Hugo had merely been enjoying the sensation of having Alex wrapped tightly in his arms when her hands quite suddenly crept into his hair and her lips met his own. He was so surprised that he could not quite respond immediately, and there was a static moment, in which he was sure that time must have stopped, then started, then stopped again. When he did finally regain his senses, he found them overwhelmed with her. Her hands tickling the back of his head, her scent-- familiar, but decidedly closer than usual--, the sensation of her mouth against his. That was new, anyway. Of all the things they'd done in tandem, snogging seemed to have been left quite alone.
It seemed impossible. All this time, and they'd never discovered how wondrous it was to kiss one another instead of bicker? Hugo found himself responding with rather more enthusiasm than was polite. His hands gripped her waist, holding her crushingly against him til neither of them could really breathe. But who needed to breathe? He released her suddenly, blinking rapidly, adrenaline flooding his body. He gave a moment to recovery, then kissed her again, rather more gently this time, an apology to her lips. He trailed his mouth along her jawline and up her neck til he reached her ear. "Hmmm," he breathed, laughing a little nervously, giddy with the joy of it all.