sorrydontsuitme: (sideways smile)
James Ford ([personal profile] sorrydontsuitme) wrote2009-10-05 12:49 pm

(no subject)

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.


Back when he was a little kid, he played in a peewee league. He always liked that: the uniforms, swingin' the bat, hitting the ball as far as little arms could make it go. That was fun, and he ain't no slouch when it comes to bein' in shape -- better now he ain't smoking no more -- but he's pretty damn far from a pro athlete. Don't mean he can't admire it. So when Freckles said hey, Sawyer, how about a baseball game? he didn't even have to think twice.

Home team's called the Tokyo Tarantulas, and they're playin' the Earth-based Blue Sox. Don't even matter he ain't got a team to root for. As him and Freckles -- Freckles Loress, while they're here on Mars, to match her passport -- file into the stadium, he takes a deep breath of nighttime Martian air.

There's somethin' about a ball park. It's the way it looks and the way it smells. It's the arc of the lights, the hum of the crowd. People eatin' hot dogs and drinkin' beer, and guys working their way through the stadium selling all that stuff that's awful for you but you can't do without. Freckles had a lot of luck at that casino the first night, and maybe he'll have his turn at it tomorrow night but here in Halley Stadium ("Home of the Galaxy-Famous Tarantulas"), he's just a guy taking his woman to see the major-league baseball. It's warm and bright and the company's good and the beer's cold, and he hands her one as they sit about a third of the way back on the first base line -- good seats, good view -- and as soon as that hot dog guy comes around he's buyin' two with the works. And hell, if he had one he'd have brought a mitt.

Fly balls. Got to go for 'em. Got to love those souvenirs that come with near-death experiences attached.

"You good, Freckles? Want anything?" Got to also love those open-ended questions.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-09 05:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Maybe they only do it when the home team loses." At the Outpost it's predictable most days: four o'clock you could count on drizzle. It doesn't ever get perceptibly colder or nothin', maybe because they're on such a small pebble out there in space. But this is a whole planet and he could tell as the shuttle got near to the red surface that there's little pockets of atmosphere. Little clouds over specific areas. Of course, he remembers from when he was a good kid and still went to school that Mars has some of its own atmosphere so they don't need to have complete domes like they do in other places, but they sure as hell found some way to concentrate the air so breathin' ain't even as hard as it is back home up in some mountain city.

Or so he's heard; he never did go to Denver.

"Lucky I got me a baseball cap. Keep the rain out of my face." All Freckles has is him and a plastic bag. "Do my best to keep you dry, sweetheart." The bar ain't that far a walk and they could make it there real quick if they want, but why rush the moment? He doesn't hold her like this -- and she doesn't hold him in turn, he could feel her hand on his back -- every day, and he wants it to last.

They got the biggest damn case of don't-show-it he's ever known, and he ain't sure if it's because she doesn't know what she wants or because she does.

The streets empty a little with the rain, and that makes it easy to duck from awning to awning till they get to that Sphinx Bar, all gold and Ankh symbols and pyramids on the outside. When they step in, he ain't expecting to be greeted by no bewigged slave girl with snake necklaces, but damn, the place is opulent.

"Looks like the inside of a pyramid, don't it." The walls are all fake carved limestone with hieroglyphs and the ceiling arches up to a point, and the lights are recessed into the walls and flicker like lanterns or candles, and hell if he don't feel like he's on that Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. At least now he knows how come this town doesn't need a damn Voodoo shop.

Hell, even the music is soft and middle-eastern-sounding. It's all kinda soft and seductive, and he likes it.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-09 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
She pats her damp hair, and grinning (probably like a tourist), she looks around them. "This is great."

The carved walls and flickering lighting really set a mood. She can't say she expected the inside of this place to live up to the theme so well, but she's glad it does. She's never been to a bar with more atmosphere.

She almost feels like she could find snakes slithering in the darkest corners of the room.

"You want to sit at the bar?"

The black-bobbed woman tending the bar isn't otherwise dressed like some Egyptian queen, but she does have curved bracelets snaking around her upper arms.

"Or were you hoping for a table?"

She doesn't mind either.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-09 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hell, baby, I was hopin' for buried treasure." He gestures widely to the bar, pulls out a stool for her first 'cause all southern perverts are secret gentlemen, then sits by her side. At least at this place they don't have to worry about gettin' raw seafood and drinks laced with mangoes and papayas. The bartender does give them a bowl of hot roasted chick peas, salted and spiced, and those are real nice.

And a bar menu, where they got things like Riddle Me This (looks like he was wrong about the mango juice, but that's got it blended with pomegranate and Jack Daniels on ice) and Serpentine Bliss (Curacao and bitters over lemonade) and Cleopatra's Revenge (ouzo and cranberry juice served neat). All with the theme names; he hands it over to Freckles so she could have a look-see.

"I don't know about this fou-fou stuff. What do you recommend?" The bartender, whose name tag reads Hathor but that's about as real a name as Sawyer, nods and her kohl-lined eyes crinkle into a smile. "For you, sir, I recommend the Blue Nile. A blend of the most exquisite liqueurs done up in a robust fiery drink bowl that will have you seeing King Tut everywhere you go."

He laughs at that, pretty hardy, and orders up a scotch on the rocks instead.

"How's about you, Freckles? What can I do you for?"

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-10 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
"I was planning on asking for an Imperial," she starts, glancing first at Sawyer and then looking toward the bartender with a smile, "but I think the menu's sold me on the Serpentine Bliss."

She can get all the Imperials she wants back on Outpost 12. In a place like this, she can't see a reason not to get one of their themed drinks.

Sawyer's drink is served first, and while her own drink is mixed, she puts the bar menu down in front of her and rests her arms on the bar's edge.

"How's that scotch?"

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-10 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Almost as smooth as you, Freckles." He raises it to her, takes the smallest of sips. Scotch has got to be savored and that's all there is to it. This is better than the little bottles they had when they played I Never back on the island and it's better than the scotch they can get at the lounge back on the Outpost. For all he knows it's the same damn brand, but it tastes better surrounded by hieroglyphs and Hathor and the ingredients of a Serpentine Bliss. Hathor there sets down the drink in front of Freckles -- it's served in a fake gold goblet -- and nods to the both of them.

"It's your first time at the Sphinx?"

"Yeah." He lifts his puny-by-comparison glass to the goblet but with a drink like that you don't say drink up. You just sip 'em, and he'll be glad to watch her do that. "By way of the asteroids."

"Ah." Nodding knowingly, she busies herself for a moment, then comes up with two small, tall, narrow glasses filled with some sort of orange-pink something. "Then here, on the house. You both need to sample Ra's Ambrosia. There's a reason it's called the nectar of the gods." She gives a little curtsy and he'll give Cleopatra here this much: she does a butt-kicking job of stayin' in character. She does it real nice, and he's sure her tips are just as nice as her acting job.

It's definitely something he appreciates and always has.

"Well, thank you kindly, Goddess of Love." All skepticism, he picks up that skinny little glass, lifts it to his lips, and takes a little sip.

Damn, baby: she was right. "This stuff kicks ass. I don't know what the hell's in it, but it's good."

Hathor takes a bow before moving down the bar to see to the next set of customers. When she does that, he turns to Freckles. "All righty then. I ain't never drinkin' nothin' but Ra's Ambrosia from now on. You got to try it, Nefertiti."

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-10 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Then I guess you better get the recipe from Hathor so we can give it to the robots back at the hotel lounge."

The idea makes her grin, but she raises her own glass and tries it for herself.

He wasn't exaggerating. She'd thought her Serpentine Bliss was good, but this is a step up.

She raises her eyebrows and nods her approval, then tips her glass to watch the contents swirl. "Looks like a sunset in a glass."

It also seems to her that it's the kind of drink that could really sneak up on you. It's really good. Definitely worth the bartender's hype, and she sure knew it.

"Couldn't play I Never with this stuff. You'd make yourself drink just for the fun of it."

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-10 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Drinkin' to lose ain't something I'm keen to start, Freckles." But for the ambrosia, he might be willing to give it a go, even though he's pretty damn sure old Hathor there ain't about to give up the recipe. If she did, wouldn't no one come back to this place and give her tips.

Course, odds are they ain't gonna be back this way neither.

His eyes follow the swirl of the liquid in her glass. "You know, I've seen my share of tequila sunrises before but this one's even prettier." He takes that skinny glass between thumb and forefinger and examines it like it's some damn lab specimen. Then, discerning drinker that he ain't, he takes another sip like he could parse what's in it single-handedly. "Pomegranate. Mango." He knows that last flavor real well, and can't nothing mask it. "Something else. Maybe we could bribe her into telling us. Or else we'll just have to become regulars."

Speak of the devil, here's their own personal bartender, back to gloat with that so, was I right? look on her face. "What do our esteemed guests think of the concoction?" She sure does look all kinds of amused.

"It ain't bad." Grinning pretty for her, he sets the glass down and opens his mouth to ask but she cuts him off.

"Before you ask, no, the recipe is heavily guarded. It's our house specialty, and competition in Tokyo is fierce. So very sorry."

Well. So much for that. She sets out a fresh bowl of hot roasted chick peas and removes the one that's grown cold.

Damn, she's good. "So if it's your house specialty, how come you're givin' it away?" That's the question just begging to be asked.

For a moment she pauses, as if considering her answer carefully. But then she leans forward, her ornate earrings and necklace gleaming in the candle-like light. Her voice is low and confidential and she speaks to both of them. "I'm a Blue Sox fan. Don't tell."

Leanin' back again, he laughs real hearty. "Don't worry, little miss. Your secret's safe." On their side of the bar, he reaches for Freckles' hand and gives it a squeeze.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-12 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
She laughs out loud, right into her glass, only looking down in mild surprise when his hand covers hers.

It's not the first time he's grabbed her hand and squeezed it; that's happened once before, and it threw her a little off her guard then, too.

As Hathor moves down the bar again, she takes the opportunity to swivel on her bar stool and turn toward him again, a grin still on her face. She only draws her hand away so she can tug at his new cap again. "Looks like this thing has paid for itself."

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-12 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
"You made a good investment, Freckles. Who'd have thought we'd get all this out of a baseball cap." That practically deserves a toast of ambrosia; he lifts his glass to hers and tips it back.

There needs to be more of this stuff in these glasses, or else they need to be served in bigger glasses. But he bets they pack one damn punch after another and he ain't sure what kind of alcohol's in 'em, but whatever it is, it's potent. So potent that he's got to follow that gulp with a handful of garbanzo beans.

Those are real good too. The salt on those is almost a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the drink, and damn if it don't all make his boring old scotch pale in comparison.

"Wonder if they have any hands-on Egypt exhibits at this place. It almost looks like it could have some secret Pharaoh's Theme Park in the back."

Now wouldn't that just be a kick. For a little while he wondered how come, if they were recreating cities from Earth on Mars, they didn't have not only New Orleans but Las Vegas. At least he knows the answer to that last one. The whole damn planet is like Las Vegas.

Whole damn place.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-12 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
"In the back? Nah. They probably just have some ancient tomb with a curse on it."

She keeps grinning even with her lips pressed against the rim of her glass, and she swallows down the last of her ambrosia. She stands any time soon, and she may just feel it.

Moving the empty glass toward the inner edge of the bar, she picks up her Serpentine Bliss and snags a few chick peas. "Or maybe a little gold idol you can steal if you're not worried about giant boulders."

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-12 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm good, so long as there ain't no snakes." Snakes, why'd it have to be snakes. Yeah, he could get all Indiana Jones about it all he wants, but it strikes him in that moment that he ain't never seen a snake on their island.

How weird is that? Don't snakes and jungles go together like con-men and cards, or like dogs and fleas?

The island, though, is kind of the last place he wants to be thinkin' about now. No, right now he grins at Freckles and leans a little closer and talks like it's somethin' so confidential the FBI or the ISSP or whoever it is around here is gonna come get 'em for it. "Damn, Freckles, we're on Mars. Too bad there ain't no one to gloat to. At least no one here who'd give a damn, and no one back there who'd believe us."

It really is pretty amazing, though. Any and all of it. For the longest time when they first got to the asteroid, he kept expectin' some damn Other or other to jump out from behind the trees and say only kidding. Then again, when 815 first crashed on Hellhole Island he felt pretty much the same way.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-13 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
She grins, almost playful. "Tough guys always hate snakes."

Maybe she never really thought of him in the same breath as Indiana Jones before now, but she has to concede that they're both tough guys.

Sawyer did dig a bullet out of his arm with his bare hands.

When he leans a little closer, like he's got some juicy secret, she tilts her head just so to invite him to tell her and then smiles into her glass between sips. If there's any subtle way they could gloat about this to people back on the island, she bets Sawyer could figure it out.

"I thought it was some kind of trick when we first got here."

She was even wary enough not to stay in a room that had her real name attached, and he went along with it. Even though he knew exactly what had her so on edge about it.

Lifting her hand, she pokes one finger at the ends of his hair. "Think your hair's looking a little less sun-bleached lately."

And she thinks they're both probably looking less tanned. If they go back one day -- if she goes back one day -- maybe the thing to do is spend some time at the nearest beach first.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-13 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Guess we're just gonna have to take in a couple day games when we go see the Blue Sox play on their home turf." Wouldn't it be just his luck if they managed to make it all the way to Earth and got stuck on the same island there? Damn, that's a harsh thought, so he keeps it to himself. "If it's one of them open-air stadiums."

Hopefully it's one of those parts of the planet that ain't under constant bombardment from meteors.

"And if that don't work, I hear Venus is nice and hot as long as you stay on the sunny side of the planet." For the first time in a long damn time, he feels like the world's his oyster. Mississippi-fried or served up cold in the shell, it don't matter. He catches that finger of hers and for just a second twists his hair around it.

You like?

Then he takes off the Blue Sox cap, runs his hand through his hair, and sets the cap on her head at a nice jaunty angle.

"Blue looks good on you, Freckles. Always thought so." Better still if he gets to take it off her with his own hands. Right about now he's thinkin' two things. The first is about ordering another pair of those Ambrosias, and the second is all about gettin' back to their room. Hell, it's their last night in the historic city of Mars-Tokyo and the Blue Sox won. They ought to celebrate one way or another.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
It's kind of sweet of him to say that.

Her eyes flick from his face to her drink and back, but she laughs at the same time.

"You don't look half bad in it yourself."

Any blue is good, but if he asked she'd have to say she prefers him in a more electric shade of blue. Like the shirt he was wearing the day he had her read his letter. She had her mind on other things at the time -- like the fact that it felt like his gaze was boring into her and his tone was dangerous enough to straighten her spine and steel herself -- but to this day she can remember the color making his eyes stand out.

(She was right about him that day.)

She angles her glass -- the fake goblet -- toward him. "You want a taste of Serpentine Bliss before it's all gone?"

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
Serpentine Bliss. "Ain't that what Eve said to Adam back there in paradise?" Laughing, he takes that goblet out of her hand and tastes the drink. It's good. Not as good as the ambrosia, but it's good anyhow. With a dimpled one-sided grin he hands that big old goblet back to her and because he can and because it'll take her by surprise and because this Sphinx bar is one of the fanciest damn bars he's ever been in, and because they went to see the baseball together and because she bought him the hat perched right on her head, he leans forward and kisses her real pretty, real sweet, right on the lips.

Hathor chooses that moment to show up again. "Ah. Ra's Ambrosia is the drink of new lovers, did I mention that?" She raises one perfectly tweezed eyebrow, gives them an I-told-you-so look, and gestures her equally perfectly-manicured hand at their empty Ambrosia glasses. "Refills?"

Even a con-man knows there's such a thing as too much of a good thing. Leaning back in his seat, he pats his tummy. "Not for me. You, Marianne?" That name almost makes him laugh but hell, it's just one more nickname for Freckles. Sassafras. Cupcake. Pippi Longstocking. Boar Expert. Puddin'. Belle of the Ball.

Kate.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
She's about to point out that she's a lot more clothed than Eve when he leans in and helps himself to a kiss.

(It's just as well that the words never got a chance to leave her mouth.)

A little self-conscious, she slips her hand between her hair and the back of her neck. "Think I'm good to go, James."

She aims a little smile at Hathor. "But thanks."

A swallow or two is all that's left in the goblet, and she goes ahead and drains it before she turns to Sawyer again.

"You paying for yours, and I'm paying for mine?"

It's not the first time she's thought their bartender must be a hit with the crowds, and she thinks it despite the fact that she doubts she and Sawyer are a lot like the average couple she's used to getting in here.

That doesn't keep her from kind of liking that he kissed her, even though they were caught in the act.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Nah. I got it." It ain't as much for Freckles' sake or for the bartender's sake as it is for his own. Pride's a hard thing to shake, and he's got his in spades. Handing over his card, he nods to Hathor. He'll leave her a tip in cash, 'cause that's the way he does things.

And he does, and when his card's tucked away again and they stand he takes Freckles by the hand, tugging that cap down over her forehead. "Carry your bag for you?"

They're just a couple blocks from the hotel and his hopes are still high for havin' a little grown-up fun tonight, but he ain't gonna push it. Que sera sera and all that Doris Day stuff. He didn't rush things with her on the island and he didn't rush 'em with her on the asteroid, and he ain't gonna rush 'em with her on Mars. Sure, it's maddening as hell, but it's worth it.

She's worth it.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Something got you feeling chivalrous?"

On their way through the door, she doesn't hand him her bag -- she's got it -- but she does grin at him.

She's not sure if what's kicking in is the southern gentleman side of him that he's always told her he has or if it's it's just the side of him that'd like to seduce her.

Maybe it's a combination of the two.

Diane once told her that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. At the time, five years old and matter-of-fact, she'd said she didn't want to catch any flies, but taken as it's meant, it's definitely true.

He didn't manage to scare her off even when he was all gruff sarcasm and not-so-idle threats and blatant come-ons, but it can't be said that he's not much easier to get along with now. She waits until they're not blocking the bar's entrance and then tugs him toward her by the hand, rising on the balls of her feet to steal a kiss of her own.

He's not the only one who can play at that game.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe that Hathor chick was right. Maybe ambrosia is the drink for new lovers. Whatever it is he'll take it. This is as much contact as they've had the whole trip, and he likes it. Even though he's never been the standin'-around-makin'-out type don't mean he doesn't enjoy it a lot.

Of course he does, and he can't help but feel a little bit smug when she helps herself to that kiss. There's no keeping score; he still ain't makin' assumptions about later. But if mood's everything -- just ask a boar to come in the room if you want to kill the mood, especially if the pig's carrying a personal grudge -- then they're on their way to a whole night filled with good moods.

When that kiss is over, he folds his hand over hers. Sometimes her hands feel tiny and other times they feel strong and capable. But he's noticed that either way, they always feel right, not that the two of 'em spend a whole lot of time hand-holding. If he could, he just might, or else he'd be holding onto other parts of her. That thought makes him grin.

"Hey. Freckles." She's awful cute right now. "This has been fun. Not just the ball game and the fancy drinks. The whole trip." Truth to tell, he wasn't sure how well the two of 'em would travel together. It's one thing to sleep with a woman (or to have sex with her and watch her go off to sleep in her own place). It's another to be with her all the time. Only other woman he got on this well with was Cass.

Hopefully this won't end up with him in jail again.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
It's not raining anymore, but there's still that wet feeling hanging in the air, not to mention the occasional puddle under their feet.

"What, you weren't expecting to have fun?"

She's teasing, but she wasn't really sure what to expect out of the two of them on a trip to Mars together. She's still not really sure, in fact, but she's been stuck on an island with him and that makes taking a few days to go to Mars together seems perfectly doable. Her own bed is something she never would've given up, but the question she hasn't exactly been able to acknowledge is whether or not sharing a single hotel room for the duration is something they can pull off.

It's worked pretty well so far... except having him stripped down to his boxers and sleeping about six feet away from her at night is something she has trouble ignoring.

There's no doubt in her mind that he knows it.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-14 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Honest, Freckles? I wasn't so sure how it was gonna go." He ain't sayin' it to be mean, and it's more about him than about her, especially in this case. "Usually I've done my traveling solo. Hell if I know if I make a good vacation buddy or not." He knows he makes a crap partner on a con, but what con-man don't? You can't trust 'em or they wouldn't be good con-men. Even Cass fell for it, and that one was about as close to not being an act as he ever got back in the days.

I've never been in love.

Would he drink to that one now? How does a man know? Love has to be the single most complicated and layered con of 'em all. So many damn facets to it, so many pieces of it to peel away and when you do -- when you think you got it all figured out -- you only find more layers. More intricacies. It's like a spider's web, perilous and different from how innocent it looks on the outside, and it's the kind of puzzle ought to just dare him to figure it out. And still, the question remains: how does a man know?

Seems like the only way to figure it out is to dive in head-first and take it apart from the inside, 'cause he knows standin' around on the outside lookin' in has gotten him about as far as carrying that letter has all these years. As they step inside the front doors to their hotel, he does the only thing he can: he kisses her and this time it ain't no little stolen-moment kiss. He's done stealin' from her. No, this is the big shebang, the whole deal, the kind of kiss that's supposed to leave her weak in the knees and wanting for more. Some passerby tells 'em to get a room and this smug little voice filtering out all the noise speaks up real loud. We got one. Mind your own damn business: we got one.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-15 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
They've barely even set foot inside the lobby when he stops her, and the kiss he gives her steals her breath right away from her.

It's a little like the time he surprised her with a kiss back on the island, when they'd been breaking and hauling rocks for the Others. (You taste like strawberries.) For a few brief seconds, right in front of the door, her awareness shrinks in on itself until all she can think of is how he unceremoniously presses his lips against hers.

Get a room, she hears a disapproving voice say, and Sawyer pretends with the best of them, not showing any evidence that he heard or cares.

(He doesn't taste like fish biscuits, and she couldn't be happier about it.)

When she puts space between them, she reaches for him, two fingertips tapping against his mouth.

"I'll walk you to your room."

Slowly, she grins.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-15 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
"And I'll walk you to yours. Come on, Earthling."

He's always wanted to use that and now it actually makes some damn sense. Who knew. When he reaches over to tilt the brim of his Blue Sox cap one more time, he can feel the grin on his face widen. She does look all kinds of good in blue, and she's got the prettiest eyes, and he likes the way her nose scrunches up real cute when she smiles big. He likes the curl of her hair, especially after it's rained.

They were in the rain. On Mars. The little realities still grab him right in the gut. Moving to the bank of elevators, they step in together. Only thing that's a shame about this scenario is they ain't the only ones in the thing. Another kiss just like the last is gonna have to wait.

But not for long. The numbers crawl by and the door can't open up again for 'em soon enough as far as he's concerned. He'll take a hotel on Mars any day over a lean-to on the island, although he'll take the lean-to on the island if Freckles is there with him over the fanciest hotel if she ain't there.

Oh, damn. Did he really just think that? Looks like it, and he might just be in real trouble here. Only one way to find out. As the door opens, he reaches for her hand, laces their fingers together.

Tonight, she's his.

[identity profile] caughtinanet.livejournal.com 2009-10-15 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Let loose into the hallway, she feels a warm wash of anticipation creep through her as though there's no telling what they could get up to alone.

She knows what. It's happened before and it'll happen again, and even though she's kept him at a respectable arm's length behind their locked hotel room door for two nights now, it's going to happen tonight.

It's just as much a certainty as the dimples in his cheeks when he grins at her, just as sure as the two side-by-side cages waiting for them back on the island.

The two turned-down beds that greet them when she lets go of his hand and opens the door are a whole lot nicer to think about.

She lets the door swing shut behind them, turns the lock, and drops her bag into the nearest chair, but once that's done, she turns toward him and hesitates, almost cautious, almost shy.

(And when was the last time you were either one of those? she can practically hear in Diane's voice, and in that same tone she had when she said you can't help who you love, Katherine.)

The hesitation doesn't last long. Before he can say anything about it, she moves toward him and puts her hands on either side of his face to coax him in for a repeat of the kiss he was so eager to give her before.

[identity profile] sorrydontsuitme.livejournal.com 2009-10-15 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
This time there ain't no waiting. No call for it, and he's ready. He's been ready for this since the last time they did it, and he ain't countin' the days but it's been a while. She keeps him at arm's length, Freckles does, but sometimes she doesn't and it always keeps him on his toes, ready for anything.

Maybe in this thing with her, he ain't the con-man. Maybe the tables are turned. Or just maybe neither one of 'em needs to con the other. They could just be honest, take what they can get when they can get it, and enjoy the hell out of the ride.

That's exactly what he plans on doing now. She tastes so damn sweet, like that ambrosia and the Martian rain and desire. It's one hell of a combination and there ain't much that's rational about this but who cares about thinkin' things through? He's on that pill, and that's enough planning for him. Kisses like this have a way of ending up exactly where they want to, no matter what the intentions were of the kissers when they started out. Ain't no surprise at all when they find themselves backed up against one of the beds; he lowers them both onto it.

Lookie here, Freckles. Guess where we are. The time for words will come later but now he's gonna keep his mouth shut (in a manner of speakin') and let things go where they will. And how nice of someone to turn down the sheets for 'em. Couldn't have happened better if he'd planned it and for once, he didn't.