Nathan brushes off the small rise of sentimental embarrassment that begins to creep up into his cheeks with a small, soft chuckle. "A whole third movie," he agrees. "And a spin off or two...". As she nuzzles up to him, he turns his head that little bit to press his lips against her head, a content hum escaping him. "That is, uh... if you wanna stay that long. Got a whooooole lot of films downloaded. Whole
#Nate'sApartment – January 13, 2020
lot. Might take a while, especially with the extended cuts." The implication is quite evident and no amount of booze in his system will hide the awkward teenage boy look that crosses his face when he says it. He really wasn't kidding when he warned her what seems like so long ago that he wasn't the best when it came to romance and relationships. He has his moments, sure, but it's more of a eighty-ten
Leah too, isn't the most smooth of operators when it comes to the romance department. But the implication isn't lost on her. It causes her to lift her glass to her lips in an attempt at hiding the red that finds its way into her cheeks. The awkward laugh that slips out betrays her, however. "Mmmhmm." she hums against the glass as she takes a long sip, green eyes fixed to a movie that she couldn't possibly be paying less
attention to. "Sooooo~" she continues in a sing-songy tone, leaning forward to lazily return her glass to the edge of the coffee table before settling right back into her spot, "...What time is Sofia supposed to be back?" she asks. "Just-... just curious." she qualifies, shrugging against Nathan.
Nathan clears his throat and he too takes a long sip of his drink. After he sets it down, he not-so-subtly checks the time and makes a show of giving it some serious thought. "Mmm, probably a couple of hours if she doesn't find a club or bar to drink in for a bit. Then maybe a bit longer." He peers down at her from the corner of his gaze, lightly bobbing the shoulder she's leaning on in a half shrug. "You
Leah gives a few nods against Nathan's shoulder. When his addition informs her that she's not as sly as she had hoped to do, she gives another awkward snicker and playfully nudges into him. "Just curious!" she reinforces, the wide smile audible in her voice. She dips her head slightly in embarrassment, swimming in her thoughts for the moment. They've been dancing around each other since they met. They've both acknowledged that
there's something there. Attraction. Feelings. He is into you! Hell, he's sitting there shirtless just waiting for you to make the next move you idiot! She furrows her brow, nose scrunching up in frustration. Why doesn't he make the next move?! These past few months haven't exactly given them many opportunities to share moments like this. To further explore...
whatever it is that they have. And given how complicated their lives are, who knows when they might get another chance. Seconds roll by before she musters up whatever courage she can and gives herself a little motivational nod, just enough that it might be felt by Nathan. Don't be a coward, Leah! "Sooooo~" she begins with a deep breath, shifting a bit to raise up onto her knees and lift one leg over Nathan's
as she swivels to face him as she straddles his lap, "...that means we've still got the place to ourselves for a while?" she asks, doing her damndest to put on the seductive charm.
Nathan has turned his head back to the movie for a moment as she nudges him, a bemused grin crossing his face at the little tidbit of embarrassment that tints her features. And now, he bides his moment. He's already made a move or two here and there. After all, he's already lost his shirt. (Thank god for heating.) The pair of them are already awkward enough as they are, he doesn't want to make it worse by
being overzealous. Or maybe that's what she's expecting? Crap, he wishes he was better at this. He's so caught up in his own internal monologue that he doesn't initially hear her talk. "Hmm? Sooowoah...!" He blinks rapidly as she appears on his lap, caught off guard long enough that his brain stalls. She's being seductive! Quick, use that twenty percent charm that you have and say something back.
"Y-yeah!" He manages to croak out. Idiot. He clears his throat and leans back a little more into the backrest, just so he can place an elbow on the back of the armrest. He takes the drink in his hand, slams it down his throat and juuuuust manages to stretch his arm over so that he can set it on the armrest. "What do you have in mind?" That is delivered much more evenly, a curious smile creeping onto
Leah studies Nathan's reaction, his nervous response and throat clearing sending mixed signals. Too much?! Oh no. Do I-... do I just... climb off? Her green eyes widen a smidge as panic begins to settle in. But as Nathan begins to relax, she, too, seems to relax in turn. His question brings the giddy smile back to her face that she's quick to try and subdue by sucking in her lips. Don't be too over-eager! Sexy,
dammit! Tilting her head to the side slightly, she shuts one eye and glances upward, briefly making a show of considering the question. "Hmmm." she hums aloud. She lays her arms across his shoulders, gaze scanning across his eyes. "I'm sure we can figure something out." she says.
Nathan sucks in a thoughtful breath through his teeth. "Well... I may have an idea or two," he says, one hand reaching to her shoulder. He crooks a finger and idly begins to trace the knuckle down her side, slowly tracing the outline of her body. His eyes follow his hand on its journey, where it ends with the palm coming to a rest on the curvature of her hip. Keep it cool, Nate, keep it cool. "But... you'll
have to come down here to find out." He cants his head toward her, meeting her gaze with playful stormcloud coloured eyes.
Leah manages to keep her cool as Nathan's hand runs along her body. "Oh yeah?" she asks. The question that punctuates his hand's journey manages to crack the oh-so-serious look she's attempting to maintain, that bright smile once again slipping out. Her right hand pulls back to drape over his left shoulder blade, fingers brushing over bare skin playfully as they work their way down to his collarbone. "I think I can do that."
she snickers, studying his face for a moment longer before she leans down, her lips meeting his in a soft, gentle kiss as she settles in to sit a little heavier against Nathan's lap rather than resting on her knees for support.
Nathan 's own smile breaks out on his face as Leah's face lights up. A sense of satisfaction settles over him, satisfaction in knowing that he's managed to not turn this date into a disaster. His skin pimples underneath her touch and he shivers despite the heat of the apartment. He doesn't get a chance to respond to her, but nor does he need to. Instead, Nate removes his arm from the backrest so that he may
rest his other hand against her hip, meeting her lips as he leans into the kiss. Once more, his heart beats like a tribal drum, a rapid rhythm in his chest that drowns out whatever background noise was left in his small apartment. The pressure of her against him causes his fingers to curl and bunch up the fabric of her top, his eyes closed as he savors the moment.
Leah's eyes close as she presses into the kiss, her thumb continuing to gently trace small lines along Nathan's collarbone. Her left hand runs along the top of his right shoulder, palm feeling out the top of his shoulder and roaming downward across the top of his chest. The red in her cheeks begins to dissipate but the warmth remains. She can practically hear the sound of her heart beating out of her chest as she leans a bit
Nathan 's spurred on and, perhaps encouraged by her actions, the alcohol, or a mix of both, releases the fabric of her top and instead gently slides his hands down to just catch the edge of her top upon his fingers. Bare skin touches hers and, hesitantly in silent question, begins to push up to carry the fabric up. There's a slight tension in his body as he does so, his brain already second guessing the
decision and instinctively preparing himself for a rather pointed response from Leah. Likely involving a whack.
Leah's body tenses up as Nathan's hand begins to slip beneath her top, muscles tensing. The kiss loses a little traction as she draws in a breath, an awkward snicker slipping out into the kiss. Her head dips a little, her forehead pressing against his as the kiss his broken and her brain plays catch up. Her thoughts a jumbled mess, one comes blaring through, louder than the rest. Shit, Tara was right. But, urging her
brain to shut down, the answer to the silent question comes in the form of her lifting her head to press right back into the kiss, this time a bit more aggressively. More eagerly than before. Her right hand grips his shoulder for support as she shifts atop his lap to create a little more space between their bodies so it's not quite so awkward for him to relieve her of her shirt.
Nathan was ready to immediately withdraw his hands, the brief pause and the awkward snicker already causing Nathan's mind to kick into overdrive. He has screwed it up! Moving too fast, Nate, moving too fast! Begin with a three part apology, staring with a frantic attempt to apologize, that might delay the incoming storm for a moment. "I-I'm sor-... mmmff!" The sudden and rather aggressive renewal of the kiss
completely shuts down any thought processes for a moment, his eyes widening before he finally catches up to what just happened. No need for the three part apology it seems... yet. Have it in reserve. He presses against the kiss and instead of the slow slide, it becomes a slightly more hurried motion. Fingers curl at the edge of her top and he lifts it upwards.
Leah lifts her arms as her top climbs up her body with Nathan's assistance. Nathan speeding up only seems to encourage her to press heavier into the kiss, reluctant to break it to help lift the shirt over her head. But break it she does. Breathlessly she sits back slightly, allowing him full view of her body. Beneath a light grey, strapless bra there's still a reminder of the hit she took below the ribs during the battle with
Fasha, but medi-gel works well and, in time, it'll probably be unnoticeable. Reaching across herself, she grips the edges of her shirt to help him lift it up over her head, eager to taste his lips again. Shirt gets tossed aside. Sexy shake of the head. Every hair falls right back into place perfectly. Nice. That's totally what would have happened if the back of her shirt didn't get caught against the back of her neck
and ponytail, trapping her arms in an upward position. There's a moment of attempted recovery where she panics and changes her angle of attack, leaning her head to the side and reaching back to try and pull the shirt free. After a couple of seconds of this not working pass, the embarrassment begins to fight back the adrenaline and she's forced to switch tactics once more. This time, gripping the shirt from the front she
just works it up and over her head. Success! She throws the shirt aside, silently cursing it and its entire shirt family before looking back to Nathan. Shoulders rising and falling as she attempts to catch her breath and reaches back to rests her hand on his knee, leaning back slightly to stay propped up. "That-.... went a whole lot better in my head." she admits with a wince, that familiar shade of red creeping back into
Nathan manages to linger in the kiss before she leans back and takes over the removal of the shirt. His hands fall idly by his sides as he begins to tug it over her head and he finds himself admiring her body in the brief second before she gets entangled. He's seen her in a state of undress before, but that was while he was applying medi-gel to the wound beneath her ribs and they were unwinding from post
battle stress. Different scenario, different feelings, different goals. This time however, he can take the time to appreciate her form, her-... that's quickly put to the rear of the queue when she starts to get tangled up in her own shirt. He winces a little as she begins to thrash her way out, unsure whether he tries to help her or not. What does one do in this situation? Encourage from the sidelines?
Try to mix himself in it? Instead, he elects to do the smartest thing. He sits and waits, unable to push down the rising grin on the corners of his mouth. When her shirt goes sailing off to join his somewhere on the floor, he just watches her with a perked eyebrow for a moment before he lets out a small chortle. "You know... I think I'm starting to prefer it when it doesn't go to plan. It's just
more... you," he teases, now allowing his hands to come back to her waist and idly trail up and down along the curve.
Leah gives a small, unamused raise of her brow, green eyes narrowing on Nathan. "You know, I think-...." she stammers for a moment before her free hand lifts to flip him off. "How about that, fuckface?" she asks, tilting her head smugly. "That do it for you?" she continues, the underlying smile growing.
Nathan 's chortle turns into a full blow laugh and he gains a devilish smile. "Oh, you want to play it like that?" He takes his hands from her waist and instead hooks them behind and beneath her, grabbing both of his forearms. With a rocking of his legs and body, he goes to swing himself onto his feet and hoist her into the air with him. He manages to keep her balanced, supporting her enough so that she
doesn't go tipping backwards when he jumps up onto his feet. And hopefully, the rocking back into his chair and the sudden shift of his arms gives her that little extra warning of his plan.
Leah manages a snicker of her own, giving her middle finger a playful little wave to accompany a rhythmic wiggling of her eyebrows. "Uh huh." she antagonizes Nathan in response. When his hands begin to shift behind her she passes them a glance, brows furrowed as if trying to figure out what he's doing. "What are you-..." she begins before the rocking gives her just enough time to brace, green eyes going wide as surprised
laughter escapes her. She quickly wraps her arms around his neck, hands cradling the back of his neck to support herself as her legs wrap around his midsection. "If you drop me I will kill you, Nate!" she warns through her laughter. Thankfully she's not particularly heavy.
Nathan laughs with her, giving her a comedic waggle of his eyebrows as he smiles up at the woman in his arms. "Wasn't planning on it," he promises. "I got you." His laughter falls away to a comfortable silence, at least from him. Nate finds himself just looking up at her for a moment, as if a little disbelieving that this is happening. The more pessimistic side of him half expects himself to wake up in the
Collector pod again, a yellow haze crushing him from every side, every direction, drowning him. But the Collectors have been defeated. He's actually experiencing this moment of just pure normalcy with her. Everything they went through in the few months they've known one another, the sheer insanity of it all. "...I got you." He just smiles again and slightly lowers her so that he can catch her lips
Leah's smile persists, giddy laughter escaping her. "KILL you~!" she repeats overtop Nathan's assurance. But as he quiets down, her laughter dies out, too, leaving her simply staring down into his eyes, big bright smile plastered across her face. Sheer happiness etched into her features. When he repeats himself she gives a small, almost somber nod of her head, her smile evening out a little as the words hit her a little
heavier than was probably intended. He swept everything aside and put his life on the line for her. For Tara. Stood with her against overwhelming odds for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. Sucking in her lips, she nods again, searching his eyes. "...I know you do." she says. Her words are little more than a whisper but there's weight behind them. The small descent is all it takes for her to hungrily