Fic: A Trillion Asterisks
Title: A Trillion Asterisks
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: Adult
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Smut
Word Count: 3,328
Characters/Pairings: April, Simon, Laurie (April/Simon)
Summary: Simon reveals an unexpected hobby.
A/N: The beginning section of this fic was originally going to be in the April/Simon moments fic, and then I was thinking there needed to be more April/Simon happy fluff, so I decided to expand on it. Enjoy, bbs <3 The quote in this is attributed to Robert Brault.
April took another bite of her ice cream, smiling as Simon's thumb swept lazily along the side of her hand.
She glanced up at him and watched as he ran his tongue along the side of his ice cream. She felt a low tingle in her stomach as she looked at him, imagining just what he could do to her with his tongue, and she looked away, taking a breath. She had a bad habit of moving too fast in relationships and messing things up, but she wanted so badly to make this thing with Simon work that she hadn't even attempted to bring up the topic of sex with him yet, though they'd been dating for almost six months now. It didn't stop her from thinking about it, though, or lessen the frequency with which such thoughts popped into her head, and she took another breath.
"Is it good?"
April looked up at him sharply. "What?"
"Your ice cream," he said, the corner of his mouth rising as he looked at her.
"Oh. Right. Yeah," she murmured, glancing at the cone in her hand and noticing it had started to drip over the side. She held her hand up to her mouth, running her tongue along her skin to catch the melted ice cream, and felt Simon's hand tighten around hers. She glanced up at him but he was looking away from her and she wondered if she'd imagined it.
"Where are we?" she asked after a moment, realizing she hadn't been paying the slightest attention to the direction they were going.
"Lincoln Memorial, dead ahead," Simon said, pointing. "Bit hard to miss." She could hear the amusement in his voice and she bumped his arm with her shoulder.
"Shut up."
He laughed and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to the side of her head.
A short while later they were seated on the steps of the memorial, eyes turned toward the sky. Simon's hand was suspended in mid-air, his finger pointing out the constellations as he named them.
"The city's too bright to see them properly," he said when he'd finished, his hand falling to rest on his thigh. "We'd have to go into the country where there aren't as many lights."
April smiled as she moved closer to him, twining her arm through his.
"I didn't know you knew so much about stars."
He smiled softly, his eyes still on the sky.
"It relaxes me. I like to sit on the roof of my building sometimes when I can't sleep, and I just... stare at the sky. Always works."
April smiled as she looked at him, surprised but charmed to learn about this unexpected hobby of his.
Her smile widened as she shifted even closer.
"What was that last one you pointed out?" she asked.
"Virgo," he replied, his hand rising again to show her.
"Which one? I can't really see it."
"Here." Simon moved over slightly and pulled April to him, shifting their positions until she was in front of him with her back to his chest. He slid one arm around her waist and his other hand moved to cover hers, lifting it into the air. He lowered his head so that their gaze was level and his cheek brushed lightly against hers. She took a breath, inhaling the scent of him and thinking she could spend the entire evening sitting just like this, warm in his arms.
"There," he said quietly, "do you see?"
"Yeah," April murmured, staring up at the faint star formation before turning her head and lightly touching her lips to his cheek. He smiled as he turned towards her and pressed his lips to hers. His other arm circled her waist and he tightened his grip on her as she raised a hand to thread her fingers in his hair.
He grinned when the kiss broke. "You taste like strawberries," he said, touching his lips lightly to hers again.
"You taste like bananas," she replied, grinning back at him.
"Together we could make a smoothie."
There was a beat of silence before April shook her head, her grin widening as she bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"That was really -"
"- really awful, I know," Simon finished, wincing slightly.
April giggled, her head falling against Simon's shoulder. A second later he began to laugh too, his arms tightening around her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"April, will you come on?" Simon said impatiently from the doorway of her office, lifting one eyebrow as he stared at her.
"I'm almost done," April murmured, staring intently at her computer.
"It's after five, you've already changed out of your work clothes, let's hit the road."
"Just a few more minutes," she replied, tapping out a few more words.
Simon sighed and came to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder to see what she was working on. A disbelieving snort escaped him.
"April, that doesn't need to be finished for two more weeks!"
"But if I get it done now, then I don't have to worry about it anymore," she replied, eyes still on her monitor.
Simon sighed again and moved to lean against her desk, gently taking hold of her arms and turning her to face him.
"April, it won't kill you to take a break from work every once in a while. You almost never call in sick, even when you are sick, and in the three years I've known you, you haven't once taken a vacation -"
"This isn't a vacation, Simon," April said, giving him a look, "this is just a weekend away."
"It's an opportunity for us to get out of the city and away from work and to just be together. Isn't that enough?"
April looked at him for a moment, her head tilted to one side and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly, and then she sighed softly.
"Of course it is. I'm sorry." She reached for him, tugging lightly on his shirt, and he leaned down to kiss her. "Just let me save this, and then we can go."
A few minutes later the door to April's office was locked and she was going over a few last minute things with Laurie.
Simon tugged gently on April's hand, trying to pull her away from Laurie's desk, and Laurie tried not to giggle, nodding as she listened to April.
"Maybe - maybe you should go," Laurie finally said in an undertone, biting her lip as Simon began to look increasingly like a petulant two-year-old.
April looked back at Simon and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. I'll see you on Monday," she said, glancing back at Laurie as Simon pulled her away from the desk.
"Have fun," Laurie said, laughing as Simon tossed her a grin and a wave before ushering April out into the hall.
"Maybe we should swing by my place real quick," April said as they walked to the car. "Just in case I forgot something."
Simon gave her a look as he fished the keys from his pocket. "You didn't, and you know it. Will you just relax?"
"Maybe if I knew more about this mysterious 'vacation'," she said as she settled in the car and pulled the seat belt across her chest. "I can't believe you won't even tell me where we're going."
"You're not a fan of surprises, are you," Simon said, smirking as he slipped the key into the ignition.
"Not really, no," April muttered.
Simon started the car and then looked over at her. "Just trust me. Okay?"
April smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay."
Simon gave a quick nod and leaned over to kiss her before dropping the car into gear and pulling out of the space.
It wasn't until they were finally out of the city that April began to relax, rolling down her window to let in the warm spring air and resting her hand on top of Simon's as he drove, holding lightly to his fingers. His grip tightened on her hand and she glanced at him as he raised it to his mouth, smiling as he softly touched his lips to her fingers.
After a couple of hours she dozed off, only to be jostled awake as Simon pulled off on the side of the road.
She sat up, yawning as she ran a hand through her hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning as she looked at the expanse of nothing that surrounded the car. There was a field on both sides of the road, and not a house in sight. "Is something wrong with the car?"
"No, the car's fine," Simon said, laughing slightly as he pulled off his seat belt and took the key from the ignition. "C'mon, get out."
April watched as he stepped from the car and was unable to stop the smile that crossed her face as he stretched, his shirt rising slightly to reveal a glimpse of his stomach.
"C'mon," he said again, lightly drumming his fingers on the top of the car.
April sighed and unbuckled her seat belt, stepping from the car and stretching her arms up over her head as she took in her surroundings. The sun was low in the sky, lending a dusky glow to the world around, and April inhaled deeply. The fresh air was a wonderful reprieve from the car exhaust and general air pollution of the city, and she smiled, slipping her hands into her pockets as she turned to see what Simon was doing.
He was rummaging around in the back of the car and she walked over to stand beside him just as he lowered his bag to the ground, setting it beside hers.
"What're you doing?" she asked, frowning slightly.
"Getting out our dinner," he said as he leaned forward and grasped the handle of a large cooler, tugging it to him. He lifted it from the car and set it carefully on the ground before reaching back in and withdrawing a blanket and a flashlight. He handed both items to April and lifted their bags back into the trunk, slamming the lid closed and grinning as he picked up the cooler.
"C'mon," he said and started towards the field.
Confusion mounting, April shifted the blanket and flashlight in her arms and set off after him. After a few minutes he stopped and set the cooler down, taking the blanket from her and spreading it across the ground. He sank to his knees and flipped open the lid of the cooler and she watched as he began to pull out containers of food.
"What is all this?" she asked, frowning bemusedly.
"I told you, it's our dinner," Simon replied, grinning slightly.
"Simon."
He chuckled softly. "Do you remember a year or so ago, when we went on that date and sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and I pointed out the stars to you? And I said that we would have to get out of the city to see them better?" He looked up at her and held out his arms. "Here we are."
He turned his attention back to what he was doing and April smirked when she noticed the four sandwiches in the cooler. Simon knew full well she would only eat one, and the rest were for him; she bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"So you planned for us to come out here and eat dinner, and - and stargaze?" April asked, feeling an odd tightness in her chest as she shifted the flashlight from one hand to the other.
Simon nodded. "Obviously this isn't the whole weekend, but yeah, that was the plan for tonight."
She stared at him for a moment until he finally looked up at her. "What?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
"How are you even real?" April said, a breathless laugh escaping her lips as tears rose unexpectedly in her eyes.
"I - what?" Simon hesitated, looking confused. "I just - I thought this would be fun. Is it - did I do something wrong?"
"No," April said quickly, shaking her head as she passed a hand over her eyes. "I just - why would you do something like this?"
"Because - because I like doing things for you. Should I not have done this?"
April shook her head. "I've never had anybody do anything like this for me before."
Simon's frown deepened. "Never?"
April shook her head again and Simon was quiet a minute.
"What the hell kind of guys have you dated?" he finally asked.
April laughed and rolled her eyes towards the sky, a tear slipping down her cheek. "The wrong ones, obviously."
The corner of Simon's mouth lifted slightly as he held up his hand. April took it and allowed him to pull her down onto the blanket, smiling when he raised his fingers to brush away her tears.
The sun sank lower in the sky as they ate and she listened to Simon tell stories about the other agents he worked with, realizing she'd never been so happy and contented in her life.
"...and then I said, 'I have a date with the Press Secretary tonight. Why would I want to hang out with you in a bar?'"
April giggled and Simon grinned as he popped the last bite of his last sandwich into his mouth.
They cleared away the trash, placing it in the cooler along with the empty containers, and Simon smoothed the blanket out again before reaching for April. She shifted over to him, turning to sit with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, touching a soft kiss to her neck before turning his gaze to the sky.
"See how much clearer they are?" he murmured.
April nodded, smiling slightly. "They're beautiful." She stared contemplatively up at the sky for a moment, and then took a breath. "'Metaphor for the night sky'," she said, "'a trillion asterisks, and no explanations.'"
There was a beat and then Simon laughed quietly, shaking his head. "You have been spending way too much time with Sam."
"Shut up," April replied, giggling as she elbowed him.
Simon grinned and pressed a kiss to her cheek before raising a finger towards the sky. He named the constellations for her again, pointing them out and telling her little facts about each one.
He lowered his hand when he finished and April opened her mouth to speak when there was a sudden streak of light across the sky, arcing over their heads.
April gasped, and then giggled softly. "Did you plan that too?"
Simon laughed. "Much as I would like to take credit for it, no. That was just pure luck."
April grinned and shifted slightly to look at him. He looked back at her, his eyes shining faintly in the dim light the moon and stars cast over the field, and his lips curved upward as he leaned forward to press a kiss to her mouth.
His lips moved to her neck as his hands slid slowly down her stomach and April smiled, feeling a low tingle as his fingers slipped under her shirt to lightly stroke her skin. A heartbeat later he had popped the button on her jeans and was edging the zipper down.
April's mouth fell open as his fingers brushed the waist of her panties before slipping underneath and her legs spread slightly as his hand slipped lower.
She gasped softly as his fingers teased her clit and she pressed against his chest, her hand sliding along his leg to grip the fabric of his jeans. His fingers slid down, slipping briefly inside before drifting back up to tease her once more.
Her head fell against his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to her neck, flicking his tongue over her skin.
She whispered his name and he felt her shudder as his fingers worked; a moment later he pulled them out and heard her sigh in frustration.
"Fuck," she hissed, her grip tightening almost painfully on his leg.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to her neck again before moving his mouth to her ear.
"Me," he whispered, gently taking her earlobe in his teeth and relishing her gasp.
He moved so he was in front of her and she pulled him to her, their lips crashing together as she fumbled for the edge of his shirt. He pulled back and lifted his arms so she could tug his shirt off and he leaned towards her again, pushing her down onto the blanket. His hands skimmed down her sides to disappear beneath her shirt and his fingers drifted up the smooth skin of her stomach as he bent down, pressing his lips to her belly and trailing kisses along her flesh as he pushed her shirt up.
She sat up enough so that he could pull it off over her head and her fingers curled around the back of his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss. His lips drifted over her jaw and down her neck, nipping gently at the flesh over her collarbone before he sat up and gripped the waist of her jeans, tugging them down along with her panties. He rose to his knees, his fingers quick on the fastenings of his own pants and he pushed them down, shifting to kick them off before crawling towards her.
Her knees rose against his sides as he lowered himself between her legs, pressing his lips to hers as he pushed into her. She gasped softly, her fingers tightening on his arms as her head fell back, and he stared at the dim outline of her features. He didn't need light to know how beautiful she was. He could be in complete darkness and would still know the perfect curve of her lips, the gentle slope of her nose, and the precise arch of her eyebrows.
He shifted, supporting himself on one hand as he brought the other up to grip her thigh, pulling it higher on his side as he thrust deeper into her.
She whispered his name as she moved with him, her fingers digging into his ribs, the heel of one foot pressing against his rear end and urging him to go faster, to go deeper.
He watched her mouth fall open, could just see the crease of her brow as she moaned and then bit down on her lip. He knew she was close and his grip tightened on her thigh as the movement of his hips became more deliberate. He felt her muscles clench as he pulled out slowly and then thrust back into her, repeating the movement until he pushed her over the edge, falling with her as she tightened around him.
He lowered himself carefully down, pressing his lips to her chest and feeling the rapid flutter of her heart. A moment later she began to shiver and he realized for the first time how cool the evening had become.
"We should go," he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin. "The hotel's another twenty minutes or so up to the road."
She nodded but didn't seem ready to let go of him yet and he touched his lips softly to her neck, his kisses passing over her jaw until he found her lips again.
She smiled when he pulled back, raising a hand to thread her fingers in his hair, and then her eyes flicked away from his face.
"Another one," she said softly, and he turned in time to see a second streak of light race across the sky.
"Still wasn't me," he said, grinning as he turned back to face her.
She giggled softly and pulled him down for another kiss.
"I love you," she whispered, her breath warm against his mouth.
"I love you too," he replied, carefully running his fingers through her hair before capturing her lips once more.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: Adult
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Smut
Word Count: 3,328
Characters/Pairings: April, Simon, Laurie (April/Simon)
Summary: Simon reveals an unexpected hobby.
A/N: The beginning section of this fic was originally going to be in the April/Simon moments fic, and then I was thinking there needed to be more April/Simon happy fluff, so I decided to expand on it. Enjoy, bbs <3 The quote in this is attributed to Robert Brault.
April took another bite of her ice cream, smiling as Simon's thumb swept lazily along the side of her hand.
She glanced up at him and watched as he ran his tongue along the side of his ice cream. She felt a low tingle in her stomach as she looked at him, imagining just what he could do to her with his tongue, and she looked away, taking a breath. She had a bad habit of moving too fast in relationships and messing things up, but she wanted so badly to make this thing with Simon work that she hadn't even attempted to bring up the topic of sex with him yet, though they'd been dating for almost six months now. It didn't stop her from thinking about it, though, or lessen the frequency with which such thoughts popped into her head, and she took another breath.
"Is it good?"
April looked up at him sharply. "What?"
"Your ice cream," he said, the corner of his mouth rising as he looked at her.
"Oh. Right. Yeah," she murmured, glancing at the cone in her hand and noticing it had started to drip over the side. She held her hand up to her mouth, running her tongue along her skin to catch the melted ice cream, and felt Simon's hand tighten around hers. She glanced up at him but he was looking away from her and she wondered if she'd imagined it.
"Where are we?" she asked after a moment, realizing she hadn't been paying the slightest attention to the direction they were going.
"Lincoln Memorial, dead ahead," Simon said, pointing. "Bit hard to miss." She could hear the amusement in his voice and she bumped his arm with her shoulder.
"Shut up."
He laughed and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to the side of her head.
A short while later they were seated on the steps of the memorial, eyes turned toward the sky. Simon's hand was suspended in mid-air, his finger pointing out the constellations as he named them.
"The city's too bright to see them properly," he said when he'd finished, his hand falling to rest on his thigh. "We'd have to go into the country where there aren't as many lights."
April smiled as she moved closer to him, twining her arm through his.
"I didn't know you knew so much about stars."
He smiled softly, his eyes still on the sky.
"It relaxes me. I like to sit on the roof of my building sometimes when I can't sleep, and I just... stare at the sky. Always works."
April smiled as she looked at him, surprised but charmed to learn about this unexpected hobby of his.
Her smile widened as she shifted even closer.
"What was that last one you pointed out?" she asked.
"Virgo," he replied, his hand rising again to show her.
"Which one? I can't really see it."
"Here." Simon moved over slightly and pulled April to him, shifting their positions until she was in front of him with her back to his chest. He slid one arm around her waist and his other hand moved to cover hers, lifting it into the air. He lowered his head so that their gaze was level and his cheek brushed lightly against hers. She took a breath, inhaling the scent of him and thinking she could spend the entire evening sitting just like this, warm in his arms.
"There," he said quietly, "do you see?"
"Yeah," April murmured, staring up at the faint star formation before turning her head and lightly touching her lips to his cheek. He smiled as he turned towards her and pressed his lips to hers. His other arm circled her waist and he tightened his grip on her as she raised a hand to thread her fingers in his hair.
He grinned when the kiss broke. "You taste like strawberries," he said, touching his lips lightly to hers again.
"You taste like bananas," she replied, grinning back at him.
"Together we could make a smoothie."
There was a beat of silence before April shook her head, her grin widening as she bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"That was really -"
"- really awful, I know," Simon finished, wincing slightly.
April giggled, her head falling against Simon's shoulder. A second later he began to laugh too, his arms tightening around her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"April, will you come on?" Simon said impatiently from the doorway of her office, lifting one eyebrow as he stared at her.
"I'm almost done," April murmured, staring intently at her computer.
"It's after five, you've already changed out of your work clothes, let's hit the road."
"Just a few more minutes," she replied, tapping out a few more words.
Simon sighed and came to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder to see what she was working on. A disbelieving snort escaped him.
"April, that doesn't need to be finished for two more weeks!"
"But if I get it done now, then I don't have to worry about it anymore," she replied, eyes still on her monitor.
Simon sighed again and moved to lean against her desk, gently taking hold of her arms and turning her to face him.
"April, it won't kill you to take a break from work every once in a while. You almost never call in sick, even when you are sick, and in the three years I've known you, you haven't once taken a vacation -"
"This isn't a vacation, Simon," April said, giving him a look, "this is just a weekend away."
"It's an opportunity for us to get out of the city and away from work and to just be together. Isn't that enough?"
April looked at him for a moment, her head tilted to one side and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly, and then she sighed softly.
"Of course it is. I'm sorry." She reached for him, tugging lightly on his shirt, and he leaned down to kiss her. "Just let me save this, and then we can go."
A few minutes later the door to April's office was locked and she was going over a few last minute things with Laurie.
Simon tugged gently on April's hand, trying to pull her away from Laurie's desk, and Laurie tried not to giggle, nodding as she listened to April.
"Maybe - maybe you should go," Laurie finally said in an undertone, biting her lip as Simon began to look increasingly like a petulant two-year-old.
April looked back at Simon and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. I'll see you on Monday," she said, glancing back at Laurie as Simon pulled her away from the desk.
"Have fun," Laurie said, laughing as Simon tossed her a grin and a wave before ushering April out into the hall.
"Maybe we should swing by my place real quick," April said as they walked to the car. "Just in case I forgot something."
Simon gave her a look as he fished the keys from his pocket. "You didn't, and you know it. Will you just relax?"
"Maybe if I knew more about this mysterious 'vacation'," she said as she settled in the car and pulled the seat belt across her chest. "I can't believe you won't even tell me where we're going."
"You're not a fan of surprises, are you," Simon said, smirking as he slipped the key into the ignition.
"Not really, no," April muttered.
Simon started the car and then looked over at her. "Just trust me. Okay?"
April smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay."
Simon gave a quick nod and leaned over to kiss her before dropping the car into gear and pulling out of the space.
It wasn't until they were finally out of the city that April began to relax, rolling down her window to let in the warm spring air and resting her hand on top of Simon's as he drove, holding lightly to his fingers. His grip tightened on her hand and she glanced at him as he raised it to his mouth, smiling as he softly touched his lips to her fingers.
After a couple of hours she dozed off, only to be jostled awake as Simon pulled off on the side of the road.
She sat up, yawning as she ran a hand through her hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning as she looked at the expanse of nothing that surrounded the car. There was a field on both sides of the road, and not a house in sight. "Is something wrong with the car?"
"No, the car's fine," Simon said, laughing slightly as he pulled off his seat belt and took the key from the ignition. "C'mon, get out."
April watched as he stepped from the car and was unable to stop the smile that crossed her face as he stretched, his shirt rising slightly to reveal a glimpse of his stomach.
"C'mon," he said again, lightly drumming his fingers on the top of the car.
April sighed and unbuckled her seat belt, stepping from the car and stretching her arms up over her head as she took in her surroundings. The sun was low in the sky, lending a dusky glow to the world around, and April inhaled deeply. The fresh air was a wonderful reprieve from the car exhaust and general air pollution of the city, and she smiled, slipping her hands into her pockets as she turned to see what Simon was doing.
He was rummaging around in the back of the car and she walked over to stand beside him just as he lowered his bag to the ground, setting it beside hers.
"What're you doing?" she asked, frowning slightly.
"Getting out our dinner," he said as he leaned forward and grasped the handle of a large cooler, tugging it to him. He lifted it from the car and set it carefully on the ground before reaching back in and withdrawing a blanket and a flashlight. He handed both items to April and lifted their bags back into the trunk, slamming the lid closed and grinning as he picked up the cooler.
"C'mon," he said and started towards the field.
Confusion mounting, April shifted the blanket and flashlight in her arms and set off after him. After a few minutes he stopped and set the cooler down, taking the blanket from her and spreading it across the ground. He sank to his knees and flipped open the lid of the cooler and she watched as he began to pull out containers of food.
"What is all this?" she asked, frowning bemusedly.
"I told you, it's our dinner," Simon replied, grinning slightly.
"Simon."
He chuckled softly. "Do you remember a year or so ago, when we went on that date and sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and I pointed out the stars to you? And I said that we would have to get out of the city to see them better?" He looked up at her and held out his arms. "Here we are."
He turned his attention back to what he was doing and April smirked when she noticed the four sandwiches in the cooler. Simon knew full well she would only eat one, and the rest were for him; she bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"So you planned for us to come out here and eat dinner, and - and stargaze?" April asked, feeling an odd tightness in her chest as she shifted the flashlight from one hand to the other.
Simon nodded. "Obviously this isn't the whole weekend, but yeah, that was the plan for tonight."
She stared at him for a moment until he finally looked up at her. "What?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
"How are you even real?" April said, a breathless laugh escaping her lips as tears rose unexpectedly in her eyes.
"I - what?" Simon hesitated, looking confused. "I just - I thought this would be fun. Is it - did I do something wrong?"
"No," April said quickly, shaking her head as she passed a hand over her eyes. "I just - why would you do something like this?"
"Because - because I like doing things for you. Should I not have done this?"
April shook her head. "I've never had anybody do anything like this for me before."
Simon's frown deepened. "Never?"
April shook her head again and Simon was quiet a minute.
"What the hell kind of guys have you dated?" he finally asked.
April laughed and rolled her eyes towards the sky, a tear slipping down her cheek. "The wrong ones, obviously."
The corner of Simon's mouth lifted slightly as he held up his hand. April took it and allowed him to pull her down onto the blanket, smiling when he raised his fingers to brush away her tears.
The sun sank lower in the sky as they ate and she listened to Simon tell stories about the other agents he worked with, realizing she'd never been so happy and contented in her life.
"...and then I said, 'I have a date with the Press Secretary tonight. Why would I want to hang out with you in a bar?'"
April giggled and Simon grinned as he popped the last bite of his last sandwich into his mouth.
They cleared away the trash, placing it in the cooler along with the empty containers, and Simon smoothed the blanket out again before reaching for April. She shifted over to him, turning to sit with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, touching a soft kiss to her neck before turning his gaze to the sky.
"See how much clearer they are?" he murmured.
April nodded, smiling slightly. "They're beautiful." She stared contemplatively up at the sky for a moment, and then took a breath. "'Metaphor for the night sky'," she said, "'a trillion asterisks, and no explanations.'"
There was a beat and then Simon laughed quietly, shaking his head. "You have been spending way too much time with Sam."
"Shut up," April replied, giggling as she elbowed him.
Simon grinned and pressed a kiss to her cheek before raising a finger towards the sky. He named the constellations for her again, pointing them out and telling her little facts about each one.
He lowered his hand when he finished and April opened her mouth to speak when there was a sudden streak of light across the sky, arcing over their heads.
April gasped, and then giggled softly. "Did you plan that too?"
Simon laughed. "Much as I would like to take credit for it, no. That was just pure luck."
April grinned and shifted slightly to look at him. He looked back at her, his eyes shining faintly in the dim light the moon and stars cast over the field, and his lips curved upward as he leaned forward to press a kiss to her mouth.
His lips moved to her neck as his hands slid slowly down her stomach and April smiled, feeling a low tingle as his fingers slipped under her shirt to lightly stroke her skin. A heartbeat later he had popped the button on her jeans and was edging the zipper down.
April's mouth fell open as his fingers brushed the waist of her panties before slipping underneath and her legs spread slightly as his hand slipped lower.
She gasped softly as his fingers teased her clit and she pressed against his chest, her hand sliding along his leg to grip the fabric of his jeans. His fingers slid down, slipping briefly inside before drifting back up to tease her once more.
Her head fell against his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to her neck, flicking his tongue over her skin.
She whispered his name and he felt her shudder as his fingers worked; a moment later he pulled them out and heard her sigh in frustration.
"Fuck," she hissed, her grip tightening almost painfully on his leg.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to her neck again before moving his mouth to her ear.
"Me," he whispered, gently taking her earlobe in his teeth and relishing her gasp.
He moved so he was in front of her and she pulled him to her, their lips crashing together as she fumbled for the edge of his shirt. He pulled back and lifted his arms so she could tug his shirt off and he leaned towards her again, pushing her down onto the blanket. His hands skimmed down her sides to disappear beneath her shirt and his fingers drifted up the smooth skin of her stomach as he bent down, pressing his lips to her belly and trailing kisses along her flesh as he pushed her shirt up.
She sat up enough so that he could pull it off over her head and her fingers curled around the back of his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss. His lips drifted over her jaw and down her neck, nipping gently at the flesh over her collarbone before he sat up and gripped the waist of her jeans, tugging them down along with her panties. He rose to his knees, his fingers quick on the fastenings of his own pants and he pushed them down, shifting to kick them off before crawling towards her.
Her knees rose against his sides as he lowered himself between her legs, pressing his lips to hers as he pushed into her. She gasped softly, her fingers tightening on his arms as her head fell back, and he stared at the dim outline of her features. He didn't need light to know how beautiful she was. He could be in complete darkness and would still know the perfect curve of her lips, the gentle slope of her nose, and the precise arch of her eyebrows.
He shifted, supporting himself on one hand as he brought the other up to grip her thigh, pulling it higher on his side as he thrust deeper into her.
She whispered his name as she moved with him, her fingers digging into his ribs, the heel of one foot pressing against his rear end and urging him to go faster, to go deeper.
He watched her mouth fall open, could just see the crease of her brow as she moaned and then bit down on her lip. He knew she was close and his grip tightened on her thigh as the movement of his hips became more deliberate. He felt her muscles clench as he pulled out slowly and then thrust back into her, repeating the movement until he pushed her over the edge, falling with her as she tightened around him.
He lowered himself carefully down, pressing his lips to her chest and feeling the rapid flutter of her heart. A moment later she began to shiver and he realized for the first time how cool the evening had become.
"We should go," he murmured, his lips brushing against her skin. "The hotel's another twenty minutes or so up to the road."
She nodded but didn't seem ready to let go of him yet and he touched his lips softly to her neck, his kisses passing over her jaw until he found her lips again.
She smiled when he pulled back, raising a hand to thread her fingers in his hair, and then her eyes flicked away from his face.
"Another one," she said softly, and he turned in time to see a second streak of light race across the sky.
"Still wasn't me," he said, grinning as he turned back to face her.
She giggled softly and pulled him down for another kiss.
"I love you," she whispered, her breath warm against his mouth.
"I love you too," he replied, carefully running his fingers through her hair before capturing her lips once more.