You see, Chane Laforet had years of indoctrination to grow detached to the human body. Having never experienced real attraction -- well, not up until recently, she often saw it as a collective map: to kill someone instantly, strike here, to render them infertile, strike there, and so on. The quirks of having to witness your Father experiment on bodies for so long, before becoming a personal bodyguard terrorist, she supposed.
But Claire's body was something different. There was no way she could possibly hurt it. There was no way to destroy it, to kill it (she had thought about it enough at the beginning).
All there was to do was to admire it, really. It wasn't just a vessel of organs and pressure points and arteries to target; it was a sculpted house of power. Power that could protect her Father, and --
Oh, yes, she was staring again. Her gaze averted in a way that Chane pretends is subtle and smooth, but it's ultimately useless after she spent several seconds staring, lost in thought. Lips pursed into an almost-pout, Chane's brows furrow as she thinks that Claire is somehow trying to gain an upper-hand. She worked so hard on this, too!
I ... must not let him win. He's caught me off-guard.
She responded to his greeting with a nod, still looking down the hall, mentally giving herself a pep talk, until she looked him in the eyes and held out the flowers in front of her.
He hadn't done it on purpose, of course. He hadn't known it was Chane at the door, and he had just gotten out of the shower, and so he hadn't had a chance to put any clothes on. It would have been rude to wait, to his mind, and it wasn't as though he had anything to fear.
But he had to admit, privately, that that moment when Chane was caught off guard, and stared at his body for long seconds made all of the waiting worth it again.
Not that it was ever not worth it. But there were times he really thought he might become a teeny bit frustrated by the slow progress any day now.
The flowers came out, and that was even better. He beamed and reached for them. "Wow, for me? That's so sweet, Chane! Let me get something to put them in water." It was always so hot in Santa Destroy, he was sure cut flowers would wilt quickly.
Her mouth almost quivered as it alternated between an anxious frown, and a nervous half-smile. So he liked them? Was it strange that she was a woman and had acquired the roses for him?
Not that there was much time to think about that. He seemed excited by them -- well, Claire generally seemed interested and excited by most things, but still. Her chest felt like it was changing cabin pressure, with the fluttering highs and anchored drops her heart suddenly did.
She followed him inside, knowing that there was no time to waste. She had to make her intentions clear, but...maybe she should ask him to get dressed first.
He didn't have a proper vase - well, he'd correct that the next chance he had - but he did have a large jug for making lemonade, and he propped the flowers inside it, adding water and setting it on the table in a shaft of sunlight.
"They're beautiful!" he exclaimed, and stepped towards her, reaching out to put an arm around her and give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Chane."
He hadn't thought she was so romantic, and was tickled that she'd decided to buy such an impulsive and impractical gift. Maybe it was a little strange for a woman to buy a man flowers, but he didn't care. It wasn't the strangeness that mattered, but the thought behind it, and any gift was nice to get for someone. Plus, flowers were pretty.
So he does like them... Chane's thoughts drifted from a lighter place in her mind, forming into a cloud of satisfaction.
Maybe this will be simple. The mission-minded woman was cloaked now with a veneer of happiness. His reaction was much better than expected, and it gave her a more confident glow as he placed the kiss on to her cheek.
A fire snapped into her eyes, giving them that near expressionless look for a moment, where it almost looked as if she was going in for some sort of kill, before her lids dropped to hood them. Quickly, Chane she reached a gloved hand to cup the side of his face, before he could fully pull away, and turned hers lips into the kiss for the first time. It simply had to be done, for the sake of Claire's safety from the viruses.
Claire caught the look, just for an instant, and began to pull away. Had he done something wrong? But then her hand cupped his face and her lips were on his, and he gave a soft gasp of surprise that turned into a gentle hum of satisfaction.
He leaned closer again, his eyes sliding shut as he kissed her. He still had one arm around her waist, his hand resting at the small of her back, but he kept the other hand to himself for now.
He knew how skittish she was. And besides, he had seen that moment of danger in her eyes. He might still have to defend himself.
The mutual contact was different than she anticipated. Though the movements were chaste enough, something felt overwhelming and perhaps more intense than she was prepared for -- it could have been the impulsiveness of her decision, that it gave the moment a strange thrill and an air of unpredictability.
Her hand slid down from the side of his face to rest on his shoulder, allowing her to quickly pull back. The predatory look in her eyes dissipated as she allowed them to flutter open, and instead, she looked surprised and almost discombobulated. The heat ran to her face as she glanced at the still-open door, noting the momentary lack of privacy as her other hand now dropped to rest on his chest.
Her legs felt a bit weak, but her resolve strengthened as she met his eyes with her own, but stopped to glance at his lips once more, while their faces were still close. She had work to do, as impossible as it seemed. She couldn't ask Claire not to be affected, so really, the best way was to ensure that even if he was affected, that he'd be safe from contact with others.
Aside from her.
Which was totally not selfish, and this was a very selfless thing she was doing. Saving him from himself. Potentially. And protecting a beloved comrade that she owed quite a bit to. She planned on kissing him, quickly, to affirm her intent with him, and lay claim. However, she now second guessed whether or not that served only to take control away from her in the situation, now that she felt flustered and apologetic and slightly confused. It was best to get him comfortable in other ways.
Claire could tell that Chane was a bit confused and flustered, and he wasn't surprised, considering what they had just done. Chane always seemed to be overwhelmed when they touched, even in small ways, so a kiss like this - and it had been a lovely kiss - would definitely affect her even more.
Still beaming, he gave her a squeeze around the waist, then drew back a little. "Why don't I get the door," he said cheerfully. "And maybe put some clothes on? Then you can tell me what that was all about."
She looked a bit disappointed for a moment, but batted down the feeling mentally, taking a step back to allow Claire to do all of that. The nerve endings on her lips were alight with sensation.
Claire caught the disappointed look, but hesitated only a moment before stepping around her to shut the door and turn the deadbolt. Regardless of anything else, that was best.
He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged seconds later wearing shorts and a tanktop, and then flopped down on the sofa with a sigh. "Come on, my lovely girl," he said, gesturing to her with a flick of his hand and giving her a smile. "I won't make you wait anymore."
The short time that Claire took to get dressed was enough for her to self-assure herself regarding the plans for the evening. Sauntering over to the man, Chane set the bag down beside the sofa in a relaxed, fluid motion, before planting both knees on the cushion of the sofa, poised to try and move on to Claire if necessary, placing her hands at his shoulders.
There really is no way to make a man like him do anything against his will, is there? Her eyes darken a bit as she studies his face, fingers tensing against his skin. Could I make him want to stay put?
It was a difficult position for Chane to be in. She didn't want to inquire about Claire's history with the community viruses, because she was a very private person, and because of this, she respected the privacy of others -- especially someone she was growing to care for. It wasn't in her nature to pry, and when and if he wanted to share anything about himself, she figured he would. Likewise, she would keep her own secrets...futile as the practice might be around a man who could read her quite easily.
By and large, Claire wasn't very good at staying put, but this was extremely interesting and at least he had no urge to try to move right now. He grinned up at her expectantly, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his hands at the small of her back.
"You're worried about something, aren't you?" he asked, curiosity and a little concern lacing his tone. "Why?"
She really wished Claire would ...not.
You see, Chane Laforet had years of indoctrination to grow detached to the human body. Having never experienced real attraction -- well, not up until recently, she often saw it as a collective map: to kill someone instantly, strike here, to render them infertile, strike there, and so on. The quirks of having to witness your Father experiment on bodies for so long, before becoming a personal bodyguard terrorist, she supposed.
But Claire's body was something different. There was no way she could possibly hurt it. There was no way to destroy it, to kill it (she had thought about it enough at the beginning).
All there was to do was to admire it, really. It wasn't just a vessel of organs and pressure points and arteries to target; it was a sculpted house of power. Power that could protect her Father, and --
Oh, yes, she was staring again. Her gaze averted in a way that Chane pretends is subtle and smooth, but it's ultimately useless after she spent several seconds staring, lost in thought. Lips pursed into an almost-pout, Chane's brows furrow as she thinks that Claire is somehow trying to gain an upper-hand. She worked so hard on this, too!
I ... must not let him win. He's caught me off-guard.
She responded to his greeting with a nod, still looking down the hall, mentally giving herself a pep talk, until she looked him in the eyes and held out the flowers in front of her.
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But he had to admit, privately, that that moment when Chane was caught off guard, and stared at his body for long seconds made all of the waiting worth it again.
Not that it was ever not worth it. But there were times he really thought he might become a teeny bit frustrated by the slow progress any day now.
The flowers came out, and that was even better. He beamed and reached for them. "Wow, for me? That's so sweet, Chane! Let me get something to put them in water." It was always so hot in Santa Destroy, he was sure cut flowers would wilt quickly.
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Not that there was much time to think about that. He seemed excited by them -- well, Claire generally seemed interested and excited by most things, but still. Her chest felt like it was changing cabin pressure, with the fluttering highs and anchored drops her heart suddenly did.
She followed him inside, knowing that there was no time to waste. She had to make her intentions clear, but...maybe she should ask him to get dressed first.
Because really.
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"They're beautiful!" he exclaimed, and stepped towards her, reaching out to put an arm around her and give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Chane."
He hadn't thought she was so romantic, and was tickled that she'd decided to buy such an impulsive and impractical gift. Maybe it was a little strange for a woman to buy a man flowers, but he didn't care. It wasn't the strangeness that mattered, but the thought behind it, and any gift was nice to get for someone. Plus, flowers were pretty.
Reply
Maybe this will be simple. The mission-minded woman was cloaked now with a veneer of happiness. His reaction was much better than expected, and it gave her a more confident glow as he placed the kiss on to her cheek.
A fire snapped into her eyes, giving them that near expressionless look for a moment, where it almost looked as if she was going in for some sort of kill, before her lids dropped to hood them. Quickly, Chane she reached a gloved hand to cup the side of his face, before he could fully pull away, and turned hers lips into the kiss for the first time. It simply had to be done, for the sake of Claire's safety from the viruses.
Reply
He leaned closer again, his eyes sliding shut as he kissed her. He still had one arm around her waist, his hand resting at the small of her back, but he kept the other hand to himself for now.
He knew how skittish she was. And besides, he had seen that moment of danger in her eyes. He might still have to defend himself.
Reply
Her hand slid down from the side of his face to rest on his shoulder, allowing her to quickly pull back. The predatory look in her eyes dissipated as she allowed them to flutter open, and instead, she looked surprised and almost discombobulated. The heat ran to her face as she glanced at the still-open door, noting the momentary lack of privacy as her other hand now dropped to rest on his chest.
Her legs felt a bit weak, but her resolve strengthened as she met his eyes with her own, but stopped to glance at his lips once more, while their faces were still close. She had work to do, as impossible as it seemed. She couldn't ask Claire not to be affected, so really, the best way was to ensure that even if he was affected, that he'd be safe from contact with others.
Aside from her.
Which was totally not selfish, and this was a very selfless thing she was doing. Saving him from himself. Potentially. And protecting a beloved comrade that she owed quite a bit to. She planned on kissing him, quickly, to affirm her intent with him, and lay claim. However, she now second guessed whether or not that served only to take control away from her in the situation, now that she felt flustered and apologetic and slightly confused. It was best to get him comfortable in other ways.
Reply
Still beaming, he gave her a squeeze around the waist, then drew back a little. "Why don't I get the door," he said cheerfully. "And maybe put some clothes on? Then you can tell me what that was all about."
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He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged seconds later wearing shorts and a tanktop, and then flopped down on the sofa with a sigh. "Come on, my lovely girl," he said, gesturing to her with a flick of his hand and giving her a smile. "I won't make you wait anymore."
Reply
There really is no way to make a man like him do anything against his will, is there? Her eyes darken a bit as she studies his face, fingers tensing against his skin. Could I make him want to stay put?
It was a difficult position for Chane to be in. She didn't want to inquire about Claire's history with the community viruses, because she was a very private person, and because of this, she respected the privacy of others -- especially someone she was growing to care for. It wasn't in her nature to pry, and when and if he wanted to share anything about himself, she figured he would. Likewise, she would keep her own secrets...futile as the practice might be around a man who could read her quite easily.
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"You're worried about something, aren't you?" he asked, curiosity and a little concern lacing his tone. "Why?"
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