be here for a good long while? Even after, if there's an island rescue, The Doctor and I still have to find a way home. It was a sobering thought and one that Martha didn't want to dwell on. She'd been having fun, enjoying Rodney's company and she wasn't about to get maudlin.
"I'll sign, I promise." Martha shifted and rested her hand lightly on his knee. "A concert pianist? Do you still play? Mum made me take up flute. I'm a flutist, can you believe it, and not a very good one at that. It always made sense to me, the rhythms and beat, but my heart just wasn't in it. I was the one patching up the squirrels and birds in the back garden, and wrapping up my brother and sister in plastics and splints when other girls were having tea parties with their dollies."
She'd known Rodney was a genius. Everyone knew Rodney was a genius and from what she understood, he never let anyone forget it. But hearing that he'd had skills and intellect to attract notice at such a young age was new.
"Not all theoretical though, is it?" Martha asked. "Only because no one knows that it's all ... it's all so very real and happening right here and right now. When I first met the Doctor, I couldn't tell my Mum what was going on, where I was running off to or any of it. It was so hard because it was so marvelous and I couldn't share it."
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her voice low, "It's all still so very, very amazing."
Reply
Rodney sighed and placed his cheek against Martha, the smell of her causing him to pause briefly. "Hmmmm? Oh... no. I haven't played since I was 12. My teacher told me to give it up. I could play technically, but he said I wouldn't ever be any good because I didn't have 'feeling'. After that, I went into science. Made a working model of The Bomb for my science fair project. I was interviewed for 6 hours by the US to be sure I wasn't some terrorist, and I still didn't get first place in the show." He smiled against her and shook his head. "Not everyone is cut out for it. I learned that a long time ago. I thought that maybe I wasn't cut out for my job with the Air Force, but... after you do good a couple of times, and it counters the stupid stuff... you figure that maybe it'll be okay." Homesick... but that is countered, surprisingly enough for McKay, with Martha's presence.
"It's not all theoretical. Since coming here, the leaps and strides in power conversions, temporal physics with frequency arrays and-and-and--" Rodney sighed again, and apologized quickly, "I'm sorry. Yes, I could say that almost everything that I'd thought was purely theoretical has so many concrete applications... from string theory proving teleportation, to-- oh, I don't know... temporal displacement in alternate universes and slips of the timestream... it's just amazing. And there isn't a person, other than maybe the Doctor, Romana, or Zelenka, but even then... who could even begin to comprehend the potential uses, the applications, the ramification of every bit of knowledge gained. I could write paper after paper on the subject, and anyone reading it would only scratch their heads and look at it blankly."
As Martha relaxed her head against his shoulder, Rodney used his free hand to gently stroke her cheek. "Some of it is terrifying. But, yes... some of it is still very, very amazing." Like you. Smitten!
Reply
Maybe it was because right now with Rodney, Martha didn't feel as though she were in competition with a ghost - or in the case of the island, a living, breathing memory of the past. She wasn't Rose's replacement or the girl trying to get the Time Lord to notice her as more than his loyal friend and companion. She was comfortable, confident, satisfied and a little bit excited. She had only gone over to talk to Rodney, to pull him out of his shell in the middle of the celebration, but now that she had time to sit and talk to him, Martha thought that she might have done a bit more than that.
She was glad of it.
His fingers on her cheek drew an unsteady breath from her lungs. His hand was warm, his fingertips soft, and his growing confidence and comfort with her was flattering. Encouraging. Intriguing. Exciting.
Turning her head to respond to what he said, the words caught in Martha's throat. Their faces were so close together, another few centimeters and their eyes would cross if they tried to look at one another. The music and laughter of the luau behind them, the steady crash and thrum of the waves against the beach faded to nothing. It was muted by the sound of her rapidly pounding heart, the quick breaths she drew in, the blood rushing in her ears.
She could kiss him now, she could. Martha wasn't shy about such things, but she also didn't want to spook Rodney and send him running in the opposite direction. She wasn't a cheap and easy doxy, and she wasn't out to trap a pissed man for a quick shag and -
Stop. Over. Thinking. Martha scolded herself.
Martha's gaze flickered down to his lips, a hint of warning of what was to come. Then her eyes fluttered close and she leaned in, pressing her mouth ever so softly against his. . .
Reply
!!
How'd he get here? How'd he manage-- His mind's engine revved just short of the red line, his entire body tensing briefly, very ready to give her an out. To explain, to apologize that perhaps it was a mistake, and perhaps she'd rather be back at the party with everyone--
His world went upside down, however, in the instant that he kissed her... she kissed him? They kissed. His hand remained where it was, a light tough, and only migrated a short distance to the side of her face as he responded gently, tentatively, his own heart pounding in his chest as if he was about ready to suffer from a massive heart attack. If this was the way he was going to go, then so be it. The light show behind his eyes was amazing, something he hadn't seen for, well... since his first kiss, and even then, stolen in a dark theatre when one was a teenager really didn't count.
Rodney didn't want it to stop, didn't want it to end, and for a long few moments, the warmth of her skin against his, her breath, those eyes shut to him, it was his world. He could swear he could feel her heart beating in rhythm with his as he savoured the first kiss. He was... sorely disappointed when it came to an end; fleeting as a puff of wind, there and gone.. and he opened his mouth immediately to apologize. There was no way that he meant-- that he'd expected-- that-that-that...
Instead? A softly whispered, "Wow."
Reply
It was wonderful and sweet, a slow touching and melding, touching and melding, savoring the moment and drawing it out for a several heartbeats. Martha's heart sped up, his hand on her cheek like a brand on her skin.
She kept her eyes closed for a few beats after they parted, licking her lips and filing the sweetness of the moment away in her memory. It wasn't normally like that, those first kisses, and Martha wanted to hang on it.
Rodney's soft, "Wow," reached her ears and Martha's eyes fluttered open.
A soft, hazy smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Her face felt warm and her body had that tingly-anticipation-something-is-going-to-happen feeling. "Yeah," Martha whispered in return. "Wow."
Now she reached up to trace his lips with her fingertips, "Thing about first kisses, they're always awkward like. Good thing that we got that out of the way, then?"
Martha wanted to kiss him again, but restrained herself. This wasn't a chat up and meet at a pub, and a quick shag-dress-fast-and-leave-in-the-morning. This, she wanted to take her time with.
She leaned back, but not too far, and not far enough to be discouraging. A delighted giggle the likes of which she hadn't heard from herself since her school days bubbled up in her throat. "I'm sorry, Rodney, but 'm 'fraid I don't quite recall what were talking about."
Reply
The tracing of his lips with her fingers elicited a soft groan as he stared, the moment apart allowing time for all the alarm bells to start sounding. It's been, what, a day, since Martha'd arrived. He wasn't like -that-... as much as every guy in the world would like to posture and swagger about it. He was screwed up, but not -that- much. There was a need for some connection, some belief that as things progressed that he wouldn't be laughed at, or rebuffed... too badly, at least.
He shifted, the action more than a little awkward as there were certain physical considerations that had to be worked with *cough*, but never enough to get out of direct contact with Martha. He smiled at the giggle, the sound was encouraging, certainly, and he shook his head ever so slightly. His voice was soft and hoarse in the night's sky, and he found he had to clear it a couple of times before he could get something out that was more than a squeak. He wasn't in grade school anymore!
"I don't know." This didn't mean she wanted to go back, did it?
His arm was still around her, but his hand dropped back into his lap. This was the moment when the doubts crept back; was it the alcohol? Was it the fact that everyone was 'pairing off', and he was just desperate for something, any connection? But-but-but... she was patient, and he had no doubt that she could be quite the scrapper should anything happen. After all, she was on the moon, helping fight off aliens!
"I don't want to go back yet." How's that for stream of consciousness. "E-e-even if it means just sitting here for a few more minutes?" Rodney didn't mean to make that sound quite as much of a plead as it did, and he was finally able to tear his gaze away to look at the water, or rather, the reflections of the camps fires off the water. It was only briefly, however, as he returned his attention to his companion. "Yeah... first kisses... never really know if they lead to a second, or if it's some sort of test that you never really know how well you did... or how the other person grades."
He leaned in, though he didn't have too far, and his hand raised once more to caress the side of her face, the warm softness under his fingers just... amazing to him. A random thought assailed him, the voice of Sheppard telling him to 'give her time, she'll run'... and he'll end up some sort of weird stalker... "Even worse, I never know if it's posted somewhere where I can't get to anyway."
Reply
She leaned into him, happy to sit away from the fire and the party for a bit longer. Slipping her arm around his waist, Martha dropped her head to Rodney's shoulder. "I'd like to stay a bit longer, too. It's nice out here, and I'm quite enjoying the company."
Reply
What Martha had accomplished was something completely different. She'd managed to make him feel wanted, that the world could wait and that she thought he was 'worth' the time, the energy; she was attracted to him... and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol with no food or the fact she really didn't know much about him (having only been on the island for a day and change) and so didn't have the time to either treat him with contempt or simply ignore him. Regardless of the reason, Rodney was, for the moment, happy. His head was reeling, his heart was pumping, keeping him on a dizzying high.
Of course, with the new information, his thoughts were racing, and he began to over analyze everything. Should he take her for a walk, show her the stars, tell her more stories about them? Go for a walk in the surf and-and-and...
Everything in the meeting of her eyes, and for a heartbeat, all forgotten before he leaned again and shifted to press a kiss against her lips. The hand that played with her warm cheek ran fingers along the side of her head, wanting this one to last 'forever', or at least longer than the first.
Reply
Reply
*hee*
Reply
Reply
*laughs*
Reply
Martha didn't suffer from any overwhelming doubt or conflicting thoughts. She identified this as what it was. Not the loose and relaxed effects of alcohol, although she was certain the beverages helped Rodney relax a mite; this was the craving and fulfillment of contact, the need for connection between two people, not in a desperate, clingy way, but a natural coming together of two people who stumbled onto something they didn't realize they wanted or was within reach.
This wouldn't be anymore than a snog. Anything else would have been wrong; anything else would feel wrong. Besides, Rodney didn't seem the type and Martha had a few one-off experiences with things that went beyond a snog, too far, too fast and left off to a lot of embarrassment, discomfort and avoidance the next morning. Martha wanted to take her time, to feel this out and see where it went.
There wasn't any need to rush.
Still, that didn't stop her from venturing further forward, because Martha Jones was nothing if not an explorer. If she wasn't willing to take risks, then she never would have traveled with the Doctor and experienced all the things that she had experienced thus far.
Without breaking the soft, gentle exploration of their mouths, Martha shifted to her knees. Better to bring her free arm and hand about to wind up Rodney's other arm and then into his hair. Her lips parted slightly, her tongue darting out to flick lightly against his lips in quiet, muted entreaty.
Reply
Lack of experience notwithstanding, of course.
The thought that perhaps he was reading all 'this' wrong passed, that awkward moment after the first kiss and it's acknowledgement really did mean that he was welcome to kiss her again, and as Martha responded, he rallied. Her fingers playing in the back of his neck caused a tensing, then a shudder as the warm, tingly feeling surged through his body. His own kiss became deeper, searching the reaches ever so gently in response to her own, his arms enwrapping her as she, too, shifted to find a more comfortable position for the pair. He groaned as he released the kiss, an involuntary noise, really, reflecting the impulses coursing through his body. His hands remained in that 'safety zone', an effort really for the scientist... Here, Rodney was with a very attractive woman, someone who possibly could understand, if not his work, then his devotion to it-- the passion for science, knowledge and exploration of the farthest reaches of what is humanly known, and push further, and she liked him. While the scientist had been guilty of some pretty epic screw-ups, Rodney really didn't want this to be one of them. As a result, 'tread lightly' was the mantra.
There had to be a downside to this?
If there was, Rodney didn't want to know or even consider looking for it. He couldn't, lost as he was in the moment, the warmth, the softness of her lips on his, the feel of being with Martha sending small shocks all through his body, from his toes to the top of his head. He held her as he'd held the kiss, and breaking it momentarily, he suppressed another groan as he tried to focus through the haze of arousal to look at her. Of course his body responded to everything that was happening. After all, she was beautiful, and he wasn't dead-- Not by a long shot. It did make things a little uncomfortable, however, and a little awkward, if only for him. His flushed skin tingled, and as he stared, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that this was actually happening to him.
Reply
Before Rodney could misinterpret her mirth as something other than the giddy happiness of the moment, Martha ducked her head and kissed him again quite soundly. Unfortunately, she over compensated for her shift in position and in a flailing of arms and legs, they toppled backward, Martha landing squarely on top of Rodney.
For a moment they lay there in shock and surprise, gazes locked.
Then Martha broke into laughter. "Brilliant that was!" She shifted to disentangle herself, the motion making her very aware of Rodney's growing awareness of her, and to cover her flattered surprise, she focused on scrambling to the side, her laughter following her. "Can't say that I've ever literally bowled a bloke over before. Didn't hurt anything, did I?"
Reply
Leave a comment